New Uses For Old Things 3-
Time for some more new uses for old things! At our home we upcycle, recycle and reuse whenever possible. One of the fun things about being good to Mother Earth is that there are a lot of other people just like us who are finding new uses for old things too. I am sharing a couple of the things that we do and a few others that I am sure will inspire you.
I buy the large container of dish washing liquid. I don’t want a big jug on the sink and a much as I like the pretty glass bottles, I am just to clumsy to have them on the kitchen sink. I use a picnic style condiment squeeze bottle.
Sometimes the simplest things make the most sense. Now on to some more new uses for old things . I like to call these discoveries “light bulb” moments.
( images belong to their respects blog/websites and can be found on my pinterest board HERE.)
Make ice packs from sponges. Just wet, put in zip top bags and freeze .I found this at Grace Brook. com
This is such a cute idea. Using cupcake liners to make a bouquet! Perfect for a party centerpiece too. I found this at Project Nursery.com
I really like this idea from Real Simple magazine. When you have a get together you can keep your ice from melting into a giant clump by putting it in a colander over a bowl. brilliant!
This reminded me of another one of my new uses for old things. I use wash basins for parties and picnics. I fill them with ice and cover the ice with plastic wrap then I lay sandwich meats and cheeses on the top. I also fill them with ice and put condiments in the ice filled buckets to stay cold. I found this photo from my Mothers visit.
Last but far from least in the “light bulb moments” I think this is terrific new use for old thing. A sugar dispenser to hold twine. I found this at Clover and Violet. Perfect for the twine I sell at my shop Craft Supply Things ( wink).
I invite you to leave a comment about ways that you find new uses for old things too. I will add them to the New Uses For Old Things page ♥
Enjoy the weekend sweet bloggy friends.
I love this and I think my favorite are the sponge ice packs – definitely clever and unique, too! Have a great weekend, Katie 🙂 xoxo!!
I love the sponge ice packs too. I used to freeze wet facecloths in a bag and use them for the kids when they get over heated or have a headache. xo
I love this series, Katie! Tell us more!
Thank you my friend. I try and add to the New Uses for Old Things page regularly. xo
The cupcake papers flower idea is so sweet, I like that a lot. I think my girls would love to do that 🙂 Happy weekend doll xx
So cute aren’t they. What a wonderful centerpiece for a party. xo
Wash basins? Are those from the hospital? Or is this something I have missed in my travels? Where do you find these? Lots of great ideas! Thanks for sharing!
I bought the wash bins ( washing tubs) from our local dollar store. I have used this “new uses for old things” trick for years. Its inexpensive, reusable and they stack together nicely when not in use. Hugs!
Katie, I love all of these, but my favorite is your very first one, pouring your dishwashing liquid into the condiment jar — because I have been doing the exact same thing for several years! I don’t want to keep a glass container around my sink because of my clumsiness so the plastic condiment jar works perfectly! Have a blessed day!
Sweet Anna we are two peas in a pod! xo
Some great tips and ideas, thank you for sharing.
Thank you I am always trying to find new ways to use old things. Hugs!
Such simple, yet clever ideas. Thanks for sharing.
Linda
sometimes the simplest things make the most sense my friend.Big Hugs!
The cupcake flowers are to cute!
I am going to do the frozen sponge trick….brilliant! I fill my condiment squeezer with olive oil to put on the grill pans when we grill ahi tuna. It is another great use….I still use the pretty glass bottle for my dishwashing soap…just stubborn!
I fill up old liquid soap bottles, small ones that hang up, from out of a gallon jug, then rinse the jug cut a piece off to make a scoop so the children can use it in the sandbox to make sandcastles. I love the twine idea at the moment I use a shoebox! Your idea sounds better and takes up less space:) Also good bits of old worn towels can be cut up and used as facecloths!:) Just a couple of ideas!
I use a coffee can to contain my yarn when knitting. I recently saw an idea that had the yarn feeding out of a hole rather than the top, so you can put the lid on the can.
Such awesome tips!! My favorite is putting ice into the washbasins to hold the condiments, etc! So genus! 😉
Ooooh the colander idea is PERFECT!
Great ideas! I use one of those squeeze bottles for the Wisk I use to pre-treat the neck of Lorin’s dress shirts. And the bottle is actually 29 years old!! It’s from the hospital when MaKenzie was born; they used it to give her a bath. LOL!! (Never have found another one, there are four little holes in the top and the plastic is extra ‘soft’)
I also use those plastic shoe boxes in my kitchen to ‘file’ my gravy packets. I stand the pkts up, so the lid won’t work though.
A new idea I came up with this summer while trying to organize my office/craft room: I used a metal shoe rack, made with just flat shelves, in my closet where the double bar section is. I put a lot of my scrapping supplies on it. It cleared out a ton on clutter in my ‘work’ space!
Great stuff here! I adore those cupcake liner flowers…lovely! T.
WOW! What a great idea for the sponge ice packs. Great for the cooler when traveling.. thanks for sharing this on Fabulous Friday Hugs Maria
Great ideas. My favorites are the sponges and the wash tubs and the colander for ice.
What a smart idea for the picnic bottle for the soap!! I keep the big jug up there and every once in awhile it slips off into my sink when I’m doing up a small round of dishes, lol. That little bottle would fix that!! 🙂
There are so many, “duh” why didn’t I think of that ideas here and I love them! I’m sure this one is floating around somewhere but I use old toothbrushes to clean the light switch plates. We still have lots of the old kind with the ridges. Old toothbrushes are also great for cleaning around the base of faucets.