Photo: etsy.com Surely many people don’t even realize how many useful, practical and beautiful things can be made from unnecessary things lying around. At the same time, each new product becomes unique in its own way, because you invest your personal creativity into it. In this article we will look at various options for “retraining” old things, and it’s up to you to decide whether to use the ideas or come up with something more original based on them!
The second life of obsolete things
Coco Chanel loved to repeat the witty phrase that fashion should be understood as something that constantly goes out of fashion. Frivolous extravagance became the reason that huge quantities of goods produced for the hot trend became useless to no one the very next season and went to landfill.
But this could not go on forever. Enormous resources were spent on the production of things that quickly went out of fashion, and nature’s patience is not endless. In response to this challenge, developed countries have seen a rise in demand for clothing, footwear and personal accessories made from old items and recycled waste.
Pens made from cardboard, glasses frames made from recycled plastic, sneakers made from old tires or plastic caught in the ocean, crafts made from things, and remade vintage bags have become a real fetish that costs a lot of money.
School pencil case
The holders are good for home and kindergarten. Such crafts are no longer suitable for students at school. Schoolchildren carry pencils, pens, erasers and sharpeners with them in a pencil case.
It can also be made from a regular tube left over from shampoo or scrub. There is no shortage of such material, so you should immediately select a capacious container.
Operating procedure:
- The lid and top are cut off with a stationery or sharp kitchen knife. The tube is washed. The edges are carefully cleaned.
- They make a cover. It can be sewn from leather with a lid using a button. An alternative option is a knitted cover. The main thing is to make it so that it is easy to remove and wash. The smaller the child, the more colorful he should be.
- Put the cover on the base and get a wonderful pencil case. The child will definitely like this craft. He can be involved in the creation process.
It’s a good idea to involve the baby himself in creating such a pencil case. It is even more important to consider the gender of the child. The case can be decorated with stones, beads, rhinestones, ribbons and so on.
Some statistics
Over the course of a year, only one resident of the Russian Federation throws out up to 400 kg of solid household waste, and less than 30% of this amount is recycled. Vast areas are allocated for landfills, which after some time become polluted with toxic decay products. If you compare Russia with Sweden, where only 1% of the waste that technologists have failed to recycle is disposed of in landfills, you might be horrified.
Flower pot
Anyone who has children understands very well how quickly they grow and shoes and things become small. Don’t rush to throw away your children’s shoes or slippers; you can use them to make beautiful and unusual flower pots that will decorate any flowerbed.
Take an old pair of rubber flip flops and make round, triangular and square cuts on the closed part.
Once the cuts are made, you can pour soil from the slipper and plant small flowers.
Make your contribution
Since technologies for mass recycling of trash and garbage are in their infancy, each of us is simply obliged to make a contribution to this noble cause to help the planet recover.
Create crafts from unnecessary things that you can use to decorate your home or cottage. Dress in crafts made from old clothes to give your clothes a chance to serve you for another period.
Tubes of shampoo, balm or cream
The container can be from almost any cosmetic product. The main thing is that it should have an elongated shape. The top part is cut off. The edges do not need to be straight. They can be pointed or rounded.
These holders can be decorated in completely different ways. Eyes, nose and even teeth are made with colored paper. You can cut out the mouth. To hold the product comfortably, double-sided tape is glued to the back or holes are made for nails.
Let's start handicrafts
From any things that have lost their relevance, you can create something new and useful. Dozens of items pass through our homes that can be used as raw materials for DIY junk crafts:
- Various containers - cardboard boxes for eggs, buckets for mayonnaise, marmalade, sauerkraut, etc.
- Disposable tableware and cutlery.
- Covered pens, felt-tip pens and markers.
- Buttons on old unused items.
- Glass and tin jars.
- Bottles from beer, wine, corks and twists.
- Burnt out light bulbs, etc.
Treat used things with love, take a closer look at how they can serve you in a new capacity, and you will have an inexhaustible source of inspiration.
Marker holder
A creative drawing corner for a child requires containers in which pencils, markers and much more are stored. Giving old things a second life and getting different options for holders is quite easy and simple.
