I want you to look at the item you are about to throw out and see if you can turn it into a Treasure instead of more trash...
- You put two socks in the washer/dryer, but only one comes out. The other has escaped through a sock trap door that every washer/dryer comes with...What do you do with one sock? Turn it into: A warmer/cool pack - put some rice in the sock (almost full), sew up the open end, spritz with water and microwave for about 30 seconds at a time until warm, drape over your shoulders to relieve the tension, place across your head to help with a headache - or keep one in the freezer and use it as you would a cold pack. These make great gifts.
- Old metal cookie sheets can be turned into: A Magnet board - you can spray paint the cookie sheet any color you want - buy some fun magnets (or make some out of decorative buttons with small magnets glued to the back) and now you have a place to put your messages. A Serving Tray - paint or decoupage an old cookie sheet (you can use paper napkins, wrapping paper, etc. to got with different holidays) and serve your favorite appetizers or breakfast in bed for that someone special. A Traveling Game Board - paint checker board pattern on cookie sheet, make moving pieces using black and red buttons with magnets glued to the back...now when you travel, you can still play games...
- Favorite old t-shirts of your children: A Pillow - turn the shirt inside out and sew the bottom and sleeves shut, turn right side again and stuff the pillow batting. You can sew the neck up or you can put snaps, velcro, buttons, etc. on it. A Piece of Art - cut out the picture/design from the shirt and frame. Cut out the design to fit the size of the frame. A Corkboard - purchase two cork squares from the hardware store, cut out the design from the shirt (about two inches bigger then the cork square) and stretch across the front side of one of the cork squares. Glue the extra shirt to the back of the cork square, glue the other cork square to the back to cover the glued on shirt. Or, depending where the design is, you can get pieces of cork cut to the size you want. Sew the neck of the shirt together. Put cork that has been cut to fit in the sleeves, inside the sleeve and sew up the end. Then have cork cut to fit inside the shirt, sew up the bottom of the shirt. Now you have a T-shirt memory that can be special to you and/or your child.
- Old calendar pictures: Can be framed and hung up for the holidays (use the holiday months to decorate for that holiday). Use as wrapping paper, or trim to fit the size of the shirt box and glue to the lid for a unique package...with a bow and ribbon, no one will know it was a calendar...
- Old cardboard wrapping paper tubes, paper towel tubes, toilet paper tubes: A Cord Collector - Wrap tubes with contact paper and and put your cords inside them. This will keep all of your cords in one neat spot , but be decorative also.
I hope this has made you think of your trash in a totally different way...Hugs...
8 comments:
Oh, I like the cookie sheet idea for magnets. My kids & I like making magnet crafts for school, but the only place to put them is on the fridge upstairs. The cookie sheet idea is cool because we could hang it in our classroom for a more permanent magnet display. Thanks for the idea, Brenda!
I think everyone on my Christmas list will be getting warm/cool packs this year. I have SO MANY mismatched socks!
LOVE these tips!
Rena...I use to do a newsletter for the residents at my complex and I had put the instructions for the magnet board and one mom got very creative with it and made a chore list for her two children...she divided it up into 3 columns (the chore, one childs name, the other childs name) and then they made little magnets out of buttons, old game pieces, etc., so each time the child did their chore, they put a magnet under their name at that chore...they got allowance at the end of the week for the chores they did...
Carrie...I purchased a pack of all white tube socks for the kids at the complex on craft night...I had them decorate them the way they wanted to using tie dye and/or fabric markers...I filled the socks with rice, sew up the end & they gave them to their parents for Christmas, with a little card explaining how to use it...they loved doing the craft & the parents loved the gift...
I love these, thanks for sharing! I think my favorite is the shoulder warmer made of old socks - I regularly have both stray socks and sore shoulders!
I do have a couple of old cookie sheets, too...must find paint! :-)
annasander...thanks for stopping by...
I use my sock warmer all the time...draped over my shoulders it helps with a tension headache...
If you don't have the old metal cookie sheets, you can get a magnet paint that will once painted on an item will turn just about any item into a magnet...
I've been meaning to do the T-shirt art thing - only I'm thinking of just sewing them on to a new T-shirt. Or maybe sewing them all together to make a quilt...I can't decide.
Brenda, these are such cool ideas! I've actually done the calendar picture project before. If only I had enough wall space to display them all . . .
adrienne...my son is a big Miami Dolphins fan (since I'm a Raiders fan, I don't know where this kid came from...grin) Anyway, I made a quilt using all of his old t-shirts...he had shirts from when he was 5 years old up through when he was 16 years old...it was a lot of fun and he didn't know I had saved the shirts, so it was he was happy when I gave it to him...
I have used old calendar pics for almost everything...I have a clear plastic desk protector under my laptop and I decoupaged the pics underneath it so I have a pretty pic to look at when I'm typing...you can wallpaper a room with them...grin...
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