(BPT) – Spring isn’t just the season to clean out old junk from your home, it’s also the perfect time to tackle some DIY craft projects that repurpose household items and give them new life. Repurposing, or “upcycling,” is one of the hottest trends in home decor and design for 2017, according to online DIY community Hometalk.com. Before you throw away an old book case, battered picture frame or wooden industrial spool, why not think of ways to upcycle those items instead?
Here are five projects the DIY experts at Arrow Fastener Company recommend to help you add a fresh look to your home while giving new life to old items:
Book page wreath – True book-lovers find it painful to ever throw away a book, but what can you do with a tome that’s become too worn to read anymore? Turn it into a decorative wreath that proclaims your love of the written word. You’ll need wood for a base, an old book and a craft glue gun.
Industrial wooden spool seat and bookshelf – You may have no idea where it came from or why it’s in your garage, but that industrial spool can become the perfect place to put up your feet and read a book. A blog post on Pandora’s Craft Box shows you how to turn a wooden spool into a beautiful bookshelf/footstool combo. You’ll need wood stain, pieces of wood to create internal shelving, upholstery materials like batting, foam and fabric, and an Arrow T50 Heavy Duty staple gun to affix the padding to the top of the spool.
Wine bottle rustic vase – Every now and then you have a bottle of wine that’s just so good – or the bottle itself is so pretty – you just don’t want to give it up. Turning it into a rustic vase is a great way to preserve the memories associated with the bottle and create a beautiful decorative piece for your home. You’ll need a glass wine bottle, 20-50 feet of sisal rope, scissors, a mini glue gun, glue sticks and optional decorative embellishments.
Feline playland – If you have a bored cat and an old book case, you have the makings of magic! The blog My Very Educated Mother offers directions on how to repurpose an old book case by using a staple gun to affix rugged carpet remnants to the interior, shelves and exterior of the case. The shelves are a fun place for kitty to sit, and the carpet gives her somewhere appropriate to sharpen her claws. You can also store toys, treats and even a bed on the shelves.
Woodland picture frame – Do you have an old picture frame or a mirror that the glass has broken out of? You can transform the most basic or worn frame into a piece of natural art by using a glue gun to attach sticks in varying shapes and sizes to the frame. Use sticks from a craft store or from your own backyard to decorate the frame, giving it a rustic look that brings a bit of nature into your home.
For more DIY projects to help you repurpose old items into new home decor this spring, visit arrowfastener.com/projects or Arrow’s Pinterest page.
