Category Archives: Upcycling

Make a Garden Sign Out of a Recycled Produce Crate

Conservation, Gardening, Graphic Design, Upcycling, , , , , , , , , ,
Make a Garden Sign Out of a Recycled Produce Crate
Make a Garden Sign Out of a Recycled Produce Crate

In a previous article I described stenciling with paint on a wood garden sign. That works great if you don’t want a lot of small words but I found myself in need of some new garden signs that would require a lot of text on them. I decided to find a way to computer generate the text and put it on a weatherproof sign. In the past I had purchased produce from a co-op and had saved a couple of the thin wood crates thinking they would be useful for garden markers of some kind. I decided to make small signs from this wood and print out my text on clear acetate and attach that to the signs with brads.

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Stencil a Wood Garden Sign

Gardening, Tutorials, Upcycling, , , , , , , , , , , ,
Me with wood garden signs that I made along with supplies I used to make them. I'll be demonstrating stenciling at Schnarr's Ladies' Night, April 30th, 2015.
Me with wood garden signs that I made along with supplies to make them. I’ll be demonstrating stenciling at Schnarr’s Ladies’ Night, April 30th, 2015.

How would you like a practical and decorative wooden sign for your yard or garden? Stencils are handy for such a project because they are available in letters, numbers and lots of fun decorative designs.

Read more on the Schnarr’s Blog – Stencil a Wood Garden Sign

Make an Insulator Votive Candle Lantern

Home Decor, Tutorials, Upcycling, , , , , , , , ,
Votive candle lanterns made from glass insulators
Votive candle lanterns made from glass insulators

Do you collect glass insulators? I often see them for sale in antique shops and there are several web sites with information for insulator collectors. I’ve always found them attractive looking and I thought they’d be even more interesting if made into something functional. Flameless votive candles are a lot of fun (and safe) to incorporate into your decor. In this project I’ll show you how to make a glass insulator into a flameless candle lantern.

Read More: http://schnarrsblog.com/make-an-insulator-votive-candle-lantern/

Upcycle a Metal Tin with Decoupage

Home Decor, Mixed Media, Paper Crafts, Rubber Stamping, Tutorials, Upcycling, , , , , , ,
Decorative Upcycled Metal Tin
Decorative Upcycled Metal Tin

A lot of gifts and products come in decorative metal tins. Usually I don’t like the design already on the tin and prefer to cover it with something else. Turn a humdrum tin into a treasure with decoupage!

What you will need:
Images on paper to decoupage
Scissors
Scrap paper
Metal ruler
Optional: rubber stamps
Timber Brown StazOn stamping ink
Metal tin
Sandpaper
Rag
Small flat paintbrush
Water container
Paint palette with wells
Old credit card
Water based matte medium (if you prefer a glossy surface, use gloss medium)
Aleene’s Turbo Tacky Glue
Sponge
Metallic Silver StazOn or other silver paint appropriate for metal
Silver Ribbon
Cardstock

  1. To begin, gather together paper pieces with imagery that you like. This project will work best if they are on thin, opaque paper (not tissue paper). For my sample I wanted to create decorative tins for the bath, so I collected nostalgic images with a bath and personal products theme. Some of my images were downloaded from the Internet and printed for me at an office supply store. Some were cut out of magazines and catalogs, some vintage, some newer. Others were purchased from craft suppliers.You can also stamp images onto paper with permanent ink, such as the StazOn Timber Brown I used in this project. I stamped words from the rubber stamp set “Products on the Kitchen and Bath” onto narrow strips of torn scrap paper. Use any color of stamping ink you like as long as it is waterproof.
  2. Trim the images and cut to the size you want to use. Some images will look better cut out cleanly, some look good torn by using your metal ruler as a straight edge. You can also cut some with decorative paper edging scissors for variety. This project looks best if you prepare images in a variety of sizes.
  3. If you have any pieces larger than 1 inch square, there is a risk of the paper wrinkling as you apply it. Here is how to prevent wrinkling. Put down some scrap paper to protect your work surface. Pour a little matte medium into one of the paint wells. Paint the larger paper pieces on one side. Let dry, then flip over and paint the other side and let dry. Now they are ready to apply, wrinkle free!
  4. Prepare the tin to accept the paper – Sand the tin to rough up the painted surface to better accept the glued on pieces. Wipe of the dust with a damp rag. Let it dry.

