Recycle, eh

When we were growing up, the running joke in our family was that Mom would make patchwork quilts from our outgrown shirts, blouses, dresses, and skirts, and the next year, make us skirts and book bags from the patchwork quilts. Having grown up in wartime Poland, she knew the value of getting the most out of anything.

If you’ve just completed a home makeover or renovation, instead of throwing out leftover materials, take a cue from Mom and reuse these to add interest and originality to your home.

Boards. Add a few pictures and coat hooks to an unused board and hang it in the hall for a unique coat rail. Or construct a folding screen from leftover 2 x 4s.

Ceramic Tiles. Use broken or leftover tiles to create a mosaic on a kitchen splashback, powder room floor, or an old tabletop.

Cork Tiles. Glue leftover cork to the back of a door to make a message centre in a bedroom, kitchen, or home office.

Doors. Doors can be recycled into headboards, tables, even used as paneling in small areas. Check out this daybed made from a door. Old, narrow French doors make wonderful room dividers. Hinge the doors together to make a screen and use it to create a separate space in a room, such as a dressing area in a master bedroom, or office space in your living room.

Image This Old House

Fabric. Use fabric remnants to make curtain tiebacks and pillow covers, cover dining room chair seats, or trim the bottom edge of a drape for a customised look.

Fireplace Mantels. A discarded fireplace mantel makes a terrific headboard. In a small room, the ledge is a perfect place for an alarm clock and lamp, eliminating the need for bedside tables.

Moulding. Turn a few feet of leftover moulding into a mirror or picture frame. Use the frame to hold your favourite artwork or to jazz up a blah blackboard message centre.

Paint. Use leftover paint to add colour to the inside of a closet, armoire or bookcase.

Wallpaper. Line the insides of drawers or make covers for old books with scraps of colourful wallpaper. Or use the wallpaper to decorate plain bandboxes, available from craft supply stores.

Windows. Old windows can be fitted with mirrors to add a practical look in the hallway. Or use to frame pictures.

Window Shutters. If you've replaced your old shutters, why not recycle the old ones, spruce them up and use as an interesting headboard? Or hang up on a wall as an organizer and use the slots to hold messages or even CDs?

Image My Sweet Savannah

For ways to recycle common household junk, go here.