Cassette Tapes: Reuse and Refashion!

Everyone has the odd cassette tape (or ten) lurking around in their abode. A relic of the 20th Century, cassettes are rarely used these days, forsaken in favour of the CD and the mp3.

But it seems rather wasteful to just trash all those unwanted tapes, doesn’t it? 

Having found a pile of home-recorded cassettes that I didn’t want, I decided to do something with them. Repurposing always beats trashing!

Cassette tape bag

I made this using a tutorial on Instructables

I love the trashy, handmade look; the bag is quite floppy despite the sturdiness of the tapes so is a fun accessory to a slouchy, 80’s inspired ensemble!

Because I wanted a way of closing my bag, I changed the design slightly compared to the one in the tutorial. I also added a long strap, which I attached with big safety pins.

This bag makes use of the cassette casing, the cases and the tape inside.

Reel earrings

These were a little bit fiddly to make--mostly because of the rhinestones! I spray painted the reels silver and then glued flat-backed rhinestones around the edge.

Reel and chain necklace

Again, I spray-painted the reels on this one. I attached them to a plain chain and added short pieces of chain for effect.

Reel and beads cross choker

This time I joined some reels together into a cross shape, using thin ribbon. I added a jump ring to the top of the cross and put it onto a piece of bent wire to form the necklace. I added metallic beads and tape guides (the small plastic wheels) to finish off the piece.

Obviously these are only a few ways of reusing cassette tapes! A quick Google search will throw up tonnes of ideas and inspiration. How about a cassette tape lamp, bracelet, or wallet?

There are plenty of tutorials online--your only limit is your imagination!

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