upcycle

Turning a Stack of Hardcover Books into a Simple, Classy Organizer

I love books.   I love them so much, in fact, that I asked my husband if our wedding cake could be made to look like a stack of books.  (Spoiler alert: He said yes.  A really long time ago.  It was a little bit epic.)

 

 

Anyway, given my love for books, it’s probably no surprise that I love book crafts, especially ones that do not take 72 hours and involve all 1,049 pages of War and Peace. Happily, this week’s project is all about the covers of the books, which you can easily liberate from the pages and upcycle into a super cool organizer for your mail, your bills, your files, or whatever else you need to keep track of.  You’ll be so happy with the results you might even want to make me a cake!  (Spoiler alert: I won’t stop you.)

 

 

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By ann, ago

Easy Upcycled Jewelry Box Display Cabinet

As much as we adore our near ones and dear ones, sometimes the people we love give us things that are not to our taste, and by “not to our taste,” I mean hideous, awful things we wouldn’t display in a syphilis-ridden bordello.  Of course we say thank you anyway, and basic courtesy dictates that we showcase our gifts when the gift givers come over, which is why it can be handy to have rotating display space somewhere in the house.  This week, I’ll demonstrate how to take an old jewelry box and upcycle it into a rotating display cabinet for genuine treasures, which can be quickly swapped out for the duds when the doorbell rings.  Because it is possible to preserve both good taste and good manners, I swear.

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By ann, ago

Design Your Own Spinning Supply Caddy

 

When I worked in the corporate world, I had one of those black plastic office supply caddies on my desk with the 15 billion little boxes and compartments in it, and I thought it was awesome.  For about an hour.   After that, I realized that the cute little door over my paperclips really just prevented me from getting at the paperclips, while the compartments that were too small for rubber bands and binder clips were not doing me any favors by holding random pennies, one thumb tack, and ten staples.  If you’ve had similar experiences with a large company’s idea of convenient storage, you’ll appreciate this tutorial, which shows you how to build your own caddy for the stuff you want to store, in whatever quantity and manner you want to store it.

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By ann, ago

DIY Copic Marker Storage that Goes Wherever You Do

Last Christmas, I received an insanely gorgeous leather photo album, and by “gorgeous,” I mean expensive.  (And gorgeous.)  Staring down at the leather, I felt so guilty that I almost blurted out the awful truth: I don’t use photo albums.  Ever.  Even the gorgeous ones get banished to the closet, where they languish in the dark – or did, until the guilt became too much for me.  When that happened, I sat down with a photo album, and I didn’t let myself get up until I figured out a way to make practical use of my gift.   I’m pretty excited to share my solution, because what better thing to do with an expensive photo album than use it to store expensive art  markers?!

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By ann, ago

The Brains of the Operation: Using Clay to Create a Killer Halloween Decoration

Let me say up front that I am not the world’s foremost expert in the polymer clay arts.   Where clay is concerned, I may, in fact, be the world’s hindmost ignoramus – but that’s not altogether bad, because at the back of the line, we do things quick and dirty!  This project requires no special tools, no experience, and absolutely no expertise, so grab some clay, and let’s go!

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By ann, ago

Creating Cool Clocks for Cool People

Like most of us, I have been making holiday gifts by hand for more than a decade, which means that I’ve baked, burned, sewn, sworn, crocheted, ripped up, stamped, smudged, and scrapbooked my way into a mid-December coma more times than I care to remember.  This year, however, I have come up with a ridiculously simple project that couldn’t drive me crazy if it tried.  It’s cheap, it’s easy, it’s customizable, and best of all, it makes a great excuse to haunt the local antique mall!

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By ann, ago

Giving Gift Cards with Style

Between Father’s Day, graduations, and weddings, the month of June can push our present-making abilities to the edge.  Hell, some people even have the nerve to have BIRTHDAYS in June!  Once in a while, even the craftiest among us does not have time to put together a handmade gift, but with this easy tutorial, you can still personalize your presents – with style! (more…)

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By Cindy Jo, ago
Eye Heart Potholders

T-Shirt Upcycling Part One: T-Shirt Yarn

I don’t know what it is about the mating habits of T-shirts, but they seem to multiply faster than rabbits.  Possibly even faster than bacteria. I could abandon my relatively comfortable life and embark  on a quest to educate the humble T-shirt on various methods of contraception, but instead I’m going to cut them up and do a three-part series of upcycling tutorials.  Way easier and probably way less awkward.

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By sarah, ago