Seven Ways to Repurpose a Teacup
By Christa TerryRepurposed teacups? Yes, please! This is a fun bit of DIY that anyone with unused pretty teacups or a thrift store nearby can do without much trouble. The things one can make from a teacup range in difficulty from easy projects (think tiny planters for succulents) to involved projects involving wiring and cutting, so no worries if you’re not all that crafty. Here are seven ways you can repurpose your teacups and prettify your environment at the same time.
I wrote about Domestic Construction’s teacup chandeliers way back in the day, but at $60 for one DIY is the order of the day (at least in my household). DIY it with some thrift store teacups, some Ikea pendant kits, and something to hang ’em from.
What else can you make with a simple teacup? How about an itty-bitty bird feeder or a wee candle? The candle is easy – just melt the wax, pour it, and dip in the wick. As for the bird feeder, all you need is the tea cup, a stick of some sort that you can stake into the ground, and some waterproof heavy duty glue.
And when the birdies who’ve eaten all your seeds need a drink, you can use a second teacup to create a very sweet bird bath. This one was created by Oh The Pollybilities and can be bought along with others at Etsy, but if you have the right sort of drill and the right sort of teacup, consider making your own!
Then you have your three-tiered antique jewelry stand (created in this case by Who Made It, and there’s more) and a surprisingly lovely teacup clock created by Sweet Paul. I love them both!
And there’s this, too. It’s a teacup light sconce for an outdoor space – perhaps a shabby chic garden room or porch? Not sure what the light source would be… tea lights? Pillars? I’d love to see more of the yard that this teacup sconce illuminates, but you could put yours together any which way and still come away with something gorgeous.
September 6th, 2010 at 5:12 am
My grandmother is 91 and passing on her belongings to her family slowly over time. Yesterday I happily received a box of vintage tea cups with saucers and we went through it last night. I’m not a tea drinker, though, so I am so psyched to give these ideas a try. It’s a way to hold onto my grandmother when she passes without having to take up tea (yck).
September 10th, 2010 at 12:12 pm
@Shiloh That’s awesome! My grandparents are doing a similar thing, but mostly because they use The Beard and I as a sort of nevermore consignment shop where they know where everything is, but it’s not in their house. They get visitation rights to everything they give us!