Posts tagged ‘recycled’

I’m teaching this free class at the Highland Square branch of the Akron-Summit County Public Library .

Iris Paper Folding Wall Art

Come use recycled paper and Iris Paper Folding techniques to make a 5″ x 7″ frame-able wall art. Iris Paper Folding is basically layering paper in a pattern and using it as a background behind a shape cutout. Participants are welcome to bring their own recycled papers such as envelopes, junk mail, greeting cards, or discarded books to use, but a selection of papers will also be available. If attendees have a paper trimmer, they are welcome to bring it, as cutting paper strips will be much quicker.

Sign up is required, and begins August 16, at 330-376-2927.

If you can’t make it to class, I also wrote a  tutorial for this project.

As hard as it is for a former English Major to part with books, I’ve managed to gather some up for the Book Swap.It’s so much more managable to say good bye when I know I can bring home some new books, and eat some tasty goodies, and hang out with my friends and meet new ones.

It’s true. I love swapping.

Here’s the info! See you all tomorrow at the Fabulous Craft Akron!

I made these beads from pages of an old poetry book.  My inspiration is from a similar project in Playing with Books-The Art of Upcycling, Deconstructing, and Reimagining the Book.  The only difference was that they rolled up triangles & I rolled up rectangles, so my finished beads have more of a tube shape.  With either shape, the basic idea is to roll up a long strip of paper (leaving a hole for beading wire to go through), use adhesive to secure it closed (I used decoupage glue), cover the outside of the bead with glue (for a protective finish), & let it dry.

This beautiful vintage button belonged to my grandmother.  There’s only one, and I’ve been painfully particular about how to use it.  When guest blogger, Erica, wrote about making a vintage brooch into a necklace, I immediately thought about my button.  But since I’m on a hair-accessories kick, I thought I’d try it within a flower instead.

I used recycled shirt fabric & a vintage button for this flower.  It’s just like this orange flower one I made a while back.  The original pattern & idea came from a fabric flowers tutorial at Wise Craft.

Starbucks Coffee Grounds

I got this complimentary 5-pound bag of used coffee grounds from Starbucks.  My store keeps them near the bagged coffees.  Here’s an article about all the benefits of using coffee grounds in the garden.  You can add grounds to compost or use them as mulch.   They benefit plants because they’re high in Nitrogen, and they help bring down soil pH.  Supposedly they deter slugs & snails.  And if they’re fresh, the smell is nice as well.

My husband told a friend recently that I’m a “house hacker”.  With embarrassment I asked, “Did you tell him what I did with the windows?”  (Ha, ha that might be for another post!)  But I am a hacker when it comes to my home.  I’m always trying to make something run more smoothly, resourcefully, or efficiently.  And the goal is to be aesthetically pleasing (or at least acceptable) as well.

You can probably guess that my little sign to the left is for dishes.  My husband begged for clarity on the state of the dishes.  He suggested buying a magnet.  I thought, no I can make a magnet.  So I made a magnet but soon realized my dishwasher isn’t magnetized.  Then I was going to drill a hook into my tile, but thought that was too permanent and risky if I didn’t like it.  Finally, I used a sticky hook and made this sign from two laminate countertop samples (from Zero Landfill).  The holes were already punched in them.

It’s useful & it works…dishes clarity!  And it doesn’t look too bad.  Plus, I could remove the sign for special occasions, and the little hook isn’t too conspicuous.  Do you have any interesting kitchen hacks?

my box of books to review (minus the sewing one Devona wanted!)

Back in December I did a book review of Mixed Metals.  I decided to ask publishers to send books so I could review them.  A woman from Quarry Books asked what books I’d be interested in and sent me a box full.  So here’s the first review from that wonderful box of books.  My hope is to give you some information so you’ll know if it’s worth purchasing for yourself.

Sweater Surgery: How to Make New Things with Old Sweaters by Stefanie Girard.

Book Summary: Sweater Surgery shows you how to upcycle your sweaters into new wardrobe & home items.  You’ll learn how to wash, block, choose, cut, restitch, felt, and embellish sweaters.  There are 35 step-by-step projects with patterns, plus additional gallery designs.

Review Notes: I like the variety of projects.  There are lots of purses, hats & gloves & scarves, necklaces, headbands, stuffed animals (like the bird I made last week), pillows, and many redesigned tops, skirts, & dresses.  Plus there are some more unusual items like a magazine file cozy, place mats, pot holders, a laptop cozy, pet bed, knitting needle case, and a tissue box cover.

