62 Ways to Make Something New Out of Something Old (2024)

Don't forget to save these creative upcycled craft ideas. For more craft inspiration, follow @countryliving on Pinterest.

Play homage to your home state by covering your mail bin with a bold-coloredplate using hot glue or screws.

Tape off a 64-square pattern with painter's tape (you'll need at least a 16" x 16" board to accommodate standard checkers),then paint on squares with acrylic paint.

Use letters from old plates to give your house numbers a fresh, quirky look, securing themwith epoxy or nails.

Cut out individual letters from an old or expired plate and turn them into keychains. Be sure to sand down the sharp edges.

Use leftover spools to give your opened wine bottles a pop of color! Glue spools to ends of corks for a nice finish.

Whip up a Scandinavian-style table protector from–get this–wooden clothespins and floral wire. Oslo-born crafter Paul Lowe shares his easy how-to in Sweet Paul Eat and Make ($30; Houghton Mifflin Harcourt). Simply disassemble 40 clothespins, lay them flat side down, and drill a hole in each, about ½ inch from the tapered end. Thread the pins onto the wire with the double-notched sides facing right, as shown. Then, pull the wire into a circle and twist the ends to secure. You'll be done before the kettle boils.

Thread spools of varying sizes and hues (interspersed with colorful wooden beads) on a long piece of embroidery thread. Knot the ends and make sure it's secure. This craft is simple enough that even the kiddos can help out!

Chart a stylish seat by decoupaging pieces (strips, squares—take your pick) of old maps to a chair using a medium-strength adhesive like Mod Podge (available at craft stores). Apply several layers of the glue, allowing the surface to dry between coats.

Insert the stems of flowers (here, ranunculus) into the tubes of assorted spools. For longer-lasting blooms, add floral foam, which you can dampen with a straw. Arrange these adorable flower-spools on your table or around your home for a simple, charming detail.

Have an old book that can't be saved? If the spine is salvageable, use it to mark your place in your next novel. Using a utility knife, remove the spine, then line the inside with patterned contact paper. Punch a hole at the top and thread twine through.

Cut your desired letter shape from thick cardboard and hot-glue spools to the surface. Display your colorful initialin your home or gift your craft to a friend!

Upgrade your picnic table with gilded DIY vases and votives. Use a foam brush to apply adhesive to the outside of a mason jar in small, irregular patches. When the sticky substance turns clear—in about 30 minutes— press on sheets of gold leaf. Then, rub away excess flecks with a paper towel for a lovely weathered patina. (Speedball gold-leaf kit with leaf and adhesive, $10.97; dickblick.com)

Let your frayed, stained, and damaged-beyond-repair coverlet rise and shine well beyond the basem*nt! Measure circumference and height of a drum shade. Add 1 inch to both measurements. Using a fabric pen, draw a rectangle the size of the above dimensions on quilt. Cut along marked lines. Create a finished seam on one of the short sides by folding over 1 inch of fabric and adhering with fabric glue. Place fabric pattern-side down onto flat surface. Cover with spray adhesive. Starting at the fabric's unfinished short edge, wrap around shade and smooth. Fold over excess along top and bottom edges of shade, then adhere with fabric glue.

To brighten up a plain concrete patio stone ($1.61; 12" square; lowes.com), first brush away any debris. Then, mark the centers of the stone and your stencil (Modern Masters Endless Circles stencil, $31.95; royaldesignstudio.com). Position the stencil over the stone, aligning the center marks. Use masking tape to block off two flowers on both the right and bottom edges of the stencil to make the pattern symmetrical. While holding the stencil in place, dip a ½-inch-wide stencil brush into Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and pounce the brush straight up and down to apply the paint (brush, $5.75; paint, Greek Blue, $11.95 for 4 oz.; royaldesignstudio.com). When you're done, remove the stencil. That's it—no sealer necessary! Repeat on additional stones to extend your path.