In today’s consumer society, of the plethora of items people acquire, only a small number remain in their possession for longer than a year. This is largely due to the trend of discarding old things without pondering their potential usefulness. The truth is, it’s not the age that determines the worth of items like worn out plastic bottles or cartons, old computer keyboards, or used papers. These materials ought to be valued beyond their immediate use, as numerous methods exist to repurpose them into practical items. Here’s a compilation of 25 typical items crafted from less than typical materials:
Sandwich Box out of a CD Spindle
If you have old CD cases that you are no longer using, you may think of turning them into valuable sandwich boxes. Converting CD spindles into sandwich boxes is just as easy as one, two, and three. Just find a sandwich that can fit inside your CD spindle and that’s it. You already have a good box for your sandwiches and burgers.
Planter Combos Made out of Drums
If you cannot transform your 55-gallon drums into benches, you can still recycle them by converting them into planter combos. You can do this by sliding 4 x 4 pieces of 1 inch plywood over two drums and supporting them by steel L-brackets through affixing them into the base of the drums.
Toy Box Made out of Fruit Crate
The crate you used when you bought several kilos of fruits for the holiday can still be used for other purposes. If the scattered toys of your kids already give you headache, you can convert your fruit crates into toy boxes. This will not only help you organize your kids’ things, it will also help you organize your home.
Key Holder Made out of Lego Blocks
Lego blocks are common toys for boys. But when they become grown-ups, most of them just throw these toys away. Actually, these Lego blocks can be used as key holders. All you have to do is snap a Lego piece onto another piece that is stuck on your wall through a double-sided tape. Thus, you can plug your keys into the wall.
Purses Made Out of Coffee Couture
If you love chilling out in coffee shops then you can make the most of your paper bags by converting them into coffee-themed purses. You just have to fold them into the shape of the purse that you want, make the necessary cuts, and line them with cotton print fabric.
Pendants Made out of Stamps
Miniature designs of old old stamps delivered right to your door can be turned into unique creations, such as a pendant to your necklace. You just have to place the stamp in waterproof resin.
Glass Tumblers Made out of Corona Bottles
Used Corona bottles can serve far more purposes than just bottles for your beer. Actually, you can use these printed bottles as glass tumblers by collecting them and converting them into something you can use when serving beverages for your visitors at home or just when you and your friends are having a good time.
Glassware Made out of Salvaged Windshields and Car Windows
While it is common to find glassware made directly from recycled glass, it is uncommon to find glassware made from salvaged windshields and car windows. Glasses made from these materials normally come in a slight green color as they retain the original tinting of the windshields.
Pet Bed Made out of an Old Computer Monitor
Old computer monitors are typically thicker and bulkier compared to monitors today. And because most people prefer the thinner type these days, those bulky computer monitors are now just gathering dust in attics. Actually, you can convert this computer monitor into a pet bed by taking out all the chips and boards. Then, remove the screen and put a comfy cushion inside it where your kittens can have their home.
Purses Made out of Bottle Ends
There is so much more that you can do with bottles than just pen organizers. By getting the bottom of two similar plastic soda bottles and joining them together with a zipper, you can come up with a creative purse that is more durable than that which is made of fabric.
Play Tent Made out of Old Canvas
If you have very old canvases that you are not using anymore, you can make the best use of them by converting them into play tents. Just sew these canvases together and use old durable sticks as your foundation to come up with a tent that can stand and provide an improvised shelter for your playful kids.
Lampshades out of Used Big Bottles
While small bottles can be converted into pen organizers or cute home decors, big bottles can be used to make lampshades for ceilings. The bottom part of these bottles can be ripped open so the inside can be mounted with a small light bulb, right at the opening of the bottle. A heavy-duty string can then be affixed to the lid of the bottle so the lampshade can readily be hung on the ceiling.
Clocks Made out of Bicycle Wheels
A wheel of a wrecked aluminum road bicycle can be converted into a wall clock by mounting it directly to the wall through its hub and attaching a high torque quartz movement to a set of cassette gears. These clocks can run on an AA battery and can allow dilapidated bicycle wheels to live another life.
Unique Clock from Vintage Record Player
Using an old recycled Fischer turntable and another old-school album, you can create a unique clock. This clock moves in quartz and can run on an AA battery. This can be a perfect décor for your wall.
Lampshade out of X-Rays
To make a lampshade out of x-rays, get an old drum lampshade from your home and clip some x-ray transparencies all over it until it gets covered. This will give your bare lampshade a new look and will add more value to your x-ray results.
Chandelier Made from Jam Jars
If you have already munched through all your jams at home and are about to throw away all your jars thinking that you can no longer use them, think again. Putting some bulb lights in these jars and converting them into chandeliers make the perfect decoration for your ceiling, especially when they are tinted.
Stylish Handbag Made out of Keyboard Pieces
If you have a keyboard at home with one or two keys not working anymore, do not think of just throwing it away. You can use these brpken keyboards as materials in making a fashionable bag. Just take off each key from the main board and glue each one of them to your unadorned bag pattern. What you get is a hip bag.
Fruit Bowl out of License Plates
If you have old cars with license plates that you are no longer using, try being resourceful by turning these license plates into bowls. You just have to bend these plates into the bowl shape that you wish, add some legs out of carriage bolts and voila, you have your decorative fruit bowl.
Plant Boxes Made out of Hollowed-Out Books
If you can no longer manage the old books on your shelf, you can hollow out the middles of two of them and put some soil inside so you can convert them into effective planters or plant boxes. Using books as plant boxes does not only help you keep your plant container in place, it also adds a little charm to your home.
If you can no longer manage the old books on your shelf, you can hollow out the middles of two of them and put some soil inside so you can convert them into effective planters or plant boxes. Using books as plant boxes does not only help you keep your plant container in place, it also adds a little charm to your home.
If you think that your light bulb can no longer be of service to you once it gets exhausted, better think again. These exhausted bulbs can be turned into oil lamps by just filling their inside with oil, plunking a string in them for the lighting, and affixing the bulb itself to a base made out of carved wood.
Stool out of Old Skateboards
If you used to be an avid skateboarded you may enjoy this project. Gather some old skateboards and attach them to long, welded steel frames hidden underneath.
Modern Chairs out of street signs
If you are looking for ways to add some furniture in your home without spending that much, you can replicate the contemporary furniture designs once made by this talented artist by using street signs. By just bending a street sign and resting it on metal tube legs, you can come up with contemporary chairs for your home interior.
Tote Bag made of Recycled Juice Packs
Aside from broken keyboards, other materials that you can use to make bags are juice packs. Used juice packs can be recycled and sewn together to serve as basic materials for your tote bag. These bags are not only durable but are also environment friendly.
Mat Made out of Belts
Vintage leather belts that do not fit you anymore can still be of use. Just mount them all together on a backing of reconstituted leather by using a water based glue. Let them dry, and before you know it. you’ll have a unique, rugged mat for your floor. This works best when your vintage belts come in different colors.
Bookshelf Made out of Piano Case
Old pianos are better off as book shelves than just dysfunctional fittings inside your home. You can convert your old piano into a book shelf by mounting it on your wall and using some ply woods to create layers. This will not only make the best use of your broken piano, it will also add some art to your home.
