May 2013 | the ReFab Diaries




If you don't know luri & wilma then today's your lucky day!  This fabulous t-shirt refab is their project (complete DIY) and a great reason for you to discover this publication. Yes ... publication. Like, actual print magazine loveliness in vintage, handmade, eco-friendly, technicolor glory! The styling, ideas, features, photography and very real women populating this thing are an inspiration. I'm hooked.

They just launched a Kickstarter campaign - here's the nutshell:


"At luri & wilma we are more than a blog or a magazine, we are a way of life. We profile and support eco-friendly businesses, especially those run by women, who have innovative ideas for recycling and repurposing, sustainability or producing quality handmade products. Our models are never airbrushed because we support a healthy, realistic confident woman. We’ve published 7 issues online and this spring, we came out with our first printed issue. This first edition was more of a test and we created a magazine that you can flip through again and again. And now we want more!"


They use a local printer and print on recycled paper. But overhead costs are what they are, so they're asking for support. Their goal: convert luri & wilma into a quarterly printed magazine with an additional 2 online-only versions. Check out their latest issues here!







Bev at Flamingo Toes calls this project "Simple Spring Framed Vases".  I see a whole lot more than that! I can imagine an entire wall of old frames, mesh and bottles - it's beautiful! Head over to FT for a great, detailed tutorial.








This post has been removed at the request of the owner. Apologies for the inconvenience. If you're linking through from Pinterest, see the complete project at  Petticoat Junktion.







I heard a great story on NPR yesterday called The Global Afterlife of your Donated Clothes. Do you know that 80% of the clothing donated in the US is carted off by textile recyclers? That's about 3.8 billion pounds of clothing every year! Big number right? Now get your head around this number: About 85% of all the clothing sold every year is not donated - it ends up in landfills. 

In the US, we are habitually buying cheap clothing that doesn't last. Then we're throwing it into a dumpster. Or, if we're going to the trouble of donating it, most has to be turned into insulation or industrial wipe cloths. Why? because it's so badly made, they won't even take it to the "needy" over the sea. Apparently there's high demand for used clothing around the world but guess what? It has to be decent quality and we're contributing less and less "quality" clothing.

Ok, rant over. Buy less. Buy quality items that will last. Donate and upcycle whenever possible. Instead of throwing out your old jeans, turn them into a crop top, chop chop! 












As always, I used random.org to pick the winner and it chose entry #389 ... that's Valerie S!  Valerie, I will be contacting you via email to get a shipping address  :)

Thanks to everyone who entered for your interest and great comments. Keep up with Scott on Pinterest and Facebook and look out for his Made by Dad segment on the Rachael Ray show later this summer.  








If you're looking at this colorful refab, wondering what it reminds you of... think Anthropologie. And then click through to Love, Live and Garden for the full DIY... and the inspiration! 






"If you have kids, some time to kill, and an empty toilet paper roll, this book is definitely for you. (Actually, the kids are optional - although I think they'll be a bit jealous if Dad has all the fun!) ... If there's one thing I could put in big, bold, flashing neon letters, it's that the fun is in the making and not in creating perfect-looking projects." - Scott Bedford, Made by Dad

So opens the wonderful new craft/DIY book from the creator of What I Made. The collection of 67 "blueprints" includes ideas for "Dangerous Decor", "Covert Creations" and, most importantly, "Playful Parenting". In general, I think we should all be making more for and with our children. It's easy to make excuses ... really easy. But two pages into this book, you'll be looking around for an empty toilet paper roll and telling your kid to go find the glue! 


Read on for an exclusive Q&A with Scott and 
enter to win a copy of "Made by Dad"!



I've been wanting to make this bed for a while but found that general inertia usually prevented it. Not a lack of cardboard boxes! But a couple of Sundays ago, while enjoying a rare moment of doing nothing but drinking coffee, I found myself saying out loud to a toddler:
"Hey, would you like to make a bed for Jodie? (the doll)" 
She lit up and said "like Greta's bed?" (Greta being the $50 rag doll she saw in Pottery Barn Kids about 2 months ago!!)  
I said "yes, exactly like that!" (I lie to this child quite easily, it seems). 
And so we made a bed out of a cardboard box. It's not quite "Greta's bed" but Ms Ro doesn't seem to mind :)



I've never done the "101 things to do with corks" roundup ... because I confess: I'm not all that attracted to the final refabs. But these work for me!  Great tutorial care of Lisa Storms posted in full here.








