Recently while cleaning out my bedroom, I came upon these butterfly shoes I bought 10 years ago.

They are at the end of their lives–the soles are worn down and straps are broken. But I still like the dragonfly decoration, so I decided to reuse them by putting them on a barrette.

I had some barrette hair clips in my beading supplies that looked like this:

I also happened to have a black tee-shirt cut up because I am making a rag rug. To make the barrette, I first glued the tee-shirt on the barrette with a hot glue gun. Then I cut the dragonfly off the shoe, cleaned it, and then glued it on top of the barrette. Voila.

It just goes to show that the things we buy can have very long lives if you take the time to think of other ways to use them.

Here’s another great DIY Christmas gift idea: turn an old or ugly serving tray into a hip one by spraying it with chalkboard spray.

This will work on a frame or a porcelain platter or a silver platter or any number of other flat surfaces.

To make the serving tray, tape off the part of the platter you don’t want to be chalkboard and paint the rest with appropriate chalkboard paint. Read the manufacturer directions to make sure a. that the paint can work on the surface you’re painting (wood, porcelain, metal, etc.) and b. whether it is safe to put food on it.

Following yesterday’s post on making your own pumpkin candles, here’s a post on removing wax from candles in glass containers. That way, you can reuse the containers and reuse the wax in other candles. All it takes is a knife and some hot water.

[New England Quilter]

I’m considering making a rag rug. The idea is that you use strips of fabric to make a rug. I’ve never made one before, but it seems like a cool project and a great way to re-use old (read: baby) clothes.

There are all kinds of ways to make a rag rug. They can be made with a loom, a sewing machine, braided, crocheted, knotted, and so on. After some research, I’ve narrowed it down to a few techniques:

1. Braided.

[Home Things Past]

There are two types of braided rugs. In one, fabric strips are braided together until it forms a rug, usually a large oval or circle. Here is a tutorial.

Alternately, you can braid the fabric in one long rope and then sew it together as a rug, like so:

This last method is a lot of work, but it also gives you leeway for manipulating the rug to look the way you want.

2. Crochet.

[Debs Crochet]

You use a crochet hook to crochet the rug. This video shows how:

I’m not very good at crocheting, but this method seems to yield consistently attractive rugs.

3. Knitted.

[Mandy Gerth]

This technique uses knitting needles. It seems to work well for square or rectangular rugs. Here’s more on knitted rag rugs.

4. Loomed.

[Old and Interesting]

As you might expect, you use a loom to make the rug. Most commercial rag rugs are made with looms. But as I don’t have a loom, I’m probably not going to go this route.

5. Woven.

The fabric is criss-crossed the same way thread is woven to make fabric. Usually these rugs are rectangular or square and have tassels at the end. Here’s a tutorial.

6. Knotted.

I’m not sure what else to call this technique, but instead of long strips of cloth, the cloth is cut into 1 X 5 inch rectangles and knotted onto a non-skid rug mat, like so:

According to this site, “for a thicker rug, knot along every line or knot along every other line for a thinner mat.” (Reminds me of these t-shirt rugs.)

Frankly, this one looks the easiest.

Have you ever made a rag rug? Tell me about it.

Coach is making wallets out of vintage baseball gloves. Each wallet is made out of about 1.5 gloves.

They are insanely expensive–$350–but they are pretty nice looking. And if you know how to sew leather, this is a great way to recycle an old baseball glove. (Or sell it to Coach; I’m sure they’re buying.)

First, what is a chicken tractor? This is a chicken coop with no floor that allows you move it around the yard. That way, the chickens can safely scratch and forage for food in exchange for free fertilizer.

Anyway, Craft Foxes turned an old thrift store couch into a chicken tractor and it looks pretty good. The best part? If you get the couch and some of the other supplies for free (and why would you do it this way if you couldn’t get the couch for free?) the whole thing costs only $24 to make.

In keeping with the theme of what to do with a vintage TV console, check out this idea from Rebekka and Manley Seale’s house tour on Design Sponge. They converted a TV console into a modern one by installing a flat-screen TV into it. From the site:

It’s probably sort of sad to say that the most precious piece you own is your television set, but it’s true for us! This TV console belonged to my grandparents in south Alabama. It has a record player and radio, both of which still work. My mother grew up with it, and so did I. Many long summer afternoons were spent around this console listening to records, dressing up in costume, dancing, and watching movies. When my grandparents passed away, I was lucky enough to inherit it, and we decided to restore it by taking out the old tube TV and replacing it with a flat-screen. It works beautifully! The framed records are from my grandparents’ collection, which I was also lucky enough to inherit!

This is a great example of turning defunct technology into something that can be still used today. Great idea.

Unconsumption is teaching me that old TVs have a lot of potential. First there’s turning an old TV into a dog bed and now there’s turning an old TV into a bar. In the right room, this could look very hip.

I can’t believe I never thought of this incredibly simple idea before–turn a plastic jug into a watering can simply by piercing holes in the lid. That way you can turn that old milk or juice jug into a waterer for your garden. Great idea!

Learn how to do it on A Journey To A Dream.

Ashley from Make It and Love It needed a solution to her cell phone charging situation. Since she had to plug it in at night, she left the cell phone on the floor, which meant “those phone cords seem to be everywhere.”

Since she couldn’t buy the right holder, she made her own out of a lotion bottle. All it took was cutting the right shape out of the bottle and covering it with fabric.

I love when people use material they would otherwise throw away to solve their problems.