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

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

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.

5 Coolest DIY Christmas Gifts

We are now far enough into the Christmas holiday that we are all burnt out from shopping, hungover from parties and sick to death of the music, am I right? It may only be December 7, but it all starts so early these days that I feel as though it is all almost over. Even with weeks to go before the big day is really here. A point that I am constantly reminded of every time I look at the list of presents I still have to make.

I never do big gifts for most of my list. Friend, coworkers, neighbors, my kid's teachers and extended family members are usually on a separate list. One where the main point isn't to give them something so much as it is to show I am thinking of and appreciating them. This is best done (in my opinion) through things I made myself, rather than anything bought from the store.

But what to give? I try to break everyone up into two categories: edible and non-edible. People closer to me go with the former, as it takes more effort for me to make those. The latter are given edible gifts that I can make in bulk and wrap up nicely.

Our previously featured DIY hacks:

• 3 eco-friendly DIY Christmas wreaths 
• CD Christmas Tree
• LED Lights in a Bottle
• Ping-Pong Balls into Diffused Party Lights
• Light Bulb Christmas Tree

This year, myself and my kids will be working together on presents. So I thought I would find some new ideas of DIY Christmas items...here are the five I like most.

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

Why Haven't I Thought about That: DIY Photo and Postcard Organizer

You are most likely to have lots of photos, lots of memories. You like entering your home and being met by those memories. That's what make us feel at home!

However there's never a good way to organize them: Photo frames are boring (you can't often change photos in them) and they don't always fit. Besides, they cannot have too many photos inside...



 But how about this idea: You can use this DIY shelf  to store postcards and photos. You can re-arrange them as often as you want even daily always creating a new mood! How brilliant!

Plus with some paint and creativity you can make this shelf look cute!

Calculator Keys into DIY Fridge Magnets

We all had those huge ugly calculators in the old days. Now we don't need them: we have laptops, tablets and smartphone calculator apps.

But what to do with those almost vintage devices we store in the garage. Here's one cool idea: create fun DIY fridge magnets to help your kid learn math.

Looks awesome!

 

Details via Thrive

Here are more ways to reuse keyboard and calculator keys:

• Old Keyboard to Decorate Your T-Shirt
• Computer Keyboard Necklace
• Keyboard Rings

Plastic Basket into the Ribbons Organizer

Some little hacks require no work at all. It's just the brilliant idea.

Here's one most of DIY craft lovers will appreciate: yet another absolutely awesome idea to organize your DIY stuff at home.

Brilliant!

Via Sustainablog

Wine Bottle + NY Times = Stylish Vase

If you have been inspired by our previous DIY project and created a geeky dictionary lamp, you will find this vase simply awesome.

It looks awesome and will complement any geeky interior perfectly!

 

Via Etsy