More Upcycling

I am a huge fan of upcycling.  I am in awe at how little people can throw away.  I love seeing someone's crazy idea for something that they had laying around the house... love it..  I was reading Casa Sugar today, one of my favorite sites, and came across some more interesting upcycling projects.   I give Casa full credit for this idea!  Check out their post HERE

Old Belt Lawn Chair:
This is very unique, an almost basket weave of old leather belts.  Granted they need to be long enough, and strong enough to hold up to this task, but it's a really cool idea.  I'm not sure that it will end up being much more comfortable than the polyester straps that are usually on their, but it is WAY nicer looking.  Very rustic for around the fire pit.

Found at this etsy site:  Lawn Chair

 Milkshake Table Lamp:
There are so many lamp projects out there, but this one is both modern and retro.  If you have a broken stainless steel appliance around the house that you are just waiting to throw out, think for a few minutes about what else you might be able to do with it.  By the way, I can not guarantee that your old blender will look this sleek, but you never know!


Found at this etsy site: Lamp

Wine Cork Corkboard:
I have always wanted to put one of these together for above our computer.  This one uses the corks on their ends, but you can also turn them on their sides.  My mother is making a cork board trivet for her hot dishes & has a corkboard wreath above her door.  If you want to put them on end like this, but don't want to have a project that is 3" thick, try cutting the corks in half, and putting the cut halves against the back, or surface that you are gluing to.  Then you double your number of corks too!


Found at this etsy site:  Corkboard

 Classic Hubcap Clock:
This is a cool way to reuse old car parts that may or may not have any cash value left.


Found at this etsy site: Hubcap Clock

 Map Trays:
Have left over maps from your trip to New York, or from your Honeymoon, but don't know what to do with them?  This crafty crafter decided to decorate plain trays with cool maps.   Next time you are on a vacation, grab a few extra subway or city maps.  Then glue them and lacquer them onto old bins, food trays, or even picture frames for something unique.

Found at this etsy site:  Map Trays

Wine Bottle Tiki Torch:
I have already touched on this topic in my last upcycling post HERE, but here is another view of a backyard tiki torch.  This might just inspire me to get crafting this summer yet!  I do not have totally bathroom burnout, I do not :) [just keep saying it, right?]  Fill these candles with citronella and keep away the pesky mosquitoes too!


Found at this etsy site:  Wine Torches

 I must admit, people are WAY more creative than I am... my most creative upcycling project is in construction right now, but it might take a few more weeks to get finished.. you'll see soon!

What are you favorite upcycling projects?  Have you  made any yourself?

Stacked Cabinets

Hello everyone, hope your weekend's were fun and productive.  I made it through a few projects at home that I'll photograph as part of our living room update soon, but I wanted to drop in and post one of the greatest ideas that our good friend "Martha" has ever had.  Stacked Cabinets. 

When I came across this, I thought that it might be the best idea, and one of the simplest to achieve.  You can also use this project in several different rooms in your house:  Kitchen, Dining Room, Entry, etc... I encourage you all to get creative!  If you don't have enough storage space, but don't have room to add extra cabinets in your kitchen, or don't want to spend a ton of money on a new sideboard or curio cabinet, try this on for size.


Photo: Martha Stewart

Head to a flea market, a Habitat for Humanity Restore, or even a local second hand shop and look for a set of double lower and upper cabinets.  Make sure that the lower is a little wider than the upper.  Keep in mind also, that upper cabinets are usually 12" deep, while lower ones are 24" deep, so you will have an automatic step back. 

In the photo above, the upper cabinets have glass doors, which can make the cabinet pair a curio cabinet style display case, allowing you to show-off your dishes, nick-knacks, etc.  However you could go with solid doors for hidden storage, or even remove the doors & have an open shelf cabinet on the top and/or bottom.

Sand, prime and paint both sets the same color.  You can use crown molding to dress up the tops of both cabinets and get matching pulls to make the set appear to match. 

The top of the lower cabinet will most likely need a new flat surface, as not all cabinets have a fininshed surface on top, so you can go simple or go fancy with a new top for your cabinets.  For the simple approach, pick up a 3/4" sheet of plywood to cover the lower cabinet top.  Then add matching trim to both the top and bottom cabinets.  For a fancier and more modern approach, get a remnant slab of granite, soapstone, concrete, etc. to act as a "countertop" and place the upper cabinet on that flat surface.

You can bolt the cabinets together, or keep them separate & attach the upper cabinet to the wall with a tie-back.  You can choose from several different attachment options, but make sure that the upper cabinet is secure.  There is a chance that the floor or the furniture may not be level, which could be a disaster if the cabinet is not properly secured.

You can use this as a curio & server in your dining room.  It can be used as extra storage in your kitchen or eat-in area.  You can put it in a mud room fully equipped with baskets & bins to keep winter gear, toys & even outdoor tools kept neat & put away. 

