"Self-sufficiency does not mean 'going back' to the acceptance of a lower standard of living. On the contrary, it is the striving for a higher standard of living, for food that is organically grown and good, for the good life in pleasant surroundings... and for the satisfaction that comes from doing difficult and intricate jobs well and successfully." John Seymour ~ Self Sufficiency 2003

Saturday 10 December 2011

How about these as recycled items!

I found a brilliant site which has a whole bunch of photo's with ideas for recycling - anything.


These are some of the things I like :)


Using pennies / cents for wall / floor decoration...


I have loads of 1c and 2c coins which are no longer in circulation.  Reckon I've finally found a use for them...! 


Using wooden pallets...

 ... old corks...
 ... jars as herb planters in a kitchen...
I worry about the drainage in this one though.
Reckon it would probably be better for holding
things (such as pens / pencils, or kitchen
utensils, such as wooden spoons, whisks, etc)

off the working surface of your kitchen
counter
 ... loofahs as light shades...
 ... more wooden pallets...
I think this looks stunning - a table with
loads of character :)  If you slide a piece

of glass on the supports below, you
have a storage shelf which is removable if,
and when, it gets dusty :)
A nice idea using wooden pallets to cover
a wall on the hotter side of your house

If you attached some chicken wire
to this and applied a cob mixture (clay, straw,

lime and water) layer, you'd have a pretty
nifty, warm and insulated extra room
or even a chicken coop :)
 ... plumbing pipes as a door handle on a large door...
 ... PET bottles and plastic tubs as self-watering mini greenhouses...
 ... bricks as a planter wall...
(not too sure how the sand would remain
inside the suspended bricks?)
... an old door as a wall hanging photo frame...
 ... bottles for bookshelves...
 ... an old rake as a glass holder...
 ... and a drum from a washing machine as a hanging light shade...
Guess this ceiling mounting must be quite substantial :)
Be warned - there are 186 pages of pics with roughly 8 photo's / page) on http://www.recyclart.org/ - give yourself some time :)


Lastly, I found the following three images on other sites (can't remember which ones though) - and love the concepts :)


Using guttering to grow lettuce, flowers, whatever...
These could be watered using porous pipe LOL
 ... and, for those who still have them in their homes, recycling energy guzzling light bulbs into a CFL powered side light...
But, I love this one most of all - in fact, I use the concept in our (town) house to "hide" important things from intruders.
A book in a bookshelf can be more than a book if you hollow out the inside and use that space to store something precious.
Not many intruders take the time to remove the books from a bookshelf - they are more interested in the "quick, grab and escape" items.  And, obviously, you wouldn't keep your most precious items there - those you would leave in a more secure hiding place :)  Or would you...?


Being held up by an individual armed with a knife or gun, who says: "Where is your safe - open it" - reckon you're going to do as he says.


But, is he going to ask you which book isn't a book...?


I love all those clever people out there who make me think laterally :)

17 comments:

  1. Some really really great ideas. Love the gutters used as planters.....people are so clever!

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  2. Sue - People are - I'm envious of their thought patterns LOL

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  3. I think I like the bottle book shelf the best.

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  4. We have been thinking of building a wood shed with pallets for a while. It just seems there are to many good ideas and too little time:)

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  5. Mr H - Good choice. But I reckon that it can only be two shelves high...?

    Jane - I agree - far too many good ideas, and far too little time! :)

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  6. I'm going to start asking for wine corks! Love that idea .. and the mini PET green houses. A friend of mine built a workshop from discarded wine bottles (blue, green, brown) .. very beautiful light inside :)

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  7. The concrete block planter is on Pam @ Digging. She has the how she did it, and loves the result.

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  8. great ideas! love the rake!!
    We have a bully pen for extra roosters made from pallets, to make it even cheaper we used electrical conduit to make greenhouse hoops for the roof and added a tarp,it works great for a spring through fall pen.

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  9. Wow, wow, wow! I love these ideas. Mind blowing and exciting. I always try and think of ways to repurpose things but I've never come up with ideas like these. Thank you. I will be visiting that site when I get the chance!

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  10. Diana - Thanks for the link :) Very clever, using a nail to secure the fabric cloth in the chicken wire.

    Farmer - You obviously have the lateral thought that I lack LOL

    Linda - No - me neither - dull, stodgy brain that's in my skull - I need help - thank goodness for the Web :)

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  11. Mrs Mac - A local restaurant / pub could probably supply you with loads LOL

    Also love the idea of building using bottles - nothing stronger than a circle (arch). Although I would make sure that the bottles were corked - keep unwanted pests / build up of wind blown sand out ;)

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  12. I love those ideas - quite a few of them are saved in my virtual scrap book already :)

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  13. Astra - A virtual scrapbook sounds brilliant :) No paper wasted!

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  14. shoot, I just lost my comment. I like all the things you have shared. they are very clever. I had a guy friend who hollowed out a romance novel to he could put a nice necklace in there as a gift for his girlfriends. downright clever he was.

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  15. Emily - Now that is romantic :)

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  16. Dani - That site is amazing! Mind if I share the link in a blog entry myself? I'll credit you for finding it! :-)

    In the meantime, I'm loving the rake with the wine glasses, and the wine cork plant labels. Totally awesome! I can't wait to peruse the site tonight.

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  17. 1st Man - Sure, no problem.

    Hope you enjoyed your visit to recycleart.org? :)

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Thank you for taking the time to comment - it makes my day and removes the "loneliness' of sitting at my screen blogging supposedly to myself ;) I try and reply as quickly as possible so please forgive me if sometimes my response is delayed.