bottle art

 Brazilian artists created this illuminated sculpture for the UN Conference on Sustainable Development on the beach of Rio de Janeiro last month with recycled plastic 2 liter bottles.

source 

Upcycled guitar picks

MTV has found a new use for old credit cards - upcycled guitar picks!

By recognizing that most cards have expiration dates, MTV created an installation called ‘Green Picks Recycle Machine’ that punches out guitar picks from old plastic cards.

Now you can ‘rock out’ your very own customized guitar picks while helping to reduce wastage!

Via DesignTaxi.

Travel post: Italian vintage in wonderful Tuscany

I was lucky enough to spend all of last week on holiday in beautiful Tuscany, Italy. If you've ever been there you will know how the area is steeped in history. Cities like Florence and Siena are like fabulous outdoor museums with churches and 'palazzos' around every corner (as well as gelaterias and equally mouth-watering bag and shoe shops).

I didn't have much time for treasure hunting (too busy eating, drinking and catching up with my mum and sister who joined us on the trip!), but did find a great little shop in sunny Siena I wanted to tell you about: Aloe & Wolf.

Hidden away in one of the charming side streets off Piazza del Campo, this little vintage shop is packed with the most fabulous treasures from the 50s, 60s and 70s - although mostly clothing rather than home decor. I am not a great vintage fashionista (I often find the clothes are sort of just not 'it'), but I tell you, Italian vintage clothing is something else! Glamourous, well fitting and great-looking.

The shop also sells handmade, 'upcycled' designer bags by 2Periodico, a lady in Rome, and guess what: I bought one. Re-using pages out of vintage fashion magazines, covering them with plastic and combining them with recycled pieces of soft Italian leather, these funky bags were just to much of a temptation...

If you need a great place to stay in Tuscany, I can thoroughly recommend Borgo San Benedetto, a country resort, hidden away to ensure rest and relaxation, but well placed between all the big and small tourist spots too. Lovely apartments, bed and breakfast, pool and a fabulous restaurant on site too. And yes, that cute guy on their homepage is real - I've seen him with my own two eyes ;-).

Borgo San Benedetto, apartments

Here are some other impressions of my lovely week.

Duomo, Siena

Piazza del Campo, Siena

Picturesque street in Siena

The yummy 'Panforte' cake

Palazzo del Campo, Siena

Me doing the relaxation part

Travel post: Italian vintage in wonderful Tuscany

I was lucky enough to spend all of last week on holiday in beautiful Tuscany, Italy. If you've ever been there you will know how the area is steeped in history. Cities like Florence and Siena are like fabulous outdoor museums with churches and 'palazzos' around every corner (as well as gelaterias and equally mouth-watering bag and shoe shops).

I didn't have much time for treasure hunting (too busy eating, drinking and catching up with my mum and sister who joined us on the trip!), but did find a great little shop in sunny Siena I wanted to tell you about: Aloe & Wolf.

Hidden away in one of the charming side streets off Piazza del Campo, this little vintage shop is packed with the most fabulous treasures from the 50s, 60s and 70s - although mostly clothing rather than home decor. I am not a great vintage fashionista (I often find the clothes are sort of just not 'it'), but I tell you, Italian vintage clothing is something else! Glamourous, well fitting and great-looking.

The shop also sells handmade, 'upcycled' designer bags by 2Periodico, a lady in Rome, and guess what: I bought one. Re-using pages out of vintage fashion magazines, covering them with plastic and combining them with recycled pieces of soft Italian leather, these funky bags were just to much of a temptation...

If you need a great place to stay in Tuscany, I can thoroughly recommend Borgo San Benedetto, a country resort, hidden away to ensure rest and relaxation, but well placed between all the big and small tourist spots too. Lovely apartments, bed and breakfast, pool and a fabulous restaurant on site too. And yes, that cute guy on their homepage is real - I've seen him with my own two eyes ;-).

Borgo San Benedetto, apartments

Here are some other impressions of my lovely week.

Duomo, Siena

Piazza del Campo, Siena

Picturesque street in Siena

The yummy 'Panforte' cake

Palazzo del Campo, Siena

Me doing the relaxation part

Paint It Black: Stylish Black Painted Furniture

There's something about black painted furniture that I just love! Check out these examples and maybe you'll see what I mean...







Mix and match dining room chairs - just paint them a uniform black!
(above and below)







Black painted dresser from Anthropologie






Black on black dresser chest from Joss & Main




Black with bold white text




Black painted twin beds




I love the

Ink cartridge chandelier

How To Upcycle Thrift Shop Finds Into Trendy Home Decor

Thrift Shop Hot! What to look for right now....



In my last post I shared some tips for shopping thrift shops. Now I'm going to share with you some items commonly found at thrift shops that are great for upcycling into swanky home decor and crafts. These items are great because not only are they inexpensive, but they are very much in style as current home decor. Check it out! 








What

Tips For Thrift Shop Shopping

"Why shop at thrift shops?" you may ask. 
"Well why the heck not!?" is my answer! 
If you are a regular reader of my blog, then I'll bet you may already be a seasoned thrift shopping pro, since I write a lot about upcycling and repurposing salvaged finds. Or maybe you have never been to a thrift shop before. If you haven't, and you like antiques, vintage things, upcycling, creating cool stuff,

Branching Out: Art & Decor From Wood Slices, Branches, Twigs & Driftwood

Check out this unique home decor made from tree branches, twigs, sticks and driftwood. Most of the supplies needed to make these items can be found in your very own backyard!




Branch vase tutorial from GardenMama







Twig birdhouses. Adorable.




Peace






Wood slice garden path by Domesticated Nomad




DIY birch bark lamps from Ruffled






Branch scarf rack





Wood slice flower

Check Out My Crib! Upcycled Baby Cribs

What to do with that old baby crib that's in the attic? Check out these interesting new uses for old and recalled baby cribs, and be inspired!  







