Making Fused Plastic March 12th, 2013 I’ve been wanting to experiment with fused plastic for ages so what better place to try it out than here on Tutorial Tuesday and share my experiences with you. I’ve got lots of plastic bags stored in the kitchen from a few online supermarket deliveries we’ve done since Milo was born and I’ve just never got round to taking them back to the supermarkets for recycling. As I was experimenting and learning at the same time, the images in the tutorial below show different bags all at different stages – I hope it’s not too confusing! What you will need: - Sharp Scissors - Plastic Bags - Iron - Ironing Board - Greaseproof Paper - Large Wooden Chopping Board - Metal Ruler - Craft Knife - Cutting Mat Step One The first thing you need to do is lay your plastic bag out flat and cut off the bottom and the top so that you’re left with a large tube of plastic. Stretch and flatten this out and put aside. Step Two Step Three Build up the layers. Step Five Step Six
Festive Stars made from Recycled Drinks Cans November 1st, 2011 I’m preparing for a couple of craft fairs (details coming soon) at the moment and decided to have a go at making some Festive decorations by recycling some drinks cans I’ve been collecting. I found this tutorial the other day and thought I could adapt it to me own needs. So here goes… What you will need: - Empty drinks cans - Scissors - Craft Knife - Ball point pen or an embossing tool with a fine point - Sharp pointy thing – not sure what the name of this tool is! Step One First you need to get a star shape printed onto paper or card and cut out. Step Two Next you need to cut the tops and bottoms off your drinks can and give the insides a good clean – I used a craft knife to do this as well as scissors – be careful of sharp edges! Step Three Put a bit of sticky tape (rolled up) onto the back of your cardboard star and stick this to the silver side of your can and draw around it – I use my sharp pointy tool to do this but you could also do it with a fine permanent marker.
Alice's Soda Can Bookmarks What does Wonderland's Alice have to do with Christmas? Absolutely nothing. Except that the same procedure with which I made her 'Drink me' bookmark I employed to make a more Christmas-y version. (PDFs of each design included.) First, the ingredients: An empty aluminum can (one per bookmark)White card stockMatt fixativeCraft knifeBone folder1/8” spring punch/eyelet setter and eyelet/s (I have this one) Straight edgeCutting matBlack perle cotton or crochet cottonSmall silver bell or jingle bell for the Christmas option and one large and one small silver bead for the non-Christmas onePDF of the Christmas version or the 'Drink me' version available on my Scribd pageSticky-back tape220 grit sandpaper Step 1: Print the PDF image onto white card stock. Step 2: Cut the middle section of the aluminum can into one large sheet. Step 3: Using your straight blade and craft knife, miter each of the corners of your aluminum. Step 4: Step 5: Place your straight edge along the long side of the image/print.
DIY: Gift Bags Made from Recycled Envelopes By Jessica Jones, How About Orange Find an envelope of any size. (I embellished these by printing a label on the front of them first. You can use my design if you want; these PDFs are set up according to how my printer feeds envelopes through. 1. 2. 3. 4. 8 Clever Uses for Plastic Straws Have you ever pried a straw out of the mouth of a young child, only to find it macerated and dripping in saliva? Let’s all let out a collective “eeeewww.” In general, my “clever uses” articles are meant to teach people how to get a second use out of something disposable. In the case of straws, I’m honestly going to have to suggest that you be very picky about which straws you reuse. I really don’t expect anyone to reuse chewed up, spit-covered drinking straws. Now: It is not too gross to wash plastic drinking straws and save them for DIY projects. When the plastic drinking straws are clean and dry and you’ve amassed a decent-sized collection, try your hand at one of the following projects. Drinking straw lamp shade: The L.A. The straw cluster chandelier: Design Sponge featured a spiky-looking straw cluster chandelier. Woven coasters: According to Country Living, woven drinking straws are a great material to make coasters from. Do you have any great uses for drinking straws?
