Posts tagged DIY
4:45 pm - Wed, May 8, 2013
399 notes

Turn a worn or outdated hardcover into an awesome portable art studio with this recycled book art kit tutorial that Shaunte shared on Crafts Unleashed.

More:  MAKE | How-To: Recycled Book Art Kit

Turn a worn or outdated hardcover into an awesome portable art studio with this recycled book art kit tutorial that Shaunte shared on Crafts Unleashed.

More:  MAKE | How-To: Recycled Book Art Kit

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8:03 am - Sun, Apr 28, 2013
126 notes
Old bed frame pieces used as garden borders / fences.
(photo via 33 Barefoot Lane)

Old bed frame pieces used as garden borders / fences.

(photo via 33 Barefoot Lane)

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3:45 pm - Thu, Apr 18, 2013
147 notes
Okay, we’ve pointed out more than our share of pallet stories. But this is cool, because it’s totally DIY, and would totally involve putting to use found/discarded pallets. 

We recently recycled a shipping pallet we’ve had in storage into a versatile indoor/outdoor storage system, and we can’t wait to share how easy it to make one of your own.
You Will Need: A shipping pallet Crowbar Hammer Spray primer Indoor/outdoor spray paint Sandpaper or grinder Wood filler and finishing nails (optional) Hanging hardware Face mask & protective gloves

The rest is here: How-Tuesday: Upcycled Pallet Shelf | The Etsy Blog

Okay, we’ve pointed out more than our share of pallet stories. But this is cool, because it’s totally DIY, and would totally involve putting to use found/discarded pallets.

We recently recycled a shipping pallet we’ve had in storage into a versatile indoor/outdoor storage system, and we can’t wait to share how easy it to make one of your own.

You Will Need:
A shipping pallet
Crowbar
Hammer
Spray primer
Indoor/outdoor spray paint
Sandpaper or grinder
Wood filler and finishing nails (optional)
Hanging hardware
Face mask & protective gloves

The rest is here: How-Tuesday: Upcycled Pallet Shelf | The Etsy Blog

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3:24 pm - Wed, Apr 17, 2013
212 notes

I get a kick out of seeing creative new uses for those plastic clips that keep bags of bread closed. (We’ve highlighted some bread-tag reuse examples here.) 

Also, trashion — clothing made from items that many people would toss into a trash can or a recycling bin — not only makes many of us smile, but encourages us to consider our wardrobe options and choices.

That said, there’s this: Bread clips upcycled into a wedding dress. 

The bride, Australia resident and fashion designer Stephanie Watson, sewed onto cotton fabric some 10,000 bread bag clips she’d collected for 10+ years. Cost: $36.

The Geelong Advertiser says this:

Ms Watson said she started collecting bread tags a decade ago at 19, and joked that when there were enough tags to cover a wedding dress, she and Mr Wapling would get married.

“We started living together in Geelong and there was a pile of bread tags on the window sill which we just kept adding to,” Ms Watson said.

“It was just a joke at the beginning, but then people heard about the idea and they started collecting for us and giving us bread tags. “I was getting so many, I had to keep getting bigger and bigger jars.

A cousin (who’s a baker) donated a roll of tags (presumably new ones, but still) to help Stephanie complete the dress. 

(spotted on TreeHugger)

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7:04 pm - Tue, Apr 16, 2013
565 notes
We’re fans of reusable items, especially things that can be used instead of plastic wrap and other disposable, single-use plastic products.
Beeswax-infused fabric is such a reusable item for food storage. Waxy cloth can be used to cover vegetables, fruit, cheese, bread, and other items, including those in bowls. The warmth of your hands helps to mold the material around the food you wish to wrap or over the top of a bowl or other container. The waxy cloth can be rinsed off using water and mild soap, if necessary, hung to air-dry, and it’s ready for use again.
The Art of Doing Stuff blog features this simple tutorial for making your own sheets of beeswax wrap; all you need are pieces of cotton fabric, beeswax, an oven, and a tray. 
For pre-made options: This recent Design*Sponge post mentions Bee’s Wrap, made by a small company in Vermont.
A similar food-storage product, Abeego, has been made in Canada for the past several years. The folks who make Abeego wrap even put their scrap pieces to use, turning them into useful items such as business cards and twist-ties. 
For helpful wax-wrap care and use tips, check out Abeego’s Web site here. 
(photo via The Art of Doing Stuff)

We’re fans of reusable items, especially things that can be used instead of plastic wrap and other disposable, single-use plastic products.

Beeswax-infused fabric is such a reusable item for food storage. Waxy cloth can be used to cover vegetables, fruit, cheese, bread, and other items, including those in bowls. The warmth of your hands helps to mold the material around the food you wish to wrap or over the top of a bowl or other container. The waxy cloth can be rinsed off using water and mild soap, if necessary, hung to air-dry, and it’s ready for use again.

