the ReFab Diaries

Zero waste - Trash4Teaching

in , by Candice


Minimizing waste, maximizing education. That's the goal of California based T4T (Trash for Teaching). T4T inspires, students, educators, businesses and communities to rethink what others overlook. They rescue manufacturing overruns, discards and castoffs, originally headed for landfill, and re-imagine these items. Just look at what they collect - dumping it would be a horrible waste!
VIEW the POST
0 comments

ReFab: West Elm inspired dresser

in , by Candice



There's a furniture makeover. There's even a rescue. Then, there's what Retropolitan did with this dresser - more like a resuscitation, or resurrection! I don't shy away from a challenge (see this) but this transformation blows me away. I can't wait for my next alley rescue ... wood veneer here I come! Visit Retropolitan for the complete refab.





VIEW the POST
0 comments

Fab: I Didn't Throw it Away

in , by Candice


I happily admit to being sentimental at heart. But we moved a lot when I was a kid and I've lived on four different continents in the last 25 years. You don't move that much without leaving a LOT behind along the way. Nevertheless, when Agy invited me to contribute to the "I didn't throw it away" blog train, it was easy to say yes. Because somehow, in spite of all the moving, I'm surrounded by things I've had for 20+ years. I'm Capricorn. I once read that Capricorns "love to fill their homes with association." This seems to be true for me! So what are these things I've hung on to and why?



Things I still use


 Today is my 39th birthday (hence the Capricorn reference!). On my 19th birthday, I asked my mom to take me shopping at the local (Durban, South Africa) flea market. That day she bought me the leather purse/handbag and silver bracelet pictured above. They're not only things I still have but things I use often. Especially the purse. Why have I kept them? Because I still love them and they're in great shape considering their age. I think I can get away with wearing such old things because leather and silver aren't really vulnerable to trends. And considering my age, I think they still suit me - thanks mom!




Things I've inherited


These are the very few things I inherited from grandparents. I definitely love them as "things" but I know I keep them because they act like Time-Turner's for me. When I look at the glass jars, I'm transported back to my mom's parents' home. I can smell the mothballs, Jeyes Fluid, my grandmother's 4711 fragrance and my grandfather's Old Spice. And I remember playing with the sprung metal shirt-sleeve holders my Grampy stored in that bigger glass jar. He worked for the post office on the railway - I guess it was crucial that his sleeves stay up?

My great grandmother's sewing kit was a treasure I found when my Nanny moved from a small flat into assisted living. I never knew my great grandmother, but I was always told I have her hands. And I'm deeply attached to the tools she once used to create!

Finally, the little silver pill box belonged to my father's mom. After growing up in a Catholic orphanage on the east coast of South Africa, she got married and had SEVEN children. This woman was somehow the warmest, wittiest person (in spite of my very difficult grandfather) and was adored by her many grandkids. She didn't have a lot to leave, so this little box (and the pair of tiny ruby earrings that live in it) are beyond precious to me.




Things I've repurposed


One of my best friends gave me a hand-painted tea towel and oven glove for my 21st birthday. I always loved them but never used them because bright white cotton in my kitchen ... well, I knew I'd wreck it. So I carried them around for years then, one day, decided to repurpose them as a sewing machine cover. I've never regretted the decision because now I see the cover every day and think of Lyndi. 




Words ...


When I decided to tie a ribbon around these letters and keep them, I was being romantic. Now, 20+ years later, they represent a way of life mostly gone. And I don't just mean letter writing and the use of snail mail. I also mean the kind of delayed gratification we were once capable of. And the amazing quiet and intimacy of communicating this way. And the permanence of the words. One day I will actually re-read the letters. For now, I'm grateful to my younger self for hanging on to them.

Note: As I contemplated what to share in this post, it struck me that most of what I haven't thrown away I actually use, or look at, daily. They're mostly things that are very much part of my life and they all have stories. I have one small box for hoarding - I call it a memory box. It's the place that holds things like the letters and other sentimental bits and pieces I will never get rid of. If I ever overflow the box, I know I'll probably get rid of some things. Until then, I cherish what it holds.



This post is part of a blog train hosted by Agatha from Green Issues by Agy (now Agy Textile Artist) on "I Didn't Throw It Away". We have become such a throw-away society, but there are some things in our households that we still keep. Why is that so? Perhaps this blog train (that began Dec 1, 2014) can unlock the reasons behind it! Follow the daily posts and read about the stories behind the things we have kept for many years and why we didn't throw them away.





VIEW the POST
0 comments

Fab: New Year!

by Candice


From one of my favorite authors (and people) ... wishing you all the best for 2015!



VIEW the POST
0 comments

Peace, love and upcycling to you all...

by Candice


Best wishes to all of you ReFabbers out there ... whatever you celebrate, may it be brimming with the things that are most important to you. Thanks for all the support this year. I'll be opening 2015 with my contribution to the "I didn't throw it away" blog train. See you then!




