4 Up-Cycling Ideas to Get You Through Lockdown

I, like I'm sure many of us, have been looking for things to do to fill my time at home during lockdown. A lot of people seem to be taking the time to revamp their homes or getting creative by making clothes. And what better way to update your home/wardrobe than by re-purposing an existing product. So here are 4 ideas of things to upcycle while you have the time:

1 - Old Candles

Pretty much every household has at least 5 candles that have reached the last few inches of their lives. Well.. why not use the remaining jars as make-up brush storage or to keep stationery items like paperclips and drawing pins. Some candle jars are really beautiful, so why not make them into a dressing table decoration.

The easiest way to do this is by pouring hot water into the candle to melt the remaining wax. The wax will melt and float to the top. Just pour it out and you will be left with a wax-free jar!

2 - Broken China

I've always been a fan of a mosaic floor. But instead of paying £££ for it, why not create your own. You can create pretty garden stepping stones from pouring concrete into a mould, and placing broken china to create a mosaic pattern on top. Wait to dry, a voila, you have a mosaic style garden stepping stone. I'm of course not suggesting you purposely smash your best dinner set, but if you happen to *accidentally* drop those hideous plates that have been in your cupboards for 15 years, then they would be the perfect thing to use.

3 - Old Clothes

I'm sure we all have clothes in our wardrobes that we haven't worn for at least 3 years, so why not create a new hair accessory from them? Scrunchies or hair bows are super easy to make, or maybe you could make a headband if you're feeling a bit more creative.

For a scrunchie, all you need to do is cut a strip of fabric, sew round the edges (leaving a small gap) and turn inside out. Cut a length of elastic, thread it through the fabric, and tie it. Finally, sew (or glue) the remaining hole in the scrunchie.

Here at Nine Designs, the majority of our headbands are made from beautiful fabrics from old clothes or scraps from other sewing projects. They can be found here

4 - Cereal Boxes

Everyone is going crazy for baskets and storage boxes at the moment, but instead of spending extra money on them, they can be made out of old cereal boxes.

Just cut the cereal box to your desired size and cover it in some cute wrapping paper. It's as easy as that.

I hope you are now feeling inspired. Leave a comment down below if you have any ideas, or have recently up-cycled anything!

Ruth and Nine Designs :)