November 2012 | the ReFab Diaries

This week, friends of mine in the UK created for themselves a wonderous Ale-vent calendar ... inspired by CAMRA. It might be the best take on a grown-up advent I've seen!  And it's really simple to make - paper-wrapped bottles ... printable numbers. I'm wondering about refrigeration (I like my beer cold!) ... I should ask them.

Anyways, I love countdowns, so there's usually some sort of advent calendar in my house (see last year's book/gift calendar for Ms Ro). And I don't think they're just for kids! The holiday season is stressful, so why shouldn't we get a little gift for every day we survive it??  Here are 11 more adult-friendly advents to DIY:


My mom used to buy miles of ribbon and make her own gift bows. Not because she wanted to (there was a lot of complaining as she went) but because back in ye olden days, you couldn't just buy them from a store. Hmmmm. I wondered if I could, a) remember how to make one and b) use an old book page to do it. Here's my attempt! Instructions ahead ...  





When I arrived in the US ten years ago, I gratefully accepted a summer job as a reading instructor (and quickly learned to drive on the "wrong" side of the road, in order to do the job!). That summer position turned into a 7-year job, and the friends I made back then became my local family. We try to gather those friends over Thanksgiving weekend whenever possible - it's getting harder now that there are  small children in the mix! But "Friendsgiving" happens when it can. This year, I thought I'd make books/words a feature ... since a love of books, reading, writing and teaching are the things that brought us all together in the first place. It's also been a big year for ReFab Diaries, so I decided it was appropriate to feature a few things that have shown up on the blog throughout 2012. Tutorials ahead ...

If you follow me on Pinterest, you know I have a board chock full of unconventional "trees" to inspire you this time of year. I love the idea of creating the presence of a "tree" using household bits n bobs not remotely tree-like. Michael Johansson's "Shelf Made Tree" and "Merry Mirror" pieces are getting a blog feature today because they made me look twice. I love the element of illusion in both  ...  (via Unconsumption)

I'm really fond of old school desks ... maybe it's all those stories I was told by my mom/aunts etc about "naughty" boys dipping girl's braids into ink wells and things. And my high school still used old wooden flip-top desks (with aforementioned inkwells still in place and long-ago student names carved into the wood).

Apparently Ashley over at A to Being Creations feels the same way about these desks and thrifted this one (antique chair included) for $15!  But when, after spending hours stripping the desk itself, she found lead in the top panel, she did this. A plexiglass top and eye-popping green paint. I LOVE IT. I want one now. Go get the details...



Tis the season for white elephant gift exchanges ... and this is exactly the kind of "oddment" (I'm being polite!) you might receive.  Ceramic wall art that makes you wonder who? / when? / where??? Really??  But add a little paint in exactly the right shades and ... voila! I'm impressed. Care of Paper Dolls for Boys



When you're constantly sifting the intergoogle for upcycled craft ideas, you start to see a LOT of patterns. And it's very hard to take either yourself (or the 100th melted crayon project) seriously. So this made me laugh out loud. And I'm sharing it.   (via Houzz)
Haven't put together a big post like this in a while ... because I haven't really been inspired to. Then I saw an old blender on top of the dumpster in our alley and thought "huh - do we even consider fixing small appliances these days?" I don't think so. They get the boot. Perhaps because, in the US anyway, they're so cheap to replace?  So, this collection of refabs began to take shape and I'll add to it as I find fun things. My focus is "stuff you find in a house that has a cord attached".  Pretty broad huh?  

Is it time to refab your screen?? Caroline Johansson's beautiful calendars are free to download and sized for iPhone on up.


I've seen lots of old suitcases turned into tables and cabinets. But I love the audacity of this refab ... DIY take on the BoomCase care of Instructables.

A post lull ...

by Candice
Hello ReFabbers ... I rarely use the blog to post messages about my life. But today I wanted to pop up and apologize for the lull in posts. Last week and in the coming days.

I ran my first road race ever yesterday - I did the Chicago Hot Chocolate 15km. I had a great time and I'm definitely hooked now... on running. Being hooked on chocolate is not new.

However, between the prep and the recovery (my legs are sore!), sitting down to write blog posts is on the back burner.

I'll be back soon  :)

Candice

A few months back I put together a roundup of accessories created by upcycling old zippers (or zips, as I call them). Since then, I've been wanting to create a zippy little something for myself. So here's my pendant and a quick how-to, should you want to make one for yourself!


This is a perfect refab. Horribly dated hall lamp becomes a desirable, really beautiful mirror. Complete DIY at Design Sponge



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