Turn old stuff lying around into Pinterest-worthy gems
Summer is a hard time for me to think about decorating; I mostly turn my focus outside to my garden and porch. But I do use these months to edit my closets and clear the clutter. Aside from donating a fair share of goods to my local thrift shop, I try to concoct new uses for old stuff. Here are nine supereasy ways to give everyday items new purpose. In most cases, all you need is a few minutes, scissors, tape and glue.
Transform old tins by covering them in Japanese washi tape. Similar in texture to masking tape (in that it’s easy to tear), washi tape is much more durable and comes in tons of pretty and stylish patterns.
Rather than have your maps sit unused in a drawer or glove compartment, you can turn them into place mats. Choose maps of where you live, favorite destinations or somewhere that you are about to go on vacation. Cut them to size and laminate to reuse, or use once and dispose of.
Create instant art by framing wallpaper samples or scraps of your favorite patterned wrapping paper. Or take any “paper” collection and turn it into art. I recently framed a client’s collection of potato bags. These make an ideal vase because their holes keep the flowers in place. Fill with water, place the lid on top and add flowers. Just make sure that you cut the flower stems short enough so that the vase doesn’t topple over.
Save the corks from finished bottles of wine. The next time you have a dinner party, make a slit on one side and insert a place card in each cork.
Don’t discard unused tiles from your bathroom renovation. Instead, attach adhesive felt tabs to the bottom corners of the tiles. Stack them and keep them handy to use as coasters.
Put a pretty orphan tea saucer to use in your powder room as a soap dish. If you’ve broken the top to a covered casserole dish (like I have), use the bottom as a vase for fresh flowers or as a pot for plants or orchids. If using it as a planter, make sure you create a drainage layer by adding some stones or pebbles at the bottom under the soil.
Store new mail in the slots of a toast rack; when it gets full, go though the mail, pay bills, respond to invites and shred or toss anything else.