Repurposing and New Uses for things
 

I love repurposing and finding new uses for things. I have been looking for a new desk and saw in a magazine how someone had taken an old antique square drop leaf table and made it in to a desk. It was so cool looking.

Right now, I use an old printer stand (it's pretty big) on wheels as my desk. Since sitting for long periods of time can really get to me, I can wheel the "desk" to the couch and sit there or wheel it to another place that will be comfortable for me to sit and work.

We used to have our tv on this old printer stand and that was great too as I am always moving furniture around. DDs hate it. LOL. I repurposed our buffet/side table to become the tv stand. The back had a board stapled on and it slides out. So I took that out so that we could put the home theater stuff in there. It looks so nice. When the home theater system is not in use we close the doors and it hides all the equipment so it looks clean.

I also love reading the magazine Real Simple. They have a section for new uses for old things. Some of these ideas are awesome! Things I never would have thought of. I never would have thought of using those nylon bags that onions, fruit, potatoes, etc. come in as a scrubby for pots and pans. It works too and saves money!

Since I am always looking for ideas, I thought I'd see what my NT buds do. Therefore, what kinds of things have you repurposed or found new uses for?

Before I moved, I had an antique full-sized drafting table that I love, love, loved for my sit-down/stand-up desk. It had a cool mechanical crank and with a few turns, I could raise it up to work while standing. I get so sick of sitting!

It was so nice for all kinds of tasks, and I could cut with my x-acto right on it. It tilted and swung in all directions for newspaper-reading or putting my laptop on it. I kept a spring-loaded artist's clamp-lamp attached and it was divine!

LOL, AMN. I just repurposed my drafting table to be my kitchen table. DD16 and I had been working on a big painting for one of her friends. My drafting table was actually in my room and we both couldn't work in there together so we moved it. My kitchen table is a small round, drop leaf table that we repurposed as an end table.

The drafting table works out great there. I can get my paintings done and just throw a table cloth on it and/or use place mats for eating. It is also a lot closer to the kitchen than my bedroom for painting so changing the water, clean up, etc. will be so much easier.

We've moved 9 times in 28 years.. we were a military family ... so we have learned to repurpose many pieces/things over the years.

We have a set of three Scandinavian style bookcases that have served as an entertainment center, food storage units, room dividers, and now are the bones of hubby's office storage.

A cedar chest my dad made from scratch... from cutting the trees to milling the lumber himself... it now serves as the stand for our 46" LCD TV.

A play table that hubby built for our son 23 years ago, now serves on the patio as the "cat house" for our 2 cats.

A dinette table we've carted around for 26 years is now the "work bench" in the garage. A microwave cart with a butcher block top served its purpose for 12 years then went on to be my laptop table in the kitchen for 6 years... now it's sitting in the garage waiting to go to Goodwill.

A couple of dot coms I've found for good ideas: Unclutterer and ikeahacker.blogspot .

LOL TwoKidsTwoCats. You all sound like my parents. They moved that many times in the 1st 28 years of their marriage and then a 4 more times since. Not military, just as the family grew my dad had to keep looking for better paying jobs.

I'll have to check out those websites.

I love using olive oil and lemon juice as a night eye cream. It works great. Olive oil has so many uses. I also use it as a shaving cream, deep hair conditioner, nail treatment, and of course cooking.

I don't use dryer sheets in my dryer. I use them in my linen closets and they make my linens smell so nice. I use them in shoes, in luggage, drawers, etc. the same way as the linen closet.

My Mom would think it funny that they call it "repurposing" now. She was a child of the depression, and they repurposed EVERYthing. She washed bread bags.

If you threw away an egg carton, a cottage cheese container, an onion bag, a perfectly good piece of aluminum foil, a thread spool, a twist tie, etc., you were in deep puppy chow. It could be USED for something.

My Dad came by some kind of giant wooden spool that phone wire or something came on. It was his "patio" table. (Not that they had a patio)

B2U - My Gram was the same way. She saved everything. My mom and dad are a little better. They save some and recycle the rest. I have learned all sorts of things from my parents doing this. We used the smaller wooden spools for seats outside, playing games with, etc. They're great!

DBF bought a used small vanity for the bathroom at his rental. The guy gave him, for free, an old really neat front door. The door didn't fit and DBF was going to through it away. I convinced him not to. I am going to take it apart and use the wood to make either a table top or a desk top. The hand carved panels I am going to do something with to make some wall art out of them.

Of course, DBF thought I was crazy until I explained what this "piece of junk" could be with a little bit of handiwork. Doors make great work tops whether for a table or desk. I even saw somewhere that someone had taken a door and used it as a patio table. They put glass in the inlaid panels and it was decorated so beautifully.

I've turned my treadmill into a nifty place to hang clothes! :D

And my laundry room into a bird sanctuary!

LOL. Ms. Noah, maybe I should save that wood from the old door to help you build the ark. If I do, and you do find the animals coming to you in 2's, can I go with you in the ark? I promise to be good. LOL

:Crowded: Thanks, Trish. Hope it's a really BIG door! :D

I am sure I can come up with lots of other things we can repurpose for you to build the ark. I have an old antique mirror that is too heavy to hang on cheap apartment walls. I can donate that for the master suite of the ark.:D

Cool! What do you have for curtains?

Curtains! I have some that we aren't using. They are in my linen closet. They are white but I can paint some cool nautical stuff on them.

Maybe we should start a thread titled: Help Mrs. Noah Decorate the Ark. LOL

That may be a little premature. After all, I've only collected 2 birds and 2 cats! Not even sure if they are male/female couples! :D

Oh yeah! Making sure they are male AND female is very important. Thanks for reminding me of those facts.

