Category: Recycling

Shoulder Pad Purse

dianefitzgerald Shoulder Pad Purse

Links of entry

I find bags, purses and totes somehow interesting, especially when made from unusual materials (although I think that I will always stick to my knapsack ;-)).
That is the reason why I like the shoulder pad purse (scroll down to “Shoulder Pad Mini-Purses,”) so much!
Unfortunately I have only found boring white shoulder pads.
Well, they’d never make a knapsack ;-))


Links:
Shoulder Pad Purse (scroll down to “Shoulder Pad Mini-Purses,”)
Note: When I downloaded the PDF file, it had about 2.5 MB.

Shibori Felt Scarf

bishugelabs flickr Shibori Felt

Links of entry

I found an interesting technique: tying scarves in Shibori technique and then felting them.
On the picture you see some photos you can get when searching flickr for the tags ‘shibori felt’.
Really great, aren’t they?


Links:
I found several instructions:
Shibori felt scarf

via the craftzine ‘shibori felting’ entry:
Entries with the tag ‘Shibori’ at blog.betzwhite.com
Shibori felting tutorial at whipup
More about Shibori felting at CraftyPeople

Furthermore:
Google search result for ‘shibori felting’
Google image search result for ‘shibori felting’

Flickr search result for ‘shibori felt’

Wikipedia entry for ‘Shibori’

I made the mosaic with the Mosaic Maker of Big Huge Labs.
The images are:
First row:
shibori, dry and untied by monattka
Shibori Scarf by elanknits
Shibori – first attempt :) by raspberryfairy

Second row:
Shibori felt (stage 1) by Feltbug
shibori felt detail by Carole K
Felt Shibori by woolly fabulous

Paperless Origami

unikatissima Paperless Origami

Links of entry

If you’re folding origami figures they often come undone, are collapsing or sagging.
That’s especially vexing if they were meant to be a holiday decoration.
But now I found a very good solution to avoid sagging origami figures: fold the origami figures from fusible interfacing.
I must say that I find the photos of the tutorial persuasive.
Something more to try one day ;-))
(P.S.: On the photo you can see my iron for a start, I still have to purchase fusible interfacing ;-))


Links:
Paperless Origami

String Decorated Ornaments

crealic String Decorated Ornament

Links of entry

A nice method to create beautiful Christmas tree ornaments (and much more) shows this tutorial on how to make string decorated ornaments (French).

It’s very easy:

  1. You choose the element to be decorated ((foam) sphere, box, paper bag etc.).
  2. Paint the pattern on with PVA glue (if necessary after sketching them with a pen).
  3. Put the string on the glue and fix with pins. The glue dries transparently.
  4. After the glue has dried, take away the pins and paint your ornament (or box or what ever you decorated). You can paint the string in another colour than the element. Additionally you can paint some little decorative patterns to lighten the background.

Best if you check the photos of the instruction, they explain every thing very well.


Links:
String Decorated Ornaments (Décors divers en ficelle) (French)

Recycle books

unikatissima Recycling Books

Links of entry

Soon it may be that you get lots of books. You want perhaps to get rid of some old books – or even some new ;-))
Via How to Make and Do-How to recycle Books I found a tutorial for a really great book lamp.
There you can find other good ideas, too.
Find more ideas at How can I Recycle This?, e.g. to make an Altered Book from.
Then I found a tutorial on how to make a book lampstand (which I don’t find as beautiful as the book lamp, but it ‘uses’ more books ;-)).
I also liked the Bookhooks and Romans a clef great as an inspiration for crafters ;-)
I guess that you can make jewelry stands in the same way?!
I also found the book book ends, the book safe and another book safe, the “Audiobook” (an iPod case), the book book shelf and and and … ;-)


Links:
Recycle books
… into a book lamp (at instructables.com)
    (via How to Make and Do-How to recycle Books and How can I Recycle This?)
… into a book lampstand
… into a coat hook
… into a key hanger (via Siebensachen)
… into an artist book (here at unikatissima)
… into book book ends (at instructables.com)
… into a safe (and another safe) (at instructables.com)
… into an iPod case (“Audiobook” ;-)) (at instructables.com)
… into a book book shelf (at instructables.com)
…and much more ;-)

Magazine Embroidery Hoop

unikatissima Magazine Embroidery Hoop

Links of entry

Once I’ve seen somewhere (but I don’t remember, where ;-() how somebody made an embroidery hoop from magazine paper.
On the photo you see how it looks. I used quite stiff advertising paper and the hoop became very robust.
This way I can make fast and cheap embroidery hoops in different sizes :)

Material:

  • Paper, e.g. advertising paper
    It should be strong and may not stain(!) the fabric.
  • Log or dowel
    I used a 8mm knitting needle
  • Tape
  • Drinking glass or the like with the required diameter

That’s what you do:
unikatissima Magazine Embroidery Hoop Select appropriate paper sheets.

 

unikatissima Magazine Embroidery Hoop Roll and fold the paper sheets to paper strips of equal width (see tutorial here).

 

unikatissima Magazine Embroidery Hoop Coil one paper strip firm around the glass and fix with tape.

 

unikatissima Magazine Embroidery Hoop Tape the hoop very well.

 

unikatissima Magazine Embroidery Hoop Slip the hoop over the glass again and coil the second strip of paper very firmly around the first hoop, tape very well, too.

 

unikatissima Magazine Embroidery Hoop These are both hoops, one can be slipped exactly over the other.

 

unikatissima Magazine Embroidery Hoop Put the fabric into the embroidery hoop and embroider.
I didn’t iron the fabric, but it’s firmly tightened into the hoop.

 

unikatissima Magazine Embroidery Hoop That’s the way everything looks from the backside.

 

Have fun with your embroidery :)


Links:
Here at unikatissima: Folded Paper Strips of Equal Width

Spraypainting Accessories

flickr OutsaPop Spraypainting Accessories

Links of entry

A great idea again: customize accessories to your clothes with spray paints.
This way you can make i.e. comfortable shoes for dancing matching your ball dress ;-)
Or follow the ideas of Buy Nothing Day and revamp a by now shabby handbag to match your newest coat.
You also could have coloured one of your boots in red and fill it with some sweets ;-))


Links:
Spraypainting Accessories

Here at unikatissima:
Tie Feathers Dress
Buy Nothing Day

Photo Pencils

Links of entry

A lovely little gift could be the photo pencils with your own photo.
I really like the idea, it is similar to the paper pen decoration, but this time with your own photos and for a couple of pencils.
Furthermore it must be nice to decorate the recycled magazine rollups that I presented yesterday instead of pencils by glueing the clippings of your own photo on the paper rolls :)


Links:
Make Your Own Photo Pencils

Here at unikatissima:
Paper Pen Decoration
Recycled Magazine Rollups

Recycled Magazine Rollups

PattieWack Magazine Rollups

Links of entry

I found a really nice decoration for cylindrical containers, the tutorial on how to make a vase from recycled magazine paper tutorial on how to make a vase from recycled magazine paper. You need a glass or a can, but for other containers that don’t have to be watertight a cardboard tube will suffice.
I like it, especially because it is often difficult to make watertight containers from paper.

 


Links:
Recycled Magazine Rollups
The original site doesn’t exist any more and is now available through webarchive: Recycled Magazine Rollups

See also here at unikatissima: Entries with the tag ‘paper maché’