Home Decor Upcycling: Save Money!

Thanks for the links. I love trying to find ways to upcycle old things in my house; I feel like there is just so much waste these days; upcycling and repurposing is one way to help reduce waste and save money. Plus, there's that added sense of satisfaction when you see something that was old and used turned into something "new"

 

Thanks for those sites. I enjoy upcycling. In fact, I started a blog about it (which I need to get updated and add to my sig). I think it is not only a great way to save money but also fun way to do creative stuff while also joining in the "green" movement. I love to make something cool out of stuff other people would consider junk. Trash to treasure is my motto, haha.

 

I love the idea of upcycling. Wish that I were better at it! I’ve never been the craftiest person, but I’ve given some simpler projects a shot before, and I enjoyed the results. And I’ve got some very vague ideas for things where upcycling could come in handy, so maybe I’ll dip my toes in again one of these days, haha.

 

I think you should go for it. Start simple and have fun. I look at it like this: I might as well give it a try when I have an idea, because the stuff I'm going to use (or at least most of it) would just get thrown out anyway. That's one of the great things about upcycling... If you mess up, it gets tossed but that would have happened anyway. At least you tried. If it turns out good then that's a win.

 

I often upcycle items I find at the Thrift store by painting it and using things for purposes other than what they were made for, like the tire ottoman.

 

True! Most of my needs involve storage solutions, and I know there are plenty of upcycling ideas for those out there. I just need to look around and see if there are any that are feasible for me. I have a feeling my first actual purchase towards this end will be a can of metallic spray paint, haha.

 

Recycling is not only the way to go nowadays, but you can save loads of money by recycling materials that serve well for home decor purposes.

I found myself building a room divider using colorful soda crates, positioned vertically to resemble a Shōji door

 

Nice. I love spray paint. It can work wonders. Creating storage solutions is a great use for repurposing.

Oh, I like it! I've never tried a whole wall, but that's cool. I used colored milk crates to build a closet organizer for my daughter several years ago. I put them on their sides and used wire ties to hold them together. It was like a stair step cubby thing inside her closet. It worked perfectly and saved me a ton of money.

 

Wow, a closet organizer also sounds like a great idea and had to be so enjoyable for a young girl, as I can picture in my mind how it looked like.

I tried to do myself a closet organizer once, but using cardboard boxes, that overtime caught humidity I had not realized to exist inside my closet.

 

Yeah, I tried doing something similar once as well. I was trying to make a small shelf out of heavy cardboard boxes, which I wanted to use to shelf some toys. It didn't work out very well, lol. You never know unless you try though, right? I think I could do a better job now, since I've had more practice (and learned to take my time a lot more), but that first try... not so good. I've actually seen some really

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.

 

I have an aunt in law who can seriously make unwanted items into beautiful works of art. She loves going to thrift stores to buy old cans, plates, cups, vases, and silverware and then turns these items into beautiful windchimes and things. I will try to get a picture of one so I can post it on here.

 

I use old carton boxes for organizing my drawers, like for my socks and underwear, or to organize my stuff on the dresser. I just use my trusty cutter to fit the boxes inside my drawers. The boxes would look more or less like this

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but I cover mine with decorative craft paper to make it look pretty.

 

When I purchase a home in a couple of years, I want to fabricate most of the furniture using old furniture that just needs a face lift. I think things are so much more beautiful when they are handcrafted and reused. I love to seek out unusual old furniture and make it new again. My next step is to learn how to reupholerster furniture.