Category Archives: DIY and Upcycling

Stained White T-shirt Upcycle: Sharpie Tie-Dye

My daughter has an older white t-shirt that still fits her, but she obviously spilled something down the front and it’s now stained. I saw this cute idea on Pinterest and thought it would be fun to do. I had done “Sharpie Tie-Dyed” t-shirt scarves with the girls at one of Eden’s birthday parties and they turned out pretty cool. I loved the idea of using the Sharpies to draw a simple picture instead of making random marks. What better time to try it out, than on an otherwise useless t-shirt with stains down the front. Of course, I strategically placed the flowers to mask the stains.

Sharpie Tie-Dye T-shirt
Step 1: Get an old t-shirt.
Step 2: Collect the Sharpies you’ll need.
Step 3: Get out some rubbing alcohol.
Step 4: Lay a plastic bag between the layers of your t-shirt before drawing your picture or design.
Step 5: Carefully add drops of rubbing alcohol to the Sharpie.
Step 6: Let your design dry completely.
Step 7: Once it is dry, set your iron on the highest setting and iron for about 5 minutes to set the ink.

I got the idea from the link above, but in the tutorial it suggests using Hydrogen Peroxide. I’m not suggesting it doesn’t work, but I used rubbing alcohol for this project. I’m certainly no chemist, but I went with the alcohol because I knew it would work well from other projects I’ve done. The alcohol takes a bit of time to absorb into the fabric and the colours will continue to spread long after you finish dropping the alcohol. I suggest using an “eye dropper” if you have one. You also want to make sure you do a bit at a time or it will spread like crazy. Second Chances By Susan also has some really cute examples. This is a great craft to do with kids, but it can be smelly. Make sure you work in a well ventilated area or better yet….outside. I worked so fast that the smell wasn’t an issue, but the girls at the party spent a long time using the markers and then the rubbing alcohol. I was feeling a bit concerned about the fumes, so just be aware.

Some suggest that you can also set the design/dye, by throwing your garment in the dryer for 15 minutes on your highest heat setting. I would still wash it separately the first time…. just to be safe.

Blue Jean Upcycle: Funky Lined Denim Lunch Bag

Have you ever had one of those pairs of jeans that you just can’t let go of?

Well, I have this one pair of jeans that I bought about 10 years ago and I just can’t seem to let them go. They were a snug fit at the top with a flared leg. I loved those jeans so much, but like many of the jeans that I’ve owned, it didn’t take long before the bottoms started to get tattered. I wore those suckers until the bottom seams actually tore away from the leg and formed a loop that caused me to trip if I wasn’t careful. It came to the point where I simply could not wear them without risking falling on my face or at the very least looking like I was in dire need of a shopping trip. Not being one to give up easily, I decided that I could continue to wear my favourite jeans if I cut them into shorts. Needless to say, they soon became my “go to” shorts. As my favourite shorts, I got lots of wear out of them, but they too began to show signs of wearing.  The denim in the upper thigh area began to thin and once again, I feared the worst. As the denim weakened and the threads began to break, a small hole developed. At first I was worried about the wearing denim, but I actually grew to consider myself pretty lucky since others were now paying top dollar to purchase torn jeans from the store. I figured these suckers had to be pretty valuable, as this hole was not machine made, but rather worn through the natural process of wear and tear. I sported that hole with pride until the day it caught on something as I walked by. In an instant, the funky worn look was replaced with an “L” shaped rip. I’m embarrassed to say that I was really upset when it happened. It’s bad enough when you get a stain or ruin any article of clothing, but these jeans and I….we had a history. I was so disappointed and mad at myself for not being more careful. I know that sounds totally ridiculous, but I just didn’t have another pair of jeans that fit like those ones. Feeling defeated, I decided I had to try to do something to restore what was left of my poor old jeans. I decided to cut out a heart shaped patch to sew over the hole. Certainly not ideal, but this would allow me to hide my thigh that now seemed way too exposed for my comfort. I think that was about 2 or three years ago and I’m happy to say, my jean shorts live on. Obviously, I wear them at home more than anywhere else, but I continue to love the comfort they deliver each time I slip them on. (I also love the reliable feedback they never fail to give me ~ somedays its like they are screaming at me “EAT SALAD!”)

blue jean shorts

You may be thinking this is where this love story ends, but not so. Of course, years ago, when I cut the legs off those jeans, I packed them away in my fabric tub. So this fall when I wanted to make myself a funky denim lunch bag….guess what I dug out? You got it….I upcylced those cut-off legs into a new lunch bag!

blue jean lunch bag
blue jean lunch bagYou will notice that the bag has one of the chalkboard tags from yesterday’s post. (Also, when doing my final edit, I realized I missed a step. I finished the bottom of the floral bag in the same way I did the denim bag in steps 5 to 7.)

