8 WAYS TO REUSE HOUSEHOLD ITEMS

Waste not, want not… and go out to the shop not! Rather than stocking your kitchen cupboards full of artifacts that come out on the few occasions you entertain, why not use what you already have? Here are 8 ways to reuse household items.

TIN CAN RUSTIC LANTERNS

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If you feel like getting crafty, have a go at these rustic lanterns! Peel the labels off your empty soup tins and puncture holes in the side with a scriber. I’d recommend keeping to simple shapes, like hearts or stars. Drop a tea light, or a larger wax candle to the bottom of the tin and watch it glow. These look particularly good outdoors!

NIGHT LAMP JARS

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Don’t ever throw your jars away! Apart from the fact they can be used as flower pots and drinking vessels, they can make a very attractive lamp. Add a string, or two (depending on the size of the jar), or battery powered fairy lights and use these as night lamps. They make for the perfect mood lighting and give any room a magical twinkling atmosphere.

CORK PLANTERS

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If you’ve got lots of corks lying around (no judgment), this idea is perfect for you. Use a knife to pick a hole into the end the cork. You can then use a screwdriver to deepen the hole. Stick single flowers, or little bunches of foliage into your corks. You can either stick them back into the tops of their bottles, or tie them with thread and hang them from above, or you can stick little magnets to them, as shown in this image.

SHOT GLASS VASES

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If you’re looking for something to do with all those shot glasses that just never get used (ahem), turn them into vases for single flowers, or small bunches. You can decorate an entire table with these – everyone appreciates the little things in life!

WINE-DELABRA

You can use any type of glass bottle as a candlestick, but wine bottles will give your table a particularly moody feel. I like to use dark coloured candles, to match the shade of the bottle.

BOTTLE HANGINGS

I love this idea! Stick a single flower into a glass bottle, tie a piece of string around the neck of the bottle and hang from a garden trestle, or perhaps your balustrade. Make sure you tie the string tight, or these could become a safety hazard!

FLOWER TEAPOT

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There’s something utterly charming about a teapot! Using a teapot to hold your flowers will give your table an instant Mad Hatter’s Teaparty feel to it. If you’re like me and have multiple teapots, use them all!

CARDBOARD BASKETS

 

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I couldn’t resist including a little bit of DIY! Cover an old cardboard box in rope or string and use it as a basket to hold your loo-rolls. I’d recommend applying a thin layer of PVC glue directly onto the cardboard first – prepare to get sticky!