I thought it was a wonderful idea & wanted to share it with everyone today as a quick & easy DIY project for your home.  It is also eco-friendly, as you can re-use someone's old cabinets -another great example of up-cycling! 

Have a super week, everyone!

Getting Ready for our Outdoor Garden

It is ALMOST spring... and I can't wait!
One of the first things that I do when spring is coming around is plan for our vegetable garden.  Last year, the wedding planning put gardening on hold, but this year - watch out!  I have been planning.

There is a method to my madness.  Our home faces South, so the best sun is in our front yard.  This does not make gardening ideal, so we tend to do a container garden.  I have found that large tomatoes do not grow well in a container garden, artichokes do not grow in our area, and other things along the way - so this year I think I have the solution. 

Instead of littering our entry stairs with containers, or throwing them all about in the front yard, I am going to gather them in a corner of our patio that gets pretty decent sun throughout the day.

Here is a two-minute sketch of my plan (literally).  I would like to group three large containers in the middle of the display, near the corner that will get the best amount of sun.  I will put Roma tomatoes in the largest container (smaller tomatoes, so hopefully slightly smaller plant that will deal with being in a container).  These tomatoes can be used tor salsa, soup & sandwiches, making them the most versitle of the tomato family.  I am going to do jalepenos and another vegetable, yet to be determined in the other two round pots.  I might use the other round pot for some of our favorite herbs as well, we'll see when I go to buy plants!

In the larger rectangular pot with the trellis shown, I will be planing beans.  They tend to want to climb, so I will either use a screen or mesh and attach it to the railing as well as imbed it in the dirt, so that the beans can grab the wire and climb!

In the other longer, shorter rectangular pot, I plan on growing salad greens.  Probably something like a mesculin mix.  I am very excited about this!  I might get a hanging garden box or two, and hang them over the railing, either way, I am ready for free salad greens - Maybe even some spinach!

There are two hanging basketsin the image.  From the one, I will hang 2-3 pepper plants (green and yellow) & the other is made for strawberries! Yum.  I haven't tried the strawberry one yet, but we'll see how it goes!

I am going to attempt to put a pot on the ground on the side of the house and try to get cucumbers to climb as well.  I would like to plant some garlic & some of our favorite herbs as well (basil, rosemary & cilantro).  Fresh salads & salsa as soon as these things start growing in!

Putting them on the porch will deter animals from coming too close and nibbling on them.  It will also protect them from extreme weather.  We can get some violent storms in the summer & potted plants tend to go flying in a strong wind.  It will also remind me to water them!  Sitting on the porch will be a constant reminder, rather than in the back yard, where we might not go every day.  It will also add some greenery without much cost to our porch area.

I like to buy most things as established plants, rather than seeds.  So I will be looking for pepper and tomato plants, while I will use seeds for the lettuce, herbs, garlic & beans.  I already have most of the containers, just need to get the dirt!

I'm so excited for spring & I love to watch the plants grow.  I plan on adding a lot of green touches to the porch this year, so keep watching for photos as the projects progress!  Happy "almost" spring to everyone!

"Upcycled" Wine Bottles

In keeping with my new desire to talk about ways to be eco-friendly in your daily life, I thought I would share with you a couple amazing examples of upcycling wine bottles.  "Upcycling" is reusing something in a way other than it was first used.  For instance.  If you have a shower curtain, and it's gotten old, and you decide to use it as a drop cloth when painting - that's upcycling.  It's sort of a play on the recycling trend by recycling something for a new purpose instead of putting it in a blue bin or bag.

Today I'd like to focus on a topic that is close to me right now, as I am trying to remove tricky labels... Wine Bottles.  Wine bottles can be used for many things.  We plan on upcycling a few wine bottles as vases in our living room, but here are some of my favorite wine bottle upcycling ideas:

1. Drinkware:

Find these on Esty by following this LINK

These glasses are old wine bottles.  The narrow portion of the bottle is cut and removed & the top is cleaned up for usage.  Most of the people that make the glassware reheat the bottles to give them a smooth edge.  I think it's a great way to reuse the bottles & a great way to use recycled glass for drinkware.  The cobalt blue glass is my favorite.  Check out Etsy for all kinds of these glasses, ones made from beer bottles, liquor bottles, some are etched - great idea!

2. Lighting:

Photo of Jordan & Landon's house from
landonjacob.com - their house was featured
on younghouselove

Ever wonder what people can do with all the tops that they cut off the bottles to make the glasses?  Here is a great photo where they were used to make a light fixture.  The green and yellow bottles are lovely & they are housed with a hand made wooden box.

3. Outdoor Tiki Torches:

Photo Credit & How-To: Link

Here is a super unique way to light your patio without having to mow around tiki torches shoved in the ground.  These old wine bottles get a new life as outdoor torches.  Follow the link  under the photo for the how-to instructions.

