Repurpose!
When we were in Costa Rica this past summer, I saw colorful displays of sarongs at what seemed like every other market stall. I started looking for four with the same design, thinking they would make great curtains for my bedroom. No such luck, at least in the oceanic colors I might have liked. I did buy a couple anyway, since they are also good as light sofa throws in southern zones, not to mention their intended purpose as ladies' beach wear.
Finally a few weeks ago I got it onto my head to shop online for sarongs. Bingo! I found Turtle Island Imports. They had plenty of beautifully batik sarongs from Bali. I ordered four in a bright turquoise blue, with a stamped spiral design.
When they arrived, I was afraid they were a bit too bright. I washed them once and that toned them down a bit. I tried to sew them on my sewing machine but the fabric was too sheer and light; I couldn't get the tension right. So I hand sewed them and got them hung. It was getting late in the day, so although I was pleased with the way they looked, it wasn't until the next morning when I walked into the room and caught sight of them with just the right kind of light coming through the window that I really felt fully pleased. The whole room glowed with a rich, mysterious blue light. You could even see it from down the hall, approaching the room. So I highly recommend sarongs if you are looking for sheer curtains. I took the photo shown here only an hour or so ago in the afternoon light, and even then you can see something of the glow. Happy to have finally nailed it after years of boring white curtains in there!
It seems to me that repurposing is one of the major design trends of our 21st Century. One of my favorite blogs to read is Unconsumption, featuring all sorts of great ideas for creative repurposing. Maps into window shades, wine bottles into candle holders, Monopoly boards into jewelry boxes, etc.! Perhaps you remember those cable spool tables that were all the rage in the 1970s? Tom and I still have a few of those, including one out on the patio that is about to disintegrate, and I'd like to find a new one. Unfortunately, they are harder to find these days. I like to treat them like real furniture, sanding and staining the "tabletops", sometimes painting or decorating the middle wooden core. During my college days, I had an artistic freind who stacked two on top of each other, removing some of the core slats on the top spool so that he could stage little theatrical sets inside the core, colored lights and all. I've long wanted to riff on his idea, even if I have to build the thing from scratch.
Reinvention is in our genes. Remember playing with cardboard appliance boxes as kids? I think we had more fun with those boxes than with much snazzier toys. If you have repurposed anything lately or even long ago, perhaps you'll post a photo or tell us about it here on Creative Intentions. Nothing has to be junk anymore, does it??!!
Tags: creativity, decorating, repurposing
Views: 47
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Devin on -
Beautiful, Keddy!
I'll be back tomorrow to share one thing I repurposed during the summer. (Have to take a picture of it in daylight.) Everyone would laugh at me if you saw the inside of my detached garage. :) I keep anything I think I can use to create something useful for a future project. Just not enough time in the days right now....but when I retire someday, I can see myself popping out something every week.
Until tomorrow...
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Permalink Reply by Keddy Ann Outlaw on -
Wow, your garage sounds fascinating. You are wise to realize the potential of stuff and hold onto it. Can't wait to see your photo!
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Permalink Reply by Devin on
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What I repurposed was part of a storm door. It was from the late 70's and had a metal guard thingy built into it. A lady was updating the front entrance area of her home and was going to chunk the old storm door. I immediately asked if I could take it apart keep it for future use. She said yes. Three years later I began working on my thought, sanding it by hand, which took hours and hours. I then painted it and made a trellis out of it. It's 6 feet tall. This isnt a great picture, but you can see that it will work once the rose bush grows a bit more this spring.
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Permalink Reply by Keddy Ann Outlaw on
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Makes a very sturdy trellis! Was it hard making it stand up straight?
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Permalink Reply by Devin on
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No, not really. I placed the bottom in the ground and used one U nail at the top to secure it next to an outdoor covered "play" area I made complete with beach sand.
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Permalink Reply by Kay Van Hoesen on -
Devin, how about sharing with us a picture of the stuff in your garage? It sounds like a treasure trove for crafters!
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Permalink Reply by Devin on
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I will share one thing that is in work from that area. :) Most of the stuff I've been collecting is for future use outdoors. This one is a treasure chest of sorts! It once looked like it might have come off a ship docked in the early1900's. Not sure what I'm going to do with it. Perhaps store things in it or make a table out of it.
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Permalink Reply by Kay Van Hoesen on
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When Jeff and I were buying, fixing up and selling houses (and I was staging the houses to make people fall in love with them), I did some clever, easy and inexpensive things with window treatments. This picture isn't great, but I'll try to explain it. I wanted to dress up and call attention to the windows above the soaking tub. So I bought glamorous-looking fabric trim that had glass beads attached, and I simply draped it over the window. Voila. It looked pretty sexy.
I did other clever window treatments, too, but I haven't been able to find pictures. So I'll try to explain. I took two table runners (similar to the photo shown below which I grabbed off Google images), cut the runners in half. That gave me four pieces. This was for a window approx. 30" wide.
I then put a cheap rod across the top of the frame, and wrapped the raw edge of the table runner over the rod and pinned it in the back to keep it in place. So I had three in a row. I made the two on the ends a little shorter than the one in the middle. It's hard to explain. Let me know if you have any questions. It made a gorgeous window treatment. BTW, I got all the table runners at either Steinmart or Tuesday Morning for around $10 to $15 each.
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Permalink Reply by Devin on
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Very cool. I like! Your description of the second window treatment is wonderful, and all made at a very good price too. Clever idea!
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Permalink Reply by Keddy Ann Outlaw on
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Window magic! Home staging sounds fun. From what I see on HGTV and heard about recently from a friend, a big part of it is decluttering and removing excess furnishings. The the pieces remaining can really be rearranged in an optimal way. Now if only I could do that myself at home instead of eyeing every corner to see where I can create storage for MORE STUFF! But that comes with the territory of making art and creative repurposing.
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Permalink Reply by Kay Van Hoesen on
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Exactly, Keddy; when you're living in a home, it's totally different from staging which is really all about creating an environment where anybody could see themselves living. So you remove personal objects, photos, etc., and keep it clean, uncluttered, warm and friendly. HOWEVER, when we LIVE in our homes, we (or at least I) don't want a sterile environment. I want all the mementos and cherished pieces that are meaningless to others but special to me.
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