Olioboard Inspiration: Your Recycled & Repurposed Spring Home

Entry #2314, April 19, 2013

Today we continue Stagetecture’s feature. ‘Olioboard Inspiration‘. Last week you enjoyed Connie Parker’ s – ‘Eco-Friendly Ways to a Greener Spring Home’ and this week I bring you Tabitha Loudon  a member of the Facebook Olioboard Fan Room. I asked her to come up with new ways to use current items in your home. Repurposing, recycling, and saving energy and Earth’s resources are vital. Tabitha did an awesome job of making your spring home look beautifully repurposed!

Thinking of different ways to help out the environment, while saving time and money? I have a few solutions to help you get started and it all begins with you!

Repurposing & Reusing

It’s springtime, you are probably trying to start a spring cleaning regime. Going through old things can be tedious, but have you considered reusing, repurposing, or recycling them? For example, old shoes or purses can be used for potted plants. Instead of buying expensive vases, old bottles can be used to display bouquets of flowers. Crates also make great storage devices. Ladders and fences make great shelving pieces, and there are so many endless possibilities for reusing old items. Old wood is something a lot of people take for granted, but have you considered repurposing it to make counter space or perhaps you have needed some shelves to display your favorite pieces of china. Flooring can be expensive, but when you use repurposed wood you are saving a lot of money.

Saving Water & Energy:

Another thing we take for granted is water and energy. Dishwashers take up a lot of space and can take up a lot of water, so consider using two sinks, one for washing and the other for rinsing. Just remember to fill each sink up, and make sure there are no leaky faucets, it will save you a lot of time and water. When you are done washing dishes, the leftover water can be used to water plants. Natural sunlight can fill and brighten up a whole room. So, leave the curtains open and make sure there is nothing blocking your windows keeping sunlight from coming in.

Recycling:

Recycling is a fun way to clear out space. Anything made of glass, metal, plastic, or aluminum can be placed in the recycling bin. Not every plastic is recyclable, so make sure that you check every plastic bottle for the recycle logo.  If you have stacks of magazines on hand, you could always donate them to doctor’s offices, even some bookstores will take them. Most organic material such as eggshells, coffee grinds, make great fertilizers for plants. You see how reusing, repurposing and recycling your items can be fun and worthwhile. Just making sure you are doing your part to help out can be very rewarding in the end.

Tabitha Loudon is mom and an aspiring designer who lives in Baton Rouge, La. She plans to take classes to earn a degree in interior design, but in the meantime she raises her three year old daughter. Her dream is to become a successful designer and work with the rich and famous. Follow Tabitha on Facebook, on Olioboard, and on Twitter.