Take a Break: Repurpose Something

n keeping with this past weekend’s celebration of Earth Day, this week’s take a break is all about repurposing. What do you have lying around your house that you don’t want, need, like, or use that could be reconfigured to be something you might have a use for and/or enjoy? Need some ideas?

• Have earrings, bracelets or other pieces of jewelry you don’t wear, particularly the earring that’s lost its mate? Take them apart and create something new.

• If you have little slivers of soap, put them in a microwavable dish, zap until melted and form into a new bar of soap. A mug that’s chipped or no longer has a handle can make a great mold. You can also do the same thing with odds and ends of candles. However, better to use a double boiler (a tin can with the wax in it, sits in a bath of water) for candles.

• Have leftover stale bread? Make croutons.

• A 60 minute cassette has approximately 285 feet of tape. Because it’s strong and flexible, it can be used like string (bundle up old newspapers). You can also make a Cassette Tape Table Lamp (or you can just say it 10 times really fast).

• Take an old door, repaint and turn into a table. Saw horses can be used for legs. For doors with panels, you can create miniature Zen gardens, by placing sand in them and creating interesting displays, covering it with a glass top to keep it in place. On the subject of Zen gardens, make one from an old bowl or other object you aren’t using.

• Have a stack of birthday, holiday or other occasion cards that you don’t know what to do with? Try some of these ideas:
- If you are a scrap booker, cut out shapes, or use punches and make items that will be useful for future scrapbook projects.
- Cut up to create “to/from” gift tags.
- Glue cut out shapes on to card stock and make new cards

• Lots of paper, magazines? Try Iris Folding.

• Haven’t had a chance to recycle soda cans? Turn them into art instead.

• Check out Websites/Blogs on repurposing
49 Creative Reuse Ideas
50 Repurposed Project Ideas
Blue Velvet Chair
My Repurposed Life

While not repurposing, but inspiring, check out WikiPaintings. The project aims to create high-quality, most complete and well-structured online repository of fine art. We hope to make classical art a little more accessible and comprehensible, and also want to provide a new form of interaction between contemporary artists and their audience. In the future we plan to cover the entire history of art — from cave artworks to the new talents of today.