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After several moves, packing and unpacking, some of those letter tiles and plastic Monopoly houses have gone missing. No sense in playing Scrabble without the Q tile, but I’m reluctant to toss the game. Instead, I found awesome projects from bloggers and crafters. So, borrow some inspiration for your own project or toss in a couple of bucks to own a piece of homemade gaming flair - from craft Scrabble wedding invitations, to a real Monopoly house.
SEE: Best Reuse Projects for Old Board Games
Photo: Amanda, ruffledblog.com
An elegant vase fashioned from the metal sheets of an old radiator cover? A funky bath mat made from 175 wine corks? We rounded up five easy DIY projects that turn everyday materials into sophisticated home décor items that you have to see to believe.
SEE: 5 Easy Craft Projects for Your Home
Photo: Flickr/overthinkingme
These simple recipes to make your own kitchen staples – peanut butter, mayonnaise, mustard, ketchup and salad dressing – taste fresher than store-brought items, save you money on your grocery bills and reduce waste from all that glass and plastic packaging.
SEE: 5 Kitchen Staples You Can Make Yourself
Photo: Flickr/borman818
It’s difficult to stay neat and tidy in a cramped college dorm room, and many students will buy the nearest mass-produced plastic organizers and storage boxes that will end up in the landfill in a year. But with a little ingenuity, any co-ed can recycle everyday items into clutter-banishing crafts including wall and drawer organizers, cord keepers, shelves and pencil holders.
SEE: How to De-Clutter Your Dorm Room
Photo: Etsy user plumcozycottage
Just because the jersey for your favorite sports team is showing a little wear and tear doesn’t mean you need to toss it in the trash bin. Grab a needle and thread to stitch your old jerseys into a pillow or blanket; or if your sewing skills are lacking, you can easily frame a section of the jersey to create a new piece of sports-themed wall art.
SEE: 5 Reuse Ideas for Old Jerseys
Photo: Jake Harms
Are you looking for a distinctive new home for your pet fish?
Jake Harms sells iMacquariums, his fish aquariums made from colorful old iMac computers, but if you’re feeling crafty and have a broken iMac, he also offers a $175 make-your-own-iMacquarium kit, complete with fish tank, hardware and video instructions.
Or if you’ve got a clunky CRT (cathode ray tube) television lying around the house, check out our guide to converting your old TV into a cool new fish tank.
Jake Harms sells iMacquariums, his fish aquariums made from colorful old iMac computers, but if you’re feeling crafty and have a broken iMac, he also offers a $175 make-your-own-iMacquarium kit, complete with fish tank, hardware and video instructions.
Or if you’ve got a clunky CRT (cathode ray tube) television lying around the house, check out our guide to converting your old TV into a cool new fish tank.
HOW TO: Convert Your Old TV into a Fish Tank
Photo: Vanessa/Punkin Patterns
Whether you had leftover candy wrappers from Valentine’s Day, Halloween or your year-round sweet tooth, Earth911 showed you how to make a range of cool crafts from this packaging that isn’t accepted by most local recycling programs – including a "love bracelet,” barrettes, handbags and bookmarks.
SEE: 10 Crazy Crafts With Candy Wrappers
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Don’t know want your wilted roses from the garden or a bouquet to go to waste? Forget potpourri; we gave you 10 creative uses for the aging flowers, from turning them into surprisingly delicious candies to using them to adorn gift wrap and cards.
SEE: Refreshing Tips for Reusing Roses
Photo: Flickr/SweetOnVeg
Flavored lattes, hot apple cider and spiced chai are the perfect way to warm you up on a cold winter’s day, but buying these drinks to-go at the local coffee shop is neither budget- nor eco-friendly. Check out Earth911’s guide to brewing up your own yummy winter beverages to cut down on your expenses and coffee cup waste.
SEE: 5 Coffee Shop-Free Winter Beverages
Photo: Patricia Zapata, A Little Hut
We all have old National Geographics and local newspapers lying around the house. Clear out your paper clutter, and make these 10 cool crafts with your old magazines, newspapers and even junk mail: decorative bowls, end tables, floral centerpieces and more.
SEE: 10 Funky Ways to Reuse Magazines
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If you get bug bites and sunburned in the summer and dry skin and chapped lips in the winter, Earth911 had you covered, with our guides to alleviating seasonal health and beauty ailments with all-natural, chemical-free DIY fixes.
SEE: Natural Remedies for Winter Woes
Photo: Flickr/Pixel Drip
With common kitchen items like vinegar, baking soda, lemon juice and salt, you can easily make your own laundry detergent, glass cleaner and other household cleaning products, which will save you money and reduce the waste and chemicals from conventional store-bought products.
SEE: Save Cash, Go DIY
Photo: Megan Heep, plumpudding
Are the kids going stir-crazy during winter break? Check out our kid-friendly craft ideas that turn everyday trash into treasure, including wall art fashioned from toilet paper rolls and refrigerator magnets made from soda cans.
Lazy-Day Crafts for Kids
Photo: Beckie, Infarrantly Creative, infarrantlycreative.net
You bring your own bags to the grocery store and buy in bulk to reduce food packaging waste, but you still end up with a cereal box or spaghetti sauce jar now and again. Learn how to turn your old food packaging into something useful and cool, like an indoor herb garden made from old coffee cans and plastic tubs or a water-saving toilet dam made out of a glass jar, with Earth911’s handy food packaging reuse guide.
SEE: 10 Reuse Ideas for Food Packaging
Photo: Flickr/Andrea_44
Brian Kelsey, host of Martha Stewart’s Morning Living Show on Sirius XM, made an exclusive video tutorial for Earth911 readers, explaining a simple way to take a boring, scratched-up nightstand and turn it into beautiful storage you can use in any room of your house.
VIDEO: Turn Nightstand Into Gorgeous Storage
Janet Nydahl
posted on January 6th, 2012 at 6:02 am
Annie Ian
posted on January 9th, 2012 at 12:56 am