Recycling, Repurposing, Upcycling ' what's the difference? 'and what exactly is Upcycling?
We all know what recycling is. A plastic bag is used to carry home groceries then is later reused by the owner who uses the bag a second or third time, perhaps to again carry groceries or store items. The bag has been recycled by its owner. The bag is being reused but the value of the bag remains the same.
In upcycling, the item is often no longer being used for its intended purpose but is repurposed ' given a new purpose ' and along with this new purpose it is also given an increase in value (usually both aesthetically and monetarily) It is worth more in its new form.
Recycled ' used again and value remains unchanged
Repurposed ' used again but with a new purpose
Upcycled ' used again, with a new purpose, and with greater value than its original state
Why are upcycled items so desirable? They are created with innovation and creativity!
Necklace pendant made from broken Shelley Blue Rock teacup
Wisegeek said it best:
'Upcycling is designed to work in opposition to consumer culture, encouraging people to think of new and innovative ways to use things, instead of simply buying new consumer goods. It also benefits the environment, by promoting reuse over discarding whenever possible.' There you have it! Laura
We weren't lying when we said we were floored by the all of the talent that showed up in our Creating with the Stars submissions post. Seriously, you all made us feel a little bad about ourselves.; ) Every single one of the stars said they had a terrible time narrowing their favorites down to the top 11, and we agreed wholeheartedly! So, while there are only 12 contestants vying for the CWTS title this year (you can see them here!), we thought it would be fun to highlight a few of our favorite submissions that didn't quite make the cut. DIY Chunky Floating Shelves by Desert Domicile These babies are gorgeous, and just look at how beautifully they're styled!! We're definitely taking some notes.
Beaded Chandelier by My Simple Obsession Ack, the time and patience that must have gone into this amazing chandelier! Will you make us one…please?
Custom Painted French Provencal Dresser by J.Rox Designs Hot pink, curvy furniture? Never thought I'd say this, but sign me up! I loooooove this dresser.
Painted Dresser (and that fabulous pallet wall!) by Cape 27 You know we love a good pallet wall, and this one is no exception. Plus, that dresser reminds us of Monica's outdoor furniture upcycle, and we're totally digging the fun art!
.and because we apparently have a thing for painted dressers, this Woodland Dresser makeover by The DIY Village is so sweet and woodsy that it caught our eye right away.
We just didn't want all the fun and inspiration to end for all of you talented bloggers out there that didn't make it as contestants this year, so we're hosting a weekly linkup party throughout the entire contest. Basically, that means you get to play along and win great prizes!
Here's how it will work: Every Tuesday Monica and I will be revealing our project for that week's theme. Woohoo! We have some good projects up our sleeves.: ) That same day you can submit your own project that meets the criteria for that week (For example, week one is Upcycle, so anything that you've given new life or repurposed in some way in the last year is game). The winner will receive an awesome prize package from Belmonili and Perfectly Imperfect Shop! So fun! We can't wait to be inspired by your creativity each week.; ) Don't forget to mark your calendars for these important dates next week when things really get moving!
Have an awesome weekend! Want more EC2? Use the icons below to follow us!
There's nothing like a good, old-fashion upcycle, is there? Remember when my hubs and I recently renovated our kitchen and in the process took down some of our cabinets to make room for open shelving? I know I could have sold them, but I love the thrill of coming up with a new use for something rather than having it sit around waiting for a purpose. Planters are soo expensive, and so the thought occurred to me that I could use one cabinet to make a planter box! A virtually free project makes me one happy girl.
The cabinet was nothing special to begin with. Can you see why I wanted to get these things out of my kitchen?! First, I removed the door and all of the hardware;
and then lightly sanded down the entire cabinet. I just wanted to rought it up enough so that the spray paint would"stick" to it. If your cabinet is really glossy, make sure you give it a good sanding before painting. Next came the spray primer. I used this red one because it was all I had on hand.
I used my favorite shade of blue (Rustoleum Ultra Cover 2x in Satin Lagoon) and lightly sprayed the box with three coats.
I wanted to make sure it had good drainage, so I drilled several holes along the bottom of the box. The holes are small enough that dirt won't easily fall through, but large enough for the water to seep out. There is no perfect number of holes, so drill away until your satisfied!
I also added castors to the bottom because this thing was bound to be really heavy once I added potting soil and plants and I wanted to be able to move it around whenever inspiration struck (which happens really often at my house!)
