Recycle, Repurpose, Reuse Ideas

Most of us these have gotten accustomed to setting out our recycling materials with the
weekly trash pick-up, and we should be proud of ourselves for doing so. 

Repurposing and Reusing items is something I grew up seeing my family do all the time. 
My grandmother told me how during the Great Depression she could get beautiful
woolen army coats from the thrift store for 50 cents and after un-ticking it she could get
enough fabric to make winter coats for two of her six children.  Men's coats in those
days contained yards and yards of quality woolen fabric.  Thirty years ago my sister did
the same process in order to dress her four young daughters.  I used men's shirts for
little dresses and quilts, as did my grandmother.  I still remove all the buttons from
shirts and blouses before using the garment for fabric, rags or adding to the re-cycling
bin.  Buttons are much too costly to toss into the trash.


Baby food jars were used in the workshops by my uncles.  With the lids mounted to the
underside of a shelf the jars were filled with bits and pieces, i.e. nuts, bolts, screws, etc.,
and were in open view and easy reach.  I have an old silverware case (box) in which my
grandmother kept needlework tools for knitting, crochet, making spider-lace, bobbin
lace, etc.  When I was very young and learning to knit with little plastic needles, this box
was a treasure chest to me and is one of my most valued possession.


 



These days I continue to save plastic peanut butter jars for my sewing room, baby food and spice
jars for buttons, etc.      

Spice bottles, baby food jars, jelly jars with their lids painted blue and yellow, Crystal Lite containers hold bits of trim, crochet hooks and other odds and ends.

Now that our chickens are laying regularly, more than I can hold in my apron pockets, I had been on the look-out for an egg basket for colleting eggs.  I finally noticed the ideal basket hanging on my porch.  One of those heavy wire hanging baskets that are used with those heavy matted liners.  Without the liner it makes a
perfect egg basket. 

Empty candle jars make perfect canisters for my kitchen.  It keeps tea bags, sugar and
sweeteners handy.  Just make certain to bleach them and air them out for a while until
the scent of the candles have dissappated.  If not done, your sugar and tea bags will take
on the aroma/taste of the essential oils used to scent the candle.







An old tie or belt rack is perfect for holding scissors and other things such as a work in progress like this apron on a hangar.

Canning jars with a bit of cardstock and ribbon can be transformed into lovely containers for scrapbooking enhancements or gifts.

Cover the lid with a bit of card stock and a bit of matching ribbon glued around the ring is all it takes to make theses pretty little containers.