1. Old computer parts, disks, fans, boards...turn into mobiles for outside, chimes, or just create your own computer art.

2. Telephones...I am saving my old ones that don't work anymore and I plan on creating a work of art from them....think of the posibilities. Make a mobile or chimes, out of the handset...(the part you talk into and listen). Add a telephone to one of your clay pot people or tin can people. Even they want to stay connected. If you have an old dial phone...the dial could be used to crochet around, the holes and add ribbon woven through the holes and turn it into a wreath.

3. Old windows can be painted on and turned into a work of art...can be used as a fake window by either painting a landscape on them or even decoupaging a pretty landscape print on them, trim with curtains, hang on a wall and voila...it looks like you are looking out a window, viewing the scene on the window. Use them as a gallery for your family pictures and hang on a wall.

4. Old doors can be used as is or painted with a garden scene and used as a garden gate, gate to your yard, or paint any way you like and attach to a structure...garage, house, shed, barn too look like a decorative door. Leave the door knob on one side and imagine people's faces when they try to open it.

5. Thinner copper tubing makes wonderful yard art...shape into different shapes...birds, critters, or anything you can imagine, and attach to metal rods to put in the ground or use the shapes and attach chimes or beads to them and hang them to blow in the breeze. Copper pipes can be cut to different sizes and used for chimes on any kind of wind chime.

6. Kitchen things. Just about anything from your kitchen can be turned into some kind of art. Plates can be used for the tops of windchimes, birdfeeders, break them up for mosaics. Tea cup can be used for those tea cup bird feeders. Drill a hole in the bottom of each cup, and around the lip and string them upside down for a windchime. Use goop and glue a cup to a saucer and use for a candle holder...if glued with cup in saucer the normal way, it is great for votice candles...just use a votive candle holder inside, or if you put the cup upside down and the saucer right side up, it is perfect for the larger pillar candles.

7. Lightbulbs are great turned into ornaments. You can paint them and turn them into great Christmas characters, or paint flowers on them or anything your imagination thinks of. They can be embellished with glitter paint, glitter, beads, sequins, lace, whatever looks good to you. Turn them into hot air balloons, decoupage them, do a mosaic on them...anything rather than throw them away.

8. Spools. Have you ever noticed how many different sizes and shapes of spools there are? You can make spool dolls from thread spools. Stagger them and glue together and turn into a spool tree and decorate with whatever suits your fancy. You can string them and turn them into spool wreaths. They can be turned into a patio table for that doll house, just cut a larger cirle to sit on top and you can fashion an umbrella with toothpicks, a dowel and fabric for your table. The flat spools you have can be turned into wreaths with yarn, ribbon, greenery, or whatever you choose. The larger spools like I have from fishing line can be turned into another patio table for out in the garden...use metal doweling or wood that is weatherproofed, and old vinly table cloth for the umbrella.

9. Paper bags. I reuse them as much as possible, but when they start ripping or get holes in them, they are great to use to cover shoe boxes to store your craft supplies in. I crumple up the bag after cutting the seams so it lays flat. Then I decoupage it onto the box, not trying to get it smooth. When that is dry, rub lightly with shoe polish or dry brush a brown paint on it...when that is dry, give it several coats of clear polyurethane. It gives the effect of a leather on the box. Then I just attach a label to say what is in the box. Another thing I like to do is cut out Christmas shapes...star, angel, tree, bell, whatever you wnat, two shapes per ornament, and then make a loop with floral wire...glue between two pieces of paper bag. Then coat each side with white glue and hold over the flame of a candle being careful not to catch it on fire. When done you can dry brush it with any color paint you wish. *This is not a craft for children to do without adult supervision. Rip paper bags into small pieces and decoupage on any box, can, glass, whatever you want to cover, then coat with several coats of polyurethane. The effect is great.