Polyurethane is your best friend when it comes to protecting any surface from water damage. I applied several coats, letting each coat dry in between. My poly is well-loved, can you tell?I've had this planter sitting on my deck for about a month now. My cabinet is partially made of particle board and is beginning to show major signs of wear. Make sure your cabinet is solid wood OR coat both the outside AND inside with at least three coats of poly. Trust me- I know!
To protect the inside of my box from damage, I lined it with heavy plastic sheeting (found with the dropcloths in the paint section of Lowe's or Home Depot), and secured it with duct tape. Then I poked holes in the bottom of the plastic sheet, again, to aid with drainage.
Then came the fun part! Filling it up with potting soil and gorgeous flowers! I love how it came together and the way it adds a pop of fun color to my deck.
For less than $15, I had a brand new planter box! Even better, I repurposed something I already had and gave it new life.
I love it even more now that the flowers have grown in. So pretty! What would YOU do with an old cabinet?
Jess and I think today's Fab Find is pretty darn fabulous… It's our"Contact Us" tab! Now, before you tune me out, give this post a chance!
We thought we'd share a recent question that we got from one of our readers! We love hearing from all of you and we want to hear from you even more! We got the following message from a reader"Jess" (and no, we did not send ourselves a fake email just to make us feel good!) Here's her message: Hi Girls — love your site! So I wanted to ask if you might be doing a post on nursery ideas in the near future (or maybe you've already done so). I'll need to start planning in the next few months…we don't have a lot of space to work with and don't want to spend a lot of money (of course). If you could point me in the direction of any good websites with simple but modern ideas, that would be great. Thanks, you girls are amazing! So… Thanks for your email Jess and here's our answer for ya! Nursery Ideas on a Budget Since I wasn't exactly sure what style the fabulous Jess wants for her nursery, I thought we'd just focus on a few money saving ideas that will still have a big impact. (Click on any of the pictures below for more info) 1. Don't tie yourself down to Babies R Us… Sure everyone thinks they need the standard, crib, changing table, armoire matchy matchy combo, but I beg to differ. Flea market, Salvation Army, Restore, and Craigslist can be your very BFF when furnishing your nursery. I love using a dresser for a changing table and there are plenty of little DIY add ons you can do to make it safe for the little one. Of course I adore this yellow buffet-turned-changing-table… does it remind you of this post?
Source: None via The Real Housewives on Pinterest Just to prove this, I took 60 seconds and found this piece on Craigslist for $20!! Seriously, I'm tempted to buy it myself! New Paint and this piece would be amazing!
Another repurposed piece. I also love the storage idea they used. You don't have to commit to the standard canvas bins. These little details can go a long way.
Source: blondiensc.typepad.com via The Real Housewives on Pinterest 2. Make your storage pretty, so it counts as art… This is huge when you're wanting to be a frugal fanny. Rather than adding a million accessories and details that add up in cost, just make the practical things cute! I love these fabric book shelves and just think of all the possibilities because there are a bajillion fabrics in the world to choose from. (Yes, bajillion is a real number in my world).
Source: pennycarnival.typepad.com via The Real Housewives on Pinterest I think these planters-turned-storage-bins are adorable. Now would be a great time to buy these because most likely they're on clearance at Lowes and Home Depot.
Source: centsationalgirl.com via The Real Housewives on Pinterest 3. Use fabric… I wanted some witty name, but really, all I mean is just use fabric. Sure fabric can be expensive, but you can also find great clearance fabrics. Using fabric as part of your decor is both adorable and can be economical.
Source: lh6.googleusercontent.com via The Real Housewives on Pinterest I don't sew. {GASP!} How can she be a blogger and not sew! Well, don't get your panties all in a knot… I have a bundle of fusible web and also a grandmother-in-law that lends a hand. The moral of my confession is that you don't need to sew to make cool things with fabric. It's amazing what you can do with a good pair of scissors. I haven't tried this fabric idea, but it's on my list of things to try. Simply wrap inexpensive painter's canvas with fabric and hang… instant art!
Source: conspicuousstyle.com via Cami on Pinterest 4. Paint your way to a pretty cool nursery… I love using a $30 can of paint to make a HUGE impact in a room. Paint has a crazy return on investment and just takes a little time and creativity. a few years ago I helped a friend do this bold wall for her twin boys' nursery.
Obviously, I am in love with this nursery for about a million reasons, but look at that chevron wall. Tape + Paint = simply awesome. There's so much you can do with paint and if you choose something bold enough, you won't need much in the way of art.
