Inspiring Reporpose Ideas for Vintage Books

Live Learn and Improve

Most anyone can appreciate the aesthetics of an old hardback book. 

Jim Rosenau was raised in a house with 5,000 books so needless to say he would appreciate them more than most.

I was originaly attracted to Jim's clocks but after rummaging through his gallery I found shelves, key holders, bookcases, etc... 

 Jim's craftsmanship, uniqueness, and conscious reuse of material has won him much recognition for his work. His site offers a wealthy inventory and is worth taking a peek. New projects will be added by the end of this month. Just in time for Christmas!!!

Who Knew Tablewear Life Could Be So Unexpected

Live Learn and Improve

I really love seeing something so intricate wearing a simple color like this upcyled tea cup lamp. It really works. 

retropolitan

Yet you KNOW there is potential in using color!! 

Have fun with this one. 

It is unique and capable of being a very personal project. Definitely on my list.

Finding A New Home For A Reclaimed Shutter

Live Learn and Improve

Lancaster County, Pennsylvania country decor is saturated with nostalgia and is appreciated by more than just the locals. People literally come from far and to wide to experience Lancaster's craftsmanship. 

Pride in their work still remains strong in the heart of these folks.

Bonnie of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania sent me this photo of an old shutter she upcycled to her mudroom coat rack. 

Thank you for sharing Bonnie!

Comfortable With The Idea Of Reusing Disposable Chopsticks

Live Learn and Improve

China consumes 25 million trees in the manufaturing of disposible chopsticks every year. So when Jason Dembski and Ryan Horsman were confronted with the challange of (re)using everyday Chinese items in new ways, they developed this very intriguing stool.

Jason Dembski

Tackling such an extremely overwhelmingly wasted product requires extreme measures. Literally thousands of disposable chopsticks, in addition to bamboo steamers, and simple cushioning material is used to create a completely functional and contemporary piece. Jason illustrates the stool's simple composition on his website. I love this stool's natural monotone character although if you were a color nut I suppose you could have some real fun with this project.

Jason received his BS.Arch from the Ohio State University in 2004 and M.Arch from the University of Michigan in 2009. He is currently working for Davidclovers in Hong Kong.

Finding A New Home For My Old Leather Boots

Live Learn and Improve

 

I was rummaging in the closet the other day and found my old riding boots. Well... my second back-ups. When you ride every day in whatever weather, you have second back-ups. I don't ride anymore but there are a ton of miles on these and they are still very close to my heart. I really wanted to find an excuse to keep them around.

Photo By Carly & Art

Inspired by this picture I decided to transplant the Orange-Mint Plant that I knocked over in the dark the other night. The pot was broken to smithereens! 

Muti-Tasking as a door stopper for the shed door. 

I like this addition to the property.

Vintage plates upcycled to colorful candle holders

Live Learn and Improve

One of my most memorable dining experiences was in a small resturant in Souderton, Pennsylvania. The establishment was located in the town's old train station and it succeeded in maintaining a very vintage look. The one thing that impressed me the most about this place was that their plates, mugs, and utensils did not match. Each piece had a unique and historical characteristic to it which lent to the old time feeling of the restaurant.

Dinner tables are a place where family memories are made. I can still remember the plates my grandmother would serve Christmas Dinner on. From time to time I find that same print at second hand shops and it always takes me back. 

loglike of North East Wales showcases vintage plates that "serve" another purpose....

 

A Green Minded attitude allows them to boast the fact that their products utilize "natural and upcycled, vintage materials"

loglike caters to different tastes by using a variety of saucers (color, shape, design). These are just a few of my favorites...

The saucers are all genuine antique, (or vintage) originals, dating from Victorian times through to the 1960’s. All wooden components are hand-turned by loglike, from reclaimed wood. 

loglike's unique saucer creations can be found on their website or artisan shop folksy.com which also includes a tutorial on the project.

Reclaimed Oak and Railroad Pin Towel Rack in 4 Short Steps

Live Learn and Improve

Reclaimed wood in the home creates a warm and mature setting.

 This is a fairly simple project I've done composed of an oak barn wood board and old railroad pins.

