If your kitchen is way overstocked with things that you just never use, you can find wonderful ways to repurpose them in this list. These are some of the most creative and fun ideas that we’ve found and want to share with you.
1. Vintage Baking Tin Art
You can turn old baking tins or new ones for that matter, into beautiful artwork for your walls. Just take those tins and pin them to your wall. This is a great idea for lighter-weight items and you can even incorporate some newer pieces into the mix. Just create a design and fill your wall with beautiful vintage kitchen items.
2. DIY Bent Fork Easel
You can turn old silver forks into beautiful easels to display your favorite photos and artwork. These are better for smaller frames unless of course, you have a huge metal fork that you want to use. You just have to bend the tines to hold the frame and that’s about it. This would be a beautiful way to display family photos in the dining room and the easels only take a few minutes to create.
3. Bent Spoon Plant Hangers
Spoons can be bent into beautiful hangers for your hanging plants. You can do this with spoons of any size, although I would base the size of the spoon on the size of the plant that you are hanging. You don’t want a heavy plant on an old teaspoon. Those vintage silver serving spoons would be perfect for this and will add such beauty to your porch or garden area. Just bend the spoon and then screw to a solid surface and you’re all done.
4. DIY Rustic Ladle Tealight Holders
Just like you can bend a spoon to hang a plant, you can bend a vintage ladle and turn it into a beautiful tealight candle holder. Or, if you prefer, you can leave the ladle intact and just secure it to a wood plank or other solid surface. These make beautiful sconces when they’re attached to wood and will instantly add that great rustic look to any room.
5. Vintage Mason Jar Lamp
You can turn that old jar into a beautiful light fixture and it doesn’t even take that long. Decorative jars are great for this project so if you have a stash of old jelly jars that are quart-sized, you can use those to make a beautiful light for your kitchen or breakfast nook. There’s not a lot of technical or electrical work required, either.
6. Repurposed Goblet And Plate Cake Stand
An old wine glass, goblet, or anything similar that you have on hand and a vintage plate can be used to make a lovely cake stand. If you have a set of dessert goblets or glasses that have been broken and you want to preserve the last one in style, this is a great project to try. You just have to glue the plate to the bottom of the glass and that’s it. Then use this to display all those wonderful baked goods that you love to create.
7. Serving Tray Turned Chalkboard Message Center
An old serving tray can be turned into a beautiful chalkboard message center with just a little paint and a few minutes of your time. This would be perfect for keeping shopping lists or appointments handy. Just spray the tray – the center of the tray – with chalkboard paint and you can even stencil in a calendar base or things to-do list.
8. DIY Wine Bottle Chandelier
If you have several empty wine bottles sitting in the kitchen just waiting on the perfect DIY project. Well, here it is – you can turn those old wine bottles into a beautiful chandelier for the kitchen, dining room, or even the porch. You’ll have to cut the bottles so this is one of those projects where you’ll need to be very careful. When it’s finished, this chandelier is absolutely breathtaking and will add elegance to any room where you hang it.
9. Upcycled Cheese Grater Pencil Holder
If you have a rusty old cheese grater that you just can’t use anymore – don’t throw it out. Turn it into this neat little pencil holder instead. There isn’t even a lot of work required for this project and you get an adorably vintage pencil holder that you can attach to the wall so you always have it where you need it. This would be perfect for craft rooms or kids’ rooms, to keep their pencils on hand.
10. Repurposed Cheese Grater Earring Holder
Here’s another great idea to put that old cheese grater to great use. Turn it into a beautiful earring holder! This is a great way to keep those earrings that you wear regularly right there where you need them. Plus, it has a wonderful vintage feel to it, don’t you think? You can have this ready to hang your favorite earrings in about five minutes and the earrings fit perfectly into the holes of the grater.
11. Vintage Cooking Utensil Recipe Card Holders
Those old potato mashers and whisks can easily be turned into recipe cardholders when you add a clothespin. You just glue a clothespin onto the handle and then just clip in your recipe card to hold it securely in place.
12. DIY Cup And Saucer Lights
If you have a few pieces of china that are maybe mismatched or you just don’t use them and hate to see them sitting in the china cabinet unused, you can turn them into these gorgeous lights. How great would these be in the kitchen or dining room? There’s a little work involved, and you’ll need to use a few power tools, but this DIY teacup light idea is definitely worth the extra work.
13. Rustic Enamel Mug Organizer
Those old enamel mugs – if you’re lucky enough to have a few on hand – can be turned into an adorable organizer that fits in perfectly with a farmhouse theme. Just drill a hole in each mug and use the hole to affix the mug to a plank or old board. Then, you can use the mugs themselves to organize and store any number of things from soap in the bathroom to craft supplies or even table linens.
14. Repurposed Metal Funnel Candle Holders
If you have an old metal funnel, you can turn that funnel into a great candle holder that has a wonderful vintage farmhouse look to it. You just turn the funnel upside down and put a taper candle in the opening. How easy is that? You could go all out if you wanted and add some twine or burlap to really give it a great farmhouse look.
15. DIY Cutting Board Tablet Holder
You can turn an old wooden cutting board into an adorable holder for your tablet or iPad. If you tend to look up recipes on your tablet – like I do – you know how desperately you need a holder to keep the tablet upright while you cook. Take that old cutting board and turn it into a great holder for that tablet by just adding two tiny little boards. This would also be great to hold smaller recipe books.
16. Repurposed Mason Jar Tissue Holder
An empty mason jar – or any jar you have on hand, really – can be turned into an adorable tissue holder. I love the painted and distressed look on mason jars and this one is perfect for holding tissues on your desk or dresser. Just decorate the jar however you want and then cut a piece of scrapbook paper to fit the lid ring. Cut a slit in the paper and add your tissues and you’re all done.
