Get Crafty! Reuse What You Already Have

Hello everyone! Did you enjoy your New Year's and celebrate by doing something fun? Well, to kick off the new year I thought it would be fun to round up several simple DIY projects that focus on items you might already have around the house. Recycle your junk into something fresh and new! The following ideas are right from Better Homes & Gardens and include using leftover fabric scraps, tin cans, old rulers, metal bottle caps, kitchen utensils...and much more. Do you have any favorite DIY projects? Please share!

Beaded Luminaries: Turn old glass telephone line insulators into beautiful luminarias. Wrap beaded wire around the lip, place a tea-light candle in each, and hang in a grouping. If you're wondering where the heck to find these things, I found a whole bunch here on e-bay.

Fabric Scrap Balls: These fabric-wrapped balls use up scraps from your stash and can be displayed in a pretty bowl. Cut strips from coordinating fabrics and use glue to adhere them to foam balls. Select a variety of fabric patterns and use both small and large balls for extra interest.

Paintbrush Holder from Recycled Yardsticks: Embellish a can or box with sawed-off rulers and yardsticks. Cut the wood measurers to size with a saw, sand the ends, and hot-glue them in place.

Kitchen Tool Recipe Holder: Keep recipes handy with a holder made from a potato masher or meat tenderizer. Simply attach a clothespin or metal clip to the handle with epoxy.

Bottle Cap Magnets: Bring the recycled-chic look to your kitchen with bottle-cap magnets. Find vintage caps at flea markets or thrift shops and hot-glue a small magnet, available at crafts stores.

Business Card Holder: Using an empty mint container (mom, if you're reading this, save your Altoids tins! (she's kind of addicted). Cover the outside and inside of the lid with decorative paper and fill it with your business cards. Embellish a second container to store the cards you receive. This would also be perfect for a traveling sewing kit or to store band-aids!

Desk Accessories Holder: Using an old tin can, remove labels and clean. Cut textured decorative paper to the height and width of the can. Wrap the paper piece around the can and adhere it with decoupage medium. Cut a length of coordinating ribbon. Wrap it around the can and tie.

Globe Centerpiece: Perfect for an old globe found at a garage sale or flea market! Using a handsaw, carefully cut a globe in half, then set each half on a footed cup and fill as desired. The two globe halves can be displayed in different rooms or together.

Fork Wall Clips: For a unique and organized display, attach decorative vintage forks to the wall to hold tickets, receipts, and business cards.

Paint Cans Turned Organizer: Cover quart paint cans with scrapbooking, wallpaper or wrapping paper crafts. Use double-stick tape or spray adhesive to secure paper to can. To stack, lay them on their sides and glue together.

License Plate Mirror: Trim a mirror in old license plates for unusual wall decor. The ones used here are well-rusted for an understated look; newer ones would give a brighter, more graphic appearance.
Get Instructions for License Plate Mirror