10 Things You Can Upcycle Now

If you haven’t noticed, I’m a little bit obsessed with the art of upcycling. Instead of throwing away the stuff you have that’s somehow always lying around and has no real purpose, it’s time to upcycle! Here’s ten of my favourite old things to upcycle and renew:

1. An old cabinet or dresser is a perfect first-step to upcycling a new place. It’s time to start seeing the beauty in your broken and damaged furniture. Try painting old cabinets to bring them back to life and turn on the charm to an old favourite. If it’s really damaged beyond repair, you can repurpose some of the wood to create new pieces. How’s that for DIY?
2. If you have any jars lying around, old wine bottles or even a perfume bottle, simply give them a good rinse and use them to hold lights! They’re small enough to do the job perfectly.
3. Old envelopes that are in good condition can be reused and sent again. I recommend keeping any useful envelopes for future references. If you’re not much of a letter sender, you can even shred old envelopes up and use them as mulch for your garden.
4. Turn your old denim jeans into a funky pair of shredded shorts or even a bag.
5. Bathroom supplies can be used for more than just the bathroom! I collect my old toothbrushes and use them to reach hard-to-reach places. It makes me feel a bit like Cinderella, but it does the trick! Speaking of toothbrushes, toothpaste contains can be upcycled as a frosting tube for icing cakes; simply rinse it out, cut the bottom and you’re ready for your next great bake-off!
6. When you’ve finished the end of a toilet paper, set the roll aside and let the kids have a play! There are so many funny art projects to be had by simply gathering a few rolls and paint together. It can actually turn out really beautifully too.
7. As any Instagrammer knows, mason jars and old glass containers are seriously your best friend. Seriously – you can use them to store nuts, seeds, grains and if you’re hipster enough, even salads to take to work or school.
8. If you have any old maps lying around, you can repurpose them into gift tags. Just cut them up and get your origami on for your latest gift tag or book mark.
9. If you’ve got an old rake that you’ve been meaning to throw out, rake it in; you can use it as a gardening display rack! Simply hot glue it upside down in your garden, get some string and tie your favourite gardening tools onto it.
10. Ready to become the milkman… or woman (we don’t judge here!)? Instead of throwing old plastic milk jugs away, cut the end off and re-use it to store your own home-made granola, pet food or even flowers! It’s perfect.