For a couple of years, I owned and operated an upcycled home accessories and furniture shop with a good friend of mine. It was our mission to recycle old furniture and our challenge to find new uses for old junk. We often competed against each other to see who could come up with the most clever reinvention.
Some of my reuse ideas were:
- turning an old cement trowel into a wall sconce
- turning a mop wringer into a message center
- turning a wash board into a cabinet door
- turning old windows into picture frames
Though we no longer have our shop, that experience changed my life. Now when I design new paper goods, I always keep recycling and reuse in mind. My latest eco-friendly product is The 2010 Eco-Friendly Animal Alphabet Calendar. At 7″x11″, this enchanting calendar is designed both for use as a date reference, and also as artwork. The pages are designed for reuse as the top half fits perfectly in a 5″x7″ frame. Frame one or several and it’s sweet wall art for a baby’s nursery or children’s playroom.
Do you have any favorite reuse ideas to share? I’d love to hear them!
