10 New Uses for Old Things
By DIY Maven
My Home Ideas culled these 10 great ideas for repurposing old stuff into new stuff from the pages of Real Simple.
- Turn an old kitchen stool into a night stand or side table. (I actually did this using an old, round piano stool, pictured above. My in-laws found it in MWT's grandmother's chicken coop. I scrubbed off the poop that covered it and gave it a coat of black satin.)
- Turn unused brooches in to spectacular refrigerator magnets.
- Use dishtowels and placemats.
- Store seasonal items in old suitcases.
- Use old calendar pages as gift wrap.
- Turn old silverware into hooks. (LOVE this one.)
- Use picture frames as serving trays.
- Set a tray on top of an old bucket for an instant outdoor side table.
- Use wine glasses as candle holders. Might look even better if they were MIS-matched wine glasses.
- Use a pegged coat-rack to display art and photos in hallways and over fireplaces.
To see the entire list, including pictorial examples of each and links to the how-to's on Real Simple, visit this page on My Home Ideas.
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DestinybyDefinition
I`d like to add to some of these!
1) If you HAD an old kitchen stool, but the seat is a write-off, pick up one of those old silver round tea trays at the thrift-store and gorilla glue it to the lags/base. Gorilla glue is a crafter`s dream! you can glue wood to glass with it.
4) Buy one of those hard-cover suitcases from the thrift-store, tape off the edges, spraybomb it a pretty color, screw some table legs to it and use it as a side table/nightstand that stores rarely used but non-tossable items.
5) Frame old calendar pages as art, or save for a decoupage project. My daughter has a mural of animals dressed in pretty scarves and hats with complimenting textures and colors behind them in her room, thanks to an old calendar.
6) turn old silverware into a windchime near your outdoor dinner spot (the picnic table by the tree, or by your patio set)
9)Tip wine glasses upside down with a pretty flower (probably a fake one) under the cup, and put a big pillar candle on the base- still would look nicer with mix`n`matched glasses.
10) glue clothespins to an old plank of wood, paint the whole lot, and use it to catch memos and kids`artwork...interchangable fun!
A couple of these ideas are not my original, but i wouldn`t remember where i heard them first if i tried!
Ooooh I love trash to treasure projects!
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