June 2012 | the ReFab Diaries

I happened upon these three projects at different times (all using what I call corrugated cardboard) and it felt right to group them together. Clean-cut, very modern aesthetic ... great design etc. Let's bear in mind that the material is cardboard.

1. This amazing shelf is an Instructables masterpiece
2. Spotted the cardboard laptop stand at Green Upgrader
3. The mod organizer with the very clean lines is from Curbly



 

Neither paper nor plastic cups are actually "disposable" but we dispose of a lot of them! So much so, that they've become icons of our throwaway culture. The last time I got on a soapbox about the nastiness of some of the things we throw away (balloons), an anonymous industry person threw the book at me in a comment. Well, go ahead manufacturers of disposable cups! I'm not saying we shouldn't use them. But perhaps we could creatively repurpose them rather than dispose of them?  And, in response to a comment thread on reddit: No, I don't really think anyone is actually going to craft with a used, lipstick-stained paper cup. But I do see completely unused "party supplies" being thrown out - those cups are fair game. And anything plastic can indeed be washed, reused and then repurposed. Or perhaps it's time to just look at these items in a new way: as cheap craft supplies, not disposable cups!?   Here are 20+ ideas for you
A simple, retro-tastic makeover worthy of a bow. Elycia shares the instructions in a guest post at One Sheepish Girl.



Ok ... another jewelry giveaway for you! I was inspired by all the leafy earrings I saw in Anthropologie's spring collection and transformed some dull silver leaves from thrifted pendant earrings (Detailed post here). Like the negative earrings and pendant I gave away last week, these are carefully made and one-of-a-kind. I'm giving them away because... well, it's a fun thing to do.  :)

All you have to do to enter is leave a comment (please leave your name and/or email address so I can identify and contact the winner!). Not in the US? No problem - happy to ship out of the country.  
Entry closed


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Thanks for looking!


When you have to be creative for a living (and always within deadlines), creativity = work. And the best creative results often get tossed out the window thanks to trademark issues and copyright laws.  When the creativity involves products for children, it can get weird sometimes.  I thought I should explain a little... just in case I appear to be losing my mind. 


Early last year, a beautiful ball lamp shade created using doilies and a balloon burst (!) onto the blogosphere and I've seen nothing that compares ... until now.  This creation, care of Inspirera Mera requires very little material and the spun-web effect is fresh and really modern. The tutorial is in both Swedish and English with lots of great pics. The one issue for US readers seems to be the "paper cord" used.  It looks a lot like paper raffia to me but we do get twisted paper cord in the US. Please leave a comment if you have a better idea ... or know a good US source!





I few weeks ago I needed to shorten a morning run and turned down a street not usually on my route.  Consequently, I discovered this house just a few blocks from me in Rogers Park. I am *not* the first person to put pics of this place online (Apt Therapy 2010) but I couldn't resist going back to photograph it. 

And the winner is ..... Leigh! I'll be sending you email confirmation today and requesting a shipping address - can't wait to send them to you. A big thank-you to everyone who entered - I really am flattered that you wanted these quirky little pieces. There's another giveaway on the horizon... this time an actual crafting tool! Watch this space (or Facebook)

Musings on the meaning of Home ... Vol 2.

Earlier this week I featured a bird feeder created from plastic (melamine) dinnerware - it was a hit! So I'm stick with a theme for the last day of this week. Not only does this little DIY include the dinnerware, but plastic pens too!  Complete tutorial at Somewhat Simple.





It's officially summer (in my hemisphere)! I celebrated with an early-morning run to the lake. Watching the sun come up over Lake Michigan is one of the pleasures of living on "the coast of Chicago". I'm also marking the solstice with a little roundup of quirky container-gardening ideas. If, like me, you live in a flat/apartment in a city (and have seriously restricted outdoor space) you have to get creative if you want to grow things. I say go all out and have some fun with it! (warning: this post contains pics of unmentionables)

Holy transformation bat-girl! Don't know about you... but I think Taryn took these from "gosh, no thanks" to "ummmm, where can I get a pair?!!"  I know some people who have treasure troves of upholstery samples .... what a great way to use them! Full tutorial at Design, Dining and Diapers.  

So ... you think you're crafty?  If you do, you should try out for So You Think You're Crafty! I spotted this birdfeeder in the season 12 audition round - not so surprised it took first place!  Complete tutorial here.

I was inspired by the book-spine poetry at Brain Pickings.  So here's my first run at it.  Musings on the meaning of "home" ... Vol 1.


