10 (More) Pieces of Clever Transforming Furniture: From Tetris Tables to Rooms in a Box Room in a Box: 10 Pieces of Clever Transforming Furniture Article by Urbanist, filed under Furniture & Decor in the Design category. (Check out our complete collection of Unusual, Creative and Transforming Furniture.) Why is transforming furniture so alluring? Does it appeal to our sense that innovation is progress, the fact that fewer materials for more uses is sustainable or simply a return to the childhood love of things that we can actively change and shape as we wish? This comfy number is not one nor two but three pieces of furniture in one: a sofa, lounger and a chair. Normally we think of convertible furniture as transforming from one useful thing into something else with a practical function. Next time you go on a picnic with some friends you may want to grab a second basket, the so-called Mealbox by Igland Design. Compact, clever and portable, the Fence Chair by Alain Berteau is a simple blend of traditional picket fence vernacular and sustainable modularity.
Booze it Up! 13 Rad Recycled Bottle Crafts & Projects Got a recycling bin full of glass bottles? Why waste them when you could have a new table lamp, candle holder, shelving unit, hummingbird feeder, glass countertop, building block – even a whole glass-bottle house? Reuse beer, wine and liquor bottles for these 13 fun and creative crafts and upcycling projects ranging up to a recycled bottle home and garden. Wine Bottle Table Lamp (images via: wit and whistle) Turning any wine bottle into a table lamp is as simple as drilling a hole and inserting a strand of lights. Wine Bottle Candle Holder (image via: design sponge) How simple and elegant are these DIY wine bottle candle holders? Wine Bottle Shelves (images via: renest) Would you ever have thought of using wine bottles and slabs of wood to create a shelving unit? Bottle Trees (images via: recyclart, metaefficient, examiner) Turn your holiday tree into an ode to beer (or perhaps just a sparkling green alternative to a living tree) using reclaimed empty bottles. Beer Bottle Drinking Glasses
How to Repair Wooden Furniture Surfaces: Tips" Because veneer is only a thin layer of wood attached with glue to a solid base, it is very vulnerable to damage on wooden furniture. On old furniture, the glue that holds the veneer is often not water-resistant. Prolonged humidity or exposure to water can soften the glue, letting the veneer blister, crack, or peel. In most cases, as long as the veneer layer is basically in good shape, the thinness that makes it damage-prone also makes it easy to repair. Blisters Small blisters in veneer can usually be flattened with heat. To protect the surface, set a sheet of wax paper and then a sheet of smooth cardboard on the surface, and cover the cardboard with a clean cloth. Check the surface every few minutes or so as you work, and stop pressing as soon as the blisters have flattened. Large blisters must usually be slit, because the veneer has swelled. Be careful not to use too much glue. Loose Veneer First, remove the residue of old glue left on the back of the veneer and on the base wood.
rolled paper flowers {tutorial} | jones design company Welcome to flower week – five days of simple and delightful flower projects. I could probably do three weeks of flowers because there are so many different ways to create them, but I’ve limited it to five of my current favorites. Before we get started, let me make a few disclaimers: 1. 2. 3. Okay, so let’s begin. Here’s what you’ll need: :: paper {either cover or text weight} :: florist wire :: scissors, pencil, glue gun STEP ONE: cut irregular circle This circle is approximately 8 inches, but you can do any size you wish. STEP TWO: cut spiral Start at the outside edge and cut in a spiral fashion to the center. I like a sort of bumpy shape so that the petals end up a bit irregular If you aren’t so sure about your cutting skills, feel free to draw your spiral before cutting. To add a little interest to my bouquet, I used a variety of yellow scrapbook papers {my favorite is that yellow dot} STEP THREE: roll your blossom start at the outside edge and coil tightly STEP FOUR: release coil
Unusual, Creative and Transforming Furniture Unusual, Creative and Transforming Furniture Ever wish you had a little more space in your apartment, or that your furniture was more than just functional? These days more and more designers are using unusual materials and new technologies to create transforming, collapsible, portable and sustainable furniture in all kinds of strange shapes and sizes. If you are thinking of redecorating you might want to skip your local shop and see what is out there on the web first. Transformable and Convertible Furniture (and More Collapsible Furniture) Can’t afford more space? These designs are perfect for a cramped urban apartment. Flat Pack Furniture: Going with flat pack furniture is another great way to save space as well as materials. Packing as Part of the Product: Another good way to save materials is to shop for items where the packing is actually an integrated part of the product.
