How can I reuse or recycle random bits of china/crockery?

cup and saucer bird feederWe’ve had an email from ReuseRecycleMom‘s Von, saying:

I am recycling my grandmother’s old tea cups into bird feeders. I thought I’d share….

I’d love other ideas with what to do with odd bits of china.

We’ve already covered some bits and pieces – like mugs & cups that have lost their handles, and broken crockery in general – but what about other odd bits: cups & saucers like here, or gravy boats, milk jugs and other random tableware.

If they’re in good condition, they can of course go to charity shops or the like – the household bricabrac shelves are my favourite place for picking up beautifully ugly china – but what about stuff that chipped or cracked?

Like with last week’s baby food jars, I’ve seen old pretty cups and saucers used to make sewing kits (the cup topped with a pincushion and used for storage, the saucer used for holding pins/buttons mid-job) and old chipped shallow bowls around here are frequently used underneath plants.

Any other suggestions?

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8 Responses to “How can I reuse or recycle random bits of china/crockery?”


  1. nancy says:

    No matter how simple or delicately painted the china may be, all of it can be remade into mosaics, for household items like — lamp stands, flower pots, picture frames, a wall clock, even a kitchen wall decoration. Just break the china apart and sort them into piles by color, texture or your favorite bits. Then play around with the mosiac pattern until you have something you love, and then cement it in place. It will be a beautiful way to re-cycle for a whole new set of items.

  2. Karmae says:

    I’ve seen lovely the cups made into really pretty candles.

    Once in the 80’s a group of us wore the cups or saucers as bra tops as part of our costumes for a performance art piece celebrating madness and tea parties. They stayed on very nicely and weren’t all that uncomfortable.

  3. Suzanne says:

    I have seen really lovely cake stands made with old plates and various bits and pieces – old candlesticks / old glasses. See below links

    http://www.designspongeonline.com/2008/05/diy-project-kates-recycled-cakestands.html

    http://www.re-nest.com/re-nest/how-to/how-to-make-a-vintage-cake-stand-062200

  4. Cindy says:

    We use old, odd pieces of china when we hold charity dessert auctions. People donate plates, cups, serving pieces, etc. and we add donated desserts to them, then auction them off. Lots of people like the odd pieces and some pick what they are hungry for based on what its container is like!

  5. Jay says:

    Use chipped china or ceramic bowls as pets’ food and water bowls. They’re lovelier than those plastic bowls, plus, they don’t tend to get worn out.
    I have also used a ceramic teapot with a broken handle as a pot for a water plant.

  6. I love the idea of using tea cups as hanging flower pots in my garden; this will add a lovely, whimsical (Alice in Wonderland) look to my backyard. I enjoy edible, decorative gardening and this will add a little bit of imaginative fantasy…thank you for this post; great picture!

    I love recycling…it can be a beautiful thing! I transform soup cans in to modern decoupage decor. I have created an etsy shop called “Eco-Friendly Freckles” where I sell these functional, affordable works of art that work great as candle votives, pen and pencil holders, and make great gifts for containing candies, cookies and trinkets! Please check out my blog for more information. ;-)

  7. Uluska says:

    Use them as mulch in the flower pots.

  8. Valeria says:

    Since the bits can be sharp, wrap edges in clay, may be colored clay, and let dry or dry even in a kiln. Now you can dislay them as art or just decorative stones in a dish.



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