10 Cute Tips for Upcycled Kitchen Decor

Upcycling is a really big hobby for many people these days. Part of that is due to the years of living under a difficult economy during the financial crisis. But for others, it is just a fun interest they have always enjoyed and continue to do so. There are certainly a lot of blogs and social media posts dedicated to the practice, and thanks to Macklemore, second hand shops are more popular than ever. At least some of what is bought there is sure to end up as part of a project.

To get tips on how to upcycle, such as projects involving kitchen d?cor, sometimes it is best just to look at what people have already made. Here are ten tips from upcycled items around the web, all having to do with kitchens.

1. Kitchen Utensil Chimes

4 Ways To Create A Kitchen Garden Using Upcycled Materials

 

Whether you live in an apartment and have no yard space or are just enchanted with the idea of growing a bit of food in your own kitchen or on your porch, creating a kitchen garden can be fun and rewarding. There are, of course, a host of kitchen garden pots, planters and other tools available for purchase, but why not create your kitchen garden using upcycled materials? What better way is there to be kind to the environment while enjoying home-grown food straight from your own kitchen?

What to Grow 

A number of plants are suitable for a kitchen garden, but it is important to take into account root depth, sunlight requirements and more. Below are a few suggestions of plants worthy of consideration for your kitchen garden.

• Strawberries: Nothing quite beats the romance of picking plump, red berries off your own personal plants. Because they are shallow-rooted plants, they adapt well to container growing.
• Lettuce: Incredibly easy to grow, lettuce is a top candidate for kitchen gardens, especially if you choose a cut-and-come-again lettuce blend. There are some fantastic seed blends with a wide range of leaf textures and colors and tastes that vary from bland to spicy.
• Herbs: The best chefs use fresh herbs. Join their ranks by planting your own food seasonings such as chives, basil, rosemary, parsley and thyme.
• Tomatoes: Be cautious when selecting tomato plants. If you have limited space, you will want to look for patio container varieties. These will stay a bit more contained than some of the bigger garden varieties. You can also grow tomato plants specifically for indoor growing, as they don't require bees to pollinate them. Although the pollen naturally drops from one flower to another, some growers suggest gently shaking your tomato plant to encourage pollination.
• Radishes: Their compact size and bursts of color make it a no brainer – it must be included in the kitchen garden!
• Dwarf Carrots: While your average carrot is too long for many containers, the more compact, ball-type carrots work well.

These are some of the easiest to grow and most popular plants for a kitchen garden. Of course, you can grow many other things, but keep in mind that plants such as watermelon and squash need a lot of space! Once you have decided what to grow, it is time to get down to the business of finding containers in which to plant.

Christmas DIY Ideas: 5 Ways to Decorate Using Candles and Glass Jars

I have so many glass jars! Seriously, I have an entire cupboard full of them, most of them from old food items like pasta sauce, salsa and olives. I don't know what to do with them and I never have. While I recycle, my local place doesn't take glassware and I would have to go clear into another county to get rid of them. Which isn't exactly eco friendly when you consider the driving involved to get three hours out of town to the nearly recycling facility that takes glass.

As a result, I tend to take a fair number of them to reuse as water glasses. You know, the big ones you put on the bedside table to combat the effects of winter dryness, and all that. A couple of others have been filled and used as vases, though fresh flowers aren't much of an option now that winter has arrived. My kids have even each used one for their 'rewards jar', which they take a prize from at the end of each week as an allowance for doing their chores.

I have run out of ideas on what to do with these multiplying menaces. I learned how to make my own sauce and salsa in order to avoid acquiring anymore. But what to do with the few dozen still crammed into a cupboard in my kitchen...I could use the space!

This past weekend I sat down and started to really search out things to do with them. The holidays are just around the corner, so it seems like a good time to put them to use. I was relieved to find many struggle with this question, and some pretty cool ideas have come out of upcycling needs. As you would expect, a whole lot of these people had gathered on Pinterest. Man, I love that site.

Here are five of my favorites glass jar upcycling ideas for Christmas (psst: Don't forget to check out our previous glass jar DIY projects: DIY Glass Jar Lanterns and DIY Sun Jars).

1. Table Decorations

A fun mug lamp

If for any reason you don't need your old cup for mug, there is one fun way to recycle them: create a fun lamp (or even a chandelier) using them (I am not sure how difficult it is to make this but definitely looks like fun!)

Readers' Inspiration: Yogurt Container Cookie Cutter

Our very awesome reader D'angelo has another DIY gadget to pimp your creativity: a heart-shaped cookie-cutter made of a used yogurt container. This can be an awesome gift for your beloved on for Valentine's Day: first, it is hand-made (and so much valuable and appreciated) and secondly, this is practical: "I give you the cutter, you make me the cookie" :)

Recycled Magazine Paper Hotpad

Kitchen gadgets are plenty but we'll never have enough of them, right? This one is both useful and easy to create: magazine paper hotpad.

I am not how long this one last but you can create a few:

Credit Card Magnets

Do you feel sorry when you have to throw away your expired credit cards? They look so cool and besides there's some warm feeling towards them (they've been making you happy for a year or two! And possibly they helped you with your free credit report).

Here's a cool way to re-use your old credit cards: make fridge magnets and stare at them every time you enter your kitchen!

Via

Magazine Bowl

Ok, today's project seems to take some serious effort. And it looks like it doesn't have too many uses but it is still fun!

Imagine how much you and your kids may enjoy the process of folding and then arranging and gluing magazine pages.

Vinyl Records Bowl

We've already shared a stylish vinyl record "disappearing" wall clock - like that one, today's gadget also involves deforming of the vinyl record ... but gosh it looks cool!

If you have enough talent, you can also color it and create some killer pattern like this one:

Create a Wine Rack Using FedEx Tubes

If you often receive FedEx mail, this idea will turn particularly useful. Looks like it's really easy to do! Just collect a few FedEx boxes and compile them into the rack.

DIY Magnetic Knife Rack

There are always plenty of knives and that may be a real headache to organize them all.

Do-it-yourself magnetic knife rack by the Farm Chicks is a good way to organize all your knives for them always to be right in front of your eyes.

Besides, if you are crafty enough, it will look really neat!

Cool Computer Chip Trivet

In case you a geek and have plenty of computer spare parts all over your home, this DIY will be incredibly useful for you:

Create a cool trivet using computer chips! Apart from the old dead chips you will also need:

• A big plain tile as a substrate for your work,
  
• Atube of construction adhesive (either self contained or caulk-gun style),
• A small box of sanded grout in your choice of color

Here's the detailed tutorial