Hands – On

Projects to keep your creativity and dexterity in check.

Easy Infinity Scarf Tutorial – Any fabric, always awesome, 30 minutes.

August 13, 2012
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Now this may seem a bit repetitive, seeing as my last post was a similar but different version of the same scarf.  But bear with me, I think you will enjoy the difference and the ease of this new project.  I enjoy summer scarves almost as much as winter ones, so when I found a wonderfully soft bamboo knit cotton fabric in wicked awesome patterns I knew just what to do.  I decided to turn the project into a “best friends forever bracelet” inspired shared scarf opportunity for two of my favorite ladies.  Buying 1 yard of each fabric I wanted to use, gave me enough material to make 2 scarves from each option.  The material I purchased feels very similar to jersey, so it isn’t too stiff and drapes softly.  If you wanted a more voluminous look, you could use a cotton fabric or layer two scarves together for more fullness.  If you decide to participate in this project on your own, I would love to see your results.  Good luck and enjoy!

One yard of bamboo cotton knit fabric can yield 2 scarves, with some leftover material for another project! This fabric was ordered from Spoonflower.com and was designed by one of my favorite artists Heather Ross!

First step is to remove any excess unprinted trim on the vertical sides (longest length) of the fabric due to the fact there will be no hem on the lengthwise side of the scarf.

Starting from the left side of the fabric (width side not lengthwise) piece smooth out fabric on flat surface and use measuring tape to guide you to the correct desired width.

For my scarves I decided to go with 12 inches width, if you wanted to get more scarves out of the 1 yard material you could take the total ream width and divide it by 3 to get more slim scarves.

To create a guided straight line for cutting, I re-measured 12 inches all the way down the line and pinned at intervals. Then cut from one end to the other to remove the desired fabric amount.

Once you have your scarf material cut, the last step is pin both the free ends (short width sides, not length) together in preparation of the only sewing line in the entire project!

Get your sewing station ready, and sew away! I sewed over the same hem line twice to ensure longevity. However, if you have a serger sewing machine that would make a much more secure finish.

Layered T-shirt Infinity Scarf Tutorial

June 18, 2012
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My year round addiction to scarves has led me down some new paths of finding warm weather appropriate options.  I am a HUGE fan of Necklush brand multi-strand scarves by the fabulous guys from Brooklyn, and have started my own collection of their pieces.  But in the namesake of variety and saving cash, I am venturing out to make some additional options myself.  I found a great online video giving detailed directions on how to make t-shirt yarn by Releve Design, which works perfectly for making layered t-shirt scarves.  The only difficulty I faced with this project was finding unique colored t-shirts to use for the project other than those boring plain white tees, but I plan to continue to make more as I find good material thrift store hunting.  Follow along and try it out yourself!

 

Bathroom Medicine Cabinet Makeover

December 16, 2011
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We’ve had our bathroom medicine cabinet since we got married 8 years ago, and let’s just say it has seen better days.  The paint was chipping, it had a towel bar on the bottom that was never used, and it just lacked any interest at all.  So when we decided to re-do our master bathroom, the cabinet was the first thing on my list.  I decided that we should remove the towel bar, paint the cabinet frame red, and update the bubbled glass inserts.  Once I found the mushroom poster, I knew that decoupaging over the glass would be perfect.  Kevin wasn’t so hot on the idea, but once it was done he praised my abilities yet again.

The boring blah bland before

Find a good craft paint brush, clear decoupage glue, some wax paper to protect the table top and you are ready to go.

We cut directly around our glass door inserts to get the sizing as exact as possible

Double check that your paper is cut to the same size as the material you are covering

Paint on a light amount of decoupage glue on to the backside of your paper

 

Gently place the paper onto the glass, move it into place and make any adjusments before smoothing

 

Smooth out any bubbles or bumps without moving the placement too much

 

Let the glue dry for at least an hour before applying your first layer of glue on top. Make sure the entire area is completely coated, but do not make each layer too thick. Let each layer dry throughly before applying next, and apply as many layers as desired for coverage.

FINISHED and fantastic.... we replaced the cabinet knobs with some we had around the house, and with the paint and the mushroom poster the project cost around $20 in total.

