Why ReUseIt Crafts? I had saved a couple of empty coffee jars (many years ago along with a few other things) that sat for months in a kitchen cabinet (I just couldn't throw them out). One day, while reorganizing my kitchen, I found I needed the space they were occupying, so I had to do something to justify keeping them around. I ended up making a couple of decanters for coffee and sugar. I used popsicle sticks for the outside, stained with brown paint, attached heart labels, (I found some polka dot material in my save-it pile), used some wooden slats from an outdated Chinese calendar for the lid, trimmed the edges with yarn and Mod Podged the entire project. Those decanters became a reminder that ReUsing is worth the time and effort it takes to save an item that would ordinarily get tossed out,to create something decorative, interesting and or useful.
I’d like to just `make stuff’ everyday, but it doesn't pay the bills. I’ve tried selling my crafts and projects but with the amount of free instruction available, via the web, I haven't been as successful as I’d like. So, since I’ve recently found I enjoy making jewelry using pinecone petals and various other types of materials, I thought I would make a go of selling it. If it works, I can support my crafting habit and still be able to share the many crafts, projects and ideas that pop into my brain with anyone interested. |
 Why ReUseIt?
While most things we toss out can be saved as functional items to be used for something similar to their original purpose or the obvious i.e.; gallon milk jugs can be used for water, water bottles refilled, newspaper for house training pets and paint mess, plastic grocery bags for small trash cans, etc…I wanted to do more with the endless supply of materials that come into the average household every day. Taking out the trash, having someone pick it up and carry it away (to where, most don’t care to know), is the norm for the average population, making very large piles of waste in our landfills. I do acknowledge that you can’t actually reuse everything, but, the items that are large enough to take up the most space in any one trash can, is usually something that can be reused. This alone, should be reason enough to try it. Reducing our waste and at the same time, adding something interesting and or useful to our daily lives, is a noble objective.
These days, most of us either have limited time, limited resources or limited patience, (or maybe all mentioned) so I’ve tried to come up with ideas that won’t take a lot of time, use little or no money, with quick results. So for most of what you’ll find here, I’ve done the experimenting (lots of trial and error), to come up with the easiest, quickest and cheapest method from start to finish.
So my objective…Easily, quickly, and cheaply…incorporate usefulness with creativity, use the most abundant materials (plastic grocery bags, cardboard boxes, etc…) and attempt to generate excitement so that anyone interested would give it a try!
Just a note… Friends and family seem to think of me when they want to get rid of stuff that they can’t bear to toss out, figuring I’ll come up with something (which I usually do) to with it. So if you visit long enough, you will find some bits and pieces of the many ideas I come up with for reusing that don’t include being crafty or involving a project. Have fun! |