10 Under-Upcycled-Areas In Your Home & Ideas On How To Repurpose Them

by RavenWerks Guild Art & DIY, Sustainability

Hey homesteaders, hobby DIY’ers and backyard environmentalists! I am super excited for this post, as upcycling is something I am very passionate about.  I am going to try to reign myself in BUT knowing me, this is still going to be a bit lengthy. Mikaela talked about why upcycling is so important from a sustainability standpoint in UPCYCLING… THERE ARE NO DOWNSIDES but I can honestly say that a big reason that I upcycle is just because I find it fun and like the aesthetic. Because of this, I have been flexing my upcycling imagination for a while. Today I am not going to teach you how to make anything but instead, give you some ideas and inspiration. I want to touch on 10 things in your home that can be upcycled (some more obvious than others) and give you a couple ideas of what you can do with them to get your creative juices flowing. Before I start my list though, here are a few things to consider when looking for items to keep and repurpose.

  • Do not focus on what things are currently. Look at color, shape, texture, and material. Think about what is inside it.
  • Is it SAFE? If tampering with it can be harmful to you or the environment… stear clear.
  • What is the current state of the object? Are you going to need to clean or disinfect it before working with it? Is it ready to work with now?
  • Do you really want to repurpose it or is it better being sold or donated?
  • Are you willing to put the required time into the project if it going to be more involved?

The reason that I bring these things up is because the point on upcycling, DIY, and repurposing is to breath new life into things (and for me a plop of dopamine)… Not to become a hoarder. Sometimes it really is better to dispose of an item correctly or let it move onto a new home.

Now that I have that out of the way… Here are 10 things I love to give new lives.

(1) Jars and Bottles

So with jars and bottles the posabilities are literally endless and this goes for glass AND plastic so lets list a few of my favorites. This is probably one of the most obvious and well covered categories online so it is also the one I really wont get into much. I still want to include it though because you are CONSTANTLY getting more; from your jams, sodas, wines, pickles… The list goes on. So here are just a few ideas and like I said before- there are HUNDREDS more all over the internet.

  • Just use them as they are to store something new- duh
  • Mason jars are easily turned into rustic candles or classed up by using wine bottles
  • Glass bottles and jars can be painted or etched
  • Turn them into light fixtures
  • Wine bottles are easily cut into vases or used as is
  • Turn them into greenhouses and terreriums
  • Shatter glass for stained glass and tiling projects or smooth down the edges for safety in patterns to be used in…. whatever you want. Jewelery maybe?
  • If you have access to a kiln, glass bottles can be flattened down into platters
  • plastic soda bottles can be “shredded” into a twine or heated and used for anything you could also use shrinky dinks or shrinking plastic

(2) Anything Fabric

So this also seems like an obvious one BUT this is such broad category and I just want to put a couple things in your head for you to consider. 1. Fabric is a much more than just clothes and 2. it can be used for a lot more than just sewing projects.

Think about keeping all or part of the fabric from these items:

  • Clothes- duh
  • Linens
  • Window Curtains
  • Shower Curtains
  • Rugs/Carpets
  • Bags
  • Pillows & Furniture
  • Food sacks (think flour sacks)

Here are a couple things I ask myself when looking at anything fabric:

  • What is the fabric? I prefer to keep cottons, linens, and even gauzy, lace, and tulle materials that will not unravel too much when I cut them. Conversly, I avoid loose knitts and crochet materials that will not be repurposed easily or unravel quickly when cut from their original home.
  • Is it a natural material? This is because sometimes I consider dying items a different color and that sticks better to raw natural materials.
  • Do I like the pattern or maybe just want to save a logo or patch to be sewn on something else? Seems obvious when I ask that.
  • Do I need to wash this before I reuse it or store it for later? Again… think flour sacks. I probably want to wash the four off really good before using it for anything.
  • How threadbare is something? Is the material so worn it is see through? Maybe it is time to go. Is there a hole in the elbow of your cardigan? Maybe it just needs elbow patches or you want to use the cardigan material as a couple of quilt squares.
  • Do I want to keep it for the texture?
  • Do I love the buttons? Save those too!

Just like it can come from a wide range of places in your home, it can also be used in almost anything:

  • Reused in literally any sewing project you can think of; quilting, patches, combining things into different clothing, doll making…
  • Modpodged onto items for decor (make sure to use the correct type of mod podge for your project)
  • Turned into Jewelery; cut into shapes, turned into beads, etc.
  • I like to put my tiny scrap fabric that isn’t enough for sewing projects aside, chop it smaller, and use as stuffing in other projects
  • Turned into wax clothe for food storage
  • Boho hair ornaments
  • Use it for texure in a multi media art project; textured paintings, textures on your clay sculpture, embelishments in your papercrafts
  • Use long thin strips instead of chunky yard in a knitting project

(3) Dishes

Can anyone say whimsy? This miiiight be a bit too close to jars and bottles but typically you are looking at porcelain, ceramic, bone china, and stoneware. It’s a little different. You can paint them or decorate them (mod podge fabric on there?) but I usually find that they already have great colors and designs.