10. Dressers outlived their usefullness? Paint the dresser, including all parts of the drawers and use a few coats of polyurethane to waterproof them....add screens to the drawers, and drill holes in the drawer bottoms for drainage...then open the drawers...staggering them and plant them with flowers over summer. Annuals work best because you will want to empty them in the fall and store the dresser over winter.
©Margie Coughran 3-11-2004



Recycling empty containers
Posted By: Michigan Froggy
Date: 2003/4/10 4:54 p.m.
Hubby brought home a greek salad in a nice size clear container and was going to throw it out. It is perfect for storing craft supplies on a shelf, and since it is clear, you can see what is in it. Of course I had to save the little clear plastic container that the dressing came in too. They are perfect for small odds and ends. I get those 8 sided containers when I order carry out, and they are the perfect size for molds for stepping stones.

The Kraft parmesian cheese containers are perfect for storing beads. Country Time lemonade containers are where my new buttons now reside. My old buttons are still in cookie tins that my Grandma kept them in. I like the tins from General Foods International coffee too. I use them to store screws, nails, hooks,.......for my workshop. They stack nicely and I cover them with contact paper and label them on the side, so I know at a glance what is in them. What do you do with empty containers that most people throw out? Come on out and share.

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Re: What do you do with empty containers?
Posted By: Granny2shoes
Date: 2003/2/16 1:43 p.m.
In Response To: What do you do with empty containers? (Michigan Froggy)
Wow, love all these ideas. Down here in Florida everythings rusts or gets moldy (ugh). Never thought about using salad containers and water bottles. Thanks. I have taken 3 coffee cans and removed the bottoms of all, stack up, put plastic top on bottom (prevents rust on carpet or floor and silences noise), stack em up, cover and use for extra toilet paper rolls. Tucks right in by the toilet. Make a matching one to hide the ugly plunger.

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Posted By: Michigan Froggy
Date: 2003/2/17 12:30 p.m.
In Response To: Re: What do you do with empty containers? (Granny2shoes)
Great idea June. I do that for the outhouse up north and cover them with contact paper. I made one years ago and made a cover out of a towel that matched my sister's bathroom...put elastic at the top and bottom so it could be taken off and thrown in the wash and stitched on lace to dress it up. Never thought of doing it for the plunger too...Course I don't need one for the outhouse, but I will have to make one for the house, to hide the plunger. Hmmm...gonna have to do one with froggys for my bathroom in the new house. Thanks.

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Posted By: karen/kallen/k...
Date: 2003/2/13 2:57 p.m.
In Response To: What do you do with empty containers? (Michigan Froggy)
Clear plastic containers from P-nut butter, mayo, relish [sometimes], honey, candy from Cosco... Just love them. Was saving for nails, screws, etc., for the barn. Then I discovered they're perfect for snowflakes, golf balls from styrofoam, messy stuff that takes room...buttons, corks, etc. Started saving wee clear water bottles and gatorade bottles for small screws and nails and large bolts or nuts go in the sturdy gatoade. I can see what they are and they don't wind up on the ground!

I bought clear plastic spice jars with screw lids for a product project and stole them from the project and now have beads, toothpics, you name it in them. I can see what they are and most important, the size!!! The thing I found is I prefer the screw lids so when [not if!] they fall, the lids stay in place... That's a quickie for ya! Might think of more later...

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Posted By: karen/kallen/k...
Date: 2003/2/14 4:24 p.m.
In Response To: Re: What do you do with empty containers? (Michigan Froggy)
Also forgot to tell you that I'm tired of rusty stuff in the barn! So if I put the nails in the large spaghetti sauce jars or the gatorade, which are both stong enough, then they won't get rusty or dusty and I can see what I have!!! Thought of a couple more yesterday, then forgot when I sat down here... I'll be back! k...

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Posted By: Roxy
Date: 2003/2/13 9:33 p.m.
In Response To: Re: What do you do with empty containers? (karen/kallen/k...)
Well Froggy, With Spring just around the corner, I start thinking of the garden. Those plastic salad containers are great for starting seedlings in. And when the weather starts to get warm, you can put them outside on the porch or picnic table. During the day you leave the lid open for the sun and fresh air and at night you close them to keep the seedlings nice and warm. Of course you have to poke some holes in them to let the water drain out.

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