Recycle, eh

I see that Ikea is selling very nice buttoned cushion covers that reminded me of the ones I make from old shirts..

I also reuse the fabric to make laundry bag. Here's one I made for the little guy.

And here's another idea: repurpose them as new quilts. I don't have a provenance for the photo (it's from Country Living magazine, I think but not sure). 

Here's how to make the cushion cover.

Valentine's Day isn't far off so I thought I would show you this lovely (I think!) Valentine heart I made from plastic bags. I didn't have enough red plastic bags so I finished it off with white ones. Easy-peasy, just cut out strips of plastic and tie on to a heart-shaped wire form (I shaped a wire coat hanger into a heart). Takes only minutes.

The February issue of Country Living magazine (UK) has a few tips for keeping out the cold this winter. Some of the ideas are probably only applicable to the UK (e.g., putting a balloon up a fireplace chimney and a strip of aluminum foil behind a radiator to reflect heat) but a few are good ideas for anywhere you live.

For example, fitting a brush-seal to the bottom of the front and back door, putting a cover on the door letter box and over keyholes. Applying a weather strip seal around doorframes is a good idea and also putting up clear plastic covers over windows to prevent heat loss. And even little things can help, such as making a door draft stopper from an old woolly scarf. Here's how to make it.

Okay, so I’ve been pretty lazy about blogging but I’m just getting back on my feet and am feeling frisky again. My OC article on keeping your new year’s resolutions by going green was published yesterday. Here’s the link.

So because my energy level is not quite up there (I’m saving it for a new project!), I checking out the web to see what others are doing by recycling creatively. And, of course, I keep folks on the web who are doing wonderful and very professional looking recycling projects (none of this macaroni on cardboard recycling crafts!).

And speaking of recycling - here’s another example (amazing) of what you can make from the pictures of magazines, calendars, or card--ta dah--clever DIY candle votive covers.

The clever designer behind this idea is Claire over at Fellow, Fellow. Here’s the lutorial.

Cold is over but my energy level is still pretty down so I've not done much lately. I'm working on an idea proposal for recyclables and this is taking up a lot of my time.

But, in the meantime, I spotted yet another idea for recycling a wire coat hanger – found it at Ohhh...Mhhh. You could also use a plastic coat hanger but I’m sure the aesthetic would not be the same and a wooden one would maybe be too bulky.