The Many Reuses of Bread Tins

One of the many odd things I’ve had bestowed upon me by previous tenants of my various abodes throughout the years is a polaroid picture of Dustin Hoffman circa 1985.  While it is unquestionably one of the coolest things I now own (I couldn’t bring myself to leave it behind for the next tenant), it’s also incredibly odd that someone decided to leave it behind.  The same goes for the muffin pans that I’ve inherited from my current apartment.  The question of what motivates someone to leave behind such objects is perhaps an interesting one, but not one I’m going to waste any time on here.  I’ve been led down this metaphysical path by an article on Re-Nest about the various uses for old, otherwise unusable bread tins.

Perhaps there’s someone out there who can tie all this rambling together by fishing out that rusty bread tin inherited from tenants past and make, say, a vintage-looking planter out of it?

Bread Tins No More: 5 Creative New Uses.

Image via ReadyMade

Creative Reuse: The Many Miracles of Vinegar

While vaguely familiar with some of vinegar’s many uses I still mostly associate it with my favorite type of chips.  Now, thanks to Wise Bread, that signature smell will connote everything from fixing anemic plants to removing blood stains to settling my stomach to predetermining the sex of children.  If that doesn’t sound intriguing then I don’t know what will.

10 Weird and Wonderful Ways to Use Vinegar.

Image via johannalg

Reuse Resource: Sign Up For a Box of Tech Junk

For all you tech junkies out there, Lifehacker’s posted to a program that may or may not come to fruition but could have great consequences: a tech CSA where people sign up to receive a box of tech parts that would otherwise be tossed in the trash, which can then be used for whatever tech project you may be inspired by.

Sign Up for Boxes of Tech Parts You Can Upcycle [Reuse].

I’m by no means a tech junkie, but I can’t help but love this idea and heartily encourage anyone who is to sign up for this.  BTW, the photo above is of actual dumpster divers at ThinkGeek’s old offices – perhaps the inspiration for the new program.

Image via ThinkGeek

Wine Bottle = Hummingbird Feeder

Spring continues to fight off the last gasps of winter here in Maine, but the buds are persevering and that means hummingbirds will be making their way north soon enough.  I’ve always been a sucker for hummingbirds but I’ve never had much luck with hummingbird feeders.  However, after getting a look at this DIY feeder from Re-Nest I’m very tempted to make a go of it myself.  All it takes is a wine bottle, some wire, a rubber stopper and a copper tube.  Very manageable.

DIY Hummingbird Feeder From a Wine Bottle What Allie’s Making Now.

Image via What’s Allie Making Now

Creative Reuse: Discarded Buttons = Beautiful Bracelets

This one’s for all you button factory workers out there: Courtesy of the INspirational INHABITAT, I give you button bracelets!

Quirky Necklaces Made From Buttons Found on the Factory Floor.

The artist, Mary McCormick, apparently collects discarded buttons from her father’s button factory floor and makes these beautiful bracelets out of them.  Count me as a big fan.  I don’t know when I’ll get my hands on enough buttons to make my own but it certainly serves as inspiration.  Check out her site for more.

Image via Rescate

15 Repurposed Planters: Just Add Dirt

As spring slowly warms things up around here we’ve got our eyes set on outdoor planting.  Thanks to Re-Nest, we’ve got a whole slew of ideas for what to use for planters without having to hit up Home Depot.  Specifically, we’ve got our eyes on the chair and the tin cans, as we happen to have both on hand.

Re-Nest

via 15 Repurposed Planters: Just Add Dirt.

Image via The Seattle Times

Old Books = New Lamp

Along the lines of the excellent tea cup lamp, we found this post from Dollar Store Crafts on how to turn old books into a lamp.

Make a Recycled Stack of Books Lamp

It’s not quite of the same caliber, at least in the picture above, but I bet this could prove pretty attractive with the right lampshade and aesthetic.

Image via Dollar Store Crafts

Phonebooks= What To Do With Those Paper Dinosaurs

We’ve told you previously how to cut ties with these endangered species of paper waste, but in case you missed the boat or still have one lying around from previous seasons DIY Life has compiled a dozen or so ways to upcycle those babies into everything from coffee table bases to lamp shades to my personal favorite: pen and pencil holders.

Thanks to the keen eyes at Lifehacker for the scoop:

Creatively Recycle Your Old Phonebooks [DIY].

Image via Chica and Jo

Champagne Corks = Drawer Pulls

Looking for that fancy, yet handmade look for your refurbished bureau?  Look no further!  Or do, if this isn’t quite what you were looking for.  Dollar Store Crafts gives us a pretty clever use for old champagne corks by upcycling them into drawer pulls.  Personally, I think this has got some potential, though it’s not fully realized in their project.

Also, can you really purchase champagne at a Dollar Store???

via Re-Nest: Repurpose Wine Corks Into Drawer Pulls Dollar Store Crafts.

Image via Dollar Store Crafts

Soda Cans = Cookie Cutters

 

Who doesn’t love a good cookie cutter?  The ability to make cookies into various shapes so that I could pretend I was eating an entire reindeer in one bite is a cherished memory from my childhood.  These days, such fantasies may not sit well with my vegetarian girlfriend but I think even she could get behind, say, making our own goldfish (she might even get some repressed carnivorous pleasure out of it).  Thanks to The DIY Home Sweet Home Project we can do this without having to buy a new set of cookie cutters. Instead, they show us how to make them using a plain old soda can.  Seems pretty straightforward, though it’s one of those things that I wouldn’t necessarily think of on my own.

Via Re-Nest: Make Your Own Cookie Cutters From Old Soda CansDIY Home Sweet Home Project.

Image via The DIY Home Sweet Home Project