I love re-using materials that I would otherwise throw out. Maybe it came from living in a home where my mom had to make do with what we had. My mom was the queen of re-using items to give them new life. Even now that her money is not as tight, she still takes objects that would have been thrown out by most people and she creates a brand-new need for them. For example, she recently made a new slipcover and pillows for her wicker set by re-purposing an old shower curtain. It looks fabulous!
We recently visited my husband’s grandparents who grew up during the Depression. Living in that era made lots of people value the things they had. The grandparents re-use every container from the cheese-puffs tub to peanut butter jars. I am always impressed by their resourcefulness and unintentional green living.
In what ways do you re-use items or find creative ways to incorporate them in your home? I’d love to hear about them and Pin them!
My ideas….not necessarily original, but still worth trying! These are all things I’ve tried in my home.
Use glass spaghetti sauce jars or salsa bottles for vases
Refill trial size shampoo bottles with the pouch-samples you get in the mail
Use white toothpaste as makeshift spackle for a nail hole in the wall
Put your orange peels in the garbage disposal for a fresh smelling sink
Use a foam pool noodle as a bumper around your fireplace if you’ve got a toddler
Use that ribbon-board as a hairbow holder
There is actually a word for it, called ‘Upcycling’. I use old jewelry, taken apart, to create new jewelry pieces, old tee’s get cut and sewed up into a new shirt, so on and so forth. Great ideas though!
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Oh yes! I’ve heard that term, just never thought of these little things as being upcycled. You’re so right though!
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too bad more people dont ‘reuse’ more things. it would cut down on waste and put less trash in landfills. i reuse as much stuff as i can. i hate throwing anything away if it can still be used for something. some folks may think i go overboard with it but thats okay.
I’ve done that trick with the orange peels. I try to recycle, upcycle, whatever you try to call it! I keep saving bits and pieces and hope for something to make into it, the collection of scraps keeps growing more than my recycled items!!
I love these tips and I try to do the 3 Rs as much as possible. I like using empty perfume bottles are bud vases. They are so pretty and the hole is usually just the right size. Thanks for sharing!