Wire & Paper Old Garage turned Mini Dream Home! | Hello there! It’s been a busy week with a trip to Seattle for the Picasso exhibition and a drive out to the coast but I knew I had to share this amazing remodel with you before the week came to a close. Everyone loves good makeovers and the ones involving tiny spaces, creative design and ingenious solutions are my all time favorites! The before… This lonely little detached garage is just begging for some love. The after! A cozy, light filled sleeping loft is so perfect for the space. The kitchen is well organized and accessible with open storage solutions. The rustic wood burning stove becomes sculptural in this room along with Michelle’s own art installations. The glass boxes housing pillow forms are actually a tribute to Michelle’s father. You know I am a big fan of great bathroom design and this one delivers. To finish our little home tour, I had to point out this old locker. Oh and just so you know…Michelle only spent $32,000 on the renovation! Have a lovely weekend!
DIY Succulent Pallet Table | Far Out Flora Max with the new Succulent Table. Can you believe that our latest DIY project was once just a couple of junky pallets and some scrappy table legs? Crazy…if I didn’t have photos, I wouldn’t believe it myself. Not too long ago, we whipped out a coffee table sized succulent table out of an old shipping crate. Now we scaled it up. The pallets. First bit of advice, deconstructing pallets are a big pain unless you have the right tools…and our hammer and wall scrapper wasn’t quite doing the trick. Couple good planks. Love the scares of time left on these chunks of pallet wood. Attaching the legs. After pulling apart two pallets, we used the 2 x 4 sized boards to make a rectangular frame to attached the appropriated table legs. Dry run for fittings. Like TV magic (and 2 days later), the table was more or less put together. Megan with some semps. After a weekend of slivers and sweat, we finally got to plant this baby. Getting messy. Packing them in. Yeah, we didn’t hold back on jamming them.
The Hipster Home & Blog Archive & How to Make a Tiny Terrarium in... - StumbleUpon Ahoy there Hipster Homers! I’m Julie and I’m the very first guest blogger on this fine site. Today’s project involves breaking stuff, plants, found objects, and miniatures. Let’s get started! Dos and Don’ts: Do use sand or small pebbles; these are good because water drains through them easily. How To: You’ll need a few tools to make a tiny terrarium but nothing complicated to get started. Needle-nose pliersScissorsLong tweezers or chopsticksFlathead screwdriverGlasses or goggles Let’s start with the light bulb. We will be removing the inside parts of the lightbulb. First, remove the metal tip from the bottom of the bulb. Then, when enough of the sides are raised to get a good grip on them, hold one of the sides with your pliers and yank out the metal tip. Next remove the black glass. Now you will be able to see the interior parts of the light bulb. Using the flathead screwdriver as a sort of lever, snap the interior tube from the side. Pull out any remaining wires with the pliers.
DIY Faux Curled Rosewood Wreath {Made From Rolled Recycled Book Pages} I have seen various versions of Faux Rosewood Wreaths in just about every store and catalog for the upcoming season; most with a price tag running upwards of $40 or more. Some are crafted of paper and other of real wood shavings. Last year I made a few rolled flower gift toppers from recycled book pages and they remind me so much of the curled wood roses I thought they would make a good substitute. Materials Needed:Foam Wreath FormRecycled Book PagesLots of Hot GlueRibbon to Hang The full step by step tutorial I posted last year can be found {here}.Basically you layer three book pages together and draw a spiral circle. Starting with the outside of the spiral, roll the paper inward to create the flower shape. Give the wreath form a light coat of white {or light color} spray paint to help camouflage any see-through spaces. It seriously takes quite a few roses to fill the entire wreath, however I think the finished project has such a unique look. {Simply Lovely}
Altered thrift store art: Some personal faves Unknown, via Reddit. Banksy, via Flickr user goldenticket. It’s a simple idea: Find some bad art, whether original or a print, for a song at a thrift store, then modify it to make, if not “better art,” then at least something that’s more entertaining to look at. (Is it the same thing? Yeah, that sounds like a productive argument.) Anyway. Etsy seller loudxmouse. Banksy, via Flickr user Darrell Godliman. Reportedly Banksy, via Reddit. Banksy, via Flickr user poly_mnia. Banksy, via Flickr user SteeveeGee. Woodgill at Monocol’s Etsy shop. Did I miss a good one? Related
Small Footprint, Big Yield: Create an Easy Micro Organic Urban Garden Today! | Urban Gardens | Unlimited Thinking For Limited Spaces April 28, 2009 by Robin Plaskoff Horton There are two things urban gardeners are short on: space and time. The Urban Garden, brainchild of Bill Arquitt, resolves both of these issues, making it efficient and simple to plant a vegetable garden with up to 55 plants in a 3-foot deep by 4-foot wide footprint. The contained six level tiered system is nearly maintenance-free, eliminating heavy weeding, and its northwestern cedar construction renders it naturally bug repellent. Quick! Call the Seed Bomb Squad | Urban Gardens | Unlimited Thinking For... January 6, 2010 by Robin Plaskoff Horton Handmade from a mixture of eco-friendly, locally sourced and recycled materials such as used egg boxes, shredded office paper, organic compost and flower seeds, this bomb contains nothing flammable, though I wouldn’t board a plane with it hidden in your underpants. If you’ve resolved this New Year to become more engaged with your surroundings, to interact with the environment, then you might want to consider becoming a bomber. With Seedbom, a friendly bomb that grows, you can join forces with nature by becoming a guerilla gardener. As the manufacturer reassures, the bomb is made only from post consumer paper, used egg boxes, the occasional tea bag, natural waste plant fibers, organic compost, organic fertilizer, flower seeds, recycled card packaging, and…love.
