Trash to Treasure!

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What first comes to your mind when you think about ‘creative and interesting home decorations?’  High expense! But it’s possible to have affordable and beautiful home decorations.

We give little thought to the piles of discarded household materials out for the trash, but anything can be used to create something new, from a broken bucket to a used coffee can.

I have some great ideas that will help you turn old items into admirable treasures!


Broken Picture Frame turns to an Earring Holder

Don’t throw away a picture frame when the glass is broken. Run some wires across it to hang up earrings. This is a great gift idea for girls.

Create a Desk

If you have a broken or scratched kitchen table, use it to create a wall desk. Simply cut the end sections off, paint it with your favorite color and affix them to the wall. This sure will be a hit at your home.


Retro Cassette Lamp

If you have old cassettes at your home, use them to make a lamp. Take a base or structure of an old lamp. Place a bright LED light that doesn’t output much heat. Take the tapes out of the cassettes and stack them one on top of one another with glue to a proper height. Make sure that the cassettes are not touching the light to keep the plastics from melting. You’ll love the effect of the light going through the tapes!

Trashcan Lampshade

If you have an old wired trash can and an old lamp base, use them to make a decorative lampshade for your home. Take the can and wrap it with a thin cloth. Glue trim around the top to cover the raw fabric edge. Fix ready-made cloth roses at the bottom of the can around the rim. Colorful fabric and roses will add more beauty to the lamp. Once it is ready place the can over the lamp base. Do not forget to attach a bright light.

Pumpkin Show Pieces and Designer Platters

Pumpkins out of broken terracotta planters or ceramic plates and saucers look great. Collect small pieces of ceramics or terracotta planters and glue them into a mosaic design around a foam ball. Color the terracotta pieces with different colors or use colored ceramics to make a design. Another unique idea is to use broken plates, saucers, and teacups to create beautiful designer planters. Use the same mosaic method to attach the broken pieces to a terracotta planter with strong glue or mod podge.

Ceramic Wall Art

Use cracked ceramic plates as beautiful wall art. Paint across the cracks of the plates. This’ll give them a natural design. Take five or six such plates and glue them together to decorate your kitchen or dining wall.

Wine Bottle Lights

Do you know you can make accent lights using empty wine bottles? Just remove the labels and drill a hole at the center of the base. Now insert small LED lights through the hole, keeping the outlet plug outside the bottle. Move all the lights through the hole till the bottle gets filled up. The lights will give a glow to your room.

Double Pen Stand

Why buy a pen and pencil holder when you can create one on your own simply by re-purposing used materials? Here is an idea that I used myself to create a double pen stand.

Take two used coffee or soda cans. Remove the top with a can opener without making any sharp edges. Use your favorite acrylic colors and create designs of your own. Glue both the cans together and you have a pen and pencil stand! You can also make geometrical designs as you see in the picture.

Bottom line: Recycle waste and give your trash a new life!!

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