Rethinking and Reusing

I have been thinking,sometimes not a good thing, about on how to reuse cardboard or other recyclable items in crafts. The amount of newspaper and plastic that we recycle every week amazes me. There has to be something else we can do with it. Then in the mail comes Do It Yourself magazine and they have some great ideas for some recyclable items. First are these painting, they are old paper bags (if you still get them at the store) but I guess you could use newspaper or cardboard as well.

A very simple idea of three strips of color and framed in white. I might have to try this before I throw out another piece of cardboard. Another idea is to take a leftover core from a roll of ribbon and make a bracelet out of it.

I thinking I might have done this in Girl Scouts years ago with photos from magazines, but with all the fabric scraps that I have I could make at least ten! Just some ideas to get my brain thinking in a direction for now and see what it can come up with! Just while I was typing this I had an idea! I will sure to post later in the week!

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Ipad Pillow Stand

I like to watch tutorials on my Ipad and although I have a cover that converts to a stand, it isn't always the best solution for viewing. So I decided to make one of my own inspired by these Iphone stands I found on Etsy. They are sold by dognamedbanjo and are really unique and lovely. So I thought I could make one similar to it and here is how i did it. First I started with a 1 yard of a fabric in my two favorite colors. Then I cut the following pieces 1 Pc 13" x 13" 1 pc 29 x 13" 2 Triangle pieces 13" x 13" x 13" Next I sewed the top square to the two triangles. This is will be the sides and the base. Next I took the large rectangular piece and sewed it to the bottom of the square. Now I don't have photos of the last few steps since once it start forming a pillow it is difficult to photograph, but the process is not that difficult. Next I sewed each side of the the rectangle to one side of the triangle on both s

Neck Tie Upcycled to Cuff

I found a large stash of Neck ties at an Estate Sale this past weekend and I had to buy them since I had the perfect idea for an upcycle project. They were mostly from a long since closed store here in Buffalo,NY and I felt the need to preserve them as well as the tags. I started by washing them on gentle and removing them immediately and laying flat to dry. They came out a little disfigured but nothing that a little ironing wouldn't fix. Next I took a seam ripper and opened up the back to take out the interfacing. I did this for two reasons, it was discolored and had a little odor and it would be easier to sew without this bulk. I next cut the tie into a piece 10" long and hemmed the edge. Then I sewed two pieces of velcro to each side to make my cuff. The last step was to sew on a few antique buttons and beads and my cuff was done. Wow! Looking at this I can't believe how it turned out!.But wait... I made a few more! Love this one.. Antique Maple leave button and golden

Ultra Mini Dress Form

My obsession with mannequins continued this week when I remembered a free pattern for a tiny dress form pin cushion that I saw back in January. It's a two page download at www.thediydish.com with a video that takes you thru step by step of the process. I wanted to make a few of these for my craft room but thought they would also look lovely adorned with my recycled jewelry. So I started by selecting a few fabrics in colors that I love. Blues and greens are my favorite and make me feel like spring is not far away. After cutting and sewing the simple patterns and easy instructions (via video), I had these three stunning ladies in my craft room. They require very little fabric and can be mounted on candle sticks or spools. I made the long green dress form about 4" longer than the pattern since I wanted a bit of height and enough space to hang pedants. I added glass drawer knobs and beads for the neck inserts. I then added a few necklaces. I chose just a

Janet of All Trades

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