Glue and Glitter » reuse http://www.glueandglitter.com/main Eat! Drink! Craft! Wed, 08 Feb 2012 12:00:04 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 How to Make a Fabric Scrap PomPom http://www.glueandglitter.com/main/2012/01/18/how-to-make-a-pompom-from-repurposed-ribbon/ http://www.glueandglitter.com/main/2012/01/18/how-to-make-a-pompom-from-repurposed-ribbon/#comments Wed, 18 Jan 2012 12:00:00 +0000 Becky Striepe http://www.glueandglitter.com/main/?p=6306 how to make a pompom

Don’t you just love a pom pom? They’re just so cheery and sweet. They’re also super simple to make!

All of the pom pom tutorials I’ve seen call for using yarn. I love me some pretty yarn, but why keep your pom pom making so hedged in, when really you can incorporate all kinds of fun materials into your poms! As long as what you’re using is long and skinny, it’s fair game. Here’s how to make your very own repurposed pom poms!

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]]> http://www.glueandglitter.com/main/2012/01/18/how-to-make-a-pompom-from-repurposed-ribbon/feed/ 1 Tutorial: Make a Cowl from a Sweater Sleeve http://www.glueandglitter.com/main/2012/01/11/tutorial-make-a-cowl-from-a-sweater-sleeve/ http://www.glueandglitter.com/main/2012/01/11/tutorial-make-a-cowl-from-a-sweater-sleeve/#comments Wed, 11 Jan 2012 12:00:37 +0000 Becky Striepe http://www.glueandglitter.com/main/?p=6273 repurposed sweater cowl

I have been sweater obsessed lately! Ever since turning one of Dave’s shrunken sweaters into an infinity scarf, I’ve been thinking of fun ways to take sweaters apart and repurpose them. I made that sweater wrap not too long ago and a few other sweatery things, and in the end I was left with a pile of sleeves.

The thing about repurposing is that it can actually be quite wasteful. Take my sweater obsession, right? If I tossed those sleeves into the bin, could I really say that I upcycled a sweater? the whole idea is to divert waste from the landfill, right?

I ran across a really cute asymmetrical cowl on Pinterest not too long ago, but it required knitting, which isn’t my strong suit. It looked like the perfect project to use up some of those sweater sleeves!

How to Make a Cowl from a Sweater Sleeve

Materials

  • thrifted sweater
  • sewing machine, thread, pins, iron
  • vintage button

1. You need to get that sleeve off of your sweater. Trim the sleeve off right along the seam.

cut sleeve off of sweater along the seam2. Once the sleeve is detached, turn it inside-out, then sew along the edge that you just cut using your machine’s zig zag stitch.

3. Flip your sleeve so it’s right side out, then iron it well.

4. It’s time to try it on! Grab a straight pin, and head to the mirror. Put the cowl around your neck until it’s sitting just right. Put the straight pin into the bottom piece of sweater in the center of where the two ends overlap. This is where your button will go.

5. Sew on your button.

6. Sew the button hole. You might need to put the cowl on again to make sure you put the button hole in the right place. Use a pin again to mark the bottom of your button hole, then send it through your machine on the button hole setting (mine does one-step button holes, but some machines do 4-steps).

Voila! A cute cowl with no knitting required!

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]]> http://www.glueandglitter.com/main/2012/01/11/tutorial-make-a-cowl-from-a-sweater-sleeve/feed/ 1 How-to: Make Your Own Washi Tape http://www.glueandglitter.com/main/2012/01/09/how-to-make-your-own-washi-tape/ http://www.glueandglitter.com/main/2012/01/09/how-to-make-your-own-washi-tape/#comments Mon, 09 Jan 2012 12:00:16 +0000 Becky Striepe http://www.glueandglitter.com/main/?p=6226 DIY washi tape

I keep seeing amazing washi tape craft projects all over the place and wanted to join in the fun! The trouble with washi tape is that it can be pretty pricey. It’s also made with all new materials and shipped across the world to stores here in the U.S. Rather than drop a bunch of cash on something that didn’t totally fit into my crafty philosophy, I decided to try out making my own!

If you’re not familiar with washi tape, it’s decorative Japanese paper tape. You can use it to wrap packages beautifully, in scrap booking, for art projects, to spice up your gift wrapping, or anywhere else that you’d use clear tape.

My inspiration for this project was the fabric paper tape from Annekata. She used glue to attach fabric to the back of brown paper packing tape. I wanted my washi tape to be a bit more traditional, so I decided to try using double-sided tape and a couple of different sorts of paper to see what worked best. Since I wasn’t planning to use the tape right away, I needed to create a backing. Wax paper worked perfectly!*

Ready to whip up some washi tape?

