Giving your home a makeover can be expensive, and within a year or two when new trends start taking over the pages of magazines you may want to look for ways to rid your home of old items and add new ones.
“Upcycling is a sustainable and fun way to give you customised items for your home and, not only is it good for the environment, but it is gentle on your pocket as well. Reduce, reuse, and recycle are the 3R’s that every home decorator should be checking off their list,” explains Thokozane Radebe, brand manager for Douwe Egberts. “Suddenly a sugar pot can become a jewellery holder, or an old teacup can become a candle. Douwe Egbert consumers have for many years upcycled their coffee jars into storage containers due to the airtight lid. And now with the launch of the Douwe Egberts deco jars, there is no need to keep them in the pantry.”
Many food items come in glass jars, which are often thrown away. Glass jars are one of the easiest items to upcycle around the house and can give a room that look you are looking for. Simply soak the jars in warm, soapy water to clean them and help remove the label and glue. Pouring hot water directly onto the label gets rid of stubborn bits of glue. From there, imagination and creativity are all that’s needed to turn your jars into personalised décor options:
- Create a collection of vases – different sizes, heights, colours etc – in your home to give it a unique look. If you want to add a design element to the jar, tie hessian ribbon around the vase, or perhaps get your creative juices flowing and stencil a design onto the glass. You can attach the back of the jar to a piece of wood using glue, pretty material etc, and create a wall mounted vase.
- Jars with airtight lids make great food storage options. Douwe Egbert coffee jars are known for their lids which keep coffee fresh, and with the launch of Douwe Egberts new decorative coffee jars, your pantry cupboard, or sweet display will look better than ever.
- The new Douwe Egberts deco jars are too beautiful to keep behind closed doors, so why not use them to decorate your home? Glass jars make beautiful light fixtures, and these decorative ones will bring a bespoke look to your home. When you are done, the jar isn’t.
- If order is important to you, use your glass jars to keep everything in its place, whether it is the stationery on your desk, the items in your laundry or beauty products such as cotton wool and earbuds. Buy pretty stickers to label the jars so that everyone knows where everything goes.
- Create your own greenhouse to grow different types of plants. When trying to save small plants from the harsh winter elements, turn the jar upside down and place it over the plant. This will keep the heat in, and the plant protected. Jars can also be used to grow plants. Simply add the soil into the jar, plant the seed or seedling and watch it grow. This is great for indoor herbs and a pretty addition to your kitchen windowsills.
- A fancy bottle can become a hand wash, hand lotion or hand sanitiser dispenser. Simply pour in the lotion, add a unique dispensing pump to the top of the bottle and you have a customised piece for your bathroom.
A new look doesn’t have to mean buying a new item. Look around the house and see what can be used with a little TLC to give your room a new look.
For more information visit : www.douwe-egberts.co.za/
