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Sunday, November 20, 2016

Tis' The Season to Up-Cycle

Tis’ The Season to Upcycle

As the holiday season draws near- here are some creative up-cycling ideas that you can do yourself. From home decor to gifts for family and friends-up-cycled at home projects can both save you some money as well as help you to embrace your creative side while staying eco-friendly. 



Vintage Holiday Banner 


Make a banner that reads your favorite holiday saying using old books, to string on the staircase or across the fireplace. 

What You Will Need:

-Vintage Books (Make sure they are similar in height and width)
-Spool of 1" Sisal Rope 
-Utility Knife
-Decorative Ribbon

-Large Letter Stencils 
-Pens
-Drill 1/4 drill bit 
-Scissors 








1.)    First you will trace a letter stencil  by placing    
        stencil on top of the book and tracing the
        he shape of the letter directly on the book’s   
        cover. Then use a utility knife cut the letter
        from the book using the trace marks as a   
        guide. 








2.)  Use the utility knife to remove the the first 7-
        10 ages from the book, to create a small  
        shadow to help highlight the letters. 










3.)    Next drill holes into the spine of the book.   
        Use the drill to cut a hole one inch below 
        the top of the book spine. 







4.)   Using the spool of ribbon, carefully thread it    
        through the drilled hole. Cut the ribbon to 
        size, with 8-12 inches of length coming out 
        of each side and tie a not. 





5.)    Create a decorative link, by using the   
        scissors to to cut a separate spool of ribbon. 
        Loop the link ribbon through the ribbon 
        on the book and then tie a knot around 
        the top of the rope. Then put each book 
        into its proper place depending on the 
        spelling of the word or phrase. Use the 
        link ribbon to attach each book. 





For more details or ideas visit: 





Advent Calendar-Countdown to Christmas





Create your own advent calendar for the children,  using toilet paper rolls or gift wrap cardboard rolls that you can fill with actual treats and surprises for for each day of December leading up to Christmas. 


What You Will Need:

-Cardboard Gift Wrap or toilet paper tubes 
-Utility Knife
-Hot Glue Gun 
-Hot Glue Sticks 
-Colored Craft Paper 
-Rub on Letters and Numbers, or Vinyl Letter and Number Stickers 
-Small Toys, Candy 








1.)  Begin by cutting cardboard tubes all the same    
      length using utility knife. Cut each tube 3  
      inches for tables or hanging walls. Cut 24 
      tubes for each day of the advent calendar. 









2.)  Trace and cut out paper, by placing a small 
       round object with 3 1/4 in diameter on craft 
       and using a pencil to trace. Use the scissors to 
       he circle out. The circle should be a bit larger    
       than the cardboard tube- so that the paper can 
       around its sides.






 3.)  Add backs to the tubes using the circular   
       paper cut outs. Wrap the circle around the  
       open ends- then use the glue to secure it
       in place. 
       





4.)   Add the tiny gifts using small toys and treats
       that will into the space.




5.)   Add numbers using either paper cut outs,
       vinyl letters and numbers, or rub-on letters 
       and number stickers. 





 6.)   After adding the numbers for all 24 days of   
        the month, then add the fronts of the cut-outs 
        Cover the opening with paper and secure   
        them in place with the glue on the sides. 






7.)  To create the shape of the tree, arrange the  
       tubes in rows of seven. Use one row as the 
       base and six to create the upper part of the  
       tree. 









8.)   On December 1st, you can begin opening 
       the calendar to retrieve the goodies inside 
       all the way up to Christmas. 
    

For more information visit: 


Upcycled Magazine Wreath    




   
Using a stack of magazines laying around the house - you can use those colorful pages to create an intricate up cycled magazine wreath. 

What You Will Need:

-3 Magazines
-Glue Stick
-Paper Cutter/Scissors 
-3/4" Dowel Rod 
-Hot Glue Gun
-Hot Glue Sticks 
-Wreath Form 
-Strip of Fabric




1.)   To begin cut 3 x 3 inch strips from the    
       magazines. Cut about hundred or more.  
       Using dowel rod, roll squares point to point  
       around the dowel, making sure that the most 
       colorful part of the magazine is on the inside. 
       Use the glue stick to secure. 







 2.)   Make a crease in the center of the paper, 
        using anything from a bamboo skewer to a  
        debit card. 











 3.)   Fold the paper in the middle. 




 4.)   After making a couple hundred of these, you 
        can then glue them to your wrath form using 
        the glue gun to secure. You can put them on  
        randomly or using a pattern- based on your
        preference. The outcome is a vibrant wreath 
        full of texture and color. Complete it by 
        fastening the fabric around the top  of the 
        wreath in order to hang. 


For more information or ideas check out:



Here are just a few other up-cycle ideas that you can use to inspire your holiday decorating and gift ideas. This year save some money and help the environment-UPCYCLE! Happy Eco-Friendly Holidays!


        Cookie Cutter Ornaments                                     Menswear Stockings  
       Upcycled Xmas Ornaments                                    Upcycled Stockings
     


          Stencil Ornaments                                              Wooden Toy Gift Labels 






















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