Counter Top Swatch Upcycle: Chalkboard Tags

counter top samplesI’ve had a string of counter top swatches hanging in my storage room at school for what seems like forever. I want to say I was given these (or picked them up from a home store – don’t remember how I got them) about 20 years ago. I’ve only used a couple of them over the years, but could never part with them because I was certain there was a project they’d be perfect for ….I just couldn’t seem to figure out what it was. Well, I finally did!

When I was preparing for back to school this year, I was making some little pots to hold my “leader of the day” sticks. I wanted to put a tag on each of the pots to distinguish between my morning and afternoon classes, and it suddenly dawned on me that the samples I’d been hoarding (I mean saving) for all these years would be perfect.

Counter Top Swatch Upcycle:

This has got to be the simplest project in the history of upcyles! Here’s what you need:

  • formica/arborite counter top swatches (smooth finish)
  • black chalkboard spray paint
  • spray paint (optional)
  1. Lay the swatches down in a “spray safe zone”. (You don’t want dust floating around or off spray ruining anything. I do all of my spray painting in my DIY spray tent which was made from a garage sale garment storage bag.)
  2. Paint one side of the swatch.
  3. Let them dry and then flip them over and spray the other side. (I used chalkboard paint on both sides, but of course, you could leave the original formica colour as is and just paint the back with your chalkboard paint, or use a colour of your choice to paint the reverse side.)

Marvy Garden MarkerAfter the swatches are dry, you can use chalk or something more permanent to write on your chalkboard tag. Depending on the project and how much the label will be handled, I often use my White Marvy Garden Marker for projects in which I want a “chalk look”, but the durability of paint/marker. These garden markers come in different sizes and colours, but I generally use the 6mm white marker. It goes on like paint, but has a chalk kind of look.  (I bought my Marvy at Michael’s, but I found something similar on Amazon called the Bistro Chalk Marker.)

You could also use acrylic paint to decorate the edges of your tag(s) with dots or swirls. The uses for these durable chalkboard tags are endless:  lunch bags, backpacks, basket tags, gift tags, etc. I honestly have at least 60 of these hanging on a string in my classroom storage area. I’m so glad I hang on to them! I’m going to bring them all home to paint.

If you’d like to find some counter top samples for yourself, I would suggest contacting home stores. They often have new lines of product and are getting rid of their old samples. If they don’t have anything available at that time, they might be willing to hang on to old samples for you. If you find a little “mom and pop” type store, they might even call you when they have some. Companies are constantly providing their retail outlets with new product/colour samples, so even after all these years, I think you should be able to get your hands on some.

I’m so excited about this simple project. I’m sure you’ll be seeing these chalkboard tags in many of my upcoming projects!

Over-sized T-shirt Upcycle

I finally took the time to order business cards for my blog, as I was really wishing I had some earlier in the summer when I started my Manitoba Stay-Cation theme. I’m really happy with the finished look of the cards and when I ordered, Vista Print offered t-shirts with the same logo for a mere $6.50. I couldn’t resist ordering myself a top as well. I can’t stand a t-shirt that is too small and wasn’t really sure about the sizes, so ended up ordering one that is way too big for me. Although I could have just kept it and made it a t-shirt nighty, I decided to make a few minor adjustments and try to upcycle it into something I might wear.

Before
Before

T-shirt Upcylce:

I found this super simple t-shirt tutorial from Recycled Lovelies and was waiting for the perfect opportunity to try it out. I figured there was no time like the present and used the ribbon gathering idea on my new t-shirt. Basically, you just add a small piece of fabric to the inside of the shirt and sew three single lines to create a channel for the ribbon. You can then cinch the ribbon as tight as you want and it gathers the shirt in nicely. For the detailed tutorial, follow the link above. I also added a piece of ribbon to the inside of each shoulder seam with a button hole in the end. This allowed me to roll up the “way too big” sleeves. Of course, I had to add buttons as well. This was a pretty simple make-over and although its not fabulous, it does make it fun and more wearable.