I usually look at 3 things with dishes:

  1. What is the SHAPE
  2. What is the MATERIAL
  3. What is the PATTERN/COLOR

I consider them in that order as well. The shape and material are my biggest factors in what I might turn something into. I only really consider the color or pattern afterwards in these cases as I can always change that with a variety of marterials (paint, resin, cement, moss…).

  • Treat anything bowl shaped as just a bowl shape. Bowls, pots, pans, cups, mugs, teacups, serving dishes, teapots… They are now planters, water features, turned upside down as light fixtures, hooked together as a rain chain.
  • An extension of shape is the size. Those stockpots could be great planters or mounted sideways on a wall to use as a cuby but might be a bit big to turn into a candle (no judgement though- I kind of want a giant candle now)
  • Flater dishes like plates and trays can be used as wall decor as is, turned into tiered trays or deconstructed and turned into something like a clock (anything can be a clock).

(4) Food & Plant Scraps

This is going in a VERY different direction from the other categories. I was reading this to Mikaela and she asked “what the hell kind of art are you going to do with leftover pie?” This isn’t what I mean. I mean your fruits, veggies, tubers, and plant cuttings. Think about these options before you throw away your blueberries that are a little past the point of yummy. Food and plant waste can really be split into a couple different categories.

  1. Waste- There is less of this than you think
  2. Compostables- What you mix back into your garden to be more sustainable
  3. Scrap to feed your animals- If you have any
  4. Art- Mwahahaha

The first three in that list are a whole different rabbit hole and I will be doing a different post on this in the next couple weeks. Lets focus on the art aspect.

  • Many fruits, vegetables, and leaves can be used for natural dying of paper, yarn, fabric, and even hard boiled eggs
  • Use leaves for solar printing to get lovely, natural patterns on fabrics
  • Boil unused, aromatic scraps like citrus peels or rosemary and thyme on the stove to spread the scent around your house before you compost it
  • Dried leaves, flowers, and herbs are lovely in candles, resin art, or sewn into sachets for scent

Maybe don’t try the above with your blueberry pie.

(5) Candles

Candles are fun because I sometimes turn them into other candles and sometimes just have fun making artistic messes. When a candle is dead you are usually left with 3 things.

  1. The little nub of a wick and/or possibly a little metal base of a wick. You can scrap this.
  2. The waste wax
  3. The vessel the candle was in- maybe. There are plenty of candles that are free standing.

So you have some options here. Here is the process I usually go through. Let me know if you have other thoughts though.

  1. First I like to boil the vessel the candle was in to:
    • Melt the last of the wax so I can pour it into or onto whatever I choose AND
    • Remove any labels etc
  2. If the wax is unscented I can totally reuse this in another candle
  3. If the wax had any scent I dislike making them into another candles BECAUSE often you have to combine scraps from several candles and mixing scents can get overwhelming.

If I am not reusing the vessel for a candle I use them like any other jar. A have them around the house being used to store small art and office supplies and one with pocket change. They also make great planters if you know how to drill drainage in glass without shattering it or for plants you aren’t afraid of overwatering. My favorite part to play with though is the wax. Here are just a couple things I have done with it in the past.

  • While it is warm but not completely melted it can be manipulated into sculptures. I have a lot of tolerance for the heat of warm wax in my hands but you can burn yourself doing this so BE CAREFUL. I will also note that the first time I did this I was 10 years old and using an insanely hot desk lamp to melt the wax instead of finishing my homework at a decent hour. I ruined the lamp and got in trouble but the little wax penguin was worth it.
  • I have used it on canvas. Have you seen where people melt old crayons on canvas? Same concept… but scented!
  • I have used it as an accent for DIY Halloween decor. Sometimes I leave it exposed OR you can do something like drip it down a doll face and then paint over the whole thing to make it look like the doll is melting.
  • Are you into sending letters? Use it as a wax seal and the scent is a nice added touch. Make sure it isn’t too oily though and you have a good quality envelope or you will end up with a stained envelope/letter from the oil used to scent your candle.

(6) Books

This is a painful one for me to talk about. I am a huge bookworm. I think I made a kid cry when I was in college because they set one of my books face down/open and cracked the spine of it. I KNOW I made a roommate avoid me for fear of retribution because I found them dog earing and writing in one of my books. Damaging a book actually makes my heart clench up like I am about to have a panick attack. That being said… sometimes it is better to lay them to rest. You ever have that book that even though you were careful, it has just been read so many times that it’s starting to disolve in your hands? I have had a few like that. I am not saying that if you have a leather bound, first edition, signed [insert amazing book here] and that it is falling apart you should treat it like an art project. Those you get restored by a professional or learn how to store and preserve as best you can. Your families’ journal, or bible, or book of shadows (different strokes for different blokes and all that) that the pages are falling out of and some pages have water damage…. also not recomending this as your next DIY project. But maybe that very loved copy of Harry Potter that you can always replace or read on Kindle and the back cover has fallen off? That is your next target. THERE ARE SO MANY THINGS YOU CAN DO WITH AN OLD BOOK!!!

