With Earth Day coming up, here are some DIY ways to make things you might normally throw out into things you can use!
Plastic bottles into planters
- Cat planters via BruDIY
- Cactus planters via A Beautiful Mess
Glass bottles into…
…lamps
…birdseed or hummingbird feeders
The bird seed feeder tutorial also has detailed instructions in how to cut a hole in the glass using a diamond bit drill, while the lamp project recommends using a dremel with a tungsten carbide head to make a hole for the cord.
Also, make sure you’re making safe hummingbird nectar without red dye or food coloring.
More glass bottle DIYs on Redbook.
Envelopes into journals
You don’t even need to use new envelopes for this – even the ones that arrive with junk mail inside work great!
Tins into…
…craft supply storage
…tiered trays
…travel embroidery kit
Depending on what size tin(s) you have, you can store yarn or beads or fancy scissors. Also, check out the craft organization ideas I shared in a previous post.
Greeting cards into gift tags
Even though my example is holiday-themed, you can use any kind of card with art you like on it to make gift tags to use year round.
Plastic bags into a lunch bag
You can make “plastic yarn” or “plarn” from shopping bags and crochet it into all sorts of things, like a floor mat, tote, jump rope or shower shoes.
Coffee sleeve into a flower press
Of course, it’s great if you can opt for reusable coffee cups or sleeves, but, when you can’t, you can at least make the cardboard sleeve part of a craft project.
Rotisserie chicken container into a mini greenhouse
This will help hold the moisture in when you’re starting seeds.
Bicycle tubes into bracelets
The rubber from bicycle inner tubes can be used as a vegan alternative to black leather.
More bicycle inner tube crafts.
Melted chapstick into into lip gloss
If you live in a hot climate (***waves from Arizona***), you’ve probably ended up with melted chapstick or lipstick at some point. And noticed it does not go back to its original state after it cools off. This is a way to salvage it instead of leaving it stuck inside the tube.
Vintage appliances into Little Libraries
How cute is this vintage bread warmer?!
You can find more ideas for setting up a Little Free Library on their site.
What are your favorite ways of reusing things instead of throwing them out?
