Basic Tools You’ll Need for Repurposing & Upcycling

I’ve always been fiercely independent. It drives my husband nuts. He is a “helper.” Which is sweet. Really, it is. But I can do it myself, thank you very much. I’m not going to wait for someone to hang the picture frame on the wall when I can do it myself. I think this also shocks the people at my grocery store. I don’t want their help. I don’t want them to unload my cart on to the belt. I don’t want them to push my cart out to my car. It’s not a control thing (NOT.A.WORD.). It’s a “If I can do it myself, why do I need you to do it for me?” thing. Don’t get me wrong; I want to be treated like a lady. And sometimes it is nice to hear the offer to help. But I’m not helpless. Give me a hammer, y’all. I’ll figure it out.

So I have my own tools. They’re pink. I know, I know! But the reason that I like them this color is because I know where my tools are. I can find my hammer very easily. And I certainly see when someone else is using my flat head screwdriver. I do not walk around the garage muttering that “I can’t find anything around here.” I know where my pink stuff is.

I haven’t done any big carpentry projects. And as of right now, I don’t really have a desire to do so. I love repurposing and upcycling things and bringing new life to them. I love taking the slightly broken or no longer wanted and doing something creative with it. There are some tools that I use over and over again in my projects. I thought it might be useful for someone that is thinking about actually making one of those great Pinterest projects, to have a few things on hand that they might need. So here is my list! Enjoy!

A good staple gun. 

We had a staple gun. But it was the cheapest, most basic model that they make. And if that works for you, use it. But as often as I use a staple gun, which is very often, I upgraded to a nicer one that wasn’t going to bruise my hand as badly.

Two screwdrivers – a Flat Head and a Phillips. 

Hammer

Pliers

Measuring tape, stick, wand, ruler

• High Temp Hot Glue and Gun
• Elmer’s Glue
• Clear Strong Craft Glue
• Wire Cutters
• Masking Tape
• Scrapbooking Cutter, Box Cutter, or Xacto knife
• Basic Painting Supplies

If you have these basic things on hand, you should be prepared for a myriad of Pinterest projects, or perhaps, one that you’ve seen here on Belle & Beau Antiquarian. Hope this was helpful!

XOXO,
Abby