Nothing gives lifelong DIY-ers greater satisfaction than turning trash into treasure. If you are in the middle of a freezing Northern-Hemisphere winter, there is nothing better than staying cozy at home, crafting supplies at the ready. Below you'll find 18 cool DIY life hacks to brighten up your home (and your life)!
1. If you've got an old shirt you love that isn't fitting your wardrobe anymore, you can cut across it below the armpits, stuff it, and then sew up the top and bottom. Now you have a wonderful (vintage?) pillow.
2. Tarnished old forks can make beautiful recipe card holders.
3. Old shutters and doors get left on our curbs, sadly abandoned after used. However, with only a sanding and a fresh coat of paint, you can now use them as a lovely, inexpensive headboard for your bed.
4. Old kids' toys might not sound like a sophisticated DIY's building blocks. However, spray-painting plastic kids’ toys gold gives them an incongruous elegance. Once you paint them, you can cut them in half and use them as hooks, mount them on wood for a striking centerpiece, or even make smaller ones into fridge magnets!
5. Speaking of “kids’ stuff” that can also be useful to sophisticated adults, re-painting children's foam matting in more subdued colors can make it appropriate as a bathroom matt long after you have finished using it in the playroom.
6. If you are going through canned food like a paranoid survivalist, try “re-using” instead of “recycling”! (Carefully) using a hammer and a nail, punch holes in the can to make a nice pattern, paint it and then pop a candle in it for a gorgeous votive.
7. A cardboard box is not the most elegant decor. However, covered in glue and carefully wrapped in twine, it can make a lovely desk organizer!
8. As somebody who has made one themselves, a pallet bed frame is a time-consuming but also worthwhile project. You can often find pallets on the side of the road next to construction sites, just waiting to be used by somebody with the vision to discover a new use for them.
9. Four words: Old CD mosaic art.
10. As a teenager, my parents didn't like it when I dragged home a bunch of old tires from the dump to create a comfortable chair. However, if you are living alone, prettily-painted old tires can make beautiful planters!
11. Flip conventional thinking on its head (literally)! If you have a wobbly old stool, turn it upside down and put a nice bright coat of paint on it: that will make it perfect for storing long items such as gift wrap or umbrellas
12. Jar DIY ideas are a dime a dozen; there is just something about the pretty glass containers begging us to re-use them. However, small mason jars with nail-holes punched in the lids make for cool, unique salt and pepper shakers. With the money you save, you can also fill them with fancy Himalayan sea salt or whatever kind of fancy peppers out there.
13. While I don’t personally enjoy Tic-Tacs, I must admit they have beautiful packaging. With a little spray paint or washi tape, the container can become perfect for holding bobby pins, change, or matches.
14. A 2-L bottle of water and a bunch of old, plastic spoons can become a lampshade through the power of hot glue and upcycling genius!
WonderfulDIY
15. As you might probably be able to tell by this point, I’m low-key obsessed with tires and their multiple uses. Wrapping one in twine, with a cover for the hole on top, makes a beautiful ottoman!
16. Do you love reading on an e-reader but also miss the warm, nostalgic feeling of holding a book in your hands? You can use a broken (but beautiful) old book cover to make a cover for your e-reader.
17. Also just so you do not waste the pages, rolled-up book pages can make for a beautiful wreath.
18. If you are having trouble with stuff falling into your charging port, try putting a paperclip or pipe-cleaner in the port: that will keep it free of crumbs and lint!
Reference: Providr
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