February 2014 | the ReFab Diaries

Brooms, dustpans, mops and buckets. They are good for making art, organizing your life and seating. And you thought they were old fashioned cleaning tools. Hah! :)



One of the most popular ReFabs on this blog is an amazing lamp makeover using duct tape and 2L soda bottles. Classy upcycling of plastic bottles never gets old for me.

This lovely tutorial (care of Instructables) is my new favorite. Because it's thrifty and simple. And the instructions are great. They're calling it a Designer Paper Lamp. I think the more important thing to call out is that it's upcycled soda bottle lighting!



I haven't seen a really good kid-centric upcycle in a while. And when I saw this, I thought "duh!"

Kim, who blogs at A Girl with a Glue Gun, created this tutorial for Peek-a-Boo pattern shop. She was inspired by mountains of hand-me-down shirts ... and the number of new babies on the way.

Get the full how-to here. Thanks to Amy Hindman for permission to share.







I love the steampunk / trashion punk aesthetic. I'll be heading to Cape Town in March and at the top of my to-visit list is Truth Coffee, where steampunk is not just about decorating but has, in fact, inspired a built-from-scratch "coffee bean contraption". Because of its appeal, I've spent quite a lot of time looking around for jewelry DIYs. They're hard to find. But here's a small collection for you, inspired my February sponsor, Sleepless Storyteller


As I created the post featuring Ruth's plarn lunch tote (4), I found myself looking for other cool things created using this cheap-to-create material. Because it's the epitome of upcycling really. Plastic grocery bags are nasty things. They've been banned in a whole lot of places around the world. But in most of the US, we have a choice. Bring your own bags, choose paper, or choose plastic. And if you choose the plastic, what do you do with the pile that quickly gathers in your house?

Turning them into something that will actually last is a really good idea. So if you liked the lunch tote, here are some more ideas for you.

My friend Ruth recently tried her hand at a plarn project. Lucky for me she recorded her steps so I get to share her experience with you! For a roundup of 11 other plarn DIYs, click here.



Introducing... drumroll please .... the Sleepless StorytellerMy first blog sponsor for 2014 :) 

Christine Hart lives and creates in Vancouver, BC. When she's not conjuring jewelry, she's writing young adult novels, working as a copywriter, blogging and being a mom. To say that I jumped at the chance to feature her work would be an understatement!

All the pieces pictured above are from her her Etsy store. The work covers steampunk, cyberpunk, trashion, neo-victorian and upcycled vintage jewelry. When you visit the store, be sure to read the product descriptions. They go like this: If Mid-Century Modern style ever found its way to Mars, the landscape might be inspired to grow flowers like these. A vintage enamel flower accented with an atomic-shaped brass finding, small enamel flowers, hand-set rhinestones and a tiny brass gear (the white daisy pictured above).

This is jewelry created by "an eccentric fiction writer,  inspired by alternate realities". If you love science fiction, fantasy or gritty urban settings, you'll see it in her work. If you have a touch of whimsy, remember your dreams, feel sure you've fallen down a rabbit hole at some point and, maybe, have a crush on Neil Gaiman, you might want to one of these lovely pieces.

Here's a little more about Christine: 

1. What came first, the crafting or the writing? How do they influence each other

I've been crafting and writing as long as I can remember, but writing came first as a career. I studied professional writing at the University of Victoria. After graduating in 2001, I worked in roles that utilized my copywriting and journalism skills. 

I started making my own jewellery probably as far back as high school. I have very petite wrists and fingers, so the best way to find rings and bracelets that fit was to make my own. I'm also fond of chokers, which I need a small size for as well.

Today, the two pursuits really weave into each other at a higher level. My work as a communications and marketing writer gave me the training I needed to handle the promotional and graphics side of having a shop, backed by a website and social media.

2. You are strongly oriented to repurposing, upcycling etc... where did that come from for you

Being a writer, even working mostly in the corporate world, is rarely a lucrative pursuit. I start the answer there to explain that recycling, for me, began as simple thrift. Already making my own jewelry, I found myself remaking old designs I became tired of, and from there, experimenting with clockwork and computer parts I had access to at home.

3. Advice for folk who are trying to turn their passion/craft into an online business?

Turning a crafting hobby into a business isn't as big an undertaking as you might think, now that sites like Etsy, Big Cartel, ArtFire and others make it fairly painless to upload and offer goods for sale. In addition to your products of course, you need a decent camera, photo editing software, and time. Time for things like copywriting and social media, as well as the time spent crafting.

The main challenge is trying to grow that shop into a recognized brand with a sales volume that covers a real wage, after expenses are deducted. Most crafters work on their business while holding down a job, often while raising a family. Growing a business when you can't devote all your time to it is a process that takes several years at a bare minimum.

I want Sleepless Storyteller to grow and thrive. But I also enjoy my work as a copywriter and I'm working on having another novel published. I have a toddler at home and I'm thinking about having another baby.



To enjoy your business and your brand, I think it's critical to know where you want it to go and why. For a self-employed crafter to replace the income of a day job, I think it takes an all-consuming passion. A complete devotion of all waking hours. And luck on top of that. 

4. What are you excited to read this year?? 

Great question! This year, I'm doing quite a bit of research reading, so my list looks something like: Cryptids And Other Creepy Creatures by John D. Wright, African Mythology by Jan Knappert, Gods, Heroes and Men of Ancient Greece by W.H.D. Rouse and Dictionary of the Occult by André Nataf.
For fun though, I'm reading Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye. Before that it was A Clash of Kings. Is there anyone left who's not a Game of Thrones fan?

I hope that list isn't too long! When start talking (or writing) about literature and crafting, I can really get going.


Visit Christine's Etsy store and follow her Facebook



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