Archives for January 2013

10 Cool DIY Projects Using Old Tires

On: Tuesday, January 15, 2013

The other day I was in my garage and I realized something: we have way too many tires. Living where we do, we end up driving into the mountains a great deal, or further south and into the dessert. Both types of terrain can be rough on rubber, and we go through a full set of tires once a year. For a long time we just threw the old ones out, but now we have been patching and reusing them instead of purchasing new ones.

Obviously, this is better than tossing them both environmentally and economically. But we still have more than we need, and I had no idea what to do with them. Sell them? Give them away? That is when my Pinterest instinct kicked in and I knew I had to see if I could find some good upcycling projects for them.

These are the ten coolest I found.

1. Tire Swing

Tire Swing

Turn an Old Crib into a Craft Shelf, Art Table, Wall Decor + 7 More DIY Ideas

On: Friday, January 4, 2013

There are a lot of cribs out there these days that act as a full sleep system. They go from a crib to a toddler bed, and sometimes even to a base for a full twin later on. But not all of them do this, or live long enough to make it into all three incarnations.

I know both of my kids brother their cribs long before they could become even a toddler bed. Which should tell you something about my children.

For those leftover pieces, you might not know what to do with them. If the crib is intact you can always try and sell it, or maybe offer it in freecycle. But most are leery about taking a used crib, especially with all the recalls to hit the baby industry in recent years. You may not have as much success as you hope for.

Instead, why not get creative? Pinterest, home of all things DIY, has a ton of awesome ideas for upcycling cribs. Stylish, interesting and functional additions to your home are just a project away.

1. Wall Decor

Wall Decor
You could do a lot with this idea, because it is entirely based around your personal tastes for decor and art. I like the concept of converting the grip springs into a canvas board, because it is light weight and yet would easily hold different items. You could probably come up with some other ways based on this principle.