Move It Out and Repurposing

So it's another Move It Out Monday...the fun never ends!  I've been working this morning on cleaning out a couple drawers and my January through December files also.

I went through all of the January through December files and eliminated about 90% of the stuff in them. So the files are clear and ready for 2013! Yeah me!

The picture above shows a little antique wash stand that I decided to move from the living room into a corner of the kitchen. Some of my best decluttering occurs when I decided to MOVE something. So I've cleaned out the top drawer of you can not imagine...toys, crayons, old candles, papers, you name it and it was probably in there. Now it contains my coasters, some candle holders, and some party supplies. There's lots more room in the drawer but I plan to keep napkins and such in there. Now there are two more drawers in this little stand but I'm not sure when I will get to them. I have to say that the bottom drawer is pretty well clean and organized though.

I decided to place a little Valentine's (love) display on the stand to bring a little color into the kitchen.  I used my FREE printable Valentine's subway art, a red candle and a minature pitcher and glasses that I also have in red. I have talked a lot about repurposing and this is what I mean. Find some random pieces that you already have and create something cute!

Now the metal basket I already had from a flea market find but I wasn't sure what to put in it. I wanted to make some Valentine's balls using ribbon but when I went to buy the styrofoam balls at Walmart they were $4.67 for TWO of them. I wanted four so I wandered around and happened over to the Christmas clearance, where I found the gold balls you see in the basket. They were missing a little gold and they are really ornaments but for 25 cents a piece the price was right! I turned them so you can't see the top of the ornaments and they look just like the "fancy" balls you see...which cost a lot more than 25 cents each!

I know it's not fancy smancy....but it makes me smile every time I see it in the kitchen corner. I'll try to post each time that I swtich out the items so you can take a peek at my kitchen corner too!

Wild Card Wednesday: Repurposing for Easter

Super cute use of baby food jars from: Good Housekeeping.

 Soft stripes....jars from: Woman's Day!

 

Easter Egg Garland made from paint chips. Idea from: Blue Velvet Chair

I couldn't remmber if I featured the paint chip garland before or not...and it's such a great idea I'm including it in this post just in case I missed using it before!

See you on Frugal Friday!! .

Wild Card Wednesday: More Repurposing Ideas

Another use for those old frames...by: Trash to Treasures

Or take cheapy dollar store items and turn them into this.......

Idea from: Eyeballs by Day, Crafts by Night

Tiny Trees from old wine corks: HERE

I love seeing all the fab ideas people come up with using repurposed stuff or dollar store finds!

It's Move It Out Monday: Repurposing

Mondays here at Month by Month are all about decluttering and organizing.  I've been working on the office/craft room and I am amazed at the amount of storage stuff I have and still can't seem to be organized. I am certainly downsizing but along the way I have re-purposed some things. I used some cute pastal colored flower pots for the craft desk which I shared a couple weeks ago. The whole process of decluttering this room has got me to thinking about repurposing. I've donated some of the numerous plastic storage containers I have....and sometimes I cringe when I get rid of something I paid money for...but I can't declutter and KEEP all of this "stuff."  Anyway....back to repurposing...I've come across a lot of super ways to use things I already have and then when I get tired of them...it's so much easier to part with them.

Aren't these baby food jars repurposed into sweet little candy jars perfect for gift giving or storing tiny embellishments?  Or take a look at spraying the lids black and using them for storage!

In fact over at Nest Full of Eggs, she did a whole series of blog posts back in 2009 about repurposing jars. Check it out you will be glad you did...there are lots of cute and clever ideas.

                                                For the kitchen...love the measuring marks!

More craft storage....using little jars...they look so cute and why spend money when you can use your jelly and jam jars!!

So think about re-purposing and please share your ideas in the comments section here!  I'll be back for Wild Card Wednesday....see you then!

The Bed

Here's a picture of the bed I bought at the flea market for 85 dollars. It was black but I spray painted it white! I really like it! The picture doesn't show the quilt as clearly as I'd like because I took it with my phone...it has lavendar flowers with also green and yellow in it.

Re-purposing

One of the things I love to do to keep my home looking fresh and different is to use things in different ways. Some of the items I re-purpose are common household things used in different ways or in different rooms. Some of the things are older items used in a new way. Here are a few examples:

• Use a terra cotta flower pot as a utensil holder in the kitchen or with spring here...think about using pots to house patio items like plastic ware, napkins, small candles etc.
• Use a craft organized or lure box for jewelry. I also keep my wine charms in one
• Use wine glasses filled with beautiful stones to create centerpieces
• Use a utensil holder as a desk organizer
• Use magnetic picture frames as note holders on the fridge...just slip the paper in and out to change announcements
• Mug racks in the bedroom for jewelry and scarves
• Use old pots as planters
• Use leftover baby wipe containers to create craft kits
• Old recipe boxes make good containers for filing birthday and other occasion cards

I am sure I have tons of other items I use....more lately when they pop into my mind or sight!

Trash to Treasures

If you are at all interested in decorating with flea market finds or re purposing items you should look over at Ask.com Trash to Treasures They have a ton of photos of items people have rescued from the trash and turned in to fun and useful items. These are a couple of my favorites.

Flea Market Finds

I love flea markets and resale shops. They are like treasure hunts and you never know what's waiting for you among the junk. Today I went to a flea market (inside one) with my husband and our flea marketing neighbor. Here's a little treasure I found! I know I said I wasn't adding anymore holiday decor but this little guy was a dollar fifty and then 50% off so for 75 cents I could hardly resist.

Won't he look cute out with my Americana stuff for the Fourth of July?

I love decorating for holidays or for every day life with such finds. Then when it comes time to part with them, it's not so hard to pass them on or throw them away. If you only purchase something for pennies, it's a lot easier to let go of.

As the flea market season gets into full swing, I'll share some of my finds with you and we can talk about re-purposing and how to make simple things into real treasures.