DIY Birthday Lawn Greetings

I looked into renting lawn signs for my husband’s 50th birthday and quickly realized that this will cost you a minimum of $100, but easily up to $200 depending on the package you get. I’m not opposed to spending the money, but I really wasn’t that impressed with some of the themes and/or the quality of the signs. If I was going to put out the cash for a day of fun at the expense of my husband, I would like the theme to at least reflect his personality or something. In the end, I thought I would much rather do something simple like birthday candles and just make them myself.

Do It Yourself Birthday Lawn Greetings:

I figured candles would be quite simple as there really wouldn’t be much to the cutting out other than around the flame. Here’s what I did:

  1. The first thing I did was purchase 8 sheets of large tag board (28″ X 22″) from the dollar store (I think they were 50 cents each).
  2. I then divided the sheet by measuring and marking it every 4″ all the way across the 28″ width. So, I ended up with 7 four inch columns per page (I only needed to make one from the 8th sheet).
  3. I also measured 6″ down from the top of the page and drew a line across the 28″ width, so each “column” consisted of a 6″ rectangle at the top and a larger 16″ candle at the bottom. (16 + 6 = 22″) The top 6″ would later be cut into a flame. If you look carefully, you be able to see my little ticks every 4″ across near the bottom and the line across the top. (Click to enlarge the picture.)DIY birthday lawn greetings
  4. I then used a combination of tape, paint and markers to make a simple design that ran across the whole page. This meant I only had to decorate 7 full sheets (+1 one more on the 8th sheet) instead of 50 individual candles.DIY birthday lawn greetings
  5. Once the sheets were decorated and the paint dried (if applicable), I placed 2 sheets together and cut through both layers to make 7 individual rectangles (candles) per sheet. When this step was complete, I randomly cut the tops of the candles into flames. I didn’t worry too much about the exact flame shape as I figured the finished look would be nothing more than a quick look as you drove by. You can see the cut out candles below.DIY birthday lawn greetings
  6. The next step was to paint the flame (with dollar store acrylics). I originally started with red, yellow and orange, but quickly realized I didn’t need the yellow at all. It was super simple. All I did was squeeze a few dots of each colour (red and orange) onto the flame and then drag a 2″ sponge brush through the colours to blend them. Again, no planning or special technique, just smudged the colours together. DIY birthday lawn greetings
  7. The final step was to add a wooden skewer to the back of each candle to help them stand in the ground. These were 30″ long and had a point on one end already (for piercing the marshmallows they were designed to cook). I had to buy four packages of 12 to have enough. I  duct taped the skewers to the back. This helped to give the candles support and stability as well as providing the means for staking them in the ground. The skewers are not overly strong, but not one broke while sticking them into the grass. Obviously, the candles are one-sided and the effect is one most enjoyed from the street, not our front porch!DIY birthday lawn greetings
  8. Here is a close up of a finished candle.DIY birthday lawn greetings

Signs:

For the sign, I taped two pieces of black foam board together at the top with duct tape. I then folded them down into a triangular shape and taped the bottom edges to a cardboard water bottle flat for stability. It worked like a charm! I bought two packages of lettering and a sheet of letter stickers from the dollar store as well. I made the oversized “50” free hand.

Flame Streamers:

The flame look was created by cutting sheets of tissue into a circular pattern that began large and then continued to follow a circular path until the center of the circle was reached. I was able to cut several sheets at a time, so this was very quick. I did make a few different sizes of circles to vary the length. The circular cut forces the tissue to curl and gives it more of a wild flame look. To hang the streamers, I curled a few pieces of duct tape and stuck them above the steps along the top of my front porch (to the backs of the pillar tops). I then took a very long piece of duct tape (that extended the whole width of the stairs) and stuck the back of it to the curled pieces. This left the sticky side of the duct tape exposed. I then just randomly stuck lengths of the tissue streamers to the sticky tape.

Summary:

I’m not sure how long this took me as I was puttering away at it when I had my concussion and could only do small bits at a time. It seemed relatively easy and for the most part mindless (that’s why I was able to do it!). The most time consuming was probably cutting out the flames, but I don’t think it took me much more than an hour. Although I don’t know the exact cost, I estimate it cost me about $12 – $15. I did have the paint and tape on hand already. Aside from the savings, it was fun to sneak around working on my secret project and felt good to do something special to show Tim how much we love him! If you missed the original post, here’s how it looked when it was all set up.