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Ideas
Let's think about what kind of crafts we could make from old things with our own hands.
- An unusual wall clock, the dial of which is decorated with disposable forks and spoons.
- A panel of multi-colored buttons of different sizes.
- Animal figures made from plastic bottles.
- DIY crafts from old clothes: an organizer made from pockets from jackets and jeans sewn onto a piece of denim, curtains made from scraps.
- A dressing table on a stand or a wall-mounted bar from an old suitcase.
- If you wash deep cans and poke holes at the top edge with an awl, they can be hung in a row on hooks, forming a convenient storage for screwdrivers, wrenches, markers, and pencils for the garage.
- Plastic buckets can be used for growing plants on windowsills, and their lids can serve as stands for these pots.
- If you cut off the necks of plastic bottles, you will get an ideal container for growing tomato seedlings for the garden.
- Cut off the sides of old canisters, place them in a row on a shelf in the garage, and you will have a large number of drawers for tools, various parts, and rags.
- Glass jars with screw-on lids make excellent storage for screws, nails, and self-tapping screws. You just need to screw the lids with screws from the underside of the wooden shelf, and screw the jars with fasteners onto the threads from below.
- You won’t believe it, but even old unnecessary crutches can be used, from which craftsmen have learned to make bookcases, connecting the crutches at the top with a tapering side. It will not be difficult to cut the shelves to the desired size and secure them to wooden supports.
- Wine corks make original keychains; you just need to somehow secure the ring in the cork array.
And the old suitcase will come in handy
If you have an old suitcase lying around, don’t rush to send it to a landfill, because it can become an excellent base for creating a lot of useful things. For example, in a short period of time you can turn it into a cozy abode for your pet by equipping it with a warm blanket and legs.
If you get serious about decorating - paint the outer sides of the doors, open them with varnish, and cover the inner sides with fabric or wallpaper, then you can turn a suitcase into a luxurious antique-style box for children's toys.
An old suitcase can also be repurposed into a gorgeous coffee table that will suit any traveler's interior. To do this, you need to clean the item well, perhaps paint it or decorate it using decoupage technique, or open it with varnish. If the suitcase doors are soft, you will need plywood inserts on the inside.
Photo: zen.yandex.ru
Photo: odstroy.ru
Photo: marremont.ru Photo: ices.ge Photo: zen.yandex.ru Photo: pol-master.com
Mini fountain
The passion of amateur flower growers for old car tires is well known. In cities, many front gardens in front of entrances are decorated with painted wheels. Tree seedlings are planted inside the slopes and flower beds are arranged.
And at the dacha, you can build a decent pond from an old tire by cutting off half the rubber and creating waterproofing using a sheet of plastic film.
If you then pour water into it and place a small nozzle in the center that sprays water in tiers, foam or colorful splashes, you will get an amazing mini-country fountain. Plant it on all sides with ornamental plants, and here you have a ready-made oasis.
Smartphone holders in 5 minutes
Perhaps almost everyone has a smartphone. But there are no holders for them. What if you need it, but don’t buy it by hand? Easily!
This is the kind of holder made from office clips in one minute. But take stronger clamps so that they hold well.
A sleeve and 4 stationery needles will also work well. You can paint it to your taste.
Another option: you will need a pen and some reliable clothespins.
A convenient pocket for charging a smartphone can be easily cut out of an empty shampoo or shower gel package.
And if you have some fabric and a love for needlework, you can sew such a pocket.
Flowers in old jeans
One of the fashion trends in the design of summer cottages is the use of old jeans as a soil bag. After filling the jeans with soil, lush plants are planted on top. If you put several of these blooming jeans in a row, it turns out very cute and fun.
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Street lamps made from tins
Tin cans of different volumes and diameters must be pre-treated by straightening the edges with pliers.
Using a simple sketch, a sharp nail and a hammer, different designs are applied to the surface of the tin with dot punctures; if you place a candle in the tin, it will turn into a decorative garden lamp.
Leaky kitchen utensils
Leaky pots, basins, bowls, boilings and teapots will not have to be scrapped when there is a dacha where there will always be a use for them.