4. Wall Mounted Vases:

Photo Credit & How-To: Link

Here is a great way to add a little punch of color to any room without having to buy a new vase, or set anything on the table!  Check out the link under the photo for the How-To.  I like the paint on the wall to tie the table and vases together.

5. Candle Holders:


Photo Credit & How-To: Link

Here is another use for all of those bottle tops!  A grouping of these would look amazing on any one's dining room table as a great centerpiece, or even for a restaurant or winery wedding reception!
There are dozens of ways to use everyday items as something new in our life.  I found at least 10 other things that wine bottles can be used for while searching for these few uses.   I personally love these ideas and think that everyone could use at least one of them in your own home!

"Green-ing" Your Home

I suppose the word "Green" is the most famous buzz word of the past 5 years.  Green your home.  Green your new building.  Green your cleaning products.  We have been inundated with the term, so much so, that people outside of the building profession are familiar with the trend.  I know that I have heard it a billion times in the last five years, and while some trends may be just a money making scheme, there are some real merits to making our living spaces more eco-friendly and sustainable. 

Building and being "green" sometimes involve a tricky conundrum - sometimes something very sustainable is the exact opposite of eco-friendly.. take vinyl siding and windows for example.  Their manufacturing process is AWFUL for the enviornment - it's a petrolium based product, which is a finite natural material - but vinyl siding and windows are extremly low, borderline no, maintenance and will last in any installation for well over 50 years.  So which is the better side of this coin, the fact that vinyl sustainable and low mainenance, or the fact that other products are more eco-friendly and use renewable resources?  I guess that's part of the on-going question and really needs to be looked at on a case by case basis.

I am a LEED AP, so I know a few things about making a building green vs. making a building sustainable.  I know a little about what can make the environment happy, and what can just be bought by spending more money... but regardless, taking care of our planet should be in each of our list of top priorities, so I'd like to add a Eco-Friendly Section to this webpage, as well as address ways to make your home more eco friendly.

I will try to stay away from the popular buzz words, but I do think that there are little changes that we can make to make a difference.

One thing that came to mind when going through old emails the other day, was the use of bamboo.  The particular email was from Crate&Barrel, showcasing some of their bamboo accessories (which I will show some of) but there are lots of ways to use bamboo in your home.

Bamboo is a VERY renewable resource.  It has less than a 10-year regrowth cycle.  In fact it can be harvested every 2-5 years.  And there are dozens of ways to use it in your home.

Accessories (as promised from Crate&Barrel)

Bamboo Wastecan, Scale & Hamper from Crate&Barrel

Cabinets:  Bamboo is being used for making cabinets - kitchen and bathroom cabinets.  They are lightweight, sleek and can be stained in just about any color.  They generally have about the same life span of any other wood cabinet.  There is an expressed bamboo "grain" that is a little unlike regular wood that you can see in the photo below:


Photo Credit: Link

Flooring:  Oringinally when you thought of bamboo flooring you thought of the light wood color, lighter than birch almost, however, now they make bamboo flooring in a variety of colors and stains.  There is some debate on whether the product will hold up to wear as well as other wood materials, but because it's such a new material, I think the jury is still out on this one.

Photo Credit: Link

Photo Credit: Link

Sinks:  I found a couple of different places selling bamboo sinks!  To me it looks a little like a salad bowl, but it's beautiful & could be perfect for your sleek bathroom installation.

Photo Credit: Link

Other Miscellaneous Uses:  Clothing and textiles (bedding, towels, clothes, etc);  alcohol; paint brushes, bicycles, cutting boards, fencing, countertops, kitchen accessories, furniture, and hundreds of other items.  We personally have a bamboo cutting board, baskets & have looked into purchasing bamboo sheets - they are incredibly soft!

Now, there is some controversy with the product, like I mentioned before, there is a conundrum.  While this is a very rapidly renewable product, it does have issues.  Bamboo is not as much of a locally grown product as we would like.  There are a lot of labor, transport & subsequent fuel costs involved in bamboo products, especially flooring.  There are very few, if any recycled materials in the bamboo products that you purchase.  Due to area and low labor costs, most bamboo is grown and harvested in China, where there are social issues involved.  Bamboo harvesting can be devistating to the land itself - where short term planing can cause erosion of the nearby soil.  The plant is also considered somewhat of a "weed" branching off and spreading wildly, which becomes an issue when planted near forests, where it has been taking over.

However there are other positives.  The growing of bamboo does not require pesticides, and is considered organic.  For most products there is a long life cycle on the material.  The material is lightweight and does add a lot of weight to your current structure.

For me, using bamboo is one of those things that I can see being a postivie, where less of our old growth forest are being harvested, less of the large trees are being taken down, which to me is more devistating than transport issues.  But you can make your own call.  I vote thumbs up for bamboo.

How have you used bamboo in your daily life?