  • Open it and soak it in a borax/water bath for a time so it grows crystals and use it as a fantasy prop
  • Turn it into a clock
  • Hollow it out into a secret bookshelf box
  • The pages can be cut into shapes, used as scrapbook paper or used as a base to paint for a dark academia aesthetic. The more aged and yellow the pages are the better.
  • If the book is a hard cover, the covers can be cut, the edges covered with ribon and hung on the wall as decor or used as a canvas for a painting.
  • solidify them with a resin or something similar, stack them, and create furniture.
  • Use illustrations are paper ephemera in junk scrapbooks or in other projects

(7) Old Childrens Toys

This is a fun one to play with. Completly throw the idea of what something is out the door and only think about shapes. Kids are kind of yucky. They get sticky substances on toys, leave them in weird places like behind the toilet, and break things. I can almost guarantee that the toy is going to look NOTHING like it did when I am done upcycling it.

What I like to look for in old kids toys are the following:

  • Figurines of any size or shape. Smaller ones can be painted over and turned into jewelery, wall hooks, cabinet handles or jar toppers. Larger ones can be repainted to look like chic decor. Some of my Christmas and bathroom decor are large figurines that were honestly ugly and I painted over them to look like a “stuffed” Christmas penguin and a metalic gold octopus for my bathroom (like the ones you see go for like $40 online).
  • Nerf and Squirt guns. I like to add a little adult charm to these and turn them into weapons for costumes. Added bonus is when I am cosplaying for Haloween or cons, my gun can actuall shoot my friends.
  • Stuffed Animals. It feels a bit like murder but the outside fuzzy bits get incorporated into sewing projects and the inside gets repurposed into pillows and projects like the giant stuffed dragon I am currently making.
  • Dolls can get repainted as creepy Halloween Decor. That Barbie that got decapitated by a 4 year old who thought she was playing hair dresser? That is now a creepy shrunken head in a jar.

(8) Pet Supplies

This one you have to be a bit more forgiving with. It is easy to say that you are going to reuse your clothes or kids kids toys but when I talk about upcycling an animals food dish, some people start to inch away. I have been a little adventurous though and just want to share a couple ideas. If you are adventurous, you can try the following:

  • Food Dishes can become planters
  • Large balls for horses or dogs can be covered in cement and other materials for garden decor
  • The top “jug” from the automatically filling water disheds can be turned into terreriums or small aquatic tanks
  • Dog toys can become props for costumes. This is a favorite of mine as I have turned things like a Bass made as a dog troy was painted and turned into a magicarp.

The point is, just because they were used for or meant to be used for an animal, do not write them off imediately.

(9) Jewelery

You ever buy a shirt that comes with a necklace that you will never use or have jewelery that sits around for several years until you donate or trash it? I am talking about all your costume jewelery. I know I have a certain aesthetic and That I only wear earings consistantly so why keep a bunch of jewelery I wont wear? Instead I tend to deconstruct pieces and turn them into earings so they will get use OR use them in art projects.

I tend to look at them in pieces and take them apart into:

  • Beads
  • Larger pieces like pendants
  • Chains

From there I incorporate them into:

  • Other jewelery
  • Pendulums
  • Suncatchers
  • Embelishments on DIY clothing
  • Additions to resin art
  • Whatever you are using your beads and bits for…

(10) Furniture

Upcycling furniture is another really popular place to start and has a lot of posibilities. What I want you to think about though is what you can do with old furniture when you imagine past reupholstering.

  • Cushions and pillows can be dismanteled into fabric and stuffing for other projects
  • Entertainment units can be turned into play kitchenettes for your kid
  • Cabinet and dresser drawers can be planters or raised gardens
  • Headboards can be a trellis
  • Anything made out of wood can be sanded and stained or painted and turned into a different piece of furniture

Again… the point is to thing of everything as PARTS. It isn’t a wooden chair. It is wood pieces cut into the size of 2 arms, 4 legs, a seat and a back. The back piece might have a cool carving and you want to use it as wall art. The legs and seat can be sanded, restained and turned into stool. The arms might be turned into candle sticks.

Some of the projects mentions will are things I have done, seen, or will be showing on our site. They are all doable at home and usually on a budget. I am not an engineer, a uni trained artist or anything else fancy. All you need is imagination and patience. Hopefully this post inspires you to make something new from what could have been trash around your home.

Happy Upcycling,

Taylor