Having painted the container with intricate script, you can plant any plant of suitable size inside, filling the entire volume with soil.
Plates with chips for the kitchen
If the chip on the plate is small, you can disguise it with acrylic paint. Plates stacked together (bottom to bottom) can turn into an original fruit bowl.
First, the surface of the dish should be decorated and covered with transparent acrylic varnish, and the adjacent edges should be joined with strong glue (for example, a polyurethane adhesive base). Any guest will appreciate the appearance and shape of the new vase.
Bath - a man-made pond
If during the renovation process it is planned to replace an exhausted bathtub with a more modern one, the old bathtub can be used as a water-tight bowl for a small pond. You will need to tightly plug the drain hole, deepen the bath into the ground, having previously prepared a small pit.
Plant the resulting pond with perennials, ferns and shrubs to breathe life into the composition. The result will be an original element of landscape design.
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Ideas using old disposable dishes
Using old aluminum forks or spoons, you can make simple and original hooks for towels or things.
Of course, there is no doubt that such inventions will not be appropriate in a classic modern style. But for a high-tech designer style, in a truly rural direction, this is a real find. For example, at the dacha, this idea is simply irreplaceable.
Exclusive wickets and gates
One of the best examples of DIY crafts from unnecessary things is welded country gates and gates from used shovels, pruning shears, axes, chains, gears, barn locks, keys, broken screwdrivers, in a word, any metal rubbish that has accumulated on a personal plot for years.
All this scrap metal is picturesquely located inside a metal frame and welded to adjacent elements using an amateur welding machine.
The result exceeds all expectations: the result is real masterpieces of modern creativity, which is easy to verify by examining the search results for the Internet query “do-it-yourself crafts from unnecessary things photo.”
If such a gate made from shovels, tailor’s scissors, pot lids, a meat grinder, rakes and bicycle stars is displayed in a museum of modern art, no one will even suspect that this is the work of an amateur gardener. By the way, using the same technology you can weld an amazingly beautiful country table from old metal products.
Mirror from a window frame
An arched frame from an old house is suitable for creating a mirror, the glass is removed from the subframe and the voids are filled with mirrors.
It is recommended to clean the wood from paint residues and thoroughly sand it; after applying light paint, an artificial aging process is carried out by partially removing the coating.
Old belts
Over the years, every family accumulates a considerable number of old belts with loose holes, damaged buckles, and frayed seam threads. You can try making the back and seat of a country chaise lounge out of aluminum tubes, intertwining the straps with each other.
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What to make from coconut shells
It turns out there are a lot of things. Here are 5 smart ideas.
Turtle ashtray. Or a vase for small items. It looks extraordinary.
Candlestick. Unusual decor.
House in an aquarium. Beauty!
And what kind of cutie lives here? Syrian hamster. But you can house a dwarf, a mouse or a gerbil. The main thing is to give everyone a separate house.
Or you can make a cup. Use as a dish or stand.
Plastic bottles
Practice DIY crafts made from plastic bottles more often to give a second life to things.
Using a simple device, a plastic bottle can be dissolved into long thin strips, which are later used to create trellises for tomatoes and cucumbers, braid flower pots, and weave rugs.
Collect bottle caps, which you can use to create amazing panels on the walls of your country house. In addition to the fact that such paintings will win you the reputation of a creative person among all your neighbors, traffic jams will also enhance sound insulation and keep the house warm on cool nights.
Whole plastic bottles make beautiful garden arches and decorative compositions. Bottle bottoms can be used to pave a garden path.
By making side cutouts in the bottles, you can grow flowers there. And by tying the bottles one above the other horizontally, you can create high vertical beds for strawberries and strawberries.
Hot coasters and mats
Things needed in everyday life. And often not only in the kitchen, but also at the desk, in the living room. Rate 5 creative ideas.
Coasters for glasses made of felt.
Coaster made from wine corks.
An excellent rug can be sewn from leftover fabrics.
You can also make an interesting stand out of jute. Do-it-yourself natural decor in a popular eco-style.
