10 Creative Ways to Repurpose Household Items

Before tossing out your empty containers, worn out linens and other household discards, pause to consider creative ways to repurpose them. Breathing new life into old items saves money while reducing waste. With a little imagination, you can upcycle all sorts of household goods into crafty, functional pieces. Here are 10 ingenious repurposing projects to inspire your inner green decorator.

Jar Vases

Glass jars and bottles of all sizes make charming vases for displaying fresh or faux flower arrangements. Clean out food jars thoroughly and remove any labels. Paint or decoupage the exterior to make them pops of color. Add sand, pebbles or marbles to the bottom for stability when holding flower stems. Cluster a mix of shaped jars for an eclectic look.

Tin Can Planters

Transform used food tins – soup, beans, tuna, etc. – into cute indoor planters. Thoroughly clean cans and sand any sharp edges smooth. Spray paint the exteriors fun colors or use craft paint to decorate. Drill holes in the bottom for drainage. Add potting soil and small houseplants like succulents or herbs. Group together for a quirky windowsill garden.

Fabric Bowl

Don’t discard old t-shirts, sheets or other soft fabrics – reuse them to craft crafty fabric bowls. Cut or rip material into strips. Tie strips together end to end then coil into a spiral, securing as you go with fabric glue. For stability, fill the bottom with rice before closing up the bowl. Use as decorative catchalls or pen holders.

Palette Bookcase

Wooden shipping pallets can be adapted into handy bookcase shelves with a little DIY magic. Stack pallets to the desired height and secure together. Stain or paint the wood for your style. Add trim for a polished look. Anchor to the wall for safety. Insert shelving to divide into compartments for books, decor and display. Customize sizes to fit your space.

Lightbulb Pendant

Put those burned out lightbulbs to good decorative use by turning them into chic glass pendant lights. Use pliers to remove inner hardware. Wire bulbs together into a chandelier style and suspend from the ceiling with a cord. For a single pendant, insert a candelabra socket into a bulb’s base and add a cord. Paint or decoupage bulbs for colorful popping accents.

Picture Frame Board

Make a photo-worthy wall display from an assemblage of recycled frames. Paint, stain, or decouage a plywood or fiberboard backing as the base. Then arrange an assortment of unused frames on top and attach securely. Fill frames with meaningful photos, art prints, pressed flowers or fabric to highlight. Hang the memory frame board in a prime viewing spot.

Bowl from Sweater

Turn an old sweater into a crafty bowl for holding gloves, keys, mail and other small items. Choose a thick, stretchy sweater. Trace a bowl shape onto the sweater and cut along the outline, making the diameter about two inches wider than your bowl template. Stretch and form the fabric over an actual bowl. Use a hot glue gun to pleat and adhere the sweater bowl shape.

Burlap Throw Pillows

Make earthy, natural throw pillows for your sofa or bed out of recycled burlap sacks. You’ll need two sack fronts of the same size. Stack and sew together into a pillowcase shape, leaving an opening. Insert a store-bought or homemade pillow form. Sew the opening closed. Add interest by stenciling letters or designs onto the burlap with fabric paint.

Wine Bottle Lamp

Illuminate a room with the warm, ambient glow of a homemade recycled wine bottle lamp. Clean and dry an empty transparent bottle. Insert the electrical components – lamp cord, socket, and bulb – through the bottle mouth and seal edges with silicone. Add plastic beads, sand or pebbles if desired. Secure cord and hardware in bottle with glue before using.

Produce Crate Shelving

Multipurpose wooden produce crates lend farmhouse appeal when upcycled into wall mounted shelves. Use original crates or buy new ones. Paint or stain crates and brackets to protect and decorate. Mount sturdy brackets and stack crates in your preferred arrangement. Fill with books, plants, photos and quirky collections for character.

Conclusion

With a dose of creativity, discarded household items can be given new life and purpose around your home through clever repurposing and upcycling. You’ll get custom, quirky decor while reducing waste. Decoupage jars into vases, craft fabric bowls, make vertical gardens from tin cans, display photos in a frame collage, illuminate with bottle lamps, and more. Let your imagination run wild to reincarnate rubbish into DIY treasures.

FAQs