 1.  Brush the barn wood with a wire brush to clean off spiderwebs and dirt. 

2.  Brush up the steel pins with steel wool to remove any rust and give a shine. 

3. Drill holes to match your pins (all the way through the board).  Two things to remember with this step... Drill bit size used should be as close as you can get to your pins (slightly smaller is better than slightly bigger)
Also, be mindful to drill into the board at a consistant angle. The holes I have drilled are perpendicular to the board.

4. Pound the pins into your holes with a ball-pine hammer until their points are flush with the back and the board. Your barn wood should sit flat against the wall. If your holes are drilled correctly your pins should be secure.

This is a very heavy project make sure it is hung securely. Your end result will be a sturdy hanger for winter coats, towels, etc..

 

Another creative t-shirt upcycler!!

Live Learn and Improve

Recyling artist Emily Kircher of ekra creates and array of beautiful rugs that display more than just a shade of Green. Try every color in the rainbow.

Since dyes are not used, Emily of ekra says that one of her biggest obsticals can be finding certain colors. 

I think that one thing that makes these upcycling projects so challenging is the fact that you are at the mercy of what you have. Without a doubt Emily has a strong-hold on how to make her rugs stand out with the colors available to her.

I love making rugs. I love just about everything about it, shopping for fabric, designing, combining fabrics to create effects. - ekra

  My motivation for making rugs from recycled fabrics is two-fold. First, to take a tiny bit of fabric waste out of the waste stream and remake it into something useful. Second, to educate people that unwanted fabrics can have a second life as something else and that if they don't want them, to please donate them to a thrift store so they can be used again. -ekra

Emily began selling her rugs in 2004 after years of perfecting her technique. 

These are available for purchase in her etsy shop, and consignsment shops which she has listed on her blog.

Upcycled Vintage Lace Transformed to Elegant Jewelry

Live Learn and Improve

No one can seem to really pin-point the origin of making lace but they will all agree that it has been around for a very long time.
 

During the Middle Ages, a ...
period of renaissance and enlightenment, the making of lace was firmly based within the domain of fashion. To be precise, it was designed to replace embroidery in a manner that could with ease transform dresses to follow different styles of fashion. Unlike embroidery, lace could be unsewn from one material to be replaced on another.

Hey! Imagine that, they were already thinking about reusing this stuff!!! This is exactly what Courtney Spivak and Christina Spivak of White Owl did. The two sisters have found a love for re-purposing vintage materials and collect a great deal from flea markets, estate sales, and even family. The result of their approach upcycling lace has an absolutely gorgeous and unique outcome. I adore their necklaces!

  

 Photos are courtesy of White Owl. Their jewelry can be found on Etsy

Upcycled Dinner Napkins Don't Ever Have To Leave the Dining Table

Live Learn and Improve

Another project of my own...

I've decided we need seat cushions for the kitchen chairs. So this is what I've come up with using old dinner napkins including the tye-strings and buttons from my old cushions. You will finds stains on these from time to time. None on these but there is always the option of dying the fabric if it is mildly tarnished.  

Pioneerthinking.com has a neat article on dying fabric the natural way with things found frequently just outside your door.

You could keep this simple and use two of the same napkins (same print front and back) or you can explore with a different fabrics on each side of the pillow. This will allow you to stretch your pattern throughout the house a little bit farther and my personal opinion is that the end result is often more creative.

One thing I love about projects like this is they have the potential be so personal when you use material you have had for years!

Upcycle Old Glass Candle Holders

Live Learn and Improve

I gave these upcycled candle holders to family for Christmas last year and included scented candles to match the glass. This particular one I gave to my mother. It fits her vintage country decor to a tee.

I've seen these chandelier glass candle holders in every second hand store I’ve ever been in. I especially love colored glass and so it wasn’t out of the ordinary that I spontaneously bought a plastic bag full (for 1$!!) and took it upon myself to find a new use for them.

Different sizes, shapes and colors assist in creating a truly unique project even when the general idea is the same. I ended up making 7 or 8 of these and each one had it's own character.

The log was gathered from a tree that had fallen in a storm. The wood otherwise would have gone for firewood. It was drizzling the day we cut and I admired the way the poplar bark looked glazed with rain so I applied a thin polyurethane coating to the wood for the same wet effect. 

