Upcycling DIY home decor, woodworking and Crafts
Need a simple, quick, inexpensive handmade gift idea to check people off your list? This chevron friendship bracelet tutorial at By Wilma is just the answer. I just love the addition of the chain and toggle clasp to add a more modern look to the traditional friendship bracelet. The use of cotton yarn instead of embroidery thread makes this quicker to create, so you fear not, procrastinators!
For plenty more DIY bracelets, see SBLC’s bracelet tutorials, and our 50+ bracelet roundup!
I have moved right from Halloween to Christmas crafting, with little consideration for Thanksgiving. We are not hosting this year’s Thanksgiving get together, and I want a 100% handmade Christmas this year, so there is lots of work to be done for that! In the spirit of keeping the giving of thanks in mind, today I am pointing you to this wonderful chalkboard gratitude calendar DIY from Vanessa at Crafts Unleashed. This is just the project to help you keep a grateful heart.
You may want to check out 75+ Chalkboard Paint Projects:
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If you are planning to have handmade Christmas ornaments adorning your tree this year, it is time to start making! I have scoured the web to bring you my favorites to help you on your way.
These BoBunny stitched paper bird, tree and snowman ornaments are on the top of my list. How adorable are they? If you have a thing for stitched paper like I do, and these are right up your alley.
How about this precious hand painted Christmas penguin ornament at Little Gray Fox? Do you just need him? He makes me what to have a penguin themed tree and make like 50 of him. The tutorial is detailed, and looks simple enough. Oh happiness!
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Need some great handmade Christmas gifts that won’t break the bank? Today’s project is an adorable, virtually free Christmas ornament made from an aluminum can. I was recently gifted a cute coke can angel, and of course had to hack it. I came up with a template, which you can download and cut out to trace onto a can. The smaller winged angel takes only one can, no glue, and is easy to make! The version with the larger wings takes 2 cans, this Sizzix Angel Wings die, and super glue.
12 oz Soda Can
Large Beads for head
Seed Beads for Halo
Craft Wire 20 Gauge
Wire Cutter
Jewelry Pliers
Scissors for cutting Aluminum
Angel template
Sharpie
Craft knife
Needle Tool or Bead Reamer
Masking Tape (optional)
Tutorial:
For the larger wings, Cut out the template without the wings, fold can into cone shape then super glue larger wings onto back of angel.
To string your ornament for hanging on your tree, loop a piece of string through the halo and you are all set!
***As always, when cutting aluminum cans, be very careful. They are not as sharp as I thought they would be when I first began working with them, but obviously they are sharper than paper.
For more projects to make from recycled cans, make sure you check out our 60+ Recycled Can projects roundup! It will leave your recycling bin devoid of cans, and add to your upcycled handmade crafts for Christmas and year round gift giving.
I am in love with this stamped t-shirt project spotted at WhimseyBox. They used oil based block printing ink, available in their inclusive kit. I am wondering if fabric medium and acrylic paint would look this good? The arrow tail stamp pattern is sweet!
If you are in the mood for more t-shirt projects, check out our 50+ round-up:
I just can’t get enough of leaf crafts! That is why I just had to share this DIY autumn leaf bowl I found at Hello Lucky! See how it was made with just a few supplies, including my go to supply, Mod Podge.
For more leaf crafts, click the thumbnail:
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I inherited a box of junk from a friend who thought I would be able to create some lovelies with its contents. One of the items was a bicycle chain. I found a video (see below) on Threadbanger that I used to upcycle the bike chain into a bracelet. I used a large jump ring and clasp for my closure after popping the pin out at the correct chain length for my wrist. The video is pretty easy to follow.
Do you wish you could see how your room would look painted a certain color, before actually painting it? Let’s face it, paint swatches are nice in theory, but they don’t tell the whole story when it comes down to it. Now you can remove the guesswork from choosing the perfect color to fit your space, using the Olympic Paint Color Visualizer Tool. Become a color genius!
This tool is fantastic. You can take a photo of the room you want to paint, upload it, and easily choose from Olympic Paints hundreds of colors to virtually paint your ceilings, walls and trim. With the click of your mouse, you become a color genius! I went for the Designer Collections, then “Latest paint color trends” to find a color scheme for my living room in this example…
You simply choose the colors you want to try, upload the photo of your room, select walls and trim, and paint by dragging the color to the area! There is a 2 minute video tutorial that explains the simple process.
This makes planning room painting a cinch. I just find a few inspiration rooms for color ideas, upload my pic and paint the room virtually until I find what works for me. Pinterest is my go to spot for room inspiration (See my Room Color Inspiration board), and the Olympic Paint site has a ton of room and color inspiration. You can even download a mobile and desktop app for picking color with confidence. This is the perfect place to start for whatever the makeover.
Join me in liking Olympic on Facebook for even more color inspiration and to keep up with the latest trends.
Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Olympic. All opinions are 100% mine.
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This week’s 50+ brings you inspiration for putting old wooden crates to use. It reminds me a lot of the 50+ wood pallet round-up, which isn’t surprising. The major difference I see between the pallets and crates is that vintage crates can be pretty expensive, at least the ones I have seen. Wood pallets, on the other hand, are abundant and usually free in these parts. Lots of unique shelving and storage projects are included, along with some seriously outside of the box ideas.
Much like the pallet round-up, Donna from Funky Junk Interiors dominates the vintage crate projects. If you know Donna, you know that these wooden crate stairs scream Funky Junk Interiors. While we are on the topic of FJI, lets get straight to my next favorite project from this list…
It is a super cool wooden crate toilet paper storage unit. The rusty license plate tops it off perfectly. What I wouldn’t give to let that girl loose in my house for a week of revamping, funky junk style.
Why not dispose of your empty wine crates by turning them into eco-chic, one of a kind flooring? I would love this in my home!
Keep green living going in the kitchen with these repurposed wine crate cabinets spotted at Apartment Therapy. There you will find the step by step how to!
This upcycled wooden crate coffee table on Etsy is making me drool. At $200, I think it is time to hack, but if you can afford it, go for it.
Suzy and I are holding our second Totally Green Crafts contest, starting today! I will tell you that there are over $600 in amazing prizes to be won. For the remaining details, you are going to have to head to Totally Green Crafts.