If you look at the top of the streamers, you’ll see the orange and red duct tape is exposed because I mounted it to the pillars on both sides. I did add a couple of pieces of tape along the top to keep it from sagging.

 

Clever Lazy Play Pants

Thanks so much to my dedicated followers. I am finally starting to feel better and am hoping to be getting back to regular posting very soon. I have been suffering from post concussion symptoms since my fall over a week ago and unfortunately, despite feeling much better, screen time and reading still seem to trigger symptoms. I am struggling to be patient, but know that rushing it only sets the recovery back. I am so thankful that Kelli Stewart has once again joined my blog as a guest writer. The little play pants she made her daughter are adorable and what a great way to upcycle her dad’s shirt! Thanks for helping me out Kelli!

Upcycle Men’s Dress Shirt into Play Pants

I used the sleeves off my husband’s old dress shirt to make a pair of play pants for my four year old. The best part about it is that half the sewing was done for me!

Here’s how:

  • Cut the sleeves free from the shirt and lay then on top of one another with the sewn edge on the same side.
  • Measure your kid from the ankle to the waste. Add an inch and a bit to the measurement for the waist band (the width of your elastic and the hem edge).
    Use this measurement to measure up from the edge of the cuff of your sleeves and cut the sleeves straight across.
  • Use a comfortable pair of your kids pants to make a pattern for the crotch cut, leaving a bit of room for the seam. Copy the crotch cut from the backside (the bum), so there’s room for your little one’s derrière. Normally, the front and back are different, so the pants are closer fitting. My girl has a bit of a toddler tummy and since they’re just play pants after all, I didn’t worry about making the front and back different!

    By the look of things, my girl is enjoying the extra room in the crotch! Try doing that in a pair of pants from Old Navy!

    By the look of things, my girl is enjoying the extra room in the crotch! Try doing that in a pair of pants from Old Navy!

  • The crotch should be cut from the side of the sleeve without the seam. Before you cut, make sure you leave extra room at top of the pants for the elastic and the hem. If I am sewing pants, I like to add a little more to the top to make a higher waisted pant to save me time pulling pants up in the future!
  • With the pants cut, all you have to do now is sew the crotch together, sew the hem for the elastic and thread the elastic in… done! Instant play pants!

The cuffs at the bottom can be worn down as a longer pant or rolled up with the button done up on the outside as flood pants. How cute is that?

 

Note that the sewn edge of the shirt is on the outside edge of the pants. Sew the crotch and the elastic and you’re done! The legs are already sewn for you!
The cuffs can be rolled up with the button done up on the outside as flood pants.
The cuffs at the bottom can be worn down as a longer pant.

 

 

 

 

Piano Upcycle ~ Finally!

I have put this off for several months knowing this project would be huge. I have this vision and I know it’ll take lots of work to get this piano into a functional piece of furniture. I had several ideas for what I might use the piano for and in the end I have decided to use it as a desk and storage area for all of my craft supplies.

The final step before being able to start the rebuilding process was to remove the 458 little pins that I believe act as guides for the strings. I kept avoiding this job, but the “pins” are quite sharp and I knew that they needed to be removed if I wanted to use the interior of the piano at all. With most of the pins removed, I can now begin the process of planning what and how I am going to get this former piano to be the all in one storage work station I envision.

In my research, I wasn’t able to find anything that matches my vision, but I was able to take bits and pieces from the designs others used. I will have to see how hard this is for me to pull off, but one thing I would like to do is use the concept Vicky Newman described in her piano make over in which she made the upper cavity of the piano into a shelving space and converted the front panel into a door that slid up into the top of the piano like a “barrister style” bookcase.

Vicky's Piano

Here’s a shot of Vicky’s piano.

I will definitely be using some of Vicky’s ideas when reconstructing my piano desk, but I am really hoping to use the back for storage as well. back of pianoAs a scrapbooker, DIYer and crafter, I have so many small objects to store and I can’t help but think how cool it would be to have all of those supplies hidden in the back of the piano. I haven’t thought out the logistics yet, but I think it will work well. The key will be where the piano will eventually sit. If against a wall, the casters need to be strong enough and of good enough quality not to damage my hardwood floors when sliding it in and out to access the storage. If I choose to use it more as a divider with the back exposed, I will need to consider what the storage area will look like to make it visually appealing. Not sure, but the concept is exciting!

