Recycle, eh

Who doesn't love footstools? They make great seating for the little ones and give a nice decorative touch to any room. They're easy to make and very affordable if you do what I've done and simply use an old wood picture frame, an unused foam pillow insert, wood curtain finials, and a piece of fabric remnant.

As you can see from the above, it's very easy to do. For my how-to instructions, go here.

I'm still recovering from a bad cold that I think I may have picked up on the plane coming over to the UK but again, today I'm feeling a bit better. Cruising the web is always fun because there is so much out there (I know a lot if rubbish - but the creative folks out there make it worthwhile to take a gander at what they are up to).

I found this creative reuse of vintage crocheted doilies at one of my favourite bloggers, Anna Leena. She stitched a few doilies together to make this cute table runner. What a clever and practical idea! If you, like me, have collection of these doilies and are reluctant to toss them or leave them neglected and forgotten in some drawer, why not recycle them this way? It's so easy  and you can make it in no time at all. Instructions here. Skill level: nil!!

I'm not sure why but I've come to the conclusion that door making has become a lost art form. In every place I have stayed in recently (other than hotels where most of them still get it right), none of the doors fit properly - some are downright out of kilter entirely (in one flat, I could never lock the door). In my second storey basement apartment the door has enough space all around to let in draughts in winter of Arctic proportions and in summer heat that defeats the valiant breezes created by my fan. At night, light seeps in from all sides.

So, of course, I've decided to place a curtain over the door. Not having a curtain long enough, I will have to add on additional piece to make the curtain longer and as I don't have a sewing machine, I will use double-sided fabric tape to hold the whole thing together. This is a great way to use up a piece of fabric that's too small for any other project and you can use the idea not only to lengthen a curtain but also to widen one along the sides. 

I'll be using an extendable shower curtain rod to hold up my door curtain as I don't want to put any nails in the walls.

Once it’s done, the curtain will keep out the weather, the light, and as well, the noise coming from the hallway at midnight when the other tenants clammer in from their late night debaucheries.

The above photo from Ikea's Livet Hemma site shows one way to add a plain panel to a floral curtain. This idea will work for me but in reverse - I have a plain curtain that I will add a nice floral panel to. I'll be adding a panel to the bottom of my old curtain but you can also add it to the top as in the Ikea photo. 

This idea works for any curtain that is too short for a window or doorway. Besides doors, other non-conventional ways to use curtains is to hide storage, use as a room divider, or instead of a door using whatever fabric you have on hand. 

By the way if you need instructions for this, blogger Jane at Finding Fabulous shows you how.

While cruising Ikea's Livet Hemma site (I know, I know, I seem to be obsessed with this Swede!) I found yet another neat idea. If you sew, this would be a nice way to use up those bits and pieces of scrap fabric. And Sandy over at Sandy A La Mode tells you how to do it. Nice.

Seems everyone is bunting these days. 

If you're wondering what you could do with a bunch of brightly coloured but  torn and ripped tights hidden away at the bottom of the laundry basket, here's an idea i came across while cruising the web late last night (Note to self: No more cheese sandwiches before bed-time!!).

Camilla over at Family Chic for glams up some plain, clear glass flower vases with a pair of hot pink tights. She uses NEW tights but I think it would work better if you recycled your old and torn hosiery instead. You could change the colour of the vase depending on the flowers, I guess.

Anyway, it's similar to what JC over at J.C.'s Loft blogs about using socks and I also mentioned in my  the socks over flower pots. Heck, I've even used a similar idea to decorate pumpkins with torn black lace tights. 

Photo 1 via Family Chic

Photo 2 via J.C.'s Loft