I’m pretty novice at sewing, so I found the “getting started” section very detailed & useful.  I like the suggestions to use existing design elements & edges in new projects and to unravel yarn from extra pieces & incorporate it in the designs (it’s free matching yarn!).  I found the hand & machine sewing basics clear & necessary for my skill level.  It tells when each stitch is used, how to do it by hand or by machine, it shows a diagram, and then shows a project where the stitch is used.  This section made me feel like I could actually sew sweater material without it unraveling & falling apart.  This has been the main reason I’ve been hesitant with knit sweaters in the past.

I’ve only made the “Hippie Chicks” project so far, but I found the instructions & pattern easy to use & clear to follow.  Here are some favorites I’d like to try:  ”Scarf of Many Colors”, which is a patchwork scarf made from remnant pieces.  I think it’d look good as an infinity-style scarf.  I also love “Snow White Scarf”.  The scarf is hemmed & fringed, and incorporates some beautiful sweater texture.  It looks like it cost a fortune.  ”Toot the Owl” is the sweetest stuffed animal.  And the “Lace-It-Up Cable Sweater” is the best wearable reuse.  The trim & ribbon look so fashionable.  I also like the “Kick-A$$ Socks”.  I never would have guessed you could get the toe & heel situated properly.

bird I made from a pattern in the book

My least favorite project is the “Pet Rock Sweater”.  Maybe I just don’t get it?  Is this something kids are into these days?   I’d probably never wear the “Peppermint Patti Swirl Necklace”, which is made of strips of sweater swirled into circles.  It’s just not my style for a necklace, but I’d use the idea for festive garland.  Or perhaps a bunch sewn together could make a headband?

Overall I really enjoyed the book.  There are a handful of projects I surely want to try & others I’d consider if I keep practicing my sewing skills (mainly the shirts).  This book is a great source of inspiration after a visit to the thrift store.

Recently my husband, who travels A LOT, wore out his backpack. While searching on Ebags we discovered this Keen Backpack. We were mostly looking for functionality and not-dorky factors. But when we got the Keen home and read the label we discovered this on the materials list:

- 100% recycled aluminum components
- 100% recycled interior liner
- 100% recycled molded rubber bottom

This is the kind of construction I hope to see more of. This was an affordable bag, attractive and functional, AND it is made with recycled materials. What’s more, they don’t use recycling as their sales pitch, it seems from their site and their products that recycled materials just seemed to be the responsible choice, and so they made that choice. Here’s hoping we’re going to be surprised by more responsible companies in the future!

I made this sweet little bird from an recycled t-shirt and a pattern from the book Sweater Surgery.  Instead of using fiberfill I used dryer lint, which worked really well except for having to pull some long pieces of hair out of it.  I used the bottom half of a snap for each eye.  The beak is made with a piece of dark t-shirt fabric, but I don’t recommend that since it’s a little floppy.  I’ll either use fabric stiffener or perhaps sew some fabric to this piece, considering it a base, to strengthen it.  I hand stitched all the pieces, which took a few hours while multitasking on other things.

I received a rain barrel for my birthday in March and finally got it installed today…just in time for the forecasted storms the next few days.

It’s a Fiskars rain barrel.  It wasn’t difficult to install.  We had to cut the gutter & drill a hole in the barrel (while entertaining 2 kids at the same time).

So, why did it take three months to get it up and going?  Well, mostly we weren’t sure if we should keep it.  We have a small yard and wondered if it’d be an eyesore.  Now I need to figure out how to camouflage it into the landscaping.  We also weren’t sure if we could use the water safely in our vegetable garden.  I read lots of websites to try & get a straight answer.  The most educated answers I found from the Texas Water Development Board.  They make suggestions for the types of roofs to use, how to keep out debris & other contaminants, and treatment methods for potable water.  They said composite & asphalt shingle roofs leech toxins.  Plus, my system doesn’t have fancy roof cleansing abilities or first-flush system, so rain will collect bacteria, mold, fecal material, etc from the roof.  I’m not comfortable putting these things on my plants, so I’m pretty sure my barrel will just be for landscape plants.  But either way, I’m thankful for my gift & I’m happy to conserve a little water.