And here is a rug for dishes made from jeans. Looks original.
Interesting solutions
Any household inevitably accumulates used equipment, clothing, and household items. By creating crafts with your own hands from old things, you will add zest to the interior and acquire original personal accessories that can surprise anyone.
- Lampshades made from cut wine bottles.
- A bar counter made from an ironing board and a glass holder made from an old rake.
- Thermal support made from wine corks.
- Bottle holder made from bent vinyl records.
- Flower pots made from clothespins.
- Pictures of unnecessary keys, parts of damaged watches and alarm clocks.
- Artificial roses, peonies, daisies, sunflowers from cut plastic containers.
- Sand paintings, ship models inside bottles.
- A bed for a cat or dog made from a pillow and a worn-out sweater.
- Photo frame made from outdated jewelry.
- Many man-made elements, such as antique lighting fixtures, spare parts, and wooden pallets, are deliberately used by interior designers when creating loft-style interiors. Here, in general, the more factory junk, the more elegant and prestigious it is considered.
Pet suitcase
Old-style traveling suitcases are not particularly popular today, because new mobile accessories (on wheels) have appeared on the product market. You should not hastily get rid of a bulky item, especially if there is a pet (dog or cat) in the house.
The inner walls of the suitcase should be thoroughly cleaned; you can soak the surface with an antiseptic. Next, you should sew a soft mattress and place it on the bottom of the new bed. The hinged lid can be removed, or you can decorate it in an original way.
Conscious consumption
People make many decisions in life out of habit, as if they were living one day at a time, without thinking about the consequences. At the same time, the strategy of conscious consumption has the power to transform life on the entire planet for the better.
In the 19th century, fashion was “slow”. Suits and dresses were made to order according to established patterns, the materials were quite expensive so that the owners of the clothes did not waste things.
With the advent of large factories that produced clothes using an assembly line method, it became possible to sew large orders designed for only one or two seasons - according to the current fashion for color, cut, and finishing features. As a result, the fruits of fast fashion accumulate in closets for decades, saturated with the aromas of mothballs.
But think: in order to produce just one T-shirt, which will no longer be worn after a season, the industry must take 2.7 thousand liters of water from nature! Let's feel sorry for the planet and ourselves, because soon clean water and air will remain only in protected areas at the edge of the world!
New life for wallpaper scraps
Select pieces that match the color and cut them into squares. Stick on the wall in random order. This technique is reminiscent of the patchwork sewing technique and also looks cozy.
Wallpaper with monograms and gilding can look too pretentious. It is much better to use them in dosed form. Place several pieces in frames and hang them on a plain wall.
By cutting thick wallpaper you can select a separate area. Glue them to the main wall trim, and cover the cut line with a wooden frame or plaster molding. Typically, lamps, paintings or shelves are placed on such a panel.
The headboard for the bed will be made from wallpaper with an openwork pattern. Cut it into whatever shape you want! The joints can be left untouched or a decorative cord can be glued over them.
Give a second life to an old chest of drawers: decorate the drawers with pieces of wallpaper, and for practicality, coat the top with transparent furniture varnish. You can also complement the interior with a homemade panel. To do this, wallpaper a piece of plywood, carefully bending the edges and fixing them on the back side.
Photos of crafts from old things
Unusual shaped crayons
Collect all the old crayons and organize them by color. Take an iron saucepan and place crayons in them, place the dishes on low heat.
While the crayons are melting, you can look for molds. They can be of any size: rounds, stars, triangles, fish, butterflies.
As soon as you see that the wax crayon has melted, pour the contents into the molds and let them harden.
Egg containers
Plastic and cardboard containers for eggs, firstly, can be reused for their intended purpose.
If you buy eggs unpackaged, they will cost less, since you will not have to overpay for packaging. And to make it convenient to transport them, use an existing container. Secondly, cardboard cells are great for growing seedlings before moving them into open ground or herbs on a windowsill.
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Thirdly, you can place a laptop that overheats during operation on cardboard cells. The embossed surface of the container will not interfere with the access of air to cool the device.
