Make a Euro-Inspired Mini Lamp Garland

I stumbled across a tutorial on a site called Taylor Made Creates to make this mini lamp garland, using plastic cups and mismatched fabric on string lights. Seems like a great way to use leftover fabric and put holiday lights to use in the off-season!

It also reminded me of the photos I saw last year of the (much larger) colorful lampshades of Linen Lux.

If you won’t be in Paris when the lamps go back on display January 19, you can make your own miniature version and bring a bit of the City of Light into your home.

A photo posted by Christoph Jakob (@el_kalam) on Aug 15, 2015 at 3:39pm PDT

For a (more) boho look, add some fringe or lace scraps, like these string lights at Brückenfestival, a 2-day music festival in Nuremberg, Germany that also has a thing for lamps.

A photo posted by Agi 🌸 (@leucht_auge) on Aug 17, 2016 at 7:00am PDT

– More info –

Linen Lux 2017 will be on display during Paris Déco Off January 19-23.
Brückenfestival 2017 happens in Nuremberg August 11-12.
The lamp shades on a string craft originally came from Rebeccas DIY. She also illustrates cityscapes for paper lanterns, like these Venice lanterns.

Photos:
1. Taylor Made Creates
2. European Linen and Hemp
3. Christoph Jakob (@el_kalam)
4. Agi (@leucht_auge)

April 25, 2016April 25, 2016

Coffee Sleeve Flower Press

I didn’t expect to be pressing flowers during this winter’s trip to Virginia, so I didn’t pack anything for that. But I ended up with a few rose petals from my cousin’s wedding I wanted to preserve.

I’d been wondering if a cardboard coffee sleeve could work as an on-the-go flower press, so I grabbed one from the hotel. Since the inside had ridges, I tore it at the seam and basically turned it inside out, sandwiching the petals between flat sides. It may not have been necessary, but I slipped another sleeve over the top just to help everything stay put. Then I clipped it all together with a hair clip.

It actually worked pretty well! I imagine you could also use binder clips or wedge the sleeve under something heavy in your suitcase to keep it flat. Another way to repurpose coffee sleeves for crafting!

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February 8, 2016

Upcycled Cards

I cut up a card from my mother-in-law.

It wasn’t anything against her – she writes the sweetest little notes. I just happened to see it when I was thinking about cards for the Love Letters project, and I decided the balloons on the front were just the right colors to be upcycled into Valentine’s hearts.

So the card got cut up to make more cards. I’m pretty sure my mother-in-law would approve.

Have you found any interesting things to repurpose lately?

PS If you wanted to participate in the Love Letters campaign, making cards for housebound seniors, you have until 2/10 to mail them in. Sign up at dosomething.org/loveletters for details.

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October 5, 2015December 12, 2017

Quick Bedroom Upgrade: Line Dresser Drawers with Wrapping Paper

A photo posted by stephanieliebold (@stephanieliebold) on Jun 9, 2013 at 8:58pm PDT

I was putting laundry away and decided I’d had it with my underwear drawer. It had become an overstuffed catch-all for camis and jammies, briefs and bras, swimsuits and socks, unmentionables and mentionables, all mingled together in a messy jumble. I re-homed, re-arranged and got rid of everything that didn’t belong in there.

The unfinished wood at the bottom of the drawer seemed a little too rough for my delicates, so I started looking around the house for a quick fix.

What turned out to be perfect was this colorful striped wrapping paper.

I cut it to size, folded the uneven edge, and secured it with masking tape.

That’s it. And, 2 years later, it’s still in tact and in place – even after our recent move.

You could use odd-sized paper ends for smaller drawers (nightstand? desk?) or even reuse paper from presents you’ve unwrapped to smooth out all your dresser drawers and make your laundry day a little brighter.

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PS I was messing around with creating a page that makes it easier to find posts from my Instagrams, and I forgot that those posts would also go in my RSS. So if you noticed a bunch of random photos with dates as the title on our Facebook or in your inbox (if you subscribe), that’s all that’s about.

May 6, 2015January 3, 2018

Cactus Craft

I keep coming across neat cactus-related ideas and thought you guys would like to check these out.

1. Paper

Simple yet fabulous-looking paper cacti project via The House That Lars Built!

2. Plastic

Plastic bottle cacti by Veronika Richterová. While she has special processes for creating her cactus art, it’d be fun to try making a simpler version of these.

3. Planters

We featured these upcycled water bottle planters by A Beautiful Mess on our Facebook page in a Try Today Friday post, but I wanted to make sure you didn’t miss them!

4. Pincushion

Sewing Lab has a tutorial for a cute stuffed fabric cactus that’s the perfect place for pins and needles.

5. Possibilities

C2C Gallery in Grand Haven, Michigan suggests using cactus seeds in artwork. What they had in mind were Helen Otterson’s botanical-inspired ceramics. (Like Succulent Blossom.) But it made me wonder about using seeds in collage to add some depth and texture.

Have you ever created something inspired by cactus or using actual parts of a cactus plant?

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Top photo taken by me at The Farm at South Mountain. Other photos via their respective sites.