VIEW the POST
0 comments

Upcycle: Breadbox doll house

in , by Candice
What to do with an old bread box? 


In October I took Ms Ro to Fat Blossom Farm's Forest Fairy Festival (in Michigan). I know I was motivated, in part, by my love of miniature worlds ... especially ones made out of repurposed materials!

You won't be surprised to know that I was in love with The Borrowers growing up. And The Wombles! I always loved the idea that in some other world, there are creatures "making good use of the things that (they) find, things that the everyday folk leave behind." And have you seen The Boxtrolls? You must! 

Anyway, I recently stumbled upon this amazing breadbox dollhouse created by Dan Borg, a former employee of The Rebuilding Center and an amazing mosaic artist. I was, of course, entranced!
The tub is the brass housing from a broken music box. The faucets are cup hooks!

The window boxes are drawer pulls with shredded carpet for vegetation. For many more images, visit the Flickr page.




VIEW the POST
0 comments

Upcycle: Copper wire candle holder

in , , by Candice




You may have seen the recent post dedicated to my scrappy tree and handmade ornaments (copper himmeli and twig-and-wire trees). This copper candle holder was made at the same time. I was inspired by the metal taper holders I've seen here and here. I liked being able to find a new use for a mason jar. And upcycle a little plastic sample bottle at the same time! Read on for the instructions...
VIEW the POST
0 comments

An App that Helps Us Upcycle - Too Good to Be True?

in , by Candice
Have you ever wished there was a way to get in touch with people who had items you could use in your upcycling projects? Ever had a bunch of stuff at home that you had to throw out, but wished you could upcycle instead? Did you know that a few years ago, there was an app that promised to help upcyclers do just that? And another one looking for funding right now!
The app was called Cora, and it was supposed to be “your mobile app for a lower impact life”. Cora promised its backers the ability to search for items they wanted to get rid of or upcycle, and then presented them with ideas for new projects, or connected them to people in their area who were looking for the exact items they were trying to get rid of. Similarly, the app also promised to help users find items they needed in their projects, making projects inexpensive and hassle-free. Did it seem too ambitious? At the time, it didn’t. There had been a massive movement towards upcycling then, and an even bigger shift into mobile technology. Gaming Realms, the company behind Total Gold, said that there were 1 billion smartphone users by the end of 2012, and this number has continued to grow. 

With the app relying heavily on upcyclers willing to share their ideas and used stuff, the most difficult part about implementing Cora was getting upcyclers to sign up for it. They did and it funded. But, more than two years later, Cora has yet to surface. The team behind the app have, however, released Trash Backwards, a web app that does most of what Cora promised to do. But the web app is poorly designed, has limited accessibility (only available to 6 cities in MA and WA), and is, well, a web app, - not the mobile app that the upcycling community had been hoping for. Was it all too good to be true? Cora wasn’t the first app that tried to bring upcycling to mobile phones. A few months after their project closed, Create Change was launched on Kickstarter too. Alas, it didn’t get funded. 

Now there's GiftMe App. This is a mobile app currently crowdfunding through Indiegogo. With 19 days left to fund, they aren't close to their target. And I know they're committed - they've contacted me many times via different channels and I'd love to see their idea come to life. What do you think? Are you willing to fund a mobile app for upcycling? Do you use any apps to help you upcycle?







Disclaimer: This article contains a sponsored link. I do this now and again to help pay the bills and allow for free promotion of great ideas like GiftMe App. Thanks for looking!

VIEW the POST
0 comments

Upcycle: Copper Himmeli and Twiggy Trees

in , , by Candice

I tend to be a fake-tree person. This year, while contemplating getting a real one, things took a different turn. We spotted a pile of fallen branches and agreed they might make a fun tree. So I ended up with the mess pictured below ... 


And once I stripped a lot of branches off to "make" the tree, I wondered what I could do with them. Which set off the spree of DIY ornaments below! All quite easy to make. I've linked to tutorials and inspiration.


VIEW the POST
0 comments

Inspiration: "I didn't throw it away..."

in , by Candice



Happy December! Today is the launch of the I Didn't Throw It Away Blog Train. Hosted by the wonderful Agy Lee of Green Issues by Agy, we're trying to unlock the reasons why we keep certain things yet readily throw away others. Is there a story behind every item that we keep? How do we form that special connection with them, and why does it last so long? 

Every day from today until mid January, one blogger will share with you the things that he/she has kept for over 20 years, the stories behind them and why it wasn't thrown away. My post will go live early January. Find out what Agy's held onto and follow along  :) 

VIEW the POST
0 comments
© the ReFab Diaries · THEME BY WATDESIGNEXPRESS
–>