repurposing with heart (from the closet)

I’m a great fan of ‘regifting’ or ‘repurposing with heart’ as our host for this week’s Change the World Wednesday Challenge calls it.

This week’s challenge, as we rapidly approach the season of giving, is to ‘gift from the closet’!

This means that rather than shopping in stores for new holiday gifts, we have to shop in our “closets”.

We’ve been asked to open up boxes of stored items, check dresser drawers and venture into the attic where we’ll be looking for special items to give this year; either something fun and silly or something meaningful, like an heirloom.

Interestingly I always used to keep a box of gifts in the bottom of my wardrobe. Whenever I saw suitable things I’d buy them and hide them away until a Birthday or celebration arose. To be honest, most of these were children’s gifts, suitable for a last-minute invite to one of Little Miss Green’s friends Birthday parties.

Now she is older I tend to give her friends money, so I’ve allowed my box of surprises to dwindle.

But I do something else throughout the year.

Whenever I’m having a delclutter, most of my stuff goes on Freecycle or to a local charity shop. A few items however, are held back with a particular person in mind.

It might be that I’ve decided to get rid of a scarf I remember a friend complimenting me on, a book a neighbour has shown interest in or some craft items I know a person on a forum would love to use. It doesn’t matter what time of year it is, these gifts wing their way to the new recipient with love from me to them.

I call it my ‘UnBirthday’ presents and it always brings a smile to their faces.

I once gave a set of paintings to our local nursing home and they were overjoyed with them. They were paintings that never looked right in my home, but on the large walls of the former Rectory where the nursing home now is, they were perfect and bought so much enjoyment to the residents.

So I’ll be having a rummage through my cupboards and drawers to see what I can find and I think I know just the thing for a certain Green Princess 😉