Can create something new. I have been working on this for a while and it's finally done. It used to be a tea container. Now it's a knitting needle holder. It has a lid, so one day I may do that up and make it into a pincushion top for this. For now it will hold my needles.
This is all hand stitched, using sweater scraps for the tree and the tree is from my neighbors quilting scraps. The purple fabric I took out of the trash from one of my jobs! Seriously, every change of season they would throw the fabric out! Men! I'm very happy with it!
Happy Thanksgiving to everyone who stops by!!! Hope you have a wonderful day! We finally have snow, so it feels like Thanksgiving is finally here. Took long enough!
Showing posts with label recycle. Show all posts
Showing posts with label recycle. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Repurposing
So today when I couldn't find my glue I decided to clean my one Tupperware drawer on wheels. It's probably Rubbermaid but it will always be Tupperware to me! Well I have a lot of stuff and not enough containers for it all. Some stuff is in plastic bags but the bags are too big and they always end up with holes in them. Not fun if you are dealing with beads and don't know about it. Especially when walking across a room.
So I decided to get some of the containers I have, that were empty and use them. I kept my phone box because I love how it folds up. Hand and hair gel containers hold beads. The red container is an old Sucrets locking box. In the middle is a tin ornament container plus a lip gloss tin which now holds my stitch markers. Then the blue and white container on the left is an old Everest gum container. I do love when manufactures use metal containers. I have more around the house but I didn't think you wanted to see my Altoids tins or the little Victoria Secret tin I got one Christmas that had little cinnamon mints in it.
I would like to decorate them and make them mine but can't decide how to. I thought decoupage or making shrinky dinks to glue on the outsides, tissue paper or even something else I haven't thought of.
So if you repurpose items what do you use and do you decorate them?
I finally started knitting one of the punk rock sock yarn skeins. I may have pictures but please don't hold your breath. Taking care of 2 puppies is kind of tiring. Plus I have until next weekend to work my 10pm-4am shifts. I can't wait to stop working at 4am. I'm hoping it will happen. I will have to get up at 7am to meet my SIL, to get her puppy. The puppies are doing great. We are only having minor accidents and that's because my daughter thinks it's more important to put on shoes than pick the puppy up. We explained to her that there is NOOO way the puppy will pee on her while she puts her shoes on. On the other hand the puppy may pee on the shoes she is putting on because he can. Then she will wish she picked him up!
Working the a partial overnight is kind of scary. The store is open 24/7 and we get some characters in there. Like last night this older gentleman comes in dressed like an undertaker and asks me if we sell underwear. Now I work in a grocery store and I don't know where he is from but this kind of thing is only found in department stores. So I thought he was some kind of pervert because I was getting that kind of eww feeling from him. You know where your brain goes WARNING, WARNING, WARNING WILL ROBINSON. Okay my brain doesn't say Will Robinson but the robot voice does go off in my head. Maybe he was talking about Depends but then why wouldn't you ask for adult underwear or Depends???
So I decided to get some of the containers I have, that were empty and use them. I kept my phone box because I love how it folds up. Hand and hair gel containers hold beads. The red container is an old Sucrets locking box. In the middle is a tin ornament container plus a lip gloss tin which now holds my stitch markers. Then the blue and white container on the left is an old Everest gum container. I do love when manufactures use metal containers. I have more around the house but I didn't think you wanted to see my Altoids tins or the little Victoria Secret tin I got one Christmas that had little cinnamon mints in it.
I would like to decorate them and make them mine but can't decide how to. I thought decoupage or making shrinky dinks to glue on the outsides, tissue paper or even something else I haven't thought of.
So if you repurpose items what do you use and do you decorate them?
I finally started knitting one of the punk rock sock yarn skeins. I may have pictures but please don't hold your breath. Taking care of 2 puppies is kind of tiring. Plus I have until next weekend to work my 10pm-4am shifts. I can't wait to stop working at 4am. I'm hoping it will happen. I will have to get up at 7am to meet my SIL, to get her puppy. The puppies are doing great. We are only having minor accidents and that's because my daughter thinks it's more important to put on shoes than pick the puppy up. We explained to her that there is NOOO way the puppy will pee on her while she puts her shoes on. On the other hand the puppy may pee on the shoes she is putting on because he can. Then she will wish she picked him up!