Last week wasn't exactly colorful on the blog... what with all those negatives. So you won't be surprised to discover that this week there will be a LOT of color, and fewer... negatives.  Today I'm taking a little inspiration break and sharing pics I took yesterday at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum. Metamorphosis is attractive to me, in theory and practice. I like the idea of living things as evolving bodies of work - constantly, changing, being remade, reincarnated etc. So yesterday we stood watching butterflies being born. It hurt me to watch. Partly because it's beautiful. And partly because it looked like an excruciating, very lonely process. I kept thinking, "who's waiting for you once you manage to get out? Where's the midwife to catch you?" Then I spent some time in the butterfly room itself, watching them fly, eat and rest. And I felt better.  :)



Whew. Ok. "Negative" week has literally tuckered me out. But I did it. Actually stuck to the theme ... launched my first giveaway (go enter!) and published two tutorials. Unlike the earrings (for which I was able to draw inspiration) this necklace came about through trial and error. I'm not saying there's nothing else out there like it. But if there is, I haven't seen it.  So without further ado, here's how to make one:


{giveaway open 'til Thurs, 6/21 - midnight EST}

Hi nice doodlers... want some free stuff? I posted a tutorial for the negative earrings and another for the necklace. Now I'm ready to wrap them and ship them off to a happy home somewhere!  

Since I am a little sentimental (!), I've kept things like old (love) letters and negatives. There's some rationalizing I could do about the former. But negatives? Am I really going to print those pics again?  While I do like that I'm old enough to actually have negatives lying around, I'm definitely very much in love with my digital camera! Perhaps I appreciate it more because I do remember the way things used to be? Because I once spent time/energy/money developing pictures in a darkroom so I have some perspective on that artistic process and appreciate it. But I also know what it's like to waste a lot of money getting film developed, only to be very disappointed with the pictures. Soooo, I was staring at a pile of negatives last week, wondering what I could do with them.  Did a little searching around the intergoogle... and here's the result!  (tutorial after the jump). 


Film/negative repurposing week continues!  Today, it's about decor and other little bits and bobs. First, the amazing shelves!  I know some people whose home is cool enough to warrant shelving like this (and who are talented enough to make it!) These beautiful things were created by VU35  .... check out the behind the scenes shots for a sense of how they did it  (via Photojojo)


Welcome to my first-ever themed week... five posts about repurposing old cameras, 35mm film etc.  At some point you might see the header "putting a positive spin on negatives" because I can't resist.  There might be at least one actual tutorial from your's truly.  And maybe a giveaway.  Another first for me  :)

To start the week with a bang, I present the completely amazing lamp created by Stacie Grissom blogging at Stars for Streetlights.  I'm mesmerized by this thing. And it's doable thanks to her superb instructions. 

So... you had a baby.  And you have all sorts of good intentions about making your own baby food etc.  And maybe you actually do it (it's doable).  But you will still buy some of these jars. And even a few of them pile up. But now that I've compiled this post I have these words of wisdom for you: KEEP THEM!  I had no idea just how many things could be done with the little beasts. I mean the jars, not the babies. Not that you shouldn't keep your babies.  I just mean that in no way do I advocate/promote/ condone the upcycling of babies. Just jars. Jeepers.


I've been sitting on this post for months and ... forgot about it.  Ah well.  I think this is a super-sweet idea for class goodbye gifts!  Perhaps you still need them?  Perhaps you can pin this idea for next year ... or for an early-ending summer camp? The back reads "hope you have a great summer!"  Get the free printable from Lisa Storms.  Couldn't resist posting her recent owl gift box too.


Get instructions for making this awesome creature here. It involves repurposing a cardboard oatmeal container.







A couple of months ago I dedicated a post to creating a bowl from an old LP (vinyl record).  The method involves using your oven and heating the vinyl ... an apparently smelly (noxious?) process.  So, today I'm posting an alternative how-to from Skulls and Ponies. This one involves boiling water v. using a hot oven. A kinder process all round. It also involves vinyl in amazing colors and a lot of fun, judging by all the great pics!



This post does not link to a tutorial ... but I know a few people out there who will take one look at this lamp and figure out the DIY version (please let me know if you do!).  I also see it as a way to use/repurpose empty (used up) plastic pens... v. new ones.  See Enpieza for the full collection of "biro" lamps.  (lamp image via Chica and Jo)


I have a lot of creative, crafty friends - lucky me!  However, too many of them are blog-unfriendly. Or perhaps blog-inconsiderate is a better descriptor.  By this I mean, they are not organized enough to take good before, during and after shots of their projects. And then post their pics to Facebook where I can oggle them and say "hey - I want to share that!".  Perhaps it's time for some new, more me-oriented friends. Except Lynzie - she gets to stay. Because she's an energetic, committed teacher who, just this week, is on her way to a new life and a new middle school in Holmes County Mississippi (and I'm SO proud of her for 7 different reasons)... oh, and she also took pics of this awesome dresser makeover that I get to share with you today!

School might already be out for summer (in your part of the northern hemisphere) but bookmark/ Pin/somehow save these ideas for future teacher gifts.  They're definitely fun summer craft ... with adult supervision of course.  All three ideas are from Krokotak.  Use Google's translator (if necessary) - it works well on this blog... which is a treasure trove of repurposing.  The apples pictured above are made from the bottoms of two small water bottles.


Plastic bottles and nail polish ... to make bootiful bottleflies


A whole gallery of incredible flowers made using bottles and a flame.  Great video tutorial

Here's the latest T.I.Y. Get the laptop sleeve instructions here
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