10 Incredible Ways To Upcycle a Vintage Camera

10 Incredible Ways To Upcycle a Vintage CameraThere are so many incredible ways to upcycle a broken vintage camera! Here are 10 DIY projects that will blow you away!

Have you ever found a vintage or retro camera at a thrift store, garage sale, or antique store, but you passed on it when you found out it didn’t work? Don’t overlook it! It could become your next DIY project! Before we get started, I want to make sure I am clear: do not destroy your vintage or old camera for the sake of these projects. These projects are only intended for broken cameras that cannot be fixed. I don’t want anyone to ruin their thousand dollar camera. Use your best judgement — look up the make and model of your camera before trying any of these projects. Now, let’s get to the DIY goodness!

1. Turn a camera into a bank

Need a place to save your spare change? Forget the ceramic pig, you can make your own bank from an old camera with this tutorial from Dear Wallet.

2. Make a vintage camera lamp

This is one of those ideas where I desperately wished that I was Carrie from Lovely Etc. because she’s a genius. She gives us awesome step-by-step instructions on how to wire a camera to create a lamp!

3. Create a camera night light

Perhaps you don’t need a full fledged light, but want an adorable night light? Jayfish at Instructables totally has you covered!

4. Turn a broken camera into a flower pot

If you have a broken camera or even just a broken camera lens, Photojojo shares how to turn them into lovely flower pots! Check out this container gardening post from our sister site Green Living Ideas for suggestions on what to plant inside.

5. DIY vintage camera book ends

Vintage cameras and books? It’s a match made in heaven! Click over to see how Smile and Wave recycled their cameras into creative book ends!

6. Paint your old camera

Want a simple DIY for your camera? Paint it with low VOC spray paint! Now it’s a rad knick knack for your bookshelf or table!

7. Simply frame your camera collection

If you don’t want to alter your camera collection, consider framing it! I love the way Tim from Apartment Therapy framed his collection in old frames that he found at a garage sale. Click on the link to see how he attached the cameras to the wall!

8. Make a camera vase

Betsy at My Salvaged Treasures turned her camera into a vase. She even found a way to hide a small container with water inside the camera so she could fill it with fresh flowers.

9. Another unique lamp from old cameras

Rather than using the flash portion of the camera as the lamp, Stars and Streetlights stacked several old cameras on top of each other to form the base of the lamp. Check out her step-by-step tutorial above!

10. DIY vintage camera picture frame

If you choose to take your camera apart for multiple projects, you can create an unique picture frame from the front of a box camera like Betsy from My Salvaged Treasures did!

Which vintage camera project is your favorite? Share your favorite in the comment section below!

[Photo credit: Vintage camera on wooden table via Shutterstock]

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