    Applying paper to tin
    Applying paper to tin
  5. Now for the fun part, applying the paper pieces! For now, set aside the lid and only work on the body of the tin. Squeeze out some Aleen’s Turbo Tacky Glue into one of the paint wells. Start with larger paper pieces first – brush some tacky glue onto the back of each, then smooth in place on the body of the tin with your fingers (we’ll be using a different technique for the lid so set the lid aside for now). If you have to, roll the handle of your brush over the paper after you apply it or burnish with the edge of an old credit card to force any excess glue out and make the paper bond tightly to the tin with no gaps. You don’t have to worry about wiping or brushing away any excess glue if you don’t have big globs of glue oozing out – it will dry clear. Repeat this process until the whole bottom portion of the tin is covered. Let dry, then coat with a varnish of matt medium.
  6. Now we’ll work on the lid and a silver ribbon to wrap around the bottom edge of the tin. Sponge silver StazOn ink or other paint or ink of your choice around the edge of the lid and about a half inch onto the top. Cut two pieces of silver ribbon that are long enough to go around a tin one time. Tape them to a piece of scrap paper and sponge them with the silver ink or paint too – even though the ribbon is already silver it’s best to match it to the ink.
  7. Once the silver ribbon is dry, glue it around bottom edge of the tin with Tacky Glue.
  8. When the silver paint on the lid is dry, varnish lid and body of the tin with matte varnish.

    Collage on cardstock
    Collage on cardstock
  9. Get a piece of cardstock and decoupage it all over with more pieces of decorative paper. Let dry and coat with matte varnish.

    Circles of collaged cardstock ready to glue onto lids
    Circles of collaged cardstock ready to glue onto lids
  10. When the cardstock is dry, cut out a circle that is big enough to cover any unpainted areas of the lid. Glue down this paper circle with Tacky Glue, and let dry with a weight on top to keep it flat. You’re done!

    Another finished tin
    Another finished tin

Why I Send New Year Cards Instead of Christmas Cards

Art, Graphic Design, Holiday Crafts, Paper Crafts, Upcycling, , , ,

horizontal_strip_all_four_web

For about 10 years I have sent cards to celebrate the New Year instead of Christmas. Why do I do this?

One reason is that I like to design my own cards, and everyone on my list does not celebrate Christmas, so a New Year card saves me from having to design multiple cards and remembering who celebrates Christmas and who does not. Another reason is that it’s different, and I never mind being different. Still another is that I make a lot of my own Christmas gifts and it’s difficult getting the gifts AND cards done all at one time.

But the main reason is that the act of designing the cards reminds me of one of the best Christmas/New Year holiday seasons of my entire life and by making the cards I can have a private celebration of that memory to give me hope for the year to come. I was still in college and I had recently completed one of those design class projects where you are assigned to depict the four seasons in an abstract manner. We did one set with paint, and another with collage papers. I was really enthusiastic about the project because I love to work abstract and I especially enjoyed the collage part.

I was still fired up about collages when Christmas break of 1988 came around and I didn’t want to stop doing them. During the break between Christmas and New Year I had some rare time off from both work and school and I was able to work on some projects just because I wanted to do them. My uncle had given me a new Devo tape (one of my favorite groups of the 80s) for a Christmas gift and I listened to that over and over while I worked on several collages that I was really pleased with. I thought they were the best work I had ever done up to that point and I used ideas I developed during those few days for spinoff projects for some time to come. One of the pieces was a collection of “thumbnail” collages in a Mid-Century modern style that I still keep in my studio and still periodically get ideas from. I will never forget what that burst of creativity was like, it’s hard to describe but I felt fully alive and purposeful for one of the first times in my life. It’s a feeling I’m always working to recapture and I do succeed from time to time but it is not easy to get “in the zone” like that.

For this year’s design I decided to do a four seasons treatment, using collage in a sort of DADA/Constructivist style. Those kinds of pieces are typically either chilling, disturbing or both so I watered down the type if imagery I’d normally use for that type of collage because I wanted to convey a positive feeling about the New Year! I used my collage paper collection that I’ve been building up since 1985 and mostly let the colors carry the message. I did a little bit of editing with the computer after scanning the collages to finish  them off and size them for cards. Each card recipient is going to get one of the four seasons at random this time, instead of everyone on the list getting the same card. I wish everyone a creative New Year in 2015!

If you want to see what handmade greeting cards I have for sale, go to http://carolynsstampstore.com/catalog/handmade-carolyn-c-47.html

Making Convertible Bracelets

Beads and Jewelry, Upcycling, , , , , ,

One of my favorite pastimes is to take apart jewelry that I purchased from thrift stores and make new things out of it. When I do this, I end up with a lot of odds and ends of chain. It occurred to me that some of these chain pieces could be the foundation of a convertible bracelet design.

convertible_bracelets
Three strands of different silver colored chain make a good base for a convertible bracelet.

In this example, I linked three lengths of chain together with a small jump ring on one end with a lobster clasp, and a larger jump ring on the other. The larger jump ring will be needed to accept multiple items clasped to it later. This bracelet can be worn as is, or used as a necklace extender.

convertible_bracelets_set1

Next I made some parts that I can attach to give the bracelet a different look. I made a narrow strand of small beads with small lobster clasps at each end, and a dangle that consists of three silver colored beads on head pins attached to a small jump ring and a small lobster clasp. The picture on the right shows the bracelet with the convertible parts attached – I twisted the bead strand around the bracelet and clipped it to the jump rings at each end, and clipped the dangle to the large jump ring.

convertible_bracelets_set2

I had so much fun with the previous set that I made another, this time with two strands of beads. These short bead strands could also be used as necklace extenders and the dangles could be attached to necklaces in strategic places as well. Think of all the different combinations you could have fun with! See my tutorial on convertible necklaces for more convertible jewelry ideas!

