Years ago,  the word “repurposing” brought to mind the old tractor tire my grandma and grandpa painted silver and placed in their front yard as a planter.  I don’t know if they thought of their tire-turned-planter as “repurposing,” certainly not as “upcycling.”  I can see my grandpa scratching his head and asking, “What the heck does that mean?”  All that mattered was that they had the prettiest petunias on South New Street, and my grandpa was proud that he’d created a cool flowerbed for my grandma to show off her posies. They’d turned a tire into a personal treasure.

In the spirit of that silver planter, here are some upcycling ideas I’ve stumbled across recently. Most of them are more functional than beautiful (sadly, no tires are involved):

 

1. TP and paper towel rolls are great for organizing cords and jewelry. When we moved our daughter to college, we used them to keep her long necklaces from getting tangled. It worked!

 

 

2. Binder clips hold computer cords in place when not in use.

 

3. If you brown bag it, CD packages serve as a perfect bagel sandwich holder.

 

 

 

 

4. Make a bud vase out of a used light bulb by cutting off the end of the bulb and removing the wires inside; fill it with water; set it on a pretty napkin ring and add a flower. Voila!

 

 

 

 

5. Make great use of narrow wall space by converting an old window shutter into a decorative and functional message center/organizer. Secure messages, keys, mail, artwork, photos and school permission slips with clothes pins and it will be easier for your family to stay organized.

 

 

6. Silicone ice cube trays make great organizers for your desk, craft room, jewelry or tool box.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7. Cereal boxes covered with wrapping paper make pretty magazine holders.

 

 

 

 

8. Rake heads display necklaces and keep them from getting tangled.

 

 

 

 

 

9. Place a tension rod under the kitchen or bathroom sink and hang cleaners from it.

 

 

 

 

 

10. Turn “cup” drawer pulls upside down and affix to a blackboard for a handy chalk holder. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

11. An old doll house makes a unique storage shelf in the laundry or bathroom.

 

 

 

 

 

12. Create a vintage-looking bottle. This was a Crown Royal bottle painted (three coats of paint – first, paint it black and then finish with two coats of a sea green color); sand lightly to give it a distressed look.

 

 

 

 

13. Make a wine cork coaster:  Gather enough corks to make the size coaster you desire. Cut a standard-size cork in half so it’s not too tall. Using a hot glue gun, glue the corks to each other in a circular shape. As the finishing touch (and to hold them all together), glue a pretty ribbon around the cork bundle.

 

 

 

 

14. Have instant fun with a portable magnetic Tic-Tac-Toe game made from an Altoids box.

 

 

 

 

15. Use a wine rack as a towel holder. Roll the towels and place then where the wine bottles would go.

 

Do you have any upcycling or repurposing tips or projects? Or what’s your favorite project here? One person who posts will win a book from my backlist – your choice. Can’t wait to hear about your ideas and personal favorites!