Rubbish Rehab prepares for IDS West interior design show in Vancouver, BC

September 15, 2011
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The countdown is on …. we have just under 2 weeks left to get all the final preparations done for our Rubbish Rehab debut as a booth vendor.  The IDS West interior design show up in Vancouver, British Columbia Canada is dedicated to all things related to innovative interior design.  Our main goal is to network and get the name out about our chairs and the work that we do.  The booth we have rented is fairly small, so making the best of our room became the focus of our layout.  Lighting at the show is very dim, so we also had to manage to figure out an ideal way to light up our area.  Naturally, I turned toward my go to savior… THRIFT STORES.  I managed to find a lamp set that had potential… and when I say potential I mean they were hideous but could be saved.  We also needed some very small tables that would put our lamps off the ground enough to spread the light but couldn’t be taking up any more space than absolutely necessary.  Two small telephone stands were just the ticket.  Check out the beginner level DIY before and after’s of my lamp and table projects.

I was a bit worried about there being glass, wood and metal on the lamps to paint. But we double checked our spray paint, and all of the above were cleared for takeoff.

We went with grey and orange to go with our Rubbish Rehab banner, we got the new lamp shades at Target, and new electrical wiring. Total cost of project was $40.

Snagged the telephone stands for a total of $35 at a second hand store.

After the paint, our table project was $40 total. $80 isn't bad for all the accessories for our booth!

I'll post new pictures of our booth set up at IDS West with all the fixins!

Yarn & Knit goodies

September 12, 2011
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I have no experience knitting, crocheting or utilizing yarn whatsoever…. but I have a goal to someday soon; due to some inspiration from family and friends.  Getting a beautifully knit gift from a loved one is a genuine pleasure, like the scarves I have received from my talented sister Sydne.  You always remember the person who made them for you, and smile every time you remember the time and energy it took your hardworking artist to create them.  Creating beauty with yarn isn’t just for grannies with needles anymore, the world of crafts has expanded into unlimited creative new territories ready to be explored by noobs such as myself.

yarn bombing is sweeping the nation, if there is something in this world that hasn't been shown some knitted love yet it'll be covered soon.

for those of you that oppose fur, celebrate foxery in this animal cruelty free option

rocks with a cozy makeover

totoro on your hat would make every cold day a fairytale

Make these for your kids room or nursery to get some instant ceiling color

a slipcover fit for a crafting queen

dog toys made from old sweaters!

dog-zilla costume

keep track of the time ticking away while you are knitting up a storm

Can a person get involved with ballet just so there is a real excuse to wear leg warmers?? *sigh* damn you jennifer beal

Flapjack Frog toy pattern

*** and everyone was wearing fingerless MITTENS ***

handmade knitted valentines??? could there be anything else more adorable

nom nom nom cupcake pillow

high waisted knitted shorts tutorial for all you hipsters

Chairs ready for do it yourself customized knitting - by Susanne Westphal

crochet cover for an ikea stool? GENIUS

wall street and pink go together beautifully

Collecting glass display domes – hands on project

August 26, 2011
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The difficult part of this project is finding the domes themselves without needing to sell your kidneys in the process.  Larger display glass domes can cost up into the $500′s when you are looking at special order or hard to find shapes and sizes.  But the $4.99 price tags on my two little gems from the thrift store were more to my taste.  It doesn’t matter what is currently living in the dome when you find it, as long as you have a vision for what you would like to display in it.  A little paint, a knick knack and your glass display dome; then you are ready for some cute pieces to show off your treasures.

 

Saving your old Calenders for a rainy day? – Wall Art Project

July 24, 2011
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Being quite sure I am not the only one who could possibly save old calenders for a later use yet to be determined ; I think this inexpensive DIY project will be a useful one for everyone.  The hording of calenders in my family does not start or end with me, I have the “Cabbage Patch Kids” and “Muppets” calenders from 1984 and 1985 upstairs to prove it.  The bright high quality images that occur every month on your wall calender are ripe to be re-used again as framed art once the year is over.  My current project involves last year’s beetle and insect image from June.  Simple steps are as follows : Gather your supplies, choose your image , measure the opening of your frame and cut calender image approximately half an inch larger than the opening area or to the exact size of the actual frame.  Depending on your frame size you may need to tape the image onto the back side of the matting to keep in place before inserting backing.  Hang your frame and enjoy the inexpensive benefits of your own handy work!

Calender art - After

The hardest part of this 15 minute project is hanging your frame perfectly level

Calender before

Make sure the image you choose is large enough to fill the size of frame you are working with

Supplies for calender art

Supply list : measuring tape, scissors , calender image , and frame. My frame is an 11 x 14 frame with 8 x 10 opening, $6.99 from Ross

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