reuse

by

Green Friday: Repurposing in and out of the Garden

Re-purposing was common practice during the Depression era.  It’s still common in developing countries where nothing goes to waste.  I’m a huge fan of giving new life to items that might otherwise be discarded.  There is an entire movement afoot, people reusing items in clever and original ways.

So, in honor of Green Friday, check out these fun ideas.

Greenhouse-Made-from-Windows

Greenhouse Made from old windows
Between Naps on the Porch

sweet magnolia chair

Lovely old chair breathes new life
Sweet Magnolia Farm

umbrellabeantrellis upcycle

Umbrella Bean Trellis from Dirt du Jour

bird bath light fixture

Light fixture bird bath from Indulgy

I wish I had 100 hours a week to read all the fascinating blogs out there. Here’s a small sample:

Dishfunctional Designs: Creative Things To Make With Old (I love the clever title)

Indulgy.com: Light fixtures live again

Denim Do Over: giving new life to old denim

Pinterest: Set the timer or you’ll never get anything done.

Facebook: Re-purposed, Recycled, Reused, Reclaimed, Restored

I like to re-purpose my wall calendar each year.  I reuse the pages to make envelopes, bookmarks, gift tags, small stickers, gift-card holders and other small paper items.

Last year I made a wreath for our front door using scraps of tissue paper, candy wrappers (ahem) , a dry-cleaning bag and the plastic sleeve from the newspaper.

Katherine, over at Pillows a-la- Mode recently refashioned an old sweater into the most adorable teddy bear you’ve ever seen.

Diary of a Mad Woman uses a similar sweater to make Christmas stockings. 

I hope you have as much fun as I did, visiting all these fun sites.  Please share your own re-fashions, links or blogs in the comments below.

by

Garden Calendar Lives Another Day

Have you hung up your 2013 wall calendar?  Do you love a new calendar as much as I do?

My sister gave me The Old Farmer’s Almanac Gardening Calendar this year.  It’s always been one of my favorites.  The pages are beautifully illustrated with helpful notations and interesting quotes. Here’s one:

Benjamin Franklin introduced kohlrabi to colonial America.The vegetable’s German name originated from the Italian words cavolo rapa, meaning “cabbage turnip.”

You learn something new every day! 😉

It’s fun turning over a new page to a new month and a fresh beginning.  Conversely, I removed my 2012 gardening calendar with great anticipation. In the past few years I’ve been re-purposing the beautifully designed pages into envelopes and stickers, tags and the odd bookmark.

This year I’ve challenged myself to use all of last year’s garden calendar in new and different ways. Here’s what I’ve been up to:

Gift Card Holder

This design simply evolved based on the pattern of the flower.  The gift card holder folds into thirds and is held in place by a sleeve.  When the sleeve is in place, the butterfly keeps the top flap from opening.

gift card holder

Gift Card Holder (cutaway with sleeve)

Gift Card Holder

Gift Card Holder (closed)

Desk Top Organizer

I’ve always loved little boxes, and this one is no exception.  It arrived with some unexpected treasures from a dear friend.  Rather than pack it away with the Christmas gear, I covered the box with four different calendar pages. I used the stiffer cardstock from the front of the calendar to make a pair of dividers.  Now I can easily get my hands on what I need.

Christmas Gift Box

Christmas gift box from a dear friend

Desk Top Organizer

Desk Top Organizer

Dividers

Dividers

Box Lining

Box Lining

Napkin Rings

Once folded in half and glued together, the pages are quite sturdy. I cut them into strips, formed a ring, and stitched them together with a scrap of raffia.  Now I’m all set for Thanksgiving.

Napkin Rings (8 for next fall)

Napkin Rings (8 for next fall)

Envelopes, gift tags and stickers

Assorted gift tags and labels

Assorted gift tags and stickers

Envelope

Envelope

Wine Tag

Wine Tag

Postcards from the Edge

I used the only bit of white from the calendar to create a writing space.  The reverse side of the postcard has a quote.

Two-sided postcard (back side has quotation)

Two-sided postcard (back side has quotation)

Bunting

For the Fairy Garden…of course.  🙂

fairy garden bunting

Drawer Liners and a Poster

Drawer Liner

Drawer Liners (My husband swears we need all these remotes)

Poster

Poster (back of guest bath door)

Check this out:

Katherine at Pillows a-la-Mode likes to re-fashion or re-purpose clothing in a similar fashion. She held a contest a few months back. The lucky winner mailed her a beautiful embroidered jacket (that not longer fit), and Katherine turned it into a tote bag, a tissue holder, a pillow and more. You can check out the contest winner and lots of other fun ideas at Pillows a-la-Mode.