April 2013 | the ReFab Diaries



Well... what do I really need to say about this one?

Great upcycle, fantastic colors, excellent tutorial! Oh, and the blog name: 2nd Funniest Thing. What's the funniest, I wonder?

While you're there, take a look at the whole DIY Gallery - lovely! 






As always, I used random.org to pick the winners. It chose entry #392 and #159 ... 
DH Jax, the Daisy set is yours. Maegan M, you won the tree :)

I will be contacting both of you via email to get a shipping address  :)

Thanks to everyone who entered for your interest and lovely comments. I'm making more geometric sets and I think I've found a way to sell them that makes sense to me. So check back for the option soon!















The folk at Woman's Day tweaked my idea a lot, but here's the original (which I have to admit a like a lot more) and tutorial:

Image credit: Julia Brenner


I love books - I'm an avid reader, went to University thinking I was going to be a writer and still keep an eye out for book reviewer jobs. But not all books are good. And not all books can be stored forever... many end up in landfills. So I upcycle them. The inspiration for this project came when a friend shared a link to this designer "book shaped flower pot" and wondered if she could make it herself. I said... um, yes! Then I scoured my office for materials and here's how it went  :)




I obviously wanted to make this entirely upcycled. This meant a book otherwise destined for a landfill. And an internal container that is somehow "post consumer".  I quickly found the dated reference book on the "donate" pile in our office lunch room. Then I had to find a container of some sort that was either the width of the book or narrower. I almost gave up, then I found the rigid plastic rectangle you see pictured. It looks like technology packaging - I'm not sure, I found it at work (yes, I have a day job). So, here's what you need:

1. A large (used!) hardback book
2. Rigid plastic packaging (see below for the modification I had to make)
3. Mod Podge
4. A good craft knife

And what if you find a book that's a perfect size but you hate the title? You don't want to go to the trouble of making something like this if you don't want to display it in your home! Head to this wonderful post full of ideas (and tutorials) for covering old books. 



Step 1:  Cut, cut, cut

Ideally, you'd use a plastic box that fit perfectly inside the book cover, like the designer version. However, without going out and buying something, this will be tricky to pull off. So my work around: Create a shelf inside the book to hold the much smaller container I found. I decided approx how low it could sit inside the book (about halfway down) and that's where I cut. If you've done anything like this before, then you know it takes a little time. And perfectly straight lines are hard to achieve. Happily, this is a really forgiving project. And the cutting took about 20 mins. I cut about halfway into the book then started ripping the pages out. After that, I tore them out as I cut.




Step 2:  Glue!

Apply glue/Mod Podge inside the covers. Then hold the book closed and pour in the Mod Podge. And I do mean pour. The stuff is miraculous, but only if you're generous. Rub it into the pages both inside and out. You're creating a seal that will hold the whole block together beautifully. So be a kid for a minute and get your hand dirty. Only one hand - you need the other to hold the book (or camera, if you're me!).




Step 3: Weight and wait...

Once you're happy with your smearing job, weight it all down with a few, umm, books. You see the Mod Podge drips? Immediately after a took this picture, I worked them into the pages.




Step 4: Detour... 

It dried in a couple of hours. And guess what? Without its pages and with all the compression, it was suddenly a narrower space than I'd allowed for. This meant that my nice plastic box no longer fit into the book. So I scoured my home and finally found an almost-dead bottle of body wash that fit the space perfectly. A bit smaller than I really wanted, but fine for the purposes of this tutorial!  I cut off the top and was close to done.




Step 5: Plant a little knowledge...

I love Devil's Ivy (Pothos) because I haven't been able to kill it. And because you can cut pieces off a plant, pop them in water and they live happily. No soil required. So I used a few pieces in my new vase/planter because the repurposed bottle is too small for "real" planting. And because I prefer things that grow over cut flowers.



And there it is! It stands beautifully, thanks to the weight of all the paper still in there. (The little wire spider is from South Africa)





If you object to the idea of cutting up books, give me a minute to change your mind ... read this!











A while back I spotted a Tom's refab trend: turn trashed versions into sandals. Awesome. But what if you're not a show-your-toes person? So ... I did another little look around recently and found a collection of patching ideas I love! If your Tom's are horribly hole-y ...


1. Patch them, country style

2. Patch and add a big, colorful button!

3. Make 'em over, scrap-work style

4. Add a patch and touch of lace

5. Or if they're really just done, fill them with dirt and grow something in them  :)









My second Earth-Day upcycle ... a favorite summer beer turned into what will be someone's favorite summer jewelry!



Some time last month I walked out of a store with a 4-pack chosen specifically for the extraordinary can design. The description "brewed with Kaffir lime leaves, Lemongrass and Coriander" didn't hurt. Neither did the "organic" pedigree. So I figured I'd like the beer. But I was smitten with the can. 



Turns out I LOVE the beer. And I'm really happy with my little Earth Day pendant (enter to win it here). If you're interested in making one yourself, follow these basic instructions for working with aluminum cans. Beyond the basics, I simply drew and cut a tree base then positioned the leaves. Not much more I can add!