The Art of Doing Stuff blog features this simple tutorial for making your own sheets of beeswax wrap; all you need are pieces of cotton fabric, beeswax, an oven, and a tray. 

For pre-made options: This recent Design*Sponge post mentions Bee’s Wrap, made by a small company in Vermont.

A similar food-storage product, Abeego, has been made in Canada for the past several years. The folks who make Abeego wrap even put their scrap pieces to use, turning them into useful items such as business cards and twist-ties. 

For helpful wax-wrap care and use tips, check out Abeego’s Web site here

(photo via The Art of Doing Stuff)

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5:12 pm - Fri, Apr 5, 2013
142 notes
It’s wine o’clock (somewhere), so time to share an adult beverage-related repurposing find. 
Today, it’s Champagne corks used as bike handlebar caps. (photo by Jon Heslop) 
For earlier items in Unconsumption’s wine o’clock series, check out the archive here.
Cheers!

It’s wine o’clock (somewhere), so time to share an adult beverage-related repurposing find. 

Today, it’s Champagne corks used as bike handlebar caps. (photo by Jon Heslop

For earlier items in Unconsumption’s wine o’clock series, check out the archive here.

Cheers!

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7:22 pm - Thu, Apr 4, 2013
487 notes
Cup of tea, anyone?
Some 3,000 tea bags (yes, you read that right!) make up this installation at Rolling Greens, a “home and garden destination” in Los Angeles. (Spotted on Pinterest here. Source: Los Angeles, I’m Yours, which features additional photos.) 
See also: Quilt made from steeped tea bags. 
How would you describe this example of repurposing? Beautiful? Or not your cup of tea?

Cup of tea, anyone?

Some 3,000 tea bags (yes, you read that right!) make up this installation at Rolling Greens, a “home and garden destination” in Los Angeles. (Spotted on Pinterest here. Source: Los Angeles, I’m Yours, which features additional photos.) 

See also: Quilt made from steeped tea bags

How would you describe this example of repurposing? Beautiful? Or not your cup of tea?

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9:44 am
143 notes

Made from redwood reclaimed from old fences and barns, these chicken coops arrive packed in a kit small enough that it can actually fit in a bicycle box. … The parts can easily be assembled in your own backyard.

(via DIY, Recycled Chicken Coops that Can Be Moved By Bike | Design on GOOD)
From our archives: Chicken coop made from a clothes dryer!

Made from redwood reclaimed from old fences and barns, these chicken coops arrive packed in a kit small enough that it can actually fit in a bicycle box. … The parts can easily be assembled in your own backyard.

(via DIY, Recycled Chicken Coops that Can Be Moved By Bike | Design on GOOD)

From our archives: Chicken coop made from a clothes dryer!

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10:44 am - Wed, Apr 3, 2013
169 notes
DIY idea du jour: 
Recover worn furniture with used paint sticks. Colorful and rustic looking, for sure.
To help in gathering sticks, tell your neighbors you’re collecting sticks. Also, ask staff at a store that sells paint to keep their used sticks for you.
(Photo by matangi.etsy on Flickr; spotted on Pinterest here.)

DIY idea du jour:

Recover worn furniture with used paint sticks. Colorful and rustic looking, for sure.

To help in gathering sticks, tell your neighbors you’re collecting sticks. Also, ask staff at a store that sells paint to keep their used sticks for you.

(Photo by matangi.etsy on Flickr; spotted on Pinterest here.)

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9:14 am - Sun, Mar 31, 2013
83 notes
Happy Easter! 
(To fold your own napkins — ideally reusable cloth napkins — into “rabbits,” see this tutorial from Martha Stewart.)

Happy Easter

(To fold your own napkins — ideally reusable cloth napkins — into “rabbits,” see this tutorial from Martha Stewart.)

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2:11 pm - Sat, Mar 30, 2013
31 notes
Looking for some simple, DIY ideas for green Easter decor?
We’ve rounded up several ideas, including this cute basket — just weave strips of paper or ribbon through a strawberry basket’s slots (great idea via Parentella blog!) — on this Unconsumption Pinterest board. 
See also: Our Easter-tagged items on Tumblr.

Looking for some simple, DIY ideas for green Easter decor?

We’ve rounded up several ideas, including this cute basket — just weave strips of paper or ribbon through a strawberry basket’s slots (great idea via Parentella blog!) — on this Unconsumption Pinterest board

See also: Our Easter-tagged items on Tumblr.

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10:38 am - Thu, Mar 28, 2013
92 notes
Plastic, strung. Installation at Los Angeles County Museum of Art, July 2009. (Photo via Betty Birney’s Blog.)
Don’t you think something like this would make a unique room divider?

Plastic, strung. Installation at Los Angeles County Museum of Art, July 2009. (Photo via Betty Birney’s Blog.)

Don’t you think something like this would make a unique room divider?

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