How To Repurpose Common Items



Wanting to change or update your home is a strong urge for most after a few years. Trends change, color preferences change, and our idea of a comfortable living space changes over time.


When you have some extra time over the summer, maybe try your hand at some of these DIY projects from things laying around the house. 



First, have any old picture frames lying around?

When you’ve got old photo frames, you probably have an abundance of sizes and textures. Some may be made of wood, plastic, or metal, so you may have lots of options when it comes to putting them to other uses.

Make a Tray: With a little fabric, hot glue, and a couple of small handles, you can turn an old frame into a tray – a tray with decorative and functional uses! 


Make an Earring Holder:  You’ll need some sort of wire to hang your earrings on. Just run the wire across the frame and then hang up your earrings. Great display!

Have old or broken products around?

Repurposeing products you would consider trash is the best! You can have a neat product and have less stuff laying around in a landfill!

Make a Cell Phone Charging Station: With just a bit of fabric, some cutting and a little time, you can make this really handy cell phone charging station that holds your phone and the cord right up next to the plug-in.

Use Broken Pots as Garden Markers: Have a broken pot? Just take a few pieces and write the names of your flowers, herbs or veggies with a magic marker so that it won’t come off or you could be really creative and paint the names on.

Have any Ladders or Scratched Wood Furniture?

With a little bit of sanding and paint, scratched wood still has years of life to display! Maybe you have a ladder that isn’t sturdy to use anymore, but it’s still got plenty of display options!

Old Wooden Ladders: Having a ladder that isn’t usable anymore means now you have a display rack! Depending on what the ladder looks like, or what condition it is in you could make a kitchen display, hang from the ceiling and add vine plants, make a towel rack and more! 


Dresser Drawers: You may have a dresser that is way past it’s prime, but what about the drawers inside? Consider sanding and repainting the drawers to use as storage containers under your bed  – they’re simple to repurpose! 




There are plenty of ideas out there to use old products or repurpose items around the house you have previously thought of as trash. Take some time to think about how you want to update your home and see if there is a DIY project for you to repurpose before buying new. It is fun, unique and saves room in our landfills!


Have a great DIY summer!



-Melissa Tucci

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