Crafts
Trash Craft – crafting like a kid again
Have you ever thought of the things you can turn your trash into? You can create unusual and unique art out of string, wire and all kinds of discarded items. Toys and other things can be turned into new useful items for your home or office.
Use an old, rusted children’s wagon as the base for your new coffee table.- Turn broken dishes into a wonderful mosaic art piece.
- Make wind chimes from assorted tableware. We’ve used mismatched forks, spoons, and knives. But, you could go bigger and use serving spoons, spatulas and metal measuring cups.
- You can even use old toys and other items to create an unusual sculpture. Some school children have created grand sculptures that are displayed in their own communities.
If you run into a wall when trying to think of things to use or what to do with discards, ask your children, nieces and nephews, or your neighbor’s kids. They always seem eager to share their child-like nature with whoever seeks such enlightenment.
Whether you choose to recycle for fun, play, art or environmental preservation, there is plenty to be done with the rising piles of garbage our society throws out every single day.
Just do a little research and digging, and let your inner child out to play. You might be very surprised at the real value in some of the items you run across. And, you might be fortunate enough to fashion some clever new household item or decoration out of yesterday’s trash.
Use your imagination – that’s your only limitation. Can you develop the mind of a child?
Trash Craft – used furniture made new again
I don’t know about you, but I’m broke most of the time, and I’m cheap frugal. So, I started paying attention when I saw pieces of furniture featured on other blogs that I loved. Many of them are recycled. I haven’t done one yet, but I do want to get a picture frame or mirror and repaint it.
Here are a few more that I just love for their simplicity or pure ingeniousness.
So this lovely bed is just an old grocery or dry goods pallet with some wheels attached. It could even be dressed up with a coat of paint and I see potential for storing books, shoes, or trinkets along that front edge. In fact, I really want one for myself now!
What about repurposing the intended use of the furniture, like with this chalkboard tray? It could even be hung on the wall as a message center – and there is peel and stick chalkboard paper out there now, so you don’t have to paint if you don’t want to.
So, the next time you are out and find an old set of shelves, even if they are falling apart, pick em up! Add a few nails and several layers of new paint, and you have a brand new set of shelves. Even if the shelf can’t be salvaged as a whole, use the pieces of wood as foundation for another art piece. Paint or decoupage the wood and turn it into something new and special.
What have you repurposed lately?
Trash Craft – recycling paper into useful items
Newspapers:You can do a lot with old newspapers. You could use parts of it as wrapping paper. My gramma used to wrap our gifts with the Sunday funnies because she thought it was funny. You could keep certain sales flyers to wrap gifts too. Perhaps using irony to wrap a gift with a flyer featuring the same type of item that you are gifting? See if the receiver gets the message.
However,
How to create a “vintage” photo collection
How to create a “vintage” photo collection without ruining irreplacable family treasures.
Those old black and white photographs sit waiting, nestled in the dark pages of ancient albums, boxes, and suitcases for someone to look at them and smile. Some are yellowing, some are falling out of their little corner mounts, some may even be cracked and curling in some forgotten desk drawer. You may have inherited Grandma’s antique album, holding such treasures as her and Granddad’s wedding portrait or a photo of your mother in her christening gown and later in her cap and gown.
Why hide these heirlooms when they can be enjoyed by the whole family?Probably because you don’t want to expose them to more degrading elements than you already have.
Create a photo collection that will bring a tear to Granddad’s eye this holiday season or on his wedding anniversary. No, you won’t be giving away the goods, because you won’t be using the actual snapshots. Those old photographs are irreplacable family treasures and you don’t want to tape them into a multi-framed matt where they will be exposed to sunlight. You need to clone them – reproduce them, and you will have a new family treasure to enjoy.
Display. Buy a frame, collage frame or scrapbook album. These can be found ready made at almost any craft store and in most department stores.- Theme. Now go through the old album, shoebox or drawer and find those favorite shots. Try to find photos that represent a theme. For grandpa and gramma’s anniversary, find photos of them together through the years. For grandpa’s birthday, a photo of him throughout his life, or several from his birthday parties. Keep in mind those images that are NOT favorites and avoid using them.
- Clone the photos. Here’s how you use the photos without using the originals!
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- Stores like Walgreens and Walmart have do-it-yourself photograph copy machines in their photo departments. These are actually scanners and photo quality printers, enclosed into a handy, instant processor. You simply lay the photos on the scanner glass and choose how many copies you would like. Very user friendly and worth the minimal cost per sheet. Plus, a store employee will usually help you with any questions you have.
- Many of the inexspensive home printers now offer a scanner too. My last printer cost less than $60 and has one. I copied my kiddo’s school photos using the scanner and the quality was awesome! So, you can take your old photos, place them on your home scanner and print out copies of the photos onto regular paper or even photo paper.
- Another avenue is a business copy center. Some can reproduce photo quality copies. The old photcopier is also an option, with technology today giving us wonderful clarity. Black and white or color copy machines can give you a result that, under the glass of the frame, will look like the real thing.
When you are finished fitting the new clones into the mat, those “old” family favorites will be newly revisted memories and can create even more new memories for the younger family members.
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