Memorable Ways to Repurpose Old T-Shirts – Crafting a Green World Sewing Published on June 18th, 2010 | by Wenona Napolitano We all have them- those t-shirts we just can’t let go of. It could be a concert t-shirt from your favorite band, or a college shirt that remind you of the good ol’ days, or maybe it’s one of your child’s tiny tees that they’ve grown out of. But they don’t have to. If you have some craft and sewing skills you can turn your old t-shirts into upcycled, repurposed and memorable items. Like a pillow. There are instructions all over if you need them and Savvy Seams has a nice tutorial to turn a t-shirt into a zip off pillow cover to put over a form. Maiden Jane has a fancier tutorial for creating a pillow with the t-shirt and other fabric. If you have quite a few t-shirts you’d like to save, consider turning them into a quilt. I am considering collecting some of my kids old t-shirts and creating a quilt for each child. Goosetracks offers free DIY t-shirt quilt instructions and if you’re a non-sewer they offer quilt making services as well.
How To Give Veneer Tops New Life Chipped veneer is only part of the damage to this table edge. The layer between the tabletop and the finish veneer has come unglued, too. Veneer damage is a flaw you'll find commonly in old furniture, but one you can fix with surprisingly little trouble. “Veneer repair is an easy job for woodworkers of almost any skill level,” according to San Francisco furniture repair and refinishing wizard Jim Kull. “It just takes a few tools and some care.” With Jim's encouraging words in mind and his advice close at hand, we decided to give it a try. Spread glue between the layers with thin cardboard or plastic. Provide a solid base first Before we could repair the veneer, we had to get rid of the wrinkles in the crossbanding. Clamp the edge layers. Then, using an old business card, we spread liquid hide glue between the layers, as shown above. Cut away the bad veneer A simple guide and a router fitted with a straight bit make it easy to cut the old veneer back to a clean, straight edge.
Perfect Summer Bangle Here's a fun tutorial on how to make a message bangle that's one-of-a-kind, done in the sun, waterproof and weatherproof. Even after several trips to the beach, it won't fade or wash off! Essentially, it's the Perfect Summer Bangle. Used in this tutorial: Inkodye Red Prepare. Transcribe. Perfect. Pour. Brush. Wipe. Wrap. Tape. Expose. Develop. Cut. Reveal. Wash. Enjoy. Transformable, Convertible & Collapsible Urban Furniture for Cramped City Living 10 Transformable, Convertible & Collapsible Urban Furnitures Article by Urbanist, filed under Furniture & Decor in the Design category. (Check out our complete collection of Unusual, Creative and Transforming Furniture.) Cramped? As cities become denser, we all find ourselves wishing we had more space at times, or wanting to make better use of the space we have. FlexibleLove is an amazing piece of furniture that is ecological, adaptable and highly practical. Tagei is a remarkably beautiful piece of craftsmanship, and somehow manages to be an attractive piece of furniture both when collapsed and extended. Scheren Regal presents an interesting shelving option. Futaba is a brilliantly simple design solution, and converts with amazing ease. ChairLibrary is perhaps a little garish but would certainly work for people whose houses are already overly filled with books. Mogga is a remarkably elegant chair that turns into a table. Next: More Convertible Urban Furniture
Finished Object: Recycled Magazine Butterfly Collage « Peacock Chic I love magazines. LOVE THEM!! I go the bookstore on a regular basis to find new ones that peak my interest. Don’t let me start another hobby because I will have acquired every magazine about the subject in order to saturate myself with information. Last year I signed up for 4 magazine subscriptions in an effort to curtail my investment in individual magazines and curb my visits to the bookstore. However, when I saw the The Butterfly Project at LollyChop via Craftzine I knew that at least a small part of my magazine collection (read: very small) would find new life via a pretty display of color. I bought the frame from JoAnn’s and my BFF allowed me to use here Martha Stewart punches that she bought from Micheal’s so I did not have to buy a set of my own only to use one time which would have negated the whole reuse effort. The project actually took me a few days to complete. …and agonizing over proper placement and color combinations…LOL. All in all a fun, quick, crafty reuse project.