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4.18.2013

new uses for metal bread pans

when i was running a business based on turning castoffs into beautiful and functional objects,
it thrilled me to no end to find strange bits and pieces,
 and then use my imagination to reinvent them.

industrial metal bread pans were one of those finds...
i came upon a tilting stack of 75 of them at a barn sale, and bought the lot. 
and then i used them for all KINDS of things:
 
* holding plant pots in my garden house 
as shown in my 'Garden House Makeover Project' post

* as 'drawers' in a salvaged dresser that had none


* displaying giant letter tiles
[tile tutorial here]

* organizing craft supplies, papers and files in my studio/office

* holding canned goods and paper towels in my pantry

* organizing tools by the BBQ

 * and making a spur-of-the-moment moveable herb garden:
this particular creation happened by accident...

i was setting up at a show, moving things all over the booth,
trying to find a place to put one last industrial bread-baking pan.
there was a small metal wheelbarrow frame sitting on the ground, 
waiting for a wood crate to be placed into it.

but i had a better idea....
i placed the metal frame up ON the table 
[on a burlap feedsack so it wouldn't scratch the wood]
and then sat the metal bread pan in the wheelbarrow frame.

it didn't fit perfectly... but it was unique!
i added some potted herbs, handfulls of straw from the ground,
and the vintage jelly jars that i had planned to sit on a tray on the table.

the look was decidedly more interesting than my original plan
and it's a great idea for a move-able herb garden centerpiece:

* line a metal baking pan or oil pan with plastic or foil
(large industrial or small household size, either will work)

* place pots of herbs into each section (they hold a LOT)
you could also plant the herbs in the pan - just add rocks before soil, for drainage.

* sit the pan on something that it's not supposed to go with -
an upside-down round stool, for example. or the silver base of a fancy warming tray.
mix, match, whatever!

it makes for a great conversation piece
and an easy move from table to kitchen counter to backyard, 
for watering and sun exposure.
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any way you slice it, that's a lot of different uses from just one item -
and that's what 'found' decor is all about!

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