Craft Uses for Cowboy Boots

Perhaps you have seen a nice pair of western style boots recently that you wanted to purchase, but didn't know if you would actually wear them. The exotic leather and stitched floral designs on cowboy boots can be quite attractive, and even the shapes of the boots can be graceful and nostalgic, but perhaps you find them uncomfortable to wear.

Sometimes you'll see cowboy boots at garage sales or secondhand stores that look to be worth at least 100 dollars, yet they are being sold for only 5. You shouldn't pass up a deal like that. Even if the boots aren't your size. Below are six craft ideas for cowboy boots that will allow you to put them to use in ways other than wearing them.

1. Put some potting soil inside the boots and plant cacti in them, or use other plants that are drought tolerant. Set them near a window and remember to water them every few days. A cactus in a boot is a definite western style eye-catcher.

2. Make a bird house out of a cowboy boot. Waterproof the boots by rubbing in some leather conditioner, then cut a 2-inch wide hole down low on one side of the boot. Make a small slit below the 2-inch hole to push in a twig for the birds to use as a perch. Drill some holes around the tops of the boots and sew them together; or you can glue them shut. Use one of the boot loops at the top to hang it in a tree where you can see it from your home.

3. Use a boot for a small magazine rack or catch-all. Or use both boots as book ends. Or make some door stops (work in some leather conditioner if you want to waterproof them for outside use). Put small bags of sand or add rocks inside to weigh them down. To prevent any rocks from dumping or spilling, simply glue the boot tops shut.

4. Paint the sole and heel of the boots in whatever way you choose, or perhaps cover them with some velvet, then put in artificial flowers and use them as flower vases. You can also put a string through the pull-on boot strap at the top and use them as hanging vases.

5. Store mail that you need to send. On one side of the boot, make two small holes. Then fashion a hanger from wire and put it through the holes. Install a hook on a wall and hang the boot on it. Now you will always know where your outgoing mail is stored.

6. Fashion a shoulder bag by running a cord or strap through one of the pull-on boot straps at the top. You can use it to carry tools out to your garden, or you can store regular tools such as a hammer, nails, pliers, and wrenches to use as a common tool bag.

There are many types of creative uses for cowboy boots. Go wild and have fun thinking of more!