Why spend money or fill up the garbage can if you don’t have to? It’s no secret that we love to repurpose, and we actually got a note from a guy named Kenn with this fabulous image attached:
How great are these old cans turned pencil cups? A simple coat of paint is all that it takes to unify a bevvy of cans that you already have in your recycling bin- and they’d also make charming vases and could even corral spoons and forks at a casual gathering.
Inspired by the inbox eye candy, we put on our thinking caps to come up with some other normally-discarded items could be reimagined into something useful. We rarely have plastic bottles around the house (this one was left behind by a visitor) but anyone who does could make a charming little bud vase in a second:
And ten of them plus a tennis or nerf ball could create a fun DIY bowling set for any little ones in the house.
There are so may other objects that can be reused in a flash. Old egg cartons can come in handy for storing jewelry in a drawer or a cabinet (much like my ceramic egg crate “jewelry box”):
It could even work in a junk drawer to sort rubber bands, paperclips, push pins, and other small office supplies. Or in a garage or tool area to store nuts, bolts, screws, anchors, and nails. Gotta love 12 little compartments that work for almost anything (bobby pins and hair elastics… the possibilities are endless).
And we can’t forget one of our favorite repurposing solutions. Old wine and Pelegrino bottles become pretty decorative accents in a flash (especially after the mismatched labels are soaked and removed):
We’re also big fans of refilling things, like this gorgeous bottle of olive oil (a gift from one of our high-rolling friends from William’s Sonoma). We love to top it off each time it runs low. Anything to keep that pretty bottle on our kitchen counter:
We also plan to refill our Cucina soap and lotion set (a recent $32 purchase from Anthropologie). It wasn’t exactly dirt cheap, but not too bad when you consider you get soap, lotion, and a charming little ceramic dish that holds ’em both. And the fact that we can refill them with our favorite organic soap and lotion once they run out means we’ll have them sittin’ pretty near the kitchen sink forever:
And why stop there? Here are a few more ideas:
- Cereal boxes covered with brown paper bags can become shipping boxes used for sending books and other small objects to friends and family members
- Old plates and platters can be used under planters with drainage holes to catch any excess water and protect your furnishings and floors
- Used coffee grounds and tea bags make great natural plant fertilizers- read more about that here
- An empty plastic milk jug becomes a watering can with a few holes punched into the plastic cap
- Your old magazines can be dropped off at local bookstores or hair salons (we easily found one willing to take our leftovers) who then give them away for free to other customers
Now it’s your turn! Tell us all about everything that you recycle, reuse and repurpose in your home. We can’t wait to hear how you guys make haste and not waste.
For more repurposing tips, check out this great post from TipNut and the comments left by our lovely (and very clever) readers.
Lee says
My sister told me about your site and I have visited it often! Thanks for all the wonderful ideas.
I have kept all my glass bottles and jars because I just hate to throw them away. When it came time to redecorate my kitchen last year, I decoupaged the same flower design I had put onto the cabinet doors, onto the jars. Now when they are lined up on the shelf (full of beans, lentils, pasta, etc) they look like a flower garden.
Some tin cans that have plastic lids also got painted to match the cabinets and had the same flowers decoupaged on to them. They stand on the fridge, holding rice, flour and sugar. The flowers were cut from cheap wrapping paper but certainly bring some cheer into an otherwise dreary environment.
Lark says
I saved that same apple juice jar image in a word doc…years ago…found that image on the domino magazine site (before website was taken down). Here’s the caption I had saved:
“I have used the same three Martinelli apple juice bottles (individual sized) as vases for years! I get so many compliments on these “collectible” vintage-y pieces. When friends ask where I got them, my response is, “The deli!”—Karen from Columbus, OH”
YoungHouseLove says
Love it!
xo,
s
Casey says
Big fan. HUGE. I’ve been scouting YHL’s projects for ideas to carry into my dorm room next year. The cans-to-pencil holder idea is great (and totally simple!), and it’ll be one of many that I’ll probs end up using. Thanks for sharing the creativity, guys!
Megan M says
I love your ideas how nice of u to share them everyone. Very practical.
Love the one about cereal boxes. i came across another one. cut them diagonally cover with contact paper and you have a mag holder or office storage. cut them short and use them as pen/pencil holders. Soooo many ideas!
Also for any crochets out there. cut up old plastic bags and make your own! I saw my aunt doing it a few months ago and loved the idea n found instructions online for it. http://plasticbagbag.com
hope you guys like it!
YoungHouseLove says
That’s so much fun!
xo,
s
ideaswoman says
In love with your blog!
To easily remove labels from bottles, poor boiling water into the bottle. The glass heats and the label glue starts to soften and makes the label easy to peel off. Remove any excess glue/label with a stainless steel scourer.
LC says
Thanks for all the fab ideas
If you have any shredded paper (old bills, newspapers, magazines) drop them off at the local pet shop, they’ll be forever grateful and there will be a few thankful pooches to.
Another favourite is to take old or tattered clothes, cut them into patches then sew them all together to make some funky pajama pants.
Thanks for all the time and effort you put into the blog so I can renovate vicariously through you :)
Karima says
Hi, guys,
Great post! I loved it.
Here is my “green” tip:
I use empty glass jars (from pickles, etc) as containers for food items. If you noticed they come with screw-on lids, so it makes them airtight.
1. Wash the jar and a lid. Wash off the label as well
2. Dry it
3. Transfer items like rice or pasta from plastic/paper containers into the jar. Close the lid
4. Use pretty handmade labels if you want
Easy and green!
Joelle says
My mother used to use old cereal boxes and wallpaper to make magazine holders for her craft room. Just cut the box to remove the top flaps, then cut down at an angle from the center of the top of one long side to the center of the side. Then straight over to the back and up to the middle again to give it that magazine box shape. Wrap with whatever paper you like, we used self-adhesive wallpaper that we had laying around after a reno. The boxes look cute and all match.
Tammy says
I saw a lady at the thrift store buying ice cube trays, she said to be used in her Art Class for the students to put their paints in. Thought it was cool.
Val Glausier says
Salut, Je suis Jacques et suis nouveau ici et je trouve ce site tres interessant. J’aimerais apporter quelque eclaircissement à l’article original svp.
Kim says
You are speaking my language, here! Thanks for the reminder about using coffee grounds as fertilizer.
Ok, this is crazy, but I use my egg shells to scrub the pan. You have to be very careful and use a light hand, but the shells really get baked on food stuff off pots and pans. It’s magic! You have to be careful to not cut yourself with the sharp edges of the shell, but if you are like me and like to live on the edge–try my super technique!
Christine says
I used old cereal boxes and frozen pizza boxes to make dividers (with tabs) for a binder. I just traced old binder dividers that had tabs onto the boxes, cut them out, glued pretty scrapbooking paper onto them, punched out the holes and cut off the excess paper around the edges. They look pretty and no one would ever know they used to be food boxes.