RSS
Home
Green²: double your green and live green (part 2)
Print
Email
RSS
Subscribe
The budget-conscious are always looking for a way to stretch a buck or repurpose something they already have. If you learn to look at everyday things with a new eye, you can give them new life in your space. And with the holidays coming up, ‘tis the season to put your creativity to work.
You’re bound to receive a gift (or two or three) that you’ll be less than thrilled with. Instead of cluttering your closet with these undesirables, remix them into something you want or need. Your friend or relative will be thrilled that you’re actually getting use out the gift- even if it’s in an altered form.
Best off all, you’ll be doing your bank account and the planet a favor. That’ll definitely put you on Santa’s nice list.
- Jewelry: Unwanted jewelry can be turned into curtain tiebacks or napkin rings. Match different styles of the same metal finish for a polished mix.
- Gift Baskets/Gift tins: Baskets are really useful for home organization. Use them to store your keys, mail or message pads. Larger baskets make great magazine totes for the bedroom, living room or bathroom. Empty holiday cookie tins can hold toiletries or cleaning products under the sink.
- Collectibles/figurines/sculptures: Reincarnate tschotskies into jewelry stands for your necklaces, watches and rings. Use non-V.O.C. paint to paint them the same color for more glam and less kitsch. Display them together on a shelf or table for a cool “collector” look.
- Wine: Turn wine corks into place card holders for your next dinner party. Use a craft knife to make a slit to hold the place card. Or use your corks as finials on your lamps and curtain rods for an unexpected Tuscan accent to your décor. If you can salvage the labels, take them to a copy shop and enlarge them. Then frame them as wall art.
- Sweaters & clothing: Just what you need-another seasonal themed sweater or winter fleece. Cut the clothing up to use as throw pillow covers instead. You can find pillow inserts at fabric shops and art supply stores. Hate the color? Use that unwanted wine or gift basket tea to stain the fabric a more desirable hue. Trace or measure the pillow’s dimensions onto clothing item. Cut out the form, leaving about a quarter inch overlap for the seam. Sew the top and sides of the pillow cover inside out. Slip the insert in and stitch the bottom shut. A needle and thread is all you need but you can always take the pieces to your dry cleaner and have the tailor there do the sewing. It should be comparable in cost to hemming a pair of jeans.
Click here for more ideas.
Related Articles:
Comments
.jpg)
