Archive
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
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
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
Antique China = Pretty Awesome Lamp
From our friends* at Design*Sponge (via Daisies and Pearls) I bring you some re-creation inspiration. We’ve got a fair number of old china hanging around the upper reaches and far-back crevices of our kitchen cabinets and shelves, but alas they’re heirlooms and boy would I be in trouble if I tried anything like this with them. That said, I know there are a few antique shops around and maybe even some second hand stores with some castaway china at reasonable-if-not-downright-cheap prices. And while this certainly looks hard to do, Design*Sponge assures us it’s relatively easy, assuming you have a tile/glass drill bit.
diy project: sarah’s china teaware lamp.
Personally, I think this lamp looks amazing – it’s got a bit of an Alice In Wonderland tea party scene look to it.
* I don’t actually know anyone at Design*Sponge to qualify them friends, but I do enjoy tossing that word around casually so as to associate myself with their fine work.
Creative Reuse: What It’s All About
This post doesn’t quite fit into any of my handy dandy categories, but I had to share this link because Wise Bread does such a good job of explaining (albeit inadvertently) what this site is all about. So go forth and click:
VHS Tape = Wrapping String
Having just come back from a wedding I guess I’ve got presents on the brain. Fittingly, Re-Nest is here to show me how to wrap a present with VHS tapes. This strikes me as not only a great creative reuse, but also just a damn fine way to wrap things up. That said, I don’t think I’ve had a VHS tape around my apartment for a good 4 years or so (I held on to my old roomates’ VHS for a while) but if anyone out there is looking to clean out the entertainment shelves then this should provide some good motivation (not to mention guilt-diversion from not having to throw old junk away).
Without further ado, I give you: Gift-Wrapping With Old VHS Tapes!
Image via MaryAnne Petrella
Creative Composting: Stale Bread = More Than Just Breadcrumbs
When I think of stale bread the first thing I think of is bread crumbs and croutons (that is, after thinking of stale bread). Outside of the trash can, or hopefully the compost, these seem to be the go-to creative reuses. But thanks to the excellent budget finance blog Wise Bread we’ve now got 15 other uses, including french onion soup, quiche, bisque and bread pudding. Of course, you could always refresh that old loaf, something I’ve had some success with.
Considering it’s currently winter I’ll also give a shout-out to my new favorite recipe, which uses ample amounts of stale bread, via NPR: Pumpkin Stuffed With Everything Good
And if you ever find yourself in need of some stale bread, perhaps to use in one of these recipes, try calling up your local bakery. I think it’s pretty standard practice to donate day-old loaves to whoever wants it, usually meaning shelters and food banks, but occasionally individuals looking for slightly stale bread, too.
Wise Bread: 17 Uses for Stale Bread
Image from little blue hen
Creative Reuse: Toilet Paper Rolls = Seed Starts
Re-Nest today has a great little piece on seed starting with toilet paper rolls. Any and all cardboard is a garden’s best friend, as it’s great fuel for worms and therefor creates great nutrients for the soil. By starting your seedlings in a toilet paper roll you’re not only using something that otherwise gets thrown away, but also creating a food source for plants best friend: worms.
Re-Nest via You Grow Girl: Seed Starting: Toilet Paper Tubes For Your Garden.
Keep in mind, though, that as the first commenter wonders the cardboard can stifle root growth so I’d suggest cutting it or just opening it before planting to make sure there’s continuous growth – one of the most important factors to take into account when transplanting seedlings.
Image: You Grow Girl
Creative Reuse: Juicer Pulp =
Ah the juicer. Is there a more underutilized kitchen appliance out there? Not for most people, I’d reckon. I’d also venture that when one actually is in regular use it’s one of the best appliances out there. In my kitchen we’ve got literally the Champion of juicers (thank you, craigslist), and it single-handedly gives us more kitchen cred than any other thing in there. One minor problem that anyone with a juicer has experienced, however, is what to do with all of that excess pulp that’s leftover. Well, as we’re accustomed to doing around here, we’ve got the solution for you, thanks to the great minds over at The Kitchn:
They’ve got everything from cakes to muffins to crackers to pasta covered. Having experimented myself, I’m personally a fan of putting it in salads and making it into veggie burgers, with the addition of a little egg white to keep things together.
Image: Emily Ho for The Kitchen
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