{reduce, reuse, recycle, reclaim, repurpose, respect}
We are a department of creatives--writers, graphic and Web designers, multi-media producers, photographers--so it should be no surprise that when the trash and recycle bins started to fill up on our first day of clean-up, those of us who are into reusing and repurposing went diving!
From the trash bin I pulled four of those old wooden file organizers. They're well-used and certainly not in perfect shape. Loose dividers, nicks and chips, years of sticky label build-up, but nothing a bit of glue, a coat of paint and some cool images from The Graphics Fairy won't fix.
After a face lift, these old organizers will help corral all the ephemera and miscellaneous paper goods I've collected for making my ephemera journals/notebooks. Those shown below are filled with reclaimed paper goods from my attic, thrift stores and garage sales, estate sales and donations from friends and family.
And, speaking of paper goods, the recycle bins offered a plethora of cast-offs: outdated stationery, both plain and fancy, envelopes and folders with obsolete information or addresses. No problem here. I'll cut around all that.
Someone had tossed an entire box of odd-sized vellum envelopes. Oh, goody! A premium item, indeed.
I rescued a sturdy set of black metal bookends that were superficially scraped up. Those will get a fresh coat of paint and a lovely, decorative facade--maybe something done with frames. Or maybe shadow boxes. Or game boards. I've always wanted to do something with the vintage boards I've saved up.
Today, our office is cleaner, a lot of poundage is headed to the recycling center and some of us came home with some items that we'll breathe new life into. Have you ever dumpster dived at your office?
Make it a great day!
Linking to:
Before I retired I worked in an elementary school, unwanted items always ended up in the teachers lounge. I brought home many Dick and Jane readers, flash cards, etc. Like the saying goes - one mans trash is another mans treasure. Vellum envelopes, score :))
ReplyDeleteSo glad to see that you're not alone in your dumpster diving endeavors, it's always nice to have company! Thanks for linking up to the Love 2 Upcycle Linky Party! http://love2upcycle.blogspot.com/2013/04/upcycled-linky-party-3.html
ReplyDeleteSo glad I'm not the only one who dumpster dives at work. I did it when we were moving and out secretary threw aways binders and all types of goodies that I hauled home. Really like your dividers and the metal bookends.
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