Crib spring DIY










From crib to play table DIY








Victorian crib repurposed to a settee from Country Living










Garden trellis










From old crib to new bench









Chalkboard easel DIY instructions








Awesome

Where East meets West...vintage kimonos and upcycled jeans

Today I had the luxury of a whole afternoon to myself, as hubby took baby out shopping, leaving the house in peace and quiet. Bliss! I took the opportunity to get the sewing machine out and decided to start a new series of patchwork pillows, as I needed to produce some more for my online shop. I have now created some with unusual fabric combinations; how about vintage kimono fabric and an old pair of jeans? Or denim, retro fabric and velvet? I even managed to include the back pocket of the jeans, making it a handy pillow to store your remote control ;-)

They're all for sale in my Etsy shop. 
Have a look! x

 

Where East meets West...vintage kimonos and upcycled jeans

Today I had the luxury of a whole afternoon to myself, as hubby took baby out shopping, leaving the house in peace and quiet. Bliss! I took the opportunity to get the sewing machine out and decided to start a new series of patchwork pillows, as I needed to produce some more for my online shop. I have now created some with unusual fabric combinations; how about vintage kimono fabric and an old pair of jeans? Or denim, retro fabric and velvet? I even managed to include the back pocket of the jeans, making it a handy pillow to store your remote control ;-)

They're all for sale in my Etsy shop. 
Have a look! x

 

Feeling creative: pom poms, t-shirt yarn and a hula hoop rug

It must be that nesting instinct setting in now I'm about seven months pregnant, but I can't help feeling the incredible urge to make things. Sew, paint, recycle, upcycle, revamp, refurbish, you name it. I am still working my day job though, so I am just collecting lots of ideas in the meantime while still doing the 9-to-5!

Here are a few great ideas you may want to try yourself, whether expecting a baby like me, having a day off or looking for stuff to do with the kids in the holidays.

To cheer up any party or kids room, you could make a pom pom garland. Remember those? We used to make them in primary school all the time. Now it's time for the grown-up version! If a garland looks more like a week's work than something you're able to do in an afternoon, why not keep it simple and make a few to dispense from the ceiling? If you're really lazy you can of course just buy them from other creatives down at Etsy.

This tutorial from Craftaholics Anonymous (great name!) shows you how to make fluffy pom poms made from t-shirt yarn (you know, 'wool' made from old tees - see how to make your own yarn here). Very nice.

Another cool looking project is the 'hula hoop rug', woven from t-shirt yarn. I'd love to give this a try. Looks pretty easy, no? I am crazy about those chunky knitted rugs and poufs at the moment, but I have no idea how to knit them. This seems to be an easy way to create something similar. Not sure about the bold colours in the one pictured, but I'm sure you could turn it into something quite sophisticated by using greys, deep purples or reds instead. Here's the How-To

familyfun.go.com

Feeling creative: pom poms, t-shirt yarn and a hula hoop rug

It must be that nesting instinct setting in now I'm about seven months pregnant, but I can't help feeling the incredible urge to make things. Sew, paint, recycle, upcycle, revamp, refurbish, you name it. I am still working my day job though, so I am just collecting lots of ideas in the meantime while still doing the 9-to-5!

Here are a few great ideas you may want to try yourself, whether expecting a baby like me, having a day off or looking for stuff to do with the kids in the holidays.

To cheer up any party or kids room, you could make a pom pom garland. Remember those? We used to make them in primary school all the time. Now it's time for the grown-up version! If a garland looks more like a week's work than something you're able to do in an afternoon, why not keep it simple and make a few to dispense from the ceiling? If you're really lazy you can of course just buy them from other creatives down at Etsy.

This tutorial from Craftaholics Anonymous (great name!) shows you how to make fluffy pom poms made from t-shirt yarn (you know, 'wool' made from old tees - see how to make your own yarn here). Very nice.

Another cool looking project is the 'hula hoop rug', woven from t-shirt yarn. I'd love to give this a try. Looks pretty easy, no? I am crazy about those chunky knitted rugs and poufs at the moment, but I have no idea how to knit them. This seems to be an easy way to create something similar. Not sure about the bold colours in the one pictured, but I'm sure you could turn it into something quite sophisticated by using greys, deep purples or reds instead. Here's the How-To

familyfun.go.com

Making a coat rack out of a wood pallet and some doilie DIY

I absolutely LOVE this. Doilies, those things your granny probably has millions of lying in her drawers, can be used in far more creative ways than as coasters or table cloths. Turn them into a gorgeous lamp shade! Visit the lovely Swedish blog www.dosfamily.com for the full How-To.

Then another wonderful, and quite simple, project you could finish on a Saturday: a coat rack made out of an old pallet. Give it a lick of paint, screw in a few hooks and - voila! Great idea. For the How-To (do you need one?) visit www.shelterness.com

Making a coat rack out of a wood pallet and some doilie DIY

I absolutely LOVE this. Doilies, those things your granny probably has millions of lying in her drawers, can be used in far more creative ways than as coasters or table cloths. Turn them into a gorgeous lamp shade! Visit the lovely Swedish blog www.dosfamily.com for the full How-To.

Then another wonderful, and quite simple, project you could finish on a Saturday: a coat rack made out of an old pallet. Give it a lick of paint, screw in a few hooks and - voila! Great idea. For the How-To (do you need one?) visit www.shelterness.com

Reused lighting

Creative use of reused food packaging, Anke Weiss turned empty boxes and cartons into lighting by piercing holes into the boxes and inserting a lightbulb. Elements of the original design are used to create the design revealed once the light is turned on, revealing a dreamy narrative or type.