upcycled

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

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

T-Shirt Upcycling Part Two – Guerrilla Screenprinting

Once upon a time there was a princess with a dream. She dreamed of wearing nothing but custom T-shirts, constantly adorned with odd designs and sarcastic proclamations. In order to make this dream come true, our fair princess priced a complete screen printing setup and nearly fell into a 50-year swoon at the price. It was pretty steep even on a princess’s salary. She went through a period of making stencils for her shirts with freezer paper and an X-Acto knife and ended up with awesome shirts with a side of carpal tunnel. Finally, she made a wish on a magic frog (or maybe Google), learned of Mod Podge screen printing, and lived happily ever after. (more…)

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By sarah, 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