We all know a tremendously creative and crafty person who can take a pile of dryer lint and turn it into a stylish sweater\u2026 Let\u2019s be honest, though – most people aren\u2019t that clever when it comes to taking something we consider \u201cnothing\u201d and turning it into \u201csomething.\u201d Just because we\u2019re not the Martha Stewart of repurposing and up-cycling, however, doesn\u2019t mean that we wouldn\u2019t appreciate some creative inspiration. This article is for those of us who would love to frugally create treasure from trash, making “something old” new and useful again. There\u2019s a lot that the only moderately creative can do to reimagine and repurpose everyday items to make useful, decorative or fashionable items for very little financial outlay.<\/p>\n
Honing your eye<\/strong> Identifying your own resources<\/strong> What can be up-cycled?<\/strong> Furniture<\/strong> Clothing General items<\/strong> Be brave! In a world that\u2019s overly materialistic, it\u2019s important to remember that not everything of value or usefulness must necessarily be purchased new. With a little imagination and ingenuity, we can create some of the items we need and want to our own specifications and preferences, without having to pay a retail price for them.<\/p>\n What have you repurposed or up-cycled?<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" We all know a tremendously creative and crafty person who can take a pile of dryer lint and turn it into a stylish sweater\u2026 Let\u2019s be honest, though – most people aren\u2019t that clever when it comes to taking something we consider \u201cnothing\u201d and turning it into \u201csomething.\u201d Just because we\u2019re not the Martha Stewart […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[8],"tags":[510],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/couponshoebox.com\/tips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5441"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/couponshoebox.com\/tips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/couponshoebox.com\/tips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/couponshoebox.com\/tips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/couponshoebox.com\/tips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5441"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/couponshoebox.com\/tips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5441\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/couponshoebox.com\/tips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5441"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/couponshoebox.com\/tips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5441"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/couponshoebox.com\/tips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5441"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nThe trick to repurposing is to train yourself to see beyond what something is<\/em> to what it could be<\/em>. For example, an old stepladder may not be safe to stand on anymore but it does have design elements that may lend themselves to another purpose. Those rungs could make perfectly serviceable curio shelves and when attractively refinished, the ladder could make an eye-catching and useful display shelf. It\u2019s a matter of learning to see potential from what exists. It will take time and practice but it can be done. After a while, you\u2019ll begin to think long and hard about an item\u2019s \u201crepurposing potential\u201d before automatically discarding it.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>When you determine the need for something new, try \u201cshopping\u201d in your attic, closets or basement (or someone else’s) for something to repurpose into what you need before heading to a traditional store to buy something “off the rack.”\u00a0\u00a0You may also find items suitable to your purpose at garage sales and thrift shops.\u00a0Some items people commonly have lying unused around the house, sell off cheaply or donate include:<\/p>\n\n
\nIt may help stir up latent creative juices to see examples of what people have repurposed into what. Here are some sites that feature a plethora of ideas for almost anything you could imagine repurposing:<\/p>\n
\n12 Clever Uses for Old Furniture<\/a>
\nRepurposed Furniture<\/a>
\nHome Smarts – Repurposed Furniture<\/a><\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>48 Ways How to Use Your Old T-Shirt
\n<\/a>Repurposing Clothes\/Ideas
\n<\/a>The Ultimate Green Guide to Repurposing Clothes<\/a><\/p>\n
\nRepurposing Ideas – Trash2Treasure
\n<\/a>30 Creative Ways to Repurpose & Reuse Old Stuff
\n<\/a>The recycling and repurposing possibilities are endless!<\/a><\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>Even if you don’t consider yourself particularly handy, adopt the attitude that\u00a0whatever<\/em>\u00a0you make, you have something; whereas before, you had nothing and the item was unused anyway. You’ll eventually discover the repurposing skills at which you excel, whether it be refinishing, painting, sewing, building, decoupage, stenciling, embellishing or conceptualizing ideas for someone else to implement…With practice, your repurposing skills and confidence will increase.<\/p>\n