Working the a partial overnight is kind of scary. The store is open 24/7 and we get some characters in there. Like last night this older gentleman comes in dressed like an undertaker and asks me if we sell underwear. Now I work in a grocery store and I don't know where he is from but this kind of thing is only found in department stores. So I thought he was some kind of pervert because I was getting that kind of eww feeling from him. You know where your brain goes WARNING, WARNING, WARNING WILL ROBINSON. Okay my brain doesn't say Will Robinson but the robot voice does go off in my head. Maybe he was talking about Depends but then why wouldn't you ask for adult underwear or Depends???
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Another Gift Done!
I finished my hot water bottle cover and probably took only 6 hours or less.
I used an old cashmere sweater someone had given me for the body. So it is super soft. The green stalks used to be cashmere socks. The flowers another soft sweater and the flower centers old yarn. I outlined the stalks with left over yarn too. The buttons are from my grandmothers collection of old buttons. The ribbon I bought for another project and I put pearl beads to keep the ribbon from getting pulled out.
I used an old cashmere sweater someone had given me for the body. So it is super soft. The green stalks used to be cashmere socks. The flowers another soft sweater and the flower centers old yarn. I outlined the stalks with left over yarn too. The buttons are from my grandmothers collection of old buttons. The ribbon I bought for another project and I put pearl beads to keep the ribbon from getting pulled out.
The sweater was obviously a turtleneck that had been felted. I sewed the neck down so it wouldn't move around. Then sewed the ribbon on. Since the turtle neck was a little loose, I decided to put two ribbons and not one in the middle. This sweater was one where they have an extra shoulder seam. Instead of having a front and a back match up. There was fabric in between. I started cutting the sweater on the bottom to fit the hot water bottle. Which was a mistake with this kind of sweater. I should have started from the shoulder and worked down. The sweater is ribbed, so the line I was following curves in towards the neck. By working that from the bottom, I miss gauged where I was cutting and my front and back didn't match up. So I fudge it and folded the shoulder seam like a gift. Sewed that together and then started hand sewing down. I could done the sides on my sewing machine but didn't want to take a chance since I had already goofed up.
I love making flowers. So I grabbed a loose silk flower and used it as a pattern. I sewed the flowers in place and felted the yarn centers. I then tried to felt the green cashmere sock on but the cashmere wouldn't felt to the cashmere. So I decided to use yarn to sew it on. It was rough on my fingers. The fabric is fine and thick, so the needle and thread struggled to go through. Then I put the buttons on and cut holes. I think it came out good. My fingers are too tired to add leaves or balance the picture. Not everything has to balance anyways. This is definitely a project anyone can do.
So don't throw out those old sweaters.
I love making flowers. So I grabbed a loose silk flower and used it as a pattern. I sewed the flowers in place and felted the yarn centers. I then tried to felt the green cashmere sock on but the cashmere wouldn't felt to the cashmere. So I decided to use yarn to sew it on. It was rough on my fingers. The fabric is fine and thick, so the needle and thread struggled to go through. Then I put the buttons on and cut holes. I think it came out good. My fingers are too tired to add leaves or balance the picture. Not everything has to balance anyways. This is definitely a project anyone can do.
So don't throw out those old sweaters.
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Creating What I Can't Find
Last year I had this idea to make an acorn wreath. Using a grapevine wreath as the starting point. I went to Jo-ann's and couldn't find any grapevine wreaths. They were on sale too and I was really bummed out.
I waited until fall to make my own grapevine wreath. Grapevines grow well in my neighbor's yard. They grow straight up and took a little work to pull them down. I didn't know how big I wanted it to be. So I wrapped it around my arm and kept wrapping until I was happy with what I got.
Then I needed acorns, which are abundant in my neighbors yard too!
Then I used a hot glue gun to attach the acorns. I have never used one before so I had to reattach some of the acorns. I didn't know globbing it on works best.
The results...
I couldn't leave it like this without adding a little fairy magic!
Details, the only fairy I'm keeping is the fall colored one. There will be more made for the different seasons. Plus I may borrow the one's I made for my daughter.
I really like how it came out. It was really fun figuring out where to put the acorns!
I waited until fall to make my own grapevine wreath. Grapevines grow well in my neighbor's yard. They grow straight up and took a little work to pull them down. I didn't know how big I wanted it to be. So I wrapped it around my arm and kept wrapping until I was happy with what I got.
Then I needed acorns, which are abundant in my neighbors yard too!
Then I used a hot glue gun to attach the acorns. I have never used one before so I had to reattach some of the acorns. I didn't know globbing it on works best. 
The results...I couldn't leave it like this without adding a little fairy magic!
Details, the only fairy I'm keeping is the fall colored one. There will be more made for the different seasons. Plus I may borrow the one's I made for my daughter.
I really like how it came out. It was really fun figuring out where to put the acorns!
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