repurpose.remake.reuse.reclaim

The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree is the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other. ~ Burton Hills Finals are over (yay!), #dahub's off from work for a week (hurrah!), Christmas music is filling the room (yes!) We just need a tree! But I wasn't going to buy a tree. I was determined to be "green" altho' I wasn't exactly sure how I was going to pull it off, and if the kids will like it. I had something else in mind but that didn't work out. So bummed. So I had to think fast. For some reason, I only get ideas in the spur of the moment. It drives me crazy. It drives other people crazi--er! I've been in the process of purging, storing, giving away, etc. It's a long process...especially for a pack rat who thinks she can upcycle everything. Well, books are all over the place...the hallway, the living room, the bedroom, even the restroom. Aiya!  A solution came to mind (I've seen it before but keep forgetting.)

It's difficult to think anything but pleasant thoughts while eating a homegrown tomato. ~Lewis Grizzard The extra hour gave me extra energy to make an iPad case cover for my Tomato. I asked her to draw her signature icon so I can add it onto her case. Oops, I forgot the "highlight" =.)     I used old jeans to make the case, fabric scraps (from an old Spiderman tee) and green felt for the tomato itself.    At first,  I only used batting (the ones quilters use) for padding but it's so flimsy that I have to rip it open to add bubble envelope to make the case stiff. It works!  I've had this tomato print forever. I've made her a pair of pajamas that she's LONG outgrown and a pillowcase which she still loves. There was just enough scrap to use as lining for this simple project. I covered the button with it, too. Really cute!     I didn't do anything fancy to finish up the edges because that will take way too long. I simply serged it for

Conscience keeps more people awake than coffee.  ~Author Unknown My attempt to make an ultra eco-wreath made out of coffee cup holders I've collected over the months. I was just waiting for summer when those pool noodles became available. I wasn't even sure if it was even gonna work out. Time will only tell.  The rosettes are made out of used fabric softener (can you see? it's a bad photo. oh well.) Yes, I collect them, too. I hope to make something very useful out of them. As soon as I find the time!

Beauty of style and harmony and grace and good rhythm depend on simplicity. ~Plato Finally posting this project made with Kiwi's ballet head-dress she only used ONCE and a used tee.  Simply cut several strips of the tshirt, and sew to make long tubes. You have to get a chopstick, or something of the like, to turn in inside out. Then add "pearls" to the petals I picked from the headdress and attach it to a small piece of ribbon then sew it around the tubes of tee. Just add a button and a makeshift buttonhole (just fold one of the tubes to create a hole). And VIOLA!  You can wear it with a plain tee or a dress-up outfit. 

Each day comes bearing its own gifts.  Untie the ribbons.  ~Ruth Ann Schabacker I LOVE gift-wrapping! Each fold must be perfect and taped precisely. Sloppy Joe-job is not going to fly with me. But I have to throw my OCD tendencies when it comes to letting my kids wrap their own gifts if I want them to learn to do things on their own so I'm not doing it for them. So I gave my son some recycled paper from Ikea (the ones you wrap your breakables with), scissors, tape, construction paper and glue. No cent spent. Everything was recycled. Except for the gift itself which he bought with his own hard-earned money.  So the wrapping ain't perfect but everything about it came straight from his heart. Next time let your kid(s) do their own wrapping with things you already have at home. Try to let them do it themselves, and see how creative they can get. After all, they inherited their creativity from you so you don't have to worry about a thing =.) All you need to do

A baby is born with a need to be loved -- and never outgrows it. ~Frank A. Clark Had a day to work on some baby crafts out of materials I already have. 'Twas fun making them for a sweet little girl. Easy projects but time is always an issue. So glad I had some time to make them. All made out of fabric scraps except for the onesie itself, the headband & the stuffing which I already have. Did the onesie with the E first.  Then the headband with rosettes.  Then the toy heart that crackles when you press it. It's because it has a plastic/cellophane material inside with stuffing =.) Viola! All done in an afternoon when my daughter accidentally took my car keys where I couldn't get to them. Good things happen in the midst of any crisis.

The purpose - where I start - is the idea of use. It is not recycling, it's reuse. ~Issey Miyake Wow, it's been a long while since I've been in here. I have done several projects but haven't had the chance to post anything. I hope to catch up as soon as summer is here. Hopefully earlier. However, my good friend & fellow-blogger, writer  Running Girl , posted about the scarf I made for her from her old running tees from last year! I thought it deserves to be highlighted here. And you can go to her blog to read all  about it . In the meantime, here's some of images. I wish I took more. Here's the final product on the runner herself.

To READ is to FLY; it is to soar to a point of vantage which gives a view over wide terrains of history, human variety, ideas, shared experience and the fruits of many inquiries. ~A.C.Grayling My friend's daughter (also, my daughter's friend) just got a new Kindle and would like to have a cover for it. So I made one using an old book.   As soon as I "gutted" the inside, my son said, Wait, I haven't read that book. Aiya! This book was not for reading. I picked it up for projects. Anyway, I gave him the text to read. I scanned covers of her favorite books (Percy Jackson Series), made a collage out of it, added a quote, and printed it out. I'm using another old book here because the other one wasn't thick enough. I'll use those book pages for other projects later. Before doing anything, I secured the inside spine with duct tape. Did I mention Duct Tape is your friend here? After doing so, I scored the printed collage lightly with an exact-o knife so it&#