Note: This article was first published in the magazine Depot Home for their Issue 4, Volume 1 for the year 2008.
The 3R is not French anymore to almost everybody when taking care of the environment is the issue. Reduce, Reuse and Recycle are the most used and abused words just to reiterate time and again how people should pay special attention to Mother Nature to avoid it from deteriorating.
Nevertheless, if the idea of segregating biodegradable from non biodegradable things looks boring for you and if being frugal in buying household items is next to impossible whenever you hit the mall for some household items, then might as well get those creative juices flowing and opt for finding new use for your old stuff. Because just when you thought those pieces of papers scattered all over your living room’s floor are trashes and that old mug holder is nothing but a thing of the past, then think again before dumping them in the trash bin, for you’ll never know what wonders they can do for your home. Aside from conquering the clutters in your place, reusing old things in your house will definitely save you a lot of moolah as well.
And with the following helpful tips and suggestions below, you’ll certainly think twice first before you even get hold of that pricey pillowcases and lamp shades the next time you head to the home improvement store.
- OLD CDs –> CANDLE HOLDERS
What you’ll need: Old CDs, poster paints, white latex paint, tea light candles, glue stick, glue gun.
What you’ll do: Paint the CDs with white latex paint and let it dry for 30 minutes. Afterwards, paint your CDs in any color or drawing of your choice. You can try painting it with blue and yellow stripes, black and white polka dots or opt for an abstract design. Anything under the sun would do, just be artistic. When the paint is fully dry, glue the tea light candles in the middle and voila! You now have an extra stylish candle holder. The painted CDs can also be a wall adornment for music lover’s room or you can write a message on the shiny side of the CD for an instant and unique CD card.
- OLD WIRE HANGER –> DREAMCATCHER
What you’ll need: Old wire hangers, ribbons, yarn, scissor, feathers, beads and charms (any color)
What you’ll do: Bend the hanger in circle and wrap it tightly with a ribbon. Make webs by overlapping the yarn with the ribbon. Add fringe by tying longer pieces of yarn or ribbon at the bottom then add feathers, beads or charms of your choice. You can even use letter charms spelling your name for it to be more personalized. This can be a perfect ornament in your room or gift for a friend.
- OLD CURTAIN ROD –>TRENDY CURTAIN
What you’ll need: Your old and rusty curtain rod, ribbons, feathers or beads, nylon thread, glue, scissor
What you’ll do: Wrap the curtain rod with a ribbon. Measure the width and length of your doorway, window or any place where you want to put the curtain. Cut the thread into pieces but make sure to leave 2 inches allowance from the original length of your choice to leave room for tying ends.
For Bead Curtains, tie a knot in the end that will serve as the bottom of the curtain strand. Thread the beads into the nylon thread. This can be a combination of two colors like pink and green or just stick to one color that is close to the color of your room. When done, tie again a knot in the top end of the thread then loop it on the curtain rod. Be sure to glue both ends of the thread and ribbons to seal the knot to keep the beads from unraveling. For Feather Curtains, do the same thing but instead of using beads, use feathers of any color (white looks more classy though). Assemble at least five feathers (number of feathers may vary depending on how fluffy you want the feather to be) together for threading. Just make sure that the number of feathers is enough to keep them from falling or slipping. After you have glued both ends of the thread, let the curtains dry and hang it in your doorway or anywhere you wish to.
- TISSUE BOX –> PLASTIC BAG HOLDER
What you’ll need: Tissue box, glue, scissor, old magazines, and sequins (optional)
What you’ll do: Cover the empty tissue box with colorful pages from your old magazines, if desired, you can also put sequins in your box for an on the spot glam look.
Let dry your work of art then stuff those plastic bags inside the box. So the next time you need a plastic bag, you can just simply pull one off from your self-made bag holder. Now isn’t that brilliant or what?
- EXCESS WALLPAPER –> ROOM DÉCOR
What you’ll need: Excess Wallpaper, scissor, double sided tape
What you’ll do: Cut out four squares out of the wallpaper sizing to 11” X 11”. It would be better if the wallpapers have different designs like plain color, stripes, floral and abstract but it’s not really required, as long as the color is close to your room’s shade then that would be fine. After cutting 4 pieces of wallpapers, place them in the wall just above your headboard using a double sided tape to add extra oomph in your dull room. Aside from giving life to your usual boring space, these pieces of papers also help make your room look bigger.
- OLD MUG HOLDER –> ACCESSORY HOLDER
What you’ll need: Old mug holder, J- Hook with back adhesive strip.
What you’ll do: Old mug holders can be great accessory holders, especially the one that are hanged on the wall. Aside from keeping the accessories organized, keeping or hanging them on the wall instantly adds up to the room’s color. It can be an instant decor in the room too. Use a J-Hook with the adhesive strip on the back so it would be easier for you to remove the holder and reposition it again on another place if you want.
