More often than not, we receive birthday gifts that do not fit our personality or preference. That’s quite normal. Perhaps, we prefer neutral colors instead of vividly colorful ones. Or, we have a slight obsession with jewelry and wear earrings every day. Some clothes never find their place in our wardrobe.
It’s not that we don’t like these birthday presents, per se — it’s just that these gifts don’t satisfy our style.
As a result, we end up throwing away the gift box with slight guilt and embarrassment. But do we have to throw it out? Or, can it be used in another way?
The answer is a resounding “yes!”. It’s perfectly feasible to create various valuable and unique items from gift leftovers. So let’s get started with how you can utilize unused birthday gifts.
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Send Birthday Gifts to a Charity.
If you send unsolicited gifts to others, it always feels like charity. And it doesn’t have to be people we know. There are charities that provide useful items to underprivileged kids. You can send free stuff such as clothes, toiletries, or any other clothing donation they ask for. Also, you can even donate food packages for families in need.
Make a Gift Item With a Photo
Have you received a present that couldn’t fit your style? A guitar accessory, for instance. Instead of throwing away this birthday gift, turn it into an item that can be used for personal enjoyment, like decorator earrings.
You can simply access the photos and frame them accordingly to make them look classy and sophisticated. Most online gift shops also provide custom-made framing for you. You can also make personalized accessories out of various unused items, including candles, watches, cell phones and so on.
Crafts With Leftover Items
Such as yarn, handkerchiefs, thread, buttons — these are all useful items that we end up throwing away. What if you turn them into a trendy cushion for your couch or bed that can be used as a decorative piece.
For example, you can knit a scarf if you have some knitting needles and yarn leftover. You can also make an embroidered cushion for your couch or bed personalized with your family pictures.
You can collect empty thread spools and store them inside a multi-compartment box afterward. Or, you can cut off the buttons from shirts and turn them into gorgeous hair accessories. The buttons will give off a totally different appearance once you remove them from the shirt and carry out some simple modifications.
Decorating your Room with Excess Items
If you’ve ever received a frame and do not like the picture inside, you can use it instead as a functional photo album holder. You could alter the color of the frame to suit your style and place it on the table where you like to display pictures.
Be it a simple congratulation gift, a gift from your loved ones, or the gifts you receive from random people — unused birthday gifts are an excellent opportunity to turn them into something different and unique.
It’s funny how such a simple leftover item can be so versatile once you consider some creativity. As they say, “necessity is the mother of invention.”