Clawfoot Bathtub To Sofa Tutorial Guys, I don’t have an eye for good junk. It stinks. I love seeing the fun finds some of my friends like Mandi, KariAnne and Brooke seem to come up with on their trips out. You better believe after seeing Ariean’s bathtub to sofa project, I will be stalking her finds as well! In the meantime, she’s here with her bathtub to sofa tutorial… Hello, SYTYC Readers! Here’s what I started with…An old Cast Iron Bathtub with peeling paint, but in very good condition! How did I do it? 1 & 2. : Measure and mark where you would like the cut out for the sofa. 3: Using a Quickie Saw, cut along the lines. 4: Smooth the edges using an angle grinder. 5: All done! 1 & 3: Using a hand held scraper, I scraped as much of the old paint as I could. 2: After scraping as much as I could, I used Laquer Thinner to remove even more paint. 4: I used Press and Seal (similar to Saran Wrap) to seal down the bottom edge of the tub. 5. Yay! 1: First, I sprayed the tub with two coats of spray paint primer.
Welcome to Miomade - the home of creative recycling! Jewellery, Stationery, Accessories and Decorations made from recycled materials! 3 No-Sew Ways to Restyle Old T-shirts Whether or not you’re ready to admit it, summer break is fast approaching – the kids are home and you’re going to have to think of a million ways to entertain them over those long, drawn-out weeks! But don’t fret! There are tons of fun and, wait for it, (almost) free ways of keeping your little ones out of trouble throughout the summer. And, dare I say it; you might even find yourself enjoying the chaos too! One fun and cheap activity you can do with your kids this summer is restyle old t-shirts, which not only keeps your kids occupied, but it also makes a dent in those useless stacks of old t-shirts hanging around. If you’re anything like me, you’ll have plenty of old t-shirts folded in a forgotten drawer somewhere, and the only thing wrong with them will be that they’ve been outgrown. 1. This one is geared a little more towards the daughters, but would also make a really cute gift for any little Jacks or Jasons to give to their moms/sisters/grandmas! 1. Easy and effective! 2. 1. 3. 1.
Metal Flowers Picture Tutorial I am just in love with my metal flowers!! Love making them in all different sizes and shapes. Getting better at each time! So many ways you can use them. Hope the picture tutorial will help you make some pretty ones too! Enjoy! Using a scrapbook brad, secure your flowers together. After this project, I end up with a lot of soda can bottoms. Found a way to use some of them by making this upcycle project!! Charmander Plushie Ok, well. After many requests I finally managed to get around to making a Charmander. I know the pictures are terrible, but hey I'm not a photographer and neither my camera OR the weather are cooperating at the moment. So it's inside photos for now y'all... I'll try to get some other pics soon. This pattern has two different 'versions'. Should you find any problems or typos, please let me know and I'll fix it as quickly as possible :D As always, if you have any questions, feel free to ask I'll get back with ya as soon as I can! Charmander WW yarn in pumpkin (or similar color) and tan/natural G hook Fiberfill Felt scraps in black, blue, white, yellow, red and orange Sewing needle and thread in colors close to the felt colors Yarn Needle Gauge isn't terribly important on this project, as long as your choice of yarn and hook and your individual tension result in an even, firm stitch so that the stuffing won't come through. Attach yarn to a corner of Row 1. F/O. HANDS/ARMS (make 2):
DIY Upcycled Easter Egg Bunting Recently, I’ve been making an effort to experiment with materials I have on hand. I’ve been playing around with paperboard – mainly because I drink a LOT of soda water and go through a TON of paperboard boxes. I started by creating an illustration using paperboard cutouts and fabric. I had so much fun with it, there will certainly be more of those to come. It is truly amazing what you can do with so little – I love that. Working on the illustrations inspired me to create these little egg cutouts – fun! Look at how much fun it is to pick out each egg’s design – endless variation. Go check out the how-to at Poppytalk – you’ll be glad you did.
DIY Triangle Shelves Photo: A Beautiful Mess This fun little project comes via the ladies over at A Beautiful Mess, combining the love of collectables, with the modern twist. Printers trays are back in fashion (though avid collectors will say they've always been in style!) You'll find step-by-step instructions and photos at the link below. DIY Triangle Shelves via A Beautiful Mess Tagged : How-To, shelves, wall art, DIY Triangle Shelves Material : wood Design Style : colorful, contemporary, minimalist, scandinavian Techniques : woodworking Room : bedroom, Dining room, Entryway & Hall, Kid's Room, Kitchen, living room, Office & Workspace Decor Element : wall art