Now you can give your kids permission to draw on the doors! Jessie, at Simple Dimples, found not one, but two really fun ways to refab old cabinet doors. She used to to create permanent display spots for her kids' "art" and then constructed the ingenious, hinged art desks. Click through for lots more pics and the how-to.






When my grandmother moved from her little flat into a care facility, I remember looking at the things in her kitchen and thinking "why did you have to buy everything new in 1985?" Where were all the awesome "vintage" things that grannies are supposed to hoard? The treasures??? I remember the teacups in particular - a version of the cheap, mass produced "wheat" design pictured above. Not so desirable. 

So imagine my delight when I saw this project! Not only is the end-product useful and contemporary, it's easy to make! The tutorial in two parts: here and here. Review both parts before you do anything - she has some great advice re. supplies! 







Pink Stripey Socks!! That's the name of the blog. The one where you can find instructions for how to make this clever necklace.









A long time ago, in a blogosphere far far away, I found What I Made. Three things struck me - the unreal artistry of the blog itself, the humor (and creativity) that went into every project and the fact that the blogger was a DAD! Finally ... an amazing dad blog full of upcycled projects. I was hooked. And I went on to feature and share lots of the projects I found there. 

The blog went on to win a Webby ... and now, there's a book. And guess what? I have a review copy to oggle and say nice things about! And I'm going to say lots of nice things very soon and give a copy to one of you fabulous refabby folk. If I'm really lucky, I'll also have a little Q&A with Scott to publish along with the giveaway. This will all happen in the near future. 

Today, I want to send you to an awesome Mother's Day freebie I found out about from Scott's publisher... 




There are several projects in the book that are specifically makes "for mommy". Perhaps they came into being because "mommy" spends so much time sharing her home with three manic males, cardboard-debris mountains and glue guns? Like all the other projects, these include not only great instructions, but free templates. Right now, you can access two perfect-for-Mother's-Day projects (including free-to-download templates)!

So go get 'em and watch this space for an opportunity to win the book!














I was in IKEA recently and saw a lot basket-style lighting - pendant and table lamps (pictured above). Wicker or basketry like this always makes me think of home (South Africa) and the hack seems pretty obvious - turn an old basket into a new shade. Then I saw this project (coincidently by a fellow South African) and I got a little giddy! 



I remember the wicker paper-plate holders very clearly ... do you? I remember trying to balance them on my bare legs (scenario: sunny Sunday "braai" around the pool) and getting scratched - a lot. I believe they were a fad ... or are people still using them? If not, I imagine thousands of them languishing, unused, in storage all over the world. So what a perfect thing to upcycle! This idea by Alet (of My Pondokkie) is ingenius. And really simple. 

Visit her blog for the full tutorial and many other fabulous refabs ... (and to find out what a "pondokkie" is!) 











Grandfather clocks. Is it possible to feel "neutral" about them I wonder? Personally, I hate them. So much so that my mother has willed my grandfather's grandfather clock (!) to my cousin (whose grandfather this man was not). Because my cousin loves the clock. Perhaps my dear mom knows that if I were ever forced to bring it into my home, I'd rip out its insomnia-inducing, gonging guts and turn it into something else. (Bit harsh?)

Like a shelf, perhaps? I saw this Booth 121 idea and immediately went looking for DIYs ... my kind of shabby chic! (image via)








I spend a lot of time looking for great projects to feature here, but I'm well aware that I'm missing things. The intergoogle is a big, big haystack!! So, I recently added a "Get Featured" form to the blog ... if you have a fab upcycle/repurpose to show off, pleeeez send it to me. 

Claudia, from Creative Upcycling, shared this wonderful iPhone Cuff Case and gets to be my first submitted feature!

Claudia is an upcycling pro. Her Etsy store (Was Now Creations) is brimming with clever, beautifully made goodies. And she's really generous with her ideas - her blog is a treasure trove of refabs! Check out the full tutorial for this "Cuff Case".










© the ReFab Diaries · THEME BY WATDESIGNEXPRESS
–>