Little Big

As often happens while thrifting, we come across an item that we love and instead of putting it to its regular use we find a new, inventive use for this item. Sometimes we change it not at all, just a little, or completely, and I feature those items here in a segment called Reuse Roundup.

Isobel loves headbands but she still has a problem using them as intended, ie, on her head, as opposed to wearing them around her waist. I always caution her not to do that because they will break, but sometimes she needs to learn these lessons for herself. In this case, she needs to learn it several dozen times.

And so she broke this adorable red sequined headband just moments after leaving our friend’s garage sale. It was so cute, though, that I promised her we’d try to use the red heart for something else.

This glittery red Christmas tree-themed hair clip came to us by way of an estate sale. It’s something I’d have never purchased on its own but it was in a sealed zippy bag with several glass ornaments. It turned out to be the ideal sort of clip for our fine, straight hair, so I popped the tree ornament off with a butter knife and plugged in the glue gun.

I was hoping to be able to loosen the glue that attached the two sides of the felt hearts together so I could slip them between the hair clip, but they were fastened too securely. I ended up making slits in the fabric and wiggling the plastic head band out and trimmed up the silky edges neatly with sharp scissors.

A layer of hot glue later and several impatient minutes of waiting for the glue to set, and it was ready for wearing. I’m really happy with how well it stays in her hair, especially because it has a bit of weight to it. We talked about saving it for Valentine’s day, but someone couldn’t wait.

I have been collecting thrifted picture frames ever since I started using them to decorate my house. Some of them I spray painted, some of them I refurbished, and some of them languished under my bed, serving no real purpose other than the corralling of the dust bunnies that lived between the old pairs of shoes and spools of Christmas paper.

I’ve been looking for a way to properly honor Isobel’s artwork, and I’m constantly in search of new magnets. When I came upon these frames while cleaning I knew I had the solution: magnet frames for the fridge.

All you’ll need for this project are some old frames, a hot glue gun, and some magnets, preferably some of the strong rare-earth magnets.* I used one magnet on the smaller frames, two on the medium and large frames, and four on this gilded golden baby because it was made of solid wood.

I don’t recommend using metal frames, though with enough magnets I’m sure they’d stay put. Light wood and plastic are the best. The silver frame pictured was initially a horrible blue and green and orange monstrosity, but a little platinum spray paint fixed that problem.

(This is me and my cousin Liz. I wonder where Isobel gets her love of pink?)

Be sure to remove the cardboard or wooden backing and glass. You won’t need them for this project, and they’ll just get in the way or be damaged. One your glue dries and your frames are ready to go you can use them as a rotating photo gallery (so quick and easy to change, perfect if you have a fear of commitment!) or art prints or children’s artwork.

Some of the frames I used were not completely flat as they’d warped and gone a bit wonky with they way they were stored in the thrift store. An extra magnet on the side that stood out was enough to make it lay flush against the fridge.

The nice thing about using the glue gun is that if I wanted to use the frames in the usual way, I just have to pry off the glue and I have magnets ready for a new project and the frames all ready to go.

At least around here it seems like we always have an abundance of frames and they are very cheap. I didn’t pay more than $1.99 for the large gold frame, and in fact you can still see the sticker in the photo if you look carefully. Especially if you are at a yard or garage sale, people are willing to get rid of frames very cheaply and are willing to bargain if you grab a bunch, so you feasibly could get all your frames at one place for a low cost. I’ve been collecting these frames for years. Just not intentionally.

Isobel is extremely proud to have her artwork displayed in such lovely frames.

 *This link will take you to my Amazon affiliate store.  I receive a small percentage of the items sold there. It’s my goal to keep Isobel in preschool without resorting to writing sponsored posts for unsavory characters.

Reuse Roundup is a segment which features a new and inventive use for thrifted or secondhand goods aside from the ordinary one you’re used to thinking of. If you would like to participate in Reuse Roundup on your blog, please link back to this or any other Reuse Roundup post. Post whenever you like, not just on the days that I do.