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