Even non frugal people keep those bits of yarn, twist ties, foreign coins, and old postcards just in case the need arises some day. Right?
I am certainly the anti pack rat but here's some of the things in my home office drawer:
... a harmonica (I always wanted to learn)
... a part used box of reinforcements for three ring binder paper (antique?!)
... a plug-in thingy which expands any electrical outlet into 3 more outlets
... a couple partly used AAA batteries
... a partly used roll of 2-sided tape
... an extra coin pouch
... another coin pouch filled with a variety of key chains
... a small container of thumbtacks
... a very small pink pocket knife
What brings this to mind is a good use I put to some jewelry supplies this past week.
As is not uncommon to many of us crafters, I bought some supplies which were not used completely or did not work out for their original intent.
In this case, it was some very thin, part-silver wire. I bought 2 rolls of silver wire, one thin and one thicker, and have found the heavier weight to be more suitable for much of my work. But the thin wire was just too good to waste.
Rather than sell, give away, or throw it out, there it lay in wait in my studio.
Then, I was invited to enter an upcoming exhibit themed 'Healing Arts'. Faster than a speeding bullet I retrieved a raw quartz point which I had made into a rough pendant a couple years ago. This, I thought, might fit the theme if I made it into a necklace. (Organic folks of past and present feel quartz crystal has healing properties).
Now for a chain. I have a few mass produced oval links and wanted to connect them and weave a strand of small beads in and out of them as a chain. But it needed intermediate links, so I decided to handform straight links with -- SILVER WIRE WRAP!.
Here's the technique I mean (these are earrings I made to practice):
GEOMETRIC DIAMOND SHAPE SILVER WIRE WRAPPED EARRINGS
So, there you have it. From waste not to want not. Another frugal success story.
And by the way, what's in YOUR junk drawer?
Waste Not - Want Not (or What's in Your Junk Drawer?)
February 4th, 2009 at 07:02 pm
February 4th, 2009 at 07:35 pm 1233776118
basically stuff thats not junk lol.
February 4th, 2009 at 07:39 pm 1233776362
February 4th, 2009 at 08:01 pm 1233777666
February 4th, 2009 at 08:52 pm 1233780758
February 4th, 2009 at 09:25 pm 1233782726
February 5th, 2009 at 01:25 am 1233797119
One of the first things my dad made at the new house was a junk drawer. I got a phone call because of that from my mother.
February 5th, 2009 at 03:09 am 1233803361
L M A O! I am with whitestripe!! Most, not quite all, of my house is a "junk" drawer. I say junk in quotes because while some of it is junk most of it is just stuff. Even quality stuff in the end is still just....stuff.
February 5th, 2009 at 03:21 pm 1233847287
2)Black Sharpie - I use it to mark my cans, bottles & boxes of groceries as they come into the kitchen - first in-first out)
3)flourenscent (?what's those initials) low-energy bulb
4)plate hanging rack
5)night light bulb pack of 6 - w/one red one?
6)various pens & pencils
7)4 large rubber bands
8)golf ball (no one here plays golf! - ????)
9)plug adapter turns two plugs to six
10)three extra coffee scoops
February 5th, 2009 at 07:50 pm 1233863418