I’ll keep you posted, but of course, I will only be working on it between the adventures of our Manitoba Stay-Cation.

 

Do-it-yourself Covered Wagon

Today marks a first for my blog and I am so excited to introduce my very first Guest Blogger! Kelli Stewart is a great friend and neighbour. Her idea for a DIY covered wagon is simply genius and she offered to share the steps with us. To find out how to make your own covered wagon to protect your little one from the sun…..check out her post!

A little less town, a little more country…

Wagon

My prairie princess and her new covered wagon.

I made our Town and Country Radio Flyer into a covered wagon for $10! It’s great for keeping the sun off of little passengers and it’s a lot of fun– a play fort on wheels! Detachable covered wagon kits can be anywhere from $70 to $230, so before you hand over a wagon full of money, think about making one yourself!

Here’s how…

(more…)

Repurposing Coke Bottles: So Cool!

I found this cool video online. To the best of my knowledge this is an initiative that was launched in Vietnam to help with the plastic waste in that country. It is scheduled to extend to other Asian countries in the future. It looks like an amazing concept. Check out the video to see how Coca-Cola is giving their plastic bottles second lives.Coke created various “second life” tools that could be attached to the top of the empty bottles in lieu of the original cap. Some of the devices included a paintbrush, pencil sharpener, bubble-blower, water gun, shampoo dispenser, children’s toy, spray bottle, night-light, and a sauce dispenser.

As a salvage queen and repurposing junkie, I think that this is absolutely genius. Why didn’t anyone think of this sooner?

DIY PVC Marshmallow Gun

craft sale gun

This is one of the guns I bought at the craft sale.

I picked-up a few marshmallow guns at our church’s craft sale at Christmas time and immediately knew I could make these. It has taken me 6 months, but I finally decided to buy the materials and put together a batch of guns. Shay is having a laser tag party for his 10th birthday and I thought these would make great “loot”. I always prefer to give away one or two bigger items as opposed to a bag of candy. (Shay would probably prefer the bag of candy, but I try to steer away from it if I can.)

Materials:

  • 1/2″ white PVC pipe (15″ per gun)
  • one 1/2″ Tee fitting
  • two 1/2″ 90 degree angle fittings
  • one end cap
  • one coupling (optional)
  • acetone
  • spray paint (optional)
  • coloured tape (optional)
  • miniature marshmallows for ammunition

Instructions:

  1. Clean the printing off the PVC pipe and fittings. I ended up using acetone that I had on hand. (Some suggested using very fine grit sandpaper, but I didn’t do this.) I then washed all of the fittings and the long pipe with hot soapy water.
  2. Cut the long tube of PVC. I used our mitre saw and it was super quick and easy. You will need: one 6″ piece, one 3″ piece and three 2″ pieces for each gun.
  3. Assemble the gun by following the diagram. I did not glue the pieces together, but simply pushed the pieces together firmly.
  4. Spray paint the guns if you wish. You can personalize or embellish the guns with coloured tape or leave them plain.

This project was very simple to make. The cost was approximately $4.35 per gun, but I had the spray paint on hand. If we weren’t going to a Laser Tag facility and were having a home party, I might have given the pieces for the gun, put out some coloured tape and had the boys build and personalize their own gun at the party.  However, for Shay’s birthday, we are simply giving a completed gun and “ammunition” as loot.

Here are 6/10 of the guns….the rest are still drying.
Wash all of the PVC pieces.
Cut the pieces to the specified lengths.
Assemble according to this diagram.
Assembled gun
Here are the 10 guns I made.

To use the gun, place a miniature marshmallow just inside the open end of the top piece where the “coupling” goes (if you use one ~ it isn’t necessary according to other instructions I saw).  Place your mouth over the end and blow a quick hard breath into the tube. The marshmallow will shoot with a surprising amount of speed and force. Although marshmallows are soft and relatively harmless, I wouldn’t want to be responsible for an eye injury. If giving them as gifts, you might want to get some goggles to go with the gun. (These would also make great stocking stuffers at Christmas time.)