17. Upcycled Muffin Tin Drawer Organizer
This is such an easy project that really doesn’t take any work. You just add the muffin tin to your drawer and then get that drawer organized. The individual compartments are perfect for storing all sorts of things. This is a great idea for kitchens, bathrooms, or dresser drawers to keep smaller items from getting lost. Or use it in a desk drawer for paper clips and other office supplies.
18. DIY Spoon Necklaces
You can recreate old spoon jewelry pretty easily. Just bend the bottom of your spoon around and you’re all done. Or, you could create this beautiful spoon pendant that you make from the top of the spoon – the actual spoon part. This is a relatively easy project as well and gives you so much room for customization.
19. Upcycled Garden Decorative Plates
If you have broken or otherwise unused plates, you can turn them into beautiful garden decorations. Use an old matching set to create a mini fence around your favorite flowers or just randomly put the plates between your plants. This is a wonderful way to use those broken or unused dishes and to give your garden a little bit of excitement as well.
20. Repurposed Pots And Pans Fairy Garden Décor
You can also use your old rusty pots and pans to dress up your garden. If those cooking and baking dishes just aren’t cutting it in the kitchen any longer, turn them into beautiful garden décor – and you just have to set them in the garden. There’s no real work required here. You can use them to plant succulents and other small plants and then just add your fairy decorations and you have a beautiful kitchen fairy garden.
21. Upcycled Silverware Starburst Mirror
This starburst mirror is fabulous and it’s made from your old silverware. Aside from the silverware, you just need a plate and a small mirrored tray – or a small tray and you could paint it with mirrored paint to give it a mirror look. I love the idea of keeping family heirloom silver even if you aren’t using it any longer to set the table and this would be the perfect way to keep and display it.
22. DIY Silverware Fruit Bowl
Another great way to use up that silverware is to create a beautiful fruit bowl from it. You’ll want to make sure that you glue the tines of your forks down so that they don’t poke someone. Overall, this doesn’t look like a terribly difficult project and you end up with a beautiful fruit bowl that is sure to spark some conversation from friends and family.
23. Repurposed Silverware Key Hooks
You can also turn silverware into these wonderful hooks for holding keys and all sorts of other things. You’ll need a block of wood for each hook that you want to create and then as many spoons and forks as you want to use. Just bend the silverware up a bit and then use Gorilla glue to hold them into place. These are perfect for keeping your keys where you can always find them or they would also make nice jacket hooks.
24. DIY Repurposed Silverware Chandelier
These silverware chandeliers sell for hundreds of dollars each. The great thing about this is you can get as creative as you want. Make it simple or add jewels and other embellishments to make it really elegant. The basic project is pretty easy – you’ll decide how elaborate it gets.
25. Vintage Spoon Garden Markers
Turn those old vintage spoons into great markers for the garden. These would be perfect for your herb garden or you can use them in your larger vegetable garden if you prefer. I love the idea of drawing out the herb or flower in question and then using adhesive to stick it to the spoon but you could do this in any number of different ways. However you mark them, these spoons are going to be a beautiful addition to your garden.
26. Farmhouse Style Rolling Pin Rack
Old rolling pins were cut in half to create this really unique and very farmhouse-looking rack. You could use this to hang up your aprons or even as a coat rack inside the kitchen – if your back door is in the kitchen.
27. Repurposed Colander Light
Turn an old metal colander into a wonderful light for the kitchen. This would be a great way to get a little additional lighting on counter space or you could use it to hang above your kitchen table. It’s a relatively easy project, too. You just have to drill a hole in the bottom of the colander and then add a lighting fixture kit. This is a wonderful way to add some vintage farmhouse charm to the kitchen.
28. Easy DIY Succulent Teacups
Turn those mismatched or otherwise unusable teacups into beautiful succulent planters. These make wonderful Mother’s Day gifts or gifts for any special occasion. You could also just make them for yourself and display them in the kitchen or in the garden. You just plant small succulents in your teacups and that’s it.
29. Upcycled Pot Lid Clock
Turn an old lid to your cooking pot into a beautiful kitchen clock. If you’re looking for the perfect clock for your kitchen, this is it. What could be more perfect than an actual cooking lid? You just have to clean it up and add a clock kit, which you can find at any hobby or craft store. Or, just take the clock mechanism out of an old clock that you’re not using any longer and this entire project could be free.
30. Cutting Board Silverware Bag
Small cutting boards can be upcycled to make these amazing cutlery bags that you can use for cooking out or indoor get-togethers. You can even use old tea towels to hold the cutlery in place. This is a really cute project and it gives you the perfect cutlery bags to hold your silverware for any occasion. There’s no sewing required and overall, this one won’t take long at all.
31. Upcycled Tea Kettle Planters
If you have a few old kettles that you aren’t using, you can instantly turn them into planters. Just sit them in the garden and then add your favorite plants or succulents. There’s not even any work to this one.
32. Repurposed Teacup Bird Feeder
Those old teacups would make wonderful feeders for your feathered friends. There are a couple of ways that you can turn your old teacups into bird feeders. The most popular way is to glue the cup to the saucer and then add the food to the saucer. You can hang it up by the cup handle. You could also use the saucer as a roof to keep the birds dry and in the shade and add the bird food to the cup – this one is a bit more complicated but the birds will love it.
33. Upcycled Whisk Tealight Holders
Whisks are great in the kitchen for so many things, and they can be used outside the kitchen as well. Who would have ever thought that those lovely silver whisks could be used to hold tealight candles? It’s so easy. Just hang hooks if you don’t already have them, from the ceiling and then hook the whisk handle on. The tealight fits perfectly inside the whisk area.
