Most people have a colander in their kitchen to strain the water out of pasta. But have you ever imagined turning it into something more? Bloggers over at Handi Mama turned a metal colander into a pendant lamp. Making it is actually a lot easier than you would imagine. If you’d like to see the full tutorial on how to make this, check out Handi Mania.
This next project may be out of reach for most people, unless you just so happen to have a scrapped washing machine lying around. Firstly, they removed the drum from the washing machine. Secondly, they added legs, and painted the entire thing with metal safe paint. The end result is a personalized fire pit for the backyard. If you’d like to see the full tutorial on how to make this, check out Instructables.
Have any old wooden coat hangers lying around the house? With a piece of wood, brackets, nuts, and screws, you could be the proud owner of a tiny coffee table. These wooden hangers can sometimes be found at thrift stores, too. Don’t be afraid to ask the front desk at Goodwill if they’re available from donations. If you’d like to see the full tutorial on how to make this, check out Buzzfeed.
Mirrors are a great accessory to hang on the wall, because the reflection makes a room look bigger, and it ultimately bounces more light around the room. So this DIY project making mirrors out of badminton rackets is brilliant, especially for a young boy’s bedroom. If you don’t have old rackets lying around the house, they should be easy to find at your local thrift store. If you’d like to see the full tutorial on how to make this, check out Pepperbox Couture.
Looking for a fancy end table to put in your bedroom? Consider doing this DIY project from HGTV. They took a wire waste basket and spray painted it gold before attaching a marble topper. The end result looks like an expensive table you might pay $50 for, but the cost of this project probably cost a lot less. If you’d like to see the full tutorial on how to make this, check out HGTV.
When you look at this jewelry display, it looks like something you would buy out of a luxury home decor store. But in reality, it was assembled from several pieces of broken furniture. They nailed the broken pieces together and covered it in mud paint, followed by chalk paint. The end result is an antique-looking piece that you might assume had been like that for decades. If you’d like to see the full tutorial on how to make this, check out Homeroad.
This next project, ceramic bells, was a trend going around people on Pinterest who are into ceramics. It’s totally possible to do this project as a DIY, even if you don’t know how to use a kiln. After collecting ceramic cups at flea markets, he assembled a collection that looked cohesive together. Then he used a ceramic drill bit to poke a hole through the bottom of the cups, and attached wooden beads. The end result is an adorable holiday decoration that can actually stay up all year round. If you’d like to see the full tutorial on how to make this, check out The House that Lars Built.
Have an old bicycle lying around the garage? Or maybe you found a bike by the garbage, and couldn’t help but rescue it for your DIY projects. This idea is to create a clock out of a bicycle rim. It might look cool in a man cave, or on display in a game room. If you’d like to see the full tutorial on how to make this, check out WikiHow.
All you need to make this project is a planter stand, a vinyl LP record, and a glue gun. That’s all it takes to make an adorable record side table. Just keep in mind that you’re going to ruin this record forever, because it’s never going to play again. Most thrift stores will have an entire section of vinyl records, so it should be easy to find an album that won’t be missed. If you’d like to see the full tutorial on how to make this, check out The Flourishing Abode.
Most households have too many mugs. So you can use them in this DIY enamel cup organizer project. If you want all of the mugs to match, check out Dollar Tree. They have a huge selection of mugs and cups for just $1.25 each. The end result looks great for a Farmhouse kitchen, where you can keep little odds and ends. If you’d like to see the full tutorial on how to make this, check out The Homeroad.
Just in case you ever come across some old windows, you might want to consider turning them into rustic picture frames. Jamielyn Nye over at The Inspiration Board printed out a picture of her kids to fit the size of the window, and it looks perfect on top of the mantle piece. She said it was one of the easiest DIY projects she has ever done! If you’d like to see the full tutorial on how to make this, check out The Inspiration Board.
Kids grow up quickly, and jeans are one of those things that can be difficult to part with. After all, jeans can be expensive, and they’re often still in great shape even after your kids have grown out of them. Bloggers at Pillar Box Blue came up with this project to cut out the pockets of old jeans and turn them into a denim pocket organizer. This would look great hanging in a child’s bedroom where they can stash all of their favorite things. If you’d like to see the full tutorial on how to make this, check out Pillar Box Blue.
Do you tend to lose your keys? Then you might want to have a key organizer set up somewhere in your home. This one looks easy to make, all you need is a picture frame and some hooks to get started. They used wrapping paper for the polka dot backdrop, and used putty to apply the antique key to the backdrop. The end result is an adorable place for you to keep your keys by the doorway. If you’d like to see the full tutorial on how to make this, check out Photolini.
A woman named Susan from a blog called The Home Road took an old chair that her daughter was throwing away, and repurposed it into multiple projects that she could use around the house. This one in particular is using pieces of the chair to create a Farmhouse style shelf. In the end, the shelf is hanging in one of her bedrooms displaying an alarm clock, knick knacks, and a wreath. If you’d like to see the full tutorial on how to make this, check out The Home Road.
