Sometimes a craft idea hits me so quickly I need to drop whatever I’m doing and get started right away. This is what happened to me a couple of evenings ago whilst I was drinking a soda (it’s my only vice) and looking at my calendar. Here is how my brain works…”Valentine’s Day is coming up -> Hearts -> Metal…
Read More
Finally the tutorial you’ve all been waiting for! I’ve been working on this coiled and crochet rug slowly for months and months; now that it’s finished I want to show you how to make your own. It’s a terrific way of using up lots of scrap fabric that is too worn out or stained for sewing projects, I’ve used old…
Read More
You all know I like to Upcycle wherever I can. Re-using and transforming unwanted objects and materials is not a new concept, and finally it seems to be coming out of the fringes and into the main-stream as people are becoming conscious of reducing consumption. Now a new book by Rebecca Proctor, an expert on sustainable design, showcases projects from…
Read More
My Upcycled Braided T-Shirt Rug tutorial is consistently one of the most viewed posts on the blog, but I often get comments or emails asking me to clarify the method for cutting the t-shirt into strips. I’ve made a short video that shows you how I do mine which should clarify the process. There are lots of different methods to…
Read More
This week I’m sharing an extract from Snail Mail by Michelle Mackintosh, published by Hardie Grant Books If you have an afternoon free, why not make your own paper? It’s a wonderful way to personalise your post, and is endlessly customisable. You can decorate your paper with stamps, pressed flowers, confetti or gold sparkles, or make paper laced with seeds,…
Read More
Sometimes I find discarded objects on the side of the road that have a ton of potential. I may have a project in mind instantly, or not, but regardless, it usually comes home with me. Walking home from the park recently I picked up a dome shaped wire object that was once the top of a bird cage. It could…
Read More
As you all know, I’m a big fan of upcycling. Reusing unwanted materials and turning it into something useful again is a creative challenge that I really enjoy, it also gives me great satisfaction to know that I’m diverting waste from landfill and reducing the need for raw material manufacture. Recently, I had a chance to hear Tiffany Threadgould ‘The…
Read More
With Christmas only a few days away I thought I’d share this Easy Upcycled Christmas Stocking Gift Pouch idea that was inspired by some recycled paper stockings that my friend Jodie made. She used old magazine pages, but I had a ton of wallpaper samples laying around from my kitchen renovations, and thought these stockings would be a great use…
Read More