Condo Blues: upcycled
Showing posts with label upcycled. Show all posts
Showing posts with label upcycled. Show all posts

Wednesday, March 16, 2022

How to Make an Upcycled Lucet Crochet Fork

While drooling over wood crochet hooks and doodads on line (talk to me folks about yarn bowls. Are they good for large skeins of yarn?) I came across this weird sling shot shaped thing called a lucet (it is also called a lucet fork) that has been used since the Viking era to make cords and I-cords.

I didn’t think much about it other than a lucet looks like a cool tool (a lucet looks like this ) I may not use often enough to justify it taking up space in my cramped craft room. (Disclosure: I am including affiliate links in this post for your convenience.)

Until later on when I needed a drawstring for a crochet project and wanted something less bumpy than a row or two of traditional crochet stitches.

how to make an use a lucet fork
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You can braid/crochet/knit the round style cord that I wanted to use as a drawstring on a lucet. Which I didn’t have, couldn’t buy locally, and really didn’t want to wait for it to be delivered because I really wanted to finish this quick little bit and call the project done.

Tuesday, May 4, 2021

How to Make Easy Storage Bin Labels

I am a famous for storing something in "a better place" and forgetting where I put it. 

And that goes double for my sewing room and craft studio.

I eventually learned that if I take 10 minutes of my time to make a label for an item, I will always put it back where it belongs and save an hour of searching for it later. It also keeps family members from asking me to stop what I'm doing to find household items that are staring them in the face. I tell them to read the label to the bin/caddy/pocket/shelf/whatever.

Genius!

I need to label the new storage bins I'm putting in my craft room. I want them to look cute but they also need to be something I can easily update because my supplies rotate in and out. I considered chalkboard labels like these  but figure the writing will wear off with handling based on other chalkboard labels I use (Disclosure: I am including affiliate links for your convenience.

how to make clip on storage container labels
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One thing I like about decluttering and organizing a creative space is I often find a long forgotten cache of supplies that I can use to make or build the custom storage solution I need. In this case, the buried treasure is a bunch of discontinued countertop samples a friend gave me. I'm going to craft those countertop samples into storage bin and box labels and show you how to do it! 

Sunday, September 1, 2019

5 Quick and Easy Bottle Cap Refrigerator Magnet Craft Ideas

The kitchen refrigerator is the main information hub of our home. Even with all of the organization, texting, and communication apps on our phones, the most effective way to remind or remember something important is to stick a note on the fridge with a magnet.

I have a fairly bare refrigerator and a big bottle cap collection just waiting for a quick and easy upcycled craft idea.

Bottle cap refrigerator magnet crafts are only limited by your imagination and the craft supplies you have on hand. They are easy enough for kids and quick enough for impatient adults *raises hand*. 
You can make the magnet with either side of the bottle cap. You can use plastic bottle caps as well as metal. Although today I am featuring metal bottle caps because that what I collect.

5 recycled bottle cap refrigerator magnet craft ideas for kids
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You can paint them, use stickers, use printed or hand drawn designs, or just slap a magnet on the back if you like the design on a printed bottle cap.

Consider this the Choose Your Own Adventure of Bottle Cap Magnet Craft Tutorials.

Sunday, May 26, 2019

How to Make Garden Plant Markers

The theme of this year’s container herb garden is Hey, That’s Different, Let’s See If It Will Grow (and We Need Cilantro.)

Which means I need plant markers to identify what this stuff is once it comes time to harvest it for cooking.  Sure, some of the plants came with a plastic plant label stuck in the pot but I had to split some of those plants up into different plant pots that make up my small patio container garden.

I want a set of plant markers that is cute and somewhat unique.  I turned to my little stash of on deck items to repurpose (or formally recycle in our bin after a given time limit) and made plant markers from recycled aluminum cans. I got four plant tags from one aluminum pop can and put the scrap into my city recycling bin.

DIY Garden Markers from Recycled Aluminum Cans


How to make cute unique  DIY garden plant marker tags
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Monday, April 7, 2014

How to Make a Milk Carton Easter Bunny Basket

I want to decorate for Easter. I’m running low on ideas that will appeal to our wee holiday visitors.

And I was out of soy milk.


howtomakemilkcartoneasterbunnybasket

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