Source: madebygirl.blogspot.com via The Real Housewives on Pinterest No budget for moulding? Just paint it on… how cool is this? The pictures alone are beautiful, but the border really makes it a focal point and hikes up the awesomeness factor.
Source: potterybarnkids.com via The Real Housewives on Pinterest 5. Pin before you begin… If you haven't yet, join Pinterest and get inspired! It's amazing how creative people are, so head on over and make a plan.
So Jess, I hope this has gotten your creative juices flowing! You're definitely going to have to share your finished product with us so we can share it with everyone! We hope the rest of your pregnancy goes well and we're so excited for you guys to welcome your little one into the world! -Monica (& Jess) So, there you have it… Contact Us! Who knows you might just get your very own post too!
Okay, so two years ago Vista Print entered my life… yes, it sounds dramatic, but man, it Rocked My World! Maybe you've heard of Vista, and maybe you know you can get FREE pens and oodles of business cards, but that really doesn't excite nor apply to you. Well, I'm hoping that some of these ideas will get you almost as sold on Vista as I am (and no, I don't get commission- lol.) Ok, so with Vista Print, you sign up for their emails (and yes, you'll get a lot, so don't use your everyday email address unless you want to. I have one email account for all my"junk" emails I subscribe to and one"real" account that I use daily) Every few days, Vista will send you FREE products you can order- you only pay shipping. There are 3 shipping options, so the price is decent and totally worth all the products you'll be getting for free!
Now onto the fun part… what you can create in Vista! The suggestions I'm giving in this post were all made without using Photoshop or any professional design programs. Vista has designs to choose from or you can create your own and upload a completed design. I do a lot of both. Idea # 1- Mommy Cards These little cards are perfect for the playdate lovin' mom. Keep them in your purse and when your child makes a friend at the local park, you can give new friend's mommy one of your super-cool cards so that you can meet up again. If you're like me, you've jotted down a mom's cell number on a scrap of paper, only to completely lose it and then feel awful that you never called. 250 Mommy Cards Printed as business cards = FREE!
Idea # 2- Shower Invitations You don't need to pay insane prices for cool, trendy invitations. Get ideas online and then design your own! Baby Lucas (after Luke Skywalker) was due to arrive last summer and of course we needed fabulous Star Wars invitations for our Star Wars themed Shower. The pictures were simply pulled from Google Images and the font was free online. 50 Invites Printed as Oversized Postcards = FREE!
(sorry for the blurry parts, but I wanted to get rid of the personal info) Have I mentioned I have the best, most super-fun friends ever?
Idea # 3- Children's Birthday Parties I haven't bought an invitation in two years. Small postcards, large postcards, notecards, or invitations can all be used to create your invites in Vista. This is Kenzie's Spa Party invite. She had so much fun helping me design it! This one was one-sided, but the back can be personalized as well. We put them in 5x 7 envelopes and voila! I only needed 10 invites, but 100 were Free, so we have lots to use as scrap cardstock. 100 Party Invitations = FREE!
Idea # 4- Christmas Cards Can you believe how much Christmas cards have changed in the last few years? Gone are the days of the painted, snowy scene cards and in are awesome photo cards and more! The only problem is that it can cost a small fortune to send the nice photo cards to everyone. These were our Christmas Cards from 2009. I used Picnik (free editing software) to edit our pics, create a collage, and add some bling; and then I uploaded it onto the oversized 5 x 7 postcards.
I think my favorite part was that I could fully customize the back and had plenty of space to say exactly what we wanted to share. Another bonus was that I could mail them as postcards and didn't need envelopes. Score! 100 Christmas Cards (2 orders of 50) = FREE!
Idea # 5- Kids Pretend Supplies Last Christmas I used Vista to put together a Vet Kit for Kenzie. She loves animals and loved playing vet, but she was getting a little"old" for typical pretend play. So, we made pretend"cool" again by giving her a present of real vet supplies. Her vet supplies included: a Pet Vet Poster, a personal stamp, business cards, a personalized pen, a tote bag, stationary and printed forms (I went online and grabbed a basic vet form.) She LOVED it and had so much fun playing vet again, since now it seemed a bit more grown up. You could do this for anything your child is into… Doctor, Builder, Photographer, Ballerina, etc. Oodles of Pretend Play Supplies = FREE! Pet Vet Poster
Personal Stamp
Idea # 6- Totes for Everything I mean everything! Every time I put in an order I add a tote (umm they're free, why not!) Here are some ideas: Library Book Tote, Sports Tote (the one below was for Kenzie's cleats, shinguards, and water bottle for soccer.) Books for the Car, Snacks for on-the-go, Sleepover Bag (sized just right for one night and you could write something cute on it), Pretend Shopping Bag. What ideas do you have? Share them and I'm sure I'll order one! Everything Tote Bag = FREE!