I do have a twin size mattress that DBF was supposed to pick up yesterday. We pulled it out of storage and it is now sitting in my living room up against a wall (and it's driving me up a wall). So, should he not pick it up soon, off to the ark it goes.

I have no clue how to repurpose a mattress and boxspring. Any suggestions?

Do you think maybe you could build me a birdcage with the box springs? :D

Well, by golly, I think I can! That's a great idea. There is wood, and wire and fabric - silky satiny fabric - for a cover. Maxie and Donna would love it.

Dryer sheets under the seats of your car... work WONDERFUL!!! Makes the car smell fresh and clean!!!

:cool:
Abbie

Lemmesee, I could actually repurpose my piano for a bulletin board: just write messages in the dust. :wink:

Abbie - I'll have to try that. I never thought of that before. Thanks. Dry sheets can be used for so much besides doing laundry.

Twink - Now, come on, you have 2 new feather dusters. Teach them to dust, Mama Bird. They need to work for their worms. LOL.

You'd think so, but the real Mama bird has been bringing them giant-sized bugs! I tried to grab the grasshopper with tweezers to help out, but the thing jumped right out the window! :eek:

I win the repurpose prize!
 

I think I should be ashamed :o

I have dust rags that used to be dishtowels, that used to be curtains, that used to be a tablecloth:p Worst is that the my stupid dust rags have actually been passed down four generations. The tablecloth originally was my great-grandmothers (she died in 1970), my grandmother made the curtains for my mom, my mom made the dishtowels for me. Good thing I don't have kids I have no clue how to repurpose dust rags. Anyone?

Bets - There is nothing to be ashamed of. That is awesome!!! Additionally, if you did have a child a rag doll would be OK. I think that would be really neat.

Handkerchiefs maybe? :D

My dust rags go to the garage to become oil checking rags.

Old sheets go to the bird room for a new life as bird cage covers. They circle the room from Minnie's cage where they stay pristine, to Jesse's cage where they get messy, then to Jake's where they get eaten.

:D

Once they have holes, they hit the floor as a drop cloth.

So there's an idea for donators, send your old sheets to a bird shelter. I know if they cover their birds they will thank you.

I made my mom hold a flag up when we need to get our mail out. She is much bigger than the mailbox...

turned my grandfather into a clock...

my wife and I are getting old...any suggestions what we can repurpose ourselves into? :winky:

Moi, we could get you a party hat and a light bulb (Uncle Fester style) -- you'd make a great lamp, I'll bet!

Leg Lamps, if you are willing to part yourselves out :D

only if it is made in "Fragile" ;) :D

I'll be fa ra ra ra ra ra-ing all the way....

now, I can only tell you what our children are good for if they don't grow up and get a job...they'll make good chairs...

http://www.geekologie.com/2008/02/26/human-chairs.jpg

LOL

hey twink, only if my http://www.energystar.gov/images/hom.../ES_logo_3.gif rating is high enough. We are environmentally conscious around here...

I do brush with glow in the dark toothpaste so da wife can see in the dark...

;)

(but seriously, I don't want to turn this into a joker thread so I am gonna stop...LOL...sorry, pawket protecor)

Hey, here's one!...and I have a huge wood spool sitting on back patio, now a nice table! I put a round plastic topper on it so should be a nice table for next few years, but I'll have to put away during rainy season...here in Oregon?! We have only 2 seasons...warm rain and cold rain! Always raining!
But...its always green here!

here's what I do to repurpose things:
Antique computer laptop! Sunset veiw out my front door, Make a Hamsta sandwich! Handi-hamsta, Old shoe Hamsta..in no way was Cookie the Hamsta harmed for these photos...she loves having someone pay attention to her!

it's pretty awesome...crytears...pretty awesome...

to be serious...you folks are some talented people(s)...

I am learning a lot...I hope nobody make "children" chairs like I do... :rolleyes:

Cry - that is awesome!!! I love that antique laptop. How did you do that. I have an old laptop that well, had better days. That would be really neat to do!

Who Moi - I have no clue how you and DW can be repurposed but I will think of something when I have more time. LOL.

Brain - that's pretty clever. I never would have thought of that.

Twink - Read Brain's idea. Maybe you can do something like this to help Maxie and Donna get back to the nest?

Bets - LOL. I love that movie! ("The Christmas Story"). It just cracks me up when the dad gets the prize and it's that leg lamp. LOL

this may be corney but you know how in march and april you find that huge can of popcorn and it has now turned into some kind of geologic find

those cans can be deco garbage cans
http://i288.photobucket.com/albums/l...opcorncan1.jpg

:eek:

you mean we aren't supposed to sit on kids?

<-----monkey gets off a squished grandmonkey
:o

ummm...queen kong...:Poke:

it isn't just your grandmonkey I am worried 'bout refurbishing...

it's the whole city of NY that I in fear for...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4.../queenkong.jpg

ummmm...pawket protector :Poke:

we've already been refurbed into paintings...

http://www.artlex.com/ArtLex/a/image...dmartin.lg.jpg

is tha DM with the pitchfork?

LOL, no, that's DW. or is it WD-40

But then again...I think DM carries a big fork cause she has horns behind those fairy dusts....

(Ummmmm....I'll PM this comment to you, Frank...LOLOL) :eek:
*ACK*ACK*ACK...........................

might want to pay attention to where that dust comes shooting out from

(censored)

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I have to censor myself to refrain myself to comment to Frank's funny comment...

(CENSORED!!)

http://oneyearbibleimages.com/mouth_tape.jpg