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...

T-shirt Upcycle to Cardigan

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Ikea Magazine Re-do

I recently was at Ikea and purchased two set of FLYT Magazine holders. The completely white and come in packs of 5 for $1.99. I knew that I could spruce them up with something and had a perfect idea for them. This fabric panel that I purchased at an Estate sale a few weeks ago. It was one large curtain panel that really wanted to use as upholstery for something and the magazine holders were just the perfect match. I first assembled two and stapled them together. Next step was to lay them on my fabric to figure out how much I needed. The best thing about this fabric was that it had hemmed edges and it would make my Re-do look more finished. I cut the fabric about 2-3" longer at the top to make sure it covered the entire piece.Next I lined up the hemmed edge to the bottom and stapled it top and bottom. This okay since it's the back of the holder and I will cover it up later. As you see I had to open the bottom up so I could staple the bottom. Next I used good old Mod Podge...

Janet of All Trades

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