Reusing and repurposing items is something I am a huge fan of. I grew up with parents who loved to go garage saling, thrift storing, and dumpster diving, so it is kind of second nature for me. If I need something as far as clothing or furniture, it is rare that I go somewhere that isn't a second hand store to get it. According to dictionary.com, reusing means to employ for some purpose; put into service; make use of. Repurposing means to adapt for use in a different purpose.
Some people think that creativity is a required trait to be able to reuse and repurpose items, but I disagree. This is because repurposing is totally up to you to do WHATEVER you want! As you look through these photos, you will see how simple it can be. Thanks to my roommates and family, I have learned new ideas that would never have come to mind on my own.
There are many benefits and reasons why I believe people should do this. We live in a consumeristic society and have been trained to want more more more. It is a good thing to learn that new things are not required to make us happy or to get what we need, often times it just takes an open mind and willingness to think outside of the box. Repurposing and reusing items not only saves us money, but also supports the environement because less products are produced or wasted. Check out the ideas below and see if you can't find something in your home or at a thrift shop to reuse or repurpose.
This is a tray you can use to serve food on. My mom took an antique plate and wine glass and superglued them together. I love how fancy it looks and how you can glue any plate and glass together to get the look you want.
My sister took all her quilt scraps, old buttons, and sweaters and made a cute handbag. She braided the scraps to make the handle. I love these because they are sturdy, you can wash them, and can make them in any color or design!
This is a glass bowl (probably fish bowl) that my roommate turned it into a rock candle holder. She loves rocks so she filled it with some pretty ones and it goes great in her room.
My roommate had a bunch of old sweaters she wasn't using so she cut them into strips, used a rubberband to tie them together, and made this beautiful scarf.
I had a cute wicker basket that wasn't being used and we needed a place to store toilet paper. It perfectly fits four rolls and sits above our toilet.
This is a potato sack from Dunn Brothers coffee thats works great to hang my earrings on.
My grandpa was a farmer and his wedding ring got smashed in a piece of farm equipment so my mom took it and melted it down into a pendant for a neckalace. This picture does not do it justice, it is so beautiful in person.
My roommate is very creative and took unused cubboard doors and used them as backboards for her photos.
Opportunites and ideas are endless when it comes to things that you can reuse and repurpose. It is really rewarding to know that you are not only helping the environment, but also making use of some really cool things. I love seeing people use creative and new ideas that don't cost anything. Join in on the fun!
That's a cool way to reuse a Dunn Bros sack! I used to work at a Dunn Bros and every year around the holidays we'd put the sacks out for people to take. Within hours we would have given away close to a hundred of them. It always blew me away how many people wanted those olds sacks, but seeing how you made one into an ear ring rack leads me to wonder just how many uses those things could have!
ReplyDeleteHow creative! I love what your mom did with your grandpa's wedding ring. We think of so many things as ruined but we just need to be inspired to try something new!
ReplyDeleteAll of these idea are really cool!! I love the look of wine glasses and have come up with some of my own projects and ideas that has to do with wine glasses, that I'm using for Christmas gifts. I also love the look of rocks. I really like the idea your roommate did with the candle. I try it!! Thanks for sharing.
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