A Bath Pouf. That, Um, Looks Like a Rose.... Have you ever had an idea, and you thought "That's awesome! It'll be so fantastic!!" and then you make it, and you realize that it's really kind of kooky? I was trying to think of something to do with these old towels I had. It's a bath pouf. But, I thought I would post it anyway, on the odd chance that someone might want to make one. And if not, please enjoy a laugh at my expense :o) What you do, is cut about 1.5 inches off one side of towel (to get that finished edge), and two circles out of the middle. Gently pull the bottom thread to gather your strip, pretty tightly.Sew it onto one of the circles in a spiral shape, starting on the outside. Cut a 1.5"x6" strip, and finish the edges with a tight zig-zag stitch. Then pin the two circles together, with your 7" strip laid across the bottom.Sew a tight zig-zag around the two circles, sewing right over each side of the strip on the bottom. Trim the edges of your handle to match the circle edges! There. Maybe it would be cute in a gift basket?
Top 10: Shelves And Shelving I recall an infomercial a few years back for a little plastic triangle that stuck in a corner, between two walls, to make a small corner shelf. I don’t remember the exact name of the product, but I do remember that the commercial exhausted all the obvious self/shelf puns: “shelf esteem,” “shelf confidence,” “shelf defense,” “shelf-employed,” etc., etc. So I’ll forgo the obvious opportunities this topic offers for shelf-referential humor and just get down to business. How-To: Turn Shelf Fungi Into Actual Shelves Bookshelf From Old Books How-To: Make Tetris Shelves How-To: Make an Invisible Bookshelf How-To: Build Your Own Secret Bookshelf Door Shelf Made From Back Issues of National Geographic Circular Bookshelf Perfect for Storing Philosophy Texts Ikea Hack Bookshelf Bench Sad Bookshelf is Sad… Shelf Pod is Both Bibliophile’s and Cat’s Dream House Did I miss a good one? Related
Apartment Gardening: Turn a Filing Cabinet Into a Planter - DIY Life - StumbleUpon Yes you can have a garden, even in an urban home. No yard is no excuse. "Apartment Gardening: Plants, Projects, and Recipes for Growing Food in Your Urban Home" is what every city-dweller with a green thumb needs. Author Amy Pennington explains how to make recycled planters from everything -- wine boxes to milk crates. And she even provides recipes so we know what to do with our edible blossoms. Minted arugula salad, anyone? Even if you're not living in an urban environment, you'll love the recipes and can easily use the project ideas for deck and indoor planting. Luckily, Pennington and the crew behind "Apartment Gardening" was kind enough to share a sneak peak of one of our favorite projects from the book. My friend Matthew Parker is one of those people who has vision. They don't cost much-in the neighborhood of fifty bucks-and while they are ugly to look at, if you remove the drawers and turn them onto their backs, they make an awesome planter. Directions 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.
my love for you… | sfgirlbybay Posted by my illustrious guest blogger //// 25 Comments hello everyone! it’s meighan from ml4u. this week i got a bit of a terrarium bug! they’ve been the rage for awhile, and i’ll admit i have totally bought into the little microcosm eco-world. i have always wanted to make one, but never found the time. so over the weekend my good friend, rae and i took a terrarium workshop class at workshop. it was all rae’s idea, and i am so glad she signed me up. it was so much fun and surprisingly calming and easy! i am fully addicted to making terrariums now, full stop. if you aren’t in the bay area and can’t make it to workshop. here are a bunch of images and links to help you with your terrarium needs. along with my final product. also, if you know of other faves, feel free to comment! wendilands minimalist terrarium kits are both beautiful and pretty funny. perfect for your black thumb and ‘serenity now’ moments.