One afternoon, as Heather Schoell was having porcupine-quill-like needles inserted into her feet, she casually mentioned to her acupuncturist that Cashew, her floppy-eared beagle, was suffering from anxiety.Prepare the landfills. The annual toy purge is coming.
In preparation for the upcoming holiday gift deluge, many parents are starting to rifle through toy boxes in search of the detritus of kiddom – abandoned wooden puzzle pieces, broken xylophones, discarded plastic dinosaurs and all of the other items that make their way to the bottom of the box, between the couch cushions and underneath the bed.
At some point, most children begin to outgrow their toy collections. And during the annual toy purge, it’s easy to calculate how much money is wasted when Legos make way for MP3 players and wooden blocks for matchbox cars.
But for the thrifty and creative, there is another option: repurposing toys into age-appropriate, usable or decorative items for the home.
Save your sanity (and your bank account.) Here are 10 ways to repurpose 10 different toys.
Wooden puzzle pieces
Puzzle pieces are like teenage pop stars. Here today, gone (or swallowed or flushed or dropped down a heat register) tomorrow. And a puzzle – even a hand-crafted $20 wooden one from Sweden – is unsuitable for donation without all its pieces intact. Nevertheless, the leftover pieces can be put to good use. Using a drill and some ribbon, a wooden picture of a mouse can quickly become a Christmas ornament. And big, blocky toddler-size puzzle pieces (the kind featuring wooden handles for fat little fists) can be mounted on the wall and used as hooks for tiny scarves, hats and mittens.
For inspiration, check out the vintage wooden ornaments available at Sushipot (etsy.com/shop/sushipot).
Plastic fruit
Two years ago, when your child was learning about food, he was probably inundated with plastic fruit, plastic cups and saucers, plastic cartons of milk. Now, of course, he’s got the real thing to play with. But instead of tossing the old fruit, take a cue from your grandmother and display it in the house. To keep things from looking too vintage, try dipping the pieces into paint (you still have half a can of pale yellow leftover from the bedroom, right?) to give them an edge.
Xylophone
Who needs a xylophone when piano lessons are on the horizon? These pint-sized instruments are nearly indestructible, but with a pair of pliers and some elbow grease, the chimes can be removed and restrung via fish line and turned into a wind chime.
Plastic animals
Grab your sharpest X-acto knife, a handful of round magnets from the craft store and some strong glue. When chopped in two, plastic animals make adorable DIY kitchen magnets. For inspiration, visit New York City-based designer Steph Mantis’ website (stephmantis.com) and check out her “animal butt magnets,” a collection of magnets made from the hind quarters of small plastic animal toys.
Wooden blocks
Blocks never go out of style, even when they’re just placed on a mantle. Arrange them to spell words – home, love – or cover them in chalkboard paint and write your own letters or pictures on them in black and white.
Dinosaurs
Put your Dremel to work on a large brontosaurus and you’ll discover that this toy is hollow, which makes it easy to turn into a vase, candle holder or planter. Etsy store Bloomin Happy (etsy.com/shop/BloominHappy2009) sells recycled dinos planters, painted vibrant colors.
Marbles
Stop filling your vases with those glass blobs from the craft store. Marbles add a whimsical, nostalgic touch to planters.
Books
There’s nothing sadder than a well-loved copy of “Pippi Longstocking” that has lost its cover, a few of its pages and now bares the telltale scrawl of a crayon-wielding toddler. However, the illustrations are still there, still just as beautiful and worthy of being framed. Three matted, well-framed pictures from a classic – hung side-by-side – makes for inexpensive art worthy of hanging in any room. For example, Ezra Jack Keats’ “The Snowy Day” pairs well with a mudroom. Eric Carle’s “Pancakes, Pancakes” is a good addition to a kitchen.
Toy pots and pans
If you splurged on a good set of toy pots and pans for your kid, you know these things are virtually indescribable and very small, which makes them perfect for windowsill herb gardens. Use a drill to make a few small holes at the bottom of a miniature sauce pot, fill it with dirt and place it inside a miniature sauté pan filled with rocks.
Legos
Rather than spend the rest of your years accidentally stepping on discarded pieces of Lego, gather them up and try your hand at jewelry making. With a quick trip to the craft store for supplies, small Lego bricks make good tie tacks and earrings. Or if you’re looking for inspiration, Toy Box Jewellery (etsy.com/shop/ToyBoxJewellery) sells jewelry suitable for any 12-year-old fashionista or her nostalgic, Lego-loving parents.