Making a wooden lampshade might not be on the top of your list when it comes to DIY projects. But having a statement lighting piece in your home can really make a difference when it comes to interior design. A blogger named Fanny Mercier took an ordinary wooden salad bowl and used paint to turn it into a unique lampshade. Of course, you will need to learn how to wire the lamp as well. If you’d like to see the full tutorial on how to make this, check out Make It Yours.
Are you the sort of person who thrives with a to-do-list? Then you might love this next DIY project. All you need is an old silver tray, chalkboard paint, and chalk. They also used white transfer paper to trace over the text and lines of the to-do list. (This is great if you don’t feel confident in your abilities to write it with a steady hand.) Once this project is done, you can write with a traditional piece of chalk, or find chalk markers somewhere like Michael’s or even Dollar Tree. If you’d like to see the full tutorial on how to make this, check out Saved by Love Creations.
When you kids grow out of their crib, it can be difficult to let it go. If you’re sure that you’re not having another baby any time soon, it may be a chance to repurpose the furniture into something great for your toddlers. On a blog called A Little Learning For Two, they transformed the old cot into a little table big enough to fit two small chairs. This would be perfect for homeschooling kids, or letting them have a place to do their homework. If you’d like to see the full tutorial on how to make this, check out A Little Learning For Two.
If you still have your baby’s old crib up in the attic, it may be time to say goodbye, because its purpose has been fulfilled. (Unless you plan on having more children soon.) Bloggers at Decor and the Dog decided to use the old crib spring as a way to display their photographs. They printed photos from Instagram and used clothes pins to attach them to the metal springs. This would look great with a pre-existing Farmhouse or Industrial decor in your home. Because of projects like this, it makes it easy to repurpose objects into something brand new. If you’d like to see the full tutorial on how to make this, check out Decor and the Dog.
If you search your local thrift store, it’s very likely that you’ll find old sets of cutlery that people no longer wanted when they moved. This is a clever idea to repurpose old, bent spoons into a Farmhouse style craft. The spoons were screwed onto a piece of wood that had been stained a darker color. Once the spoon is installed, it can be used as a tea light holder. If you’d like to see the full tutorial on how to make this, check out Home Road.
Here is yet another idea on how to repurpose your child’s crib into something new. This DIY project is rather simple and straight-forward. Just remove one side of the crib, and you can turn it into a porch bench. Add throw pillows with indoor-outdoor fabric as a nice touch. You may also want to re-upholster the mattress with a good indoor-outdoor fabric as well, because you want to make sure everything in your new project is protected from the elements. If you’d like to see the full tutorial on how to make this, check out 2 Little Hooligans.
Do you have a vintage suitcase lying around and you’re not sure how to use it? Check out this cute idea from See Kate Sew. By adding legs and a cushion to the suitcase, you suddenly get an adorable little chair. Obviously, this would only work as a child’s chair, because it’s so low to the ground. Or it may even become a little piece of furniture for an American Girl Doll. Either way, it’s a clever way to repurpose something old into something new. If you’d like to see the full tutorial on how to make this, check out See Kate Sew.
Don’t be deceived, kind viewers, because this project doesn’t exactly repurpose something old into something new. The Craft Patch Blog uses a galvanized metal tire swing circle from Hobby Lobby, which is actually a new project. However, you can use this idea as inspiration to potentially do the same thing on your own. Maybe you have an old tire frame from a bicycle or a yard tool that’s rusting in the shed. You can transform it into a beautiful wreath like this one. If you’d like to see the full tutorial on how to make this, check out The Craft Patch Blog.
Do you just so happen to have a huge collection of vintage trays? Then this project may be for you. It’s an adorable way to repurpose your objects into a piece of art. Keep in mind that this is actually an expensive project, because some of these pieces may be made of silver. When you go to your local thrift store, check out the houseware section. Over time, you may be able to build a collection like this. If you’d like to see the full tutorial on how to make this, check out DIY & Crafts.
Check out this clever way to repurpose an old globe into something new. It was cut in half and turned into a bowl after being placed on a stand. In the photo, you can see that it was used to display Christmas balls. But something like this could be used as decor any time of the year. If you’d like to see the full tutorial on how to make this, check out Premeditated Leftovers.
Last but not least is this adorable picture frame that was transformed into a dangly earring holder. This is a great DIY project, because it can sometimes be difficult to find a place to hang your bigger earrings without them getting tangled in the jewelry box. Firstly, you need is an old picture frame to repurpose. Secondly, you will need some wire to nail on in straight lines. In the end, you’ll have a beautiful frame to hold earrings. If you’d like to see the full tutorial on how to make this, check out Kevin and Amanda.
