the ReFab Diaries


Winter in the midwest is long ... when you have a kid, it's interminable. I had no idea!!  So we asked relatives to get us a membership to the Chicago Children's Museum (good way to minimize how much stuff we got for her first birthday).  We figured it would help us get out of the house and give the wee person a place to run around and be crazy.  We thought we were being pretty smart at the time.  With hindsight, it was a genius decision!  I love the place.  It's welcoming, stimulating and, above all, constantly surprising.  Since the focus is on tactile experience, we spend a lot of time *doing* stuff.  But the last time we were there, I spent some time just looking ... and guess what I saw?  Repurposing, recycling and ingenius refashioning everywhere!  So here's a taste.


I'm starting to think about the summer ... and someone's 2nd birthday.  I, naively, bought a bunch of liners last year then ended up not using them because they looked awful when they came out of the oven.  This garland would a great way to use them up!

You already know how this is going to start right?  Once, way back, when I had a little more time than money, I turned old books into clocks.  I was honored to be able to sell them at The Armadillo's Pillow for a few years!  When I set out, there were no online tutorials to be found so there was a lot of trial and error involved.  The first one was so much work, I kept it ... still hangs on the wall in my home even though it's quite plain (see the last image in this post).  Now ...well, it didn't take very long to find, not one, but six really good tutorials to feature here.



He's inspired by a book and he's made of old t-shirts and scrap fabric.  And the tutorial/pattern is offered free by MeSewCrazy.  I'd say he deserves center-stage on this blog.

Perhaps re-purposing etc appeals so much to me because it exposes the hidden potential in ordinary things. You take something mundane and make it a centerpiece. You bring something rough and utilitarian indoors ... smooth the rough edges just a little and give it a second chance.  I guess I'm an optimist - I definitely believe in second chances!

I think this pendant lamp from Poppytalk sums it up.  An old wire wastebasket has its shining moment!  It provides a soft glow, thanks to a little scrap-fabric weaving.  Read on for a few more ideas on the theme...


A year (and a day) ago, Terri and Adam got married (Happy Anniversary!).  

Terri Falvey is a crazy-talented copywriter/graphic designer ... who kinda likes books - we once taught reading classes together.  She married someone who apparently shares her interests  :)

Anyways, their wedding was a masterpiece of text/book-inspired craft, art, DIY, repurposing ... you name it. I've been meaning to ask permission to blog about it for ... er ... about a year now. So, on with the post.

(Photos by Edyta Szyszlo - please do not download without permission)


Do you love buttons? Do you store them in jars? Me too.  How about storing them in a way that's a little more visual?  How about a little button art that allows you to actually use the buttons when/if you need them?



Behold ... the humble button tree.  This is a first attempt - there will be a "Round 2" in the near future because I have another idea...


Unlike trees, little hands grow very fast ... so catch 'em while you can!  Trace them onto fabric and use modge podge and your stash of scraps to make the leaves.  This simple, beautiful "kid craft" is from a mom who "hates kid's crafts" because "five minutes after they have created something, I want to throw it away. I just don't like the clutter."  Amen. Thanks to Kalleen At Second Street.

Have a love-lish day!
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"Mielie" is, officially, the Afrikaans word for corn/maize.  But it's also the word all South Africans use for corn (and its by-products), no matter what language they happen to speak. Now, "Mielie" is a small business after my own heart. Employing over 50 artists the mission is "to design and produce innovative, export-quality hand-crafted products using reclaimed materials - with the aim of creating employment and restoring dignity and financial independence to South Africans".  The Mielie Peeps work out of their homes, sell across the planet, share a community garden and create the most amazing things using strips of t-shirt fabric!!







The items pictured here are the tip of the Mielie-berg.  I cannot begin to capture the variety and creativity of these folks.  Wanna learn to weave like a Mielie Peep?  Follow the links to the two free tutorials... after the jump.
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