What is repurposing?

Repurposing — you hear it all the time. But what does it really mean?

It means that something with little purpose has been creatively changed into something of use or value.

OK, have we confused you even more? Let us give you some examples!

Here's a headboard turned into a coat rack (left), and a coffee tin turned into a robot and coffee pot parts into a stork (right):

Take a look at this old metal headboard that has been turned into a garden bench (left), and this basket turned into a lamp (right):

All of this repurposing is one way to "go green." Instead of buying something brand new, you paint, take apart and reassemble or just hang upside down and electrify something. By doing this, you're bringing life to what could have been something ready for the trash.

If you have repurposed something and kept it out of the landfill, giving it new life and a new purpose, we would love to hear from you! Send photos — everyone is always looking for creative ideas — qohantiques@yahoo.com