The free dictionary defines re-purposing as:
To use or convert for use in another format or product.
I love to re-purpose things.
Its ultimately satisfying knowing that you gave something a new lease on life. Its also a great way to recycle.
I tend to re-purpose old holey t'shirts into scarves, have made bags out of coffee sacks and the very simple idea of using glass jars to store items like pinenuts etc, but there are lots of ways you can re-use broken or no longer wanted items. Below are some of my favourite ideas, taken from my favourite craft site Craftster, and Instructables:
Side cabinet to kitty litter holder- see the cat door to the right
Books turned into a bookshelf
Drawers into shelving
And probably my all time favourite: Kodachrome curtains
How have you repurposed household items? Please share your ideas and links in the comments below as I'd love to know!
I get so much satisfaction making things from stuff that otherwise would get thrown out :-) A relatively recent (re)discovery is papier mache. I used to think of it as a fun thing to do with kids. Then my mum made a gorgeous papier mache doll bed for my niece, and seeing I realised that papier mache might be just the ticket for a sturdy tray I wanted. I was resistant to buying something new and plastic so I'd been using boxes from PakNSave but they were never the right size and each one seemed to fall apart after a few months :-( The papier mache was easy to do and the tray is still going strong 2 years later. I've made several other bits and pieces out of papier mache since and am currently making a small crate for a friend for her birthday. I'm going to decorate the outside with some pink, purple and silver tissue paper a friend gave me after she was inundated with pink when her daughter was born :-) The only new items in the whole creation are the flour for the glue and the varnish to waterproof it: all the rest is stuff diverted from the waste stream :-)
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