Waste Not…

I hate to discard things I can find a use for, even if it’s to cut them up and use the parts. Maybe the creative side of me likes the challenge, because now it’s more of a hobby. My kids say I’m a pack rat, but believe me, if Goodwill gets anything from me, I have really worn it out!

As newlyweds, we had the obligatory concrete block bookshelves and orange crate coffee table. But (okay, now I’m really telling tales out of school) it wasn’t unusual for someone in my family to drag a discarded chair, lamp, or table off the curb and fix it up. Waste not, want not.  Back then, you didn’t want to admit where your new lamp came from, but now there are television shows on doing this, telling you its ‘shabby chic’. My daughter called me recently, after watching some show on HGTV, to tell me they were showing something we did when she was in high school (she’s in her 40’s now). Hey, maybe I should have my own TV show!

 I re-purpose scarletteverything. Clothing – old jeans make great hobo bags(and Scarlett O’Hara made a dress out of draperies); old doors make tables for potting sheds; big  flower pots, turned upside down, are outdoor tables, the saucers make bird feeders or baths, and broken pots, set in concrete, recycle as stepping stones. The broken dishes from the Mad Hatter’s tea party could be set into concrete stepping stones, too. More ideas -   http://shine.yahoo.com/at-home/9-ways-repurpose-vintage-antique-furniture-153500926.html I transplant weeds and have a wildflower garden. The Queen of Hearts’ gardeners painted the roses because they were the wrong color. Sure – there was no sense in discarding perfectly healthy plants (although I might have just moved them).

Whether it’s a sewing project, a writing project, or just cleaning out the shed, think before you discard. Figure out what else you could use it for. The sense of satisfaction is overwhelming. You have kept something out of a landfill, reducing your carbon footprint (there’s a phrase that is quickly becoming old!). You have something that is uniquely yours. Something that has a history – why, it could become an heirloom.

Writers recycle, too. We change a few things in existing essays and short stories to make them fit the specs on contestsrecycling print or for publication. Catherine Zeta-Jones’s recent revelations on being bi-polar spawned stories in fan magazines, health magazines, parenting magazines, and dozens of others, simply by using different perspectives on the same information. Often these opportunities present themselves long after you wrote the original piece, so store those stories away. You may be able to reclaim them and extend the life of your work.

It starts with one idea – if Alice had broken the Looking Glass, she could have used the frame for a picture, and the glass for mosaic.  An article about an old tool or piece of kitchenware found in a flea market could find a home in magazines for thrifty shoppers, hobbyists, or about nostalgia. Warning – it can be addictive, for once you discover you have a knack for it, you can’t stop! According to today’s decorating gurus, it’s the new chic, and for writers it’s a must.

Got trash?  Tell me about YOUR Reduce, Re-use, Recycle, or Repurpose experience.

4 Responses

  1. URL February 27, 2014 at 10:19 am |
  2. Arline Chandler
    Arline Chandler September 17, 2013 at 6:26 pm |
  3. Grace Grits and Gardening
    Grace Grits and Gardening September 17, 2013 at 7:48 am |

    I save every scrap of paper and ribbon for mixed-media projects!

  4. PC Tuesday
    PC Tuesday September 17, 2013 at 7:38 am |

    I can so identify! I am a recovering garage sale-aholic! Too many projects not enough time or space.

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