How many of those Pinterest projects have you made?

Beads and Jewelry, Upcycling, , , , , , , , , ,

That’s a question I asked myself after listening to a discussion on that topic on a crafting podcast. Have I actually made any of these projects that I’m pinning, and if so did they turn out much like the original? I spend a fair amount of time pinning, for both business reasons and because I enjoy it. I have a Pinterest board called Craft Ideas – has all this work of collecting attractive items to inspire me actually done any good? This past weekend I went on a jewelry bender and I thought it would be good practice for my motor skills to try to make versions of some of the projects on my Craft Ideas board and here are some of the results. I hope I added enough of my own touches not to make these a total rip-off!

Too bad I don’t have more than one key like this, I’m pleased with this result. Creator of the original: Jennifer Evans.


I didn’t have any large briolettes so I used more faux pearl and crystal beads and linked them together to make more volume.
Creator of the original: Joan Stowell.

I added dangling beads to the bottom of my fringe instead of using paddle headpins. Creator of the original: Stefanie .


I added longer strands of faux pearl and crystal beads to mine and to compensate for the extra length I used post earring findings instead of earwires. I also substituted faux leather cord for leather. Creator of the original: Lynda Carson.

I liked the idea of seed beads on wire wrapped around the bead, but I ended up just using a small scrap of chain to hold my dangles under the large bead instead. I’m going to revisit the seed bead on wire idea, but will need some lighter weight beads to try it on if I’m going to make earrings like in the picture. I decided the large faux pearl beads I had on hand were too heavy for earrings. Creator of the original: unknown.

Have you been inspired by something on Pinterest? Feel free to share a link to your original inspiration and a link to your finished project in the comments below!

Lots of new projects

Fabric and Fiber Arts, Mixed Media, Rubber Stamping, Upcycling, , , , , , , , , ,

I’ve been keeping busy with lots of new work – here are some samples of some projects in progress!

06-09-14 – Here is what is on my work table –
Using some of the stencil/embroidery fabric experiments to applique onto
the front of a wine bag to upcycle it. One piece is for the front and
one for the back. I’m sewing fabric pieces and ribbon onto pieces of
fusible webbing then will sew around the edges to attach to the pieces
to the front and back of the bag.

06-18-14 – On my work table today – greeting
cards right before all the parts are glued together. Techniques used –
collage, rubber stamping, stenciling. Some of the stencils are
commercial and some are designed and cut by me. Commercial stencils available here – http://carolynsstampstore.com/catalog/stencils-stenciling-supplies-c-45.html

06-22-14 – On my work table today – I cut
these stencils for a Day of the Dead project. Going to experiment with
some discharge paste on fabric.

06-23-014 – Plant trays in progress – doing a
little work on my deck this morning. On Saturday my Dad cut up some
recycled wood for me to make these trays and yesterday I nailed them
together and put wood filler in the cracks. This morning I
sanded them and lined the insides with roof cement. My intention is to
display plants in these at shows and fill in with black gravel to make a
nice uniform appearance. The roof cement is meant to make a waterproof
seal so I can water the plants and not have to worry about damaging
surfaces or putting little saucers under each one which takes up a lot
of room on the table. I want to put folding legs on these trays to
display the plants below table level in front of the tables and I’m
still working out the best way to do that. I was looking in the outdoor
storage closet for some wood pieces I might be able to use for the legs
and saw some folding chairs that came with the condo. In a pinch I could
set the larger tray on two of the chairs until I figure out the legs –
but that gave me another idea – what if I just made two sets each of
smaller and narrower folding legs without seat covers? That would work I
think. Could I put some kind of channel on the bottom to hold the legs
in place and let gravity do the rest? Then it would all fold down for
transport. These trays gave me another idea – what if I made these
without a wide rim but just enough to be level with a ceramic tile
mosaic and designed them to drain instead of hold water? Would make good
garden/patio accessories I think.

Experiments with rubber stamping on fabric

Fabric and Fiber Arts, Mixed Media, Rubber Stamping, Upcycling, , , , , , ,

This past weekend I had a lot of fun taking out fabric scraps and rubber stamping on them. Some of the stamps I used are from my Carolyn’s Stamp Store collection and some are stamps that I’ve hand carved and haven’t turned into a commercial product yet. Some of the geometric shapes used came from a Memory Essentials Terrific Tool & Tips set.

To get interesting backgrounds to stamp on, I experimented with brushing and sponging on Dye-Na-Flow paint and Crafter’s pigment inks. I did some masking with tape and also rolled some background stripes using a Memory Essentials Get Rollin’ tool.