(. . .)
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]]> http://www.glueandglitter.com/main/2012/01/09/how-to-make-your-own-washi-tape/feed/ 0 Studio Redo! #lml http://www.glueandglitter.com/main/2011/12/03/studio-redo-lml/ http://www.glueandglitter.com/main/2011/12/03/studio-redo-lml/#comments Sat, 03 Dec 2011 16:15:38 +0000 Becky Striepe http://www.glueandglitter.com/main/2011/12/03/studio-redo-lml/ craft room makeover

Who needs to buy new furniture? Just moving things around and decluttering my studio last night made such a difference! I wasn’t 100% sure how I felt about it when I first set it up, but this morning I’m really digging it.

Don’t you just love giving a room a makeover?

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]]> http://www.glueandglitter.com/main/2011/12/03/studio-redo-lml/feed/ 0 Spotted: Acorn Cap Jewels http://www.glueandglitter.com/main/2011/12/03/acorn-cap-jewels/ http://www.glueandglitter.com/main/2011/12/03/acorn-cap-jewels/#comments Sat, 03 Dec 2011 06:00:29 +0000 Becky Striepe http://www.glueandglitter.com/main/?p=6100 acorn cap jewelsAcorn caps+markers+glue+time=lovely little jewels!

How freaking cool is this acorn cap project from Kiwi Crate? You could attach a loop to the back and string these on a necklace or wire them into a pair of earrings. So fun! How would you make these into proper beads? Speak up, my jewelry-making pals!

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]]> http://www.glueandglitter.com/main/2011/12/03/acorn-cap-jewels/feed/ 4 What is Upcycling? http://www.glueandglitter.com/main/2011/11/21/what-is-upcycling/ http://www.glueandglitter.com/main/2011/11/21/what-is-upcycling/#comments Mon, 21 Nov 2011 12:00:52 +0000 Becky Striepe http://www.glueandglitter.com/main/?p=5924 upcycled can be beautiful

I talk a lot about upcycling here, at Crafting a Green World, and at Green Upgrader. It’s becoming a pretty popular concept in the craft world, and like with any concept that starts to take off, I think the meaning has gotten a bit watered down. So, what is upcycling, really? (. . .)
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]]> http://www.glueandglitter.com/main/2011/11/21/what-is-upcycling/feed/ 3 Tutorial Dance Party http://www.glueandglitter.com/main/2011/08/26/tutorial-dance-party/ http://www.glueandglitter.com/main/2011/08/26/tutorial-dance-party/#comments Fri, 26 Aug 2011 08:00:22 +0000 Becky Striepe http://www.glueandglitter.com/main/?p=5643

In case you don’t follow Crafting a Green World or Green Upgrader, I’ve been posting some tutorials in both of those spaces, and I thought I’d share them here, too! The image at the top here is how to turn disposable coasters into forever coasters.

How to Make a [...]]]> coasters

In case you don’t follow Crafting a Green World or Green Upgrader, I’ve been posting some tutorials in both of those spaces, and I thought I’d share them here, too! The image at the top here is how to turn disposable coasters into forever coasters.

dream catcher and table runner

pinwheel and chalkboard shelf

It’s been really fun working on tutorials, and I’m making a list of new ideas to try out! So much of my crafting is focusing on getting ready for markets, and it’s been really fun to sort of craft just for kicks, making whatever strikes my fancy. There’s something energizing about busting out of a routine, right? Have you guys noticed that’s the case for you?

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]]> http://www.glueandglitter.com/main/2011/08/26/tutorial-dance-party/feed/ 0 What does green mean? http://www.glueandglitter.com/main/2011/08/22/what-does-green-mean/ http://www.glueandglitter.com/main/2011/08/22/what-does-green-mean/#comments Mon, 22 Aug 2011 11:00:25 +0000 Becky Striepe http://www.glueandglitter.com/main/?p=5680

This is something that’s been rattling around in my head for a while, and I thought it might be worth spilling it all here and seeing what you guys think. I write in a lot of places about how to be green, and I get a lot of pitches from companies [...]]]> seedlings

This is something that’s been rattling around in my head for a while, and I thought it might be worth spilling it all here and seeing what you guys think. I write in a lot of places about how to be green, and I get a lot of pitches from companies who want me to review their newest green product. But what does green really mean?

Over at Feelgood Style, we talk about green beauty and fashion, and every time I get a pitch from a cosmetics company, I find myself wondering if they’re green enough. One company makes cosmetics that come in fully compostable packaging, but they use artificial “fragrance,” which can mean any number of toxic, artificial chemicals. Are they green? What about a company who’s recipe is totally free from mystery ingredients, but their packaging is plastic?

