Upcycle your vintage cups

Colourful mugs and cups make great planters.

Old coffee and tea mugs can be found in large numbers at most households. Mismatched, slightly broken, or even uniquely designed, these can be given different avatars to serve unique purposes.

Materials needed: cup or mug, acrylic and spray paints, brushes, polymer clay, hot glue gun, and drill.

Hang it

If you have an old key stand, fix the hooks and glue parts that could be broken, and repaint it. Add cups to these hooks for a knick-knack stand. Delhi-based Ashraya GV, who recycles home items into gift ideas, says that this setup can be turned into a decor item or hold simple things like keys, earphones, and other small things that you need when you are stepping out of home.

“If you cannot find a sturdy keystand which can hold cups, find a wooden plank, and paint it well. Stick the cups or mugs (the side opposite to the handle) to the plank. Make sure the stand dries well,” she says.

Room decor

If you have plain (white or ivory) cups and mugs lying around, use polymer clay to jazz them up. Surf the Internet for simple flower and leaf designs, and try them out.

“Make sure that you dry the design well before using the cup or mug as a decor item. Also, do not make huge designs or in a shape that could fall off the cup. To give it a glazing look, complete the cup with varnish,” says Ashraya.

These can be used as standalone decor pieces, or you could place a tealight inside them and use as an ambient light. You can also use these to store jewellery or similar items, she adds.

Hanging items

From Christmas tree hangings to others that can be placed as decor through the year, there are many ideas, one can make with cups, says Ashraya.

“If you have a cup with blue and white colours or brown and blue colours, work with a beach theme. Find a starfish, some shells, and some sand. With a glue gun, place the cup in a vertical manner and stick these items into it. Sprinkle some blue and silver glitter on top to finish the look,” she adds.

After the inside is dry, tie a ribbon or twine around the handle and hang accordingly, says Ashraya.

Mini pots

Clean the mugs well and dry them out. Patna-based Biju Kumar, who owns a interior plants nursery, uses metallic spray paint to decorate them fully before turning them into pots or planters. “If the mugs or cups are colourful, don’t colour them entirely. Just trace out a simple pattern or even use a stencil to make some designs. You could directly use spray over a stencil, or draw and paint the pattern,” he says.

Make one or two holes at the base of the mug, and place stones as the first layer. “After that use plant soil and place succulents or small cacti. These mini pots will work best for an office desk,” he adds. Place a plate or small lid under the cup or mug, if and when watering the plant, Biju notes.

Lamp shade

Bengaluru-based craft hobbyist Mini K makes lamp shades out of unique items. She says making one out of a cup or mug would take a maximum of an hour.

“Drill a small hole at the base of the cup or mug. Make sure you do not crack it while making the hole. Pass a small bulb through the hole, and fix it to lamp setup,” she says.

Alternatively, you can also pass a string light through the hole and plug it to a USB port or via an adaptor, Mini adds.