A few things to consider for a DIY mission:

Make sure the bottom of the log is cut flat to avoid teetering
Apply felt or leather to 4 corners of the bottom to protect furniture from scratching
Not all candle holders have the same size base nub so measure them
Keep these rubber rings... they may come in handy if you drill a hole too big

mrTEDI upcycled from unwanted mens button-up shirts

Live Learn and Improve

Meet Mrs Jermyn. Her creativeness is evident right away.

This artist is from Finland and has transpired from a family well versed in textiles.  Mrs Jermyn found herself exploring the world of design which landed her in Brooklyn, New York and is where mrTEDI transpired.

Mrs Jermyn has taken unwanted menswear shirts and upcycled them to adorable teddy bears. These bears posses unique character that stems from the shirt they are sewn from AND are a greener alternative to the landfill. 

 mrTerry's

my kind

of Bear

I think I'd like to see a new Reduce Reuse spokesperson. mr. Green maybe. I don't know, clever names are not my thing but you know what I mean.

Enjoy!!

Live Learn and Improve

Reusing or Upcycling things brought into your home can create memories for years to come and allow more energy to go toward creating an eco-rich environment.

This guy ended up on the back porch yesterday. Beautiful!

I thought it was funny that my other half came walking into the kitchen with it in a jar when all I've been thinking about lately is what to do with the glass I've been collecting.

I did find an idea online that struck me as different. The company zero-waste design has arranged glass bottles and wood shelving to fashion this bookcase that really can easily be done as a diy project with things around the house. This is a project that has potential to be a very alluring piece of furniture as zero-waste design has done.

These are some of the recycled jars around my place.

A splash of color on the porch

Change Jar

Angel Wing Begonia... Hydro style

Flowers say I Love You!!

I've you have an idea or product that stands out above the rest. Send it to me. I'd love to review it for posting on Creative Shade Of Green.

 

New Feature Artists Page

Live Learn and Improve

I've finally added my Feature Artist Page.

Watch here for unique upcycling artists.

Lucirmás 

Upcycle artist, Lucia Bruni
presents a product that is elegant and classy by utilizing a medium that was destined for the trash. Read more...

Iron Floor Grates Upcycled to Mail Holder

Live Learn and Improve

 

Do It Yourself Magazine stages upcycling a old metal floor grate into a mailholder, start to finish.  This project is as simple as it gets.

Reclaim an old metal floor grate

Scrub off any rust or rough spots with sandpaper or a wire brush

Coat it with a metal primer

Apply the color of your choice

Mount it wherever you want

Upcycling unwanted floor grates is a simple idea and the result is so delightful.

Anyone can do this recycling project...

Reclaimed floor grates can be found in

Thrift Stores

Yard Sales

Flea Markets

 Search Amazon.com for montana spray paint

Montana is 100% lead and CFC free and can be used on a variety of surfaces including wood concrete metal glass plastic canvas and others

They carry a plethora of natural and earthy colors.

Upcycle a Suitcase?

Live Learn and Improve
 

Think about it!  As soon as someone thought to attach wheels to suitcases the old hard-case suitcase was discarded or stashed in a closet somewhere.  These artists have come up with a few very unique ideas on how to upcycle  suitcases instead of tossing them to the dumpster.

 

The idea of a pet bed made from an upcycled suitcase is the best I’ve seen yet. I really liked this artist’s style.

These recycled suitcase chairs are far from a beginner project but the results are impressive. I especially like the artists choice in fabric.

Photos, Instructions, and Suggestions on how to upcycle a suitcase to an end table. I really like this idea. I’m a big fan of hidden storage spaces since I have a toddler.

Upcycling has endless opportunities. What ever your working with the end result is always unique. 

I plan on devoting next week to glass jars. Check back to see what we come up with.

 

Reclaimed Cobblestones

Live Learn and Improve

 Without a doubt there is an endless list of things in this world today that can be reused or upcycled. 

Here is something of a more natural character... cobblestone.

Cobblestones have been used all over the world for centuries as building material. They are natural and each unique in character. When you want to think green check out these thoughts on reclaiming cobblestones and giving them another life.

Here is an exceptional article that explores the different kinds of material available to be reused and also makes a point to mention that stone is a readily available material that can often be found local. This is true “green” thinking… buy local to conserve energy.


This video suggests lining driveways and gardens for a sturdy and natural looking border to your landscaping. Such a simple idea! Even the kids can help...and with everyone chipping in this can be a unique, green, and completely affordable touch to your home.