I’m even running across this as I start my fall garden! I avoided products from Scotts (even “organic” ones), because they’re a major distributor for Monsanto’s RoundUp. Not familiar with RoundUp? It’s a pesticide, and it’s terrible for the environment. You can read a bit about some of the problems with RoundUp here.

Right, so! In my effort to avoid Scotts, I picked up organic seed starter from Burpee, only to learn that 3-5% of their seeds are from Monsanto. Is 3-5% a small enough number? Am I being green by supporting Burpee’s organic line, when I’m also supporting a company that sells genetically modified seeds?

How to be Green

Some companies are making a genuine effort, while others are just greenwashing. So many companies co-opt the word “green” as a marketing gimmick, that it’s hard to suss out who’s really making an impact and who’s just trying to break into this growing niche of green consumers. It’s up to us to read the labels, do the research, and see beyond the marketing.

But I think if we really want to get at the heart of how to be green, it’s about more than what we buy. It’s what we choose not to buy and what we choose to make ourselves. I think the key to really being a green consumer is to…consume less! That can mean just opting out of the newest and shiniest thing. It can also mean using your crafty skills to reuse what we have and turn it into something new.

My friend Kelly Rand has said many times that she thinks handmade can save the world, and I think she’s really got it right. I also think that handmade can mean different things for different folks. Maybe that means planting and nurturing a food garden, instead of buying produce from halfway around the world. Maybe it’s cooking a meal, rather than ordering wasteful takeout. Or turning an old t-shirt into a reusable shopping bag.

We all have the power to make these small changes, and I think the real way to be green is to do our best to reduce our impacts however we can.

Does that make sense? I sort of feel like I’m tossing out a half-baked idea here, and I’d love to flesh it out with you guys. What does green mean to you?

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]]> http://www.glueandglitter.com/main/2011/08/22/what-does-green-mean/feed/ 0 IF: Summer Crafts! http://www.glueandglitter.com/main/2011/07/01/if-summer-crafts/ http://www.glueandglitter.com/main/2011/07/01/if-summer-crafts/#comments Fri, 01 Jul 2011 11:00:38 +0000 Becky Striepe http://www.glueandglitter.com/main/?p=5535

 

Summer is HERE, ya’ll! It’s time to fire up the grill, tend to the garden, and of course it’s time to get your summery DIY on! Here are some crafty projects for your cookout and for your garden. Have you been working on any summer crafts? I’d love to hear about them in [...]]]> INSPIRATION FRIDAY bannersixpack caddy

 

Summer is HERE, ya’ll! It’s time to fire up the grill, tend to the garden, and of course it’s time to get your summery DIY on! Here are some crafty projects for your cookout and for your garden. Have you been working on any summer crafts? I’d love to hear about them in the comments!

summer crafts

  1. How cute are The Creative Place’s upcycled cocktail umbrellas?
  2. I’ve been admiring this recycled six pack cookout caddy from Design*Sponge for years. It’s so simple and sweet!
  3. I am in love with these firefly candles from Urban Sherp. Wouldn’t they be lovely for some summer evening porch-sitting?
  4. Spruce up your summer garden with a simple set of clothespin plant markers!
  5. You’d be the queen of Saturday if you showed up at a cookout with a batch of TINY PIES from Explore the Cabin!

So spill it, crafty peeps! What have you been making during this scorcher of a summer?

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]]> http://www.glueandglitter.com/main/2011/07/01/if-summer-crafts/feed/ 0 Spotted: Chalkboard Paint Drawers http://www.glueandglitter.com/main/2011/06/01/spotted-chalkboard-paint-drawers/ http://www.glueandglitter.com/main/2011/06/01/spotted-chalkboard-paint-drawers/#comments Wed, 01 Jun 2011 11:00:02 +0000 Becky Striepe http://www.glueandglitter.com/main/?p=5445

Do you guys have a junk drawer? We’ve got a couple of them in our house, and I think a solution like this would go a long way in keeping things more organized. Rather than just tossing things into the drawer, you’d have to shamefully write what you added on the front with chalk.

[...]]]> chalkboard paint chestofdrawers

Do you guys have a junk drawer? We’ve got a couple of them in our house, and I think a solution like this would go a long way in keeping things more organized. Rather than just tossing things into the drawer, you’d have to shamefully write what you added on the front with chalk.

It would also be a cool way to breathe new life into a piece that’s got scratches on it or is a hideous color.

Ever since I made that chalkboard sign from an ugly painting Dave and I have been talking about doing chalkboard paint on a wall in the kitchen and possibly on the kitchen cabinet doors, too. Wouldn’t it be awesome to not have to hunt for ingredients but still have the tidiness of hidden storage?

Have you guys played with chalkboard paint before? I’d love to hear what cool, creative things you’ve done with it!

h/t: Re-Nest

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