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Repurpose. Because Its Awesome!

I love re-purposing! Not that I’m a staunch environmentalist….I’m just extremely crafty and resourceful so I’ve become extremely adept at re-purposing. Repurposing is described as “the use of something for a purpose other than its original intended use.”

The first time I saw re-purposing at its finest was when I happened upon a woodworker hobbyist showing off some his work. As materials became to expensive too purchase new he decided to use discarded wood to extend his craft. I saw this beautiful, ornate table he created…it took me a moment to realize this bold table was actually made from an old door. It was a one-of-a-kind amazing piece of art yet a functional table. I marveled at the ingenuity and made note to always think “outside the box”.

Whenever I see re-purposing at its finest, I smile broadly. And now I’ll share them with you!

Some businesses are actually designing products to be re-purposed which is very exciting. One in particular really gets your garden growing.

I received a really beautiful card in the mail from a friend (Thanks Linda) with a thank you message inside, along with a note to “plant the card”. I was very quizzical about why I would put the card in the ground. I noticed the card had a fancy texture and a speckled chic background…but why bury it? Well the card maker had designed the card with wild flower seeds embedded into it so that after you receive the beautiful card its beauty continues through the growth of wild flowers wherever you decide to put them. I was absolutely thrilled by such a great idea. Now instead either discarding the card or just putting in a shoebox in a closet to be forgotten now instead its built-in re-purposing provides ongoing appreciation of such a lovely deed. Cheers to that!

Upon conducting research I’ve found several suppliers offer these great cards and papers. I’ve placed an order from one that has great looking holiday-themed cards (see tree card, left). I’ll plant one and let you know the results in 2012.

Don’t forget to check out my travel keepsake re-purpose project here.

What re-purposing ideas have you tried or thought of?