Are you spotting the theme for this Earth Week! Upcycles inspired by nature... and how much do I love these???

If you're me and you're constantly on the lookout for unusual repurposing, then you see a lot of the same stuff. In particular, you've seen a lot of plastic-spoon mirrors. And that ubiquitous white spoon rose. They're great but seen, seen ... se- er... wait - NOT seen! This beautiful re-imagining of the spoon "flower" by Darla at What I Do, I had NOT seen. And I scrambled to feature the idea, and her wonderful blog.  Click through for great instructions (multiple tutorials) and spend lots of time looking around - it's a treasure trove of unique makes and DIYs.








Happy Earth Day fellow Earthlings!  Considering the focus of my blog, it would be odd if I didn't mark the day in some special way. So I took inspiration from my latest favorite material (aluminum cans) and made some nature-inspired jewelry to give you. 

Gearing up for a leafy Earth Day giveaway ... and very inspired by these pretty, feathery things posted a couple of years ago on the Free People blog. Click through for all the instructions. 








I'm old enough to remember the move from vinyl-as-standard to CD. It was a wrench and the general feel (in South Africa, anyway) was that there was no way it was really going to happen. It felt like the end of the world in some weird way. And then that world did, in fact, end and we all survived the change. Having said that, the "mix tape" stuck around for a while. People hung on to their tape players and "walkmen", perhaps because the "portable CD player" was, ummmm... not so portable. Now digital music is our norm and perhaps you're sitting on a pile of CDs you never play. Or computer discs you no longer use? You know, the ones you once used to back up your college papers once upon a time?! Anyway, here are 22+ fun ways to repurpose those dust-collecting discs:

1. Outdoor lanterns 

2. Make musical flowers

3. Junk garden owl

4. Roof shingles


If you spend any time on Craftgawker, you've seen Anna's creations. But this men's jacket refab is a standout for me. Complete tutorial here











Repurposing books for home-decor purposes is a niche obsession of mine. In case you hadn't noticed. And my obsession is enabled by a few of my friends who share it. And regularly run with it! One of those friends is Terri, whose projects (and word-themed wedding!) have found their way onto my blog a couple of times now. But guess what? I can now show you her entire home, thanks to Julia Brenner at Apartment Therapy!  Julia published Terri and Adam's home tour on Friday ... and it's awesome. My add on from the tour: links to tutorials to make some of the book-upcycles you see. 


As always, I used random.org to pick the winner and it chose entry #179 ... that's Courtney Johnson!  Courtney, I will be contacting you via email to get a shipping address  :)

Thanks to everyone who entered for your interest and lovely comments. Check back for another giveaway soon ... I'm suddenly very inspired by aluminum cans!










I love old chemistry, laboratory and pharma equipment. It's a little steampunk ... a little Phillip Pullman. A little magical. And in this round up, it's fresh. Or maybe I'm feeling like someone needs to conjure spring in a lab because that's the only way we're getting it this year!




I think this might be the third filing-cabinet makeover featured here ... who knew they were so re-fab-able? This one's a real star - don't you love the racing stripes? Full tutorial at Trash-to-Treasure









I can't say I've ever been inspired by a plastic bowl. Not something I look at and think "wow, you'd make a great ...". Nope. But I'm willing to change my mind about things. And these great tutorials help!



1. The bird feeder - on p12 (inspired by this)

2. The storage pods

3. The perforated globe pendant lamp














For the last week, I've been posting Finch's Threadless jewelry tutorials. Now, I'm giving away a little set of the goodies I made: the pin/hair accessory, simple pendant and earrings. If you missed the instructions (and/or want to see lots of additional images of what you can win), here are the links again:


1. Teardrop earrings

2. Pin / Hair clip

3. Simple pendant

4. Statement geometric necklace





Here's the third and final installment in the series of Finch's Threadless tutorials... a statement geometric necklace. I really love this piece - lots of work but worth it, I think!


For all the basics of working with aluminum cans please see this tutorial. However, DO NOT apply dimensional magic until you've made all the holes in the beads. Read on...



I wish the images were better ... but I'm sharing in spite of poor quality. Because this is such a sweet version of the DIY play kitchen. Created using a coffee table because the intended little chef is so very very short.  More here.







You have special guests arriving and a box-filled basement in which to accommodate them. You don't have the time or the money to "finish" the basement, so what do you do to welcome them? You unpack all the boxes and use them to do this! I love it (I know, you're shocked) because it's thoughtful, whimsical and really personal. Way to upcycle Nikki! Read more and see lots more pics at Whimsy Love








I love the colors and the use of chalkboard paint ... there's something particularly cool about turning a thing designed for grown-up vanity into a thing designed for ... kid creativity. Go Mom4Real!









Here's the second installment in the series of Finch's Threadless tutorials... a flower pin/hair accessory for spring.
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