62 Ways to Make Something New Out of Something Old
Get creative with these ideas for crafts made of recycled materials.
Get creative with these ideas for crafts made of recycled materials.
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Spice Rack
Transform a humble rectangular cutting board by using screws to attach small wooden cheese boxes. Add a leather strap for hanging.
What you'll need: Vintage wooden cheese boxes (from $11, etsy.com)
Mirror
Use mirror hanger clips to secure a plain rectangular mirror to a slightly larger cutting board, leaving a few extra inches at the bottom. Screw wire coat hooks (we used vintage ones) into the lower edge to add storage.
What you'll need: Mirror hanging clips ($3; lowes.com)
Birdhouse
Old license plates also make a one-of-a-kind roof for your favorite birdhouse. Simply use hot glue or a screw to attach them to the little home.
Tools you'll need: Unfinished wood birdhouse ($16 for 12; orientialtrading.com), Vintage license plates (various prices; ebay.com)
Clock
Drill a hole in the center of a round cutting board and insert clock hardware. Attach metal number tags with black steel tacks.
What you'll need: High torque clock movement (from $8; clockworks.com); Metal number tags ($8; etsy.com)
A Clever Homemade Trivet
Whip up a Scandinavian-style table protector from–get this–wooden clothespins and floral wire. Oslo-born crafter Paul Lowe shares his easy how-to in Sweet Paul Eat and Make ($30; Houghton Mifflin Harcourt). Simply disassemble 40 clothespins, lay them flat side down, and drill a hole in each, about ½ inch from the tapered end. Thread the pins onto the wire with the double-notched sides facing right, as shown. Then, pull the wire into a circle and twist the ends to secure. You'll be done before the kettle boils.
Red Wagon Bar Cart
Remove wheels and axles from three wagons of roughly the same size. For the bottom shelf, attach galvanized floor flanges on the inside four corners with nuts and bolts. Mount casters to underside. For the middle shelf, attach two floor flanges (one on the inside, one on the bottom) in all four corners with nuts and bolts. For the top shelf, attach galvanized floor flanges on the bottom four corners with nuts and bolts. Next, use screws and Liquid Nails to adhere wooden dowels (ours were cut to one-foot lengths) to center of the flanges to build one unified structure. (For additional support, attach wire cross braces between the shelves.)
Gilded Vases
Upgrade your picnic table with gilded DIY vases and votives. Use a foam brush to apply adhesive to the outside of a mason jar in small, irregular patches. When the sticky substance turns clear—in about 30 minutes— press on sheets of gold leaf. Then, rub away excess flecks with a paper towel for a lovely weathered patina. (Speedball gold-leaf kit with leaf and adhesive, $10.97; dickblick.com)
Tattered Quilt Lampshade Cover
Let your frayed, stained, and damaged-beyond-repair coverlet rise and shine well beyond the basement! Measure circumference and height of a drum shade. Add 1 inch to both measurements. Using a fabric pen, draw a rectangle the size of the above dimensions on quilt. Cut along marked lines. Create a finished seam on one of the short sides by folding over 1 inch of fabric and adhering with fabric glue. Place fabric pattern-side down onto flat surface. Cover with spray adhesive. Starting at the fabric's unfinished short edge, wrap around shade and smooth. Fold over excess along top and bottom edges of shade, then adhere with fabric glue.
Patio Pavers
To brighten up a plain concrete patio stone ($1.61; 12" square; lowes.com), first brush away any debris. Then, mark the centers of the stone and your stencil (Modern Masters Endless Circles stencil, $31.95; royaldesignstudio.com). Position the stencil over the stone, aligning the center marks. Use masking tape to block off two flowers on both the right and bottom edges of the stencil to make the pattern symmetrical. While holding the stencil in place, dip a ½-inch-wide stencil brush into Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and pounce the brush straight up and down to apply the paint (brush, $5.75; paint, Greek Blue, $11.95 for 4 oz.; royaldesignstudio.com). When you're done, remove the stencil. That's it—no sealer necessary! Repeat on additional stones to extend your path.
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