Inspiration: Re-imagining Holiday Giving by Making Old Things New Again

by Camille
 
Every time during this time of year, I am inspired by how creative people are. Sometimes, in the hubbub of our busy lives, we are just waiting for an excuse to make things and be creative with our hands, and the holiday season seems to make that possible. Since we are at a time when saving and reusing is very important, I though I would share some inspiration from artists/crafters that really take the art of 're-imagining' to a new level. Something old can really be something new again in the eyes of a designer who sees beyond a piece's functionality and makes it part of something that crosses the line of what it was originally designed for. The best seem to find ways to make something 'useless' into something timeless. I wanted to share some designs that I found especially inspiring for the holiday season; the pieces I found I feel are aesthetically pleasing, charming, and in some cases, really functional as well.

I admit, terrarium fever is running rampant, and I wasn't spared the sickness. I love love love how the possibilities are endless with terrariums. This is a cool little terrarium design by a local SF blogger, Ann of The Hipster Home: the terrarrium in a lightbulb. Here an old lightbulb houses a little bit of life and light again. Terrariums are great gifts because they are all kinds of pretty, they are living but don't require a lot of work to keep them alive, and they make great gifts and centerpieces for the holidays. Also, with a bit of ribbon or string they would make great holiday ornaments, too!

The folks over at Wiley Valentine have come up with some classic terrarium inspirations, creating worlds within a world with recycled mason jars and old vases...



...while Shopground takes a more modern approach with its simple and sleek orbs!






Repurposing with old furniture is also another way to come up with creative, new, and functional pieces for your home, especially with holiday decor. I find that old drawers are great for creating 3-dimensional display spaces on walls, and depending on the occasion, can house whatever you like. Eversunny over on Etsy has created this simple drawer wall decor, which I think has endless possibilities.




And in the theme of letterpress, old type cases seem to be inspiring crafters as well. This type case drawer over at Blue Bird Heaven is shown here as a way to display your jewelry. But it could be used for special events as well: Perhaps a countdown to Christmas, with little tags showing the number of days until the big day? Or, a great way to display seating numbers for guests at a wedding reception? Or maybe a beautiful way to store spices and herbs in your kitchen? Or..0r..or....




In the end, letting your creativity manifest through old, repurposed things can bring about a wealth of new light and life into your home this holiday season. What better way is there to start the new year?


-Camille