8 Creative Ways to Repurpose Old Yearbooks, Varsity Letters, and Trophies

Turn an old letterman sweater into a one-of-a-kind tote. Cut the sweater crosswise where the body meets the underarms. Fold a length of jute ribbon over the cut edge and sew it on to prevent fraying. Use more of the same ribbon to make handles. Sew the bottom together to close.

Corral team photos, event tickets, and other school ephemera under a piece of glass or clear plexiglass* set into a vintage tray. (Many hardware stores and glass companies will cut glass to your dimensions.) *Use a plastic cutting tool to cut the plexiglass.

A vintage football helmet scores points as the perfect graduation party table topper. To keep it steady, wrap a 3-inch embroidery hoop with jute ribbon, and center the helmet upside down on it. Fill a glass vase with water and place in the helmet; add flowers to the vase (here, butterfly ranunculus, chamomile, and brown-eyed Susans).

Personalize a wool blanket by “monogramming” it with chenille letters and patches. Topstitch onto the blanket or adhere with iron-on fusible tape.

Store school keepsakes (game tickets, programs, jewelry) in a hollowed-out vintage yearbook. Use an X-Acto knife to remove the pages where they meet the spine. Cut a piece of white mat board the size of the spine and hot-glue it to the inside. To create the box, cut four strips of mat board that are the width of the yearbook spine (so the “book” can close). Two should be the length of the yearbook’s height and two the length of its width. Glue in place. Add additional mat board dividers, if desired.

Napkin rings, that is. Set a table with school spirit by using old buttons. Craft by wrapping an unfinished wood ring with thin neutral twine. Open each pin back and thread the spear through a few strands of the twine, then close.