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Starting Repurpose before it was Called Repurposing |
| Of the 3 R’s, the one in which I have the most practice is REUSE. I grew up with a crafting mother. When I became restless as a child, Mom took down a box from the top shelf in her closet. Inside the box was all kinds of good stuff – ribbon, beads, odd puzzle pieces, used strings, paper, broken things, bits of this-and-that. She would hand me the box and ask me to make her something. My Dad gave me scrap lumber and invited me to make something. So I was blessed to grow up in a home where I was encouraged to see new uses for items. |
| Of course I didn’t think of this in terms of repurposing, but that is exactly what I did. I picked flowers and put them in a mayo jar. I turned wooded yardsticks into the most delightful little boxes. As I recalled I lined them with fabric scraps from Mom’s sewing projects. I made purses from old pairs of jeans. I make chip bowls, which became Christmas gifts, out of vinyl record albums. The list goes on and on. |
| My parents always found treasure in somebody’s trash. They looked for old furniture that Dad could redesign, remake and refinish into the most marvelous pieces. This hobby turned into a cottage business for him. |
| Repurposing, just to clarify, is reusing something in a different way than it was originally intended. Repurposing is good for the environment. It certainly saves money and the amount of items in the landfill. |
| Repurposing is a way of thinking. Before tossing something ask yourself, "How else can it be use?" Before buying something ask yourself, "Do I already have something that can meet the need?" Before buying something new, shop the thrift stores. |
| Here is a list of Repurpose ideas |
