Repurposing for a Purpose

Today I want to talk about repurposing items. I am not talking about items in your house that you no longer use, that you turn into something else, although I do love that. I'm talking about items that you buy or acquire with the intent of using it for another purpose from the get-go.

I do this a lot around my house. So much, in fact, that I actually had problems figuring out what to take pictures of in my house because I have used these things for unintended purposes so long I forgot that they weren't originally created for the way I'm using them. And then I re-read that last sentence and realized I confused myself. Hopefully you're still with me.

I've got some repurposing ideas that I think are pretty crafty - and useful - to show. Maybe they'll inspire you.

First up, window finials! You know, those cute little curtain rod caps that add flair to window coverings? 

Curtain rods with finials from Pottery Barn

In an effort to change things up (and to avoid excessive holes in our freshly painted walls), we opted out of traditional curtain rods in our formal dining room and my hubby's office. 

Instead, we found some finials on clearance at Lowe's for a couple of bucks each. They already have a screw on the back side, so we just screwed them right into the wall a few inches above the window. 

Note: if you are placing the finials into a stud, you may need to pre-drill before screwing it in. Also, unless you're sure you're hitting studs, you will either need to use sheetrock anchors or use a lightweight curtain, like the sash I used.

And now, moving on to decanters. You often see these things on wedding registries or in nice housewares stores, but honestly, I don't know anyone that uses them. Usually made of crystal or a less expensive look-alike, they are pretty but not super practical. 

Lenox crystal decanter

I found a monogrammed decanter on clearance for $7 at Tuesday Morning. I had been looking for an olive oil bottle, but the decanter is so much more fun! Plus, with the stopper, I don't have to worry about bugs or dirt getting down those oil pour spouts.

If you've got a decanter laying around your house, why not put it to use with olive oil, vinegar, or some other liquid you use with frequently, while displaying it on your counter?

On the other side of my kitchen, I've enlisted the help of Realspace DVD/CD storage bins from Office Depot to hold recipes and coupons. The embossed pattern of the bins matches the damask print of my floor rugs, and the teal and black colors look good with both the rug and the glass bottles I have behind my glass cabinets.

In our master bathroom, I took the idea from the DVD/CD storage bins, and picked up some fabric lined baskets from Target that are also meant to hold DVDs. The hubs and I each have one, and they serve to hold all of our toiletries so they counter stays clean. Whenever we're getting ready, we just grab our basket, and then put it back on the shelf above the tub when we're done. 

All of these items are cute, functional, and being purposely repurposed!

Be inspired! Go forth and repurpose something today!

Teal Shower Caddy Repurpose

Okay, so if you read my Linky post yesterday, you know I planned to have this little project all finished and ready for your viewing yesterday for Leap Day, but the weather wasn't cooperating (you'll understand why as you read on) so here it is:

We've had this shower caddy hanging empty in our shower for about two years. We got one of those spring loaded corner shelves, and this one got left in the dust. Or water. And got rusty.

I came up with a genius (at least in my mind) idea to clean it up, paint it, and repurpose it as a closet caddy, easily hangable on the inside of a closet door.

You will need:
A hanging shower caddy
Spray primer suitable for metal (or whatever material your caddy is made of)
Spray paint (I used shiny black and shiny teal)
Steel wool, a wire-bristled brush, or rough sanding screen - I used the latter because that's what I found first in our painting supplies.
Painter's tape (if painting with more than one color)
1 Command removable hook
Adhesive felt pads

All of my paint is Valspar brand, because that's what I had leftover from other projects. Notice all of the lovely dust on the paint caps. They've been sitting in the garage a while. All of my supplies were found items, except the hook.

Start by sanding the rust off of the caddy. Go ahead and sand the whole thing, in case there is any residue or clear coat on it that will hinder the adhesion of the paint. Make sure to check the top, bottom, side, insides, outsides and remove all the gross rust. It's gotta go.

Once all the rust is gone, it will be preeeetty, and oh so shiny. Like this:

Now prime your the caddy following the directions on your spray paint. I find thin coats work best.

When the primer is dry, you're ready to paint. I chose the contrasting black and teal to match my stepdaughter's decor since I am going to hang it in her closet. I painted the back part that hangs against the door black, and the baskets teal. I admit, this sounded much easier before I tried it. I REALLY wanted two colors though because I thought (1) they'd complement each other and (2) it would stand out from the white door better and (3) it would be cuter, and cuter is better. I did the black first, then covered it with painter's tape and plastic and painted the teal. It only took approximately 1 million pieces of tape. No joke. Mostly.

I also ran into a snafu with the weather that some of you may need to consider. The humidity this week has been 1000%, so the paint seemed to take a really long time to dry. By the time I got to the teal, I had become wiser. I opened the garage to paint (so I had plenty of fresh air). Then I closed the garage and turned on the AC to take the moisture out of the air, thus giving my little project a fighting chance to be done sometime this year. It literally took an entire extra day of drying to get the spray paint to set.

Here are the two final products I needed to finish up:

I used a white Command hook to blend in with the door. It holds 5 lbs, but I might add another on one of the lower baskets so she can hold more stuff. Also, I took one adhesive felt circle pad (the kind you put under furniture to keep it from scratching your floor) and cut it into strips and put them on the back of the black bars to protect the door.

And now, drum roll, please...

Here it is! The finished project! Too cute, handy, and resourceful! It's bins are the perfect place for girly stuff like nail polish, lotion, or hair products, and the hooks work great for necklaces, belts, or small purses. I hope she likes it!

Voila!

nail polish spot

hang necklaces, belts, purses, or a Hawaiian lei!

After doing all this teal painting, I realized this project coincided with my mom's birthday, who passed away from ovarian cancer. The ovarian cancer awareness color is teal. Please check out the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition's website for more information by clicking on this ribbon:

Sharing at:

Initial Suggestions

I picked up these cute little cabinet knobs on clearance at Hobby Lobby the other day for a whopping 82 cents a piece. Big spender, here.

I grabbed one for the first initial of each member of the family and now I'm trying to figure out what to do with them.

I thought about a wall rack where we could hang little things for each person (purses, small bags, reminders, etc) to have by the door, but perhaps there is a better idea floating out there in your heads. Any suggestions?

I might have to go back and see if they have enough to spell out our whole last name, too. For less than a buck each, I think I can come up with some thrifty and cute things to do with them.

To see what I come up with for these little guys, and to keep up with my other postings, click "Join this Site" over in the right margin.