Idea # 7- Gift Tags These are just business cards repurposed into gift tags. I used these for Christmas presents and they matched so well. I used a hole punch in the corner and attached them with coordinating ribbon. You could also make some non-holiday tags to have on hand. You could even make a set from each child for all the class birthday parties. My kids love when I have things personalized. To: _____ From: Kaden. I haven't done that yet, but I will be soon! 250 Gift Tags printed as Business Cards = FREE!
Idea # 8- Teacher Gifts Want a great, personal gift for a teacher? How about giving them a collection of coordinating, personalized supplies? Hit up Target's dollar bin for a cute container and your gift will be the talk of the teacher's lounge! Here are some items that you could include: notepads, sticky notes, pens, postcards, notecards, and more! I plan to do this for my kids' teachers this spring, so I won't give all my ideas away, but stay tuned for some inspiration! Personal, Thoughtful Teacher Gifts = FREE Notepad with magnet on the back
Matching sticky notes
Phew… that was a long post, but hopefully at least one of these ideas made you ready to jump in and give VistaPrint a try. I promise you'll be hooked! Use this link to sign up for Vista today and be sure to share your creations with us!
H ere's a little sneak peek before I show a few before photos.
BEFORE #1 This was our original dining room (also referred to as the toll booth). It was long and narrow with a single homemade bay window. Unfortunately, this is the only before picture I have of the original room. It measured about 6 feet by 10 feet.
BEFORE #2 This is before picture #2. The new structure was reconfigured to 12 ' x 16' and french doors were added at the transition between the kitchen and new dining room. Shortly after completing this round of renovations (which was two years ago now), we knew that we should have put windows on the east wall instead of the dining cabinet (there wasn't room for both). Luckily, we had the foresight to have the contractors put a header in that wall so that we could opt for windows down the road....good thing. And here are the afters....
We recently added those two new windows on the east wall, which lends a whole new feeling to the room. As you can see, the dining cabinet no longer fit, so instead we hung a nice long mirror.
The antique table is a family piece from my Grandmother's house that I grew up with. It isn't what I would have typically chosen for this room but it has sentimental value and it really is a beautiful piece. We added two leaves to create a farmhouse style feel rather than the square we originally set up.
To create a less cluttered and more open feel, I decided to place chairs on two sides rather than all four. And to lighten the weight of the table, and because I really love the look of Parson chairs, I found slipcovers to fit over the armless dining chairs we had up in the guest house. This was the cheapest way I could attain the Parson chair look without the $500 plus price tag.
We also added a sea grass rug (relocated from the living room as it was too small for that space). I also decided to add curtain sheers to frame the french doors going out to the dining patio.
Because most of the wall space in this room is either windows or french doors, there isn't much space to hang art work. So I decided to lean a piece up against the mirror as I love art in rooms that isn't expected. To learn more about the portrait, go here. I kept the walls white because I really wanted the room to feel light and fresh. I also wanted the outside to come in so I didn't want colors to distract from that. I'll accent with different things to transition through the seasons (fall decorating is so close!). Total expense of decorating, not including the two new Marvin windows: $334.98 JC Penny sheers were on sale for $69.99 a pair (I bought two pairs) Allen and Roth curtain rod and hardware from Lowe's ($95) Shabby Chic slipcovers from Target ($24.99 each) Everything else we repurposed from other rooms. I've included our expenses because an important part of my design philosophy has always been to decorate within a reasonable budget. In this case, we had already spent a lot of money on the new windows, so my goal was to be as creative as possible for the least cost. I hope that you like our 'new' dining room!
So… how's it going getting everything done in time for Thanksgiving you ask? Well, I'll just tell you that it's 12:14AM as I start writing this post and there is a pile of laundry approximately 8 loads high waiting for some folding action (not.gonna.happen.) Anyhow, all things considered I think we're in good shape with all the madness. The one awesome and tricky thing is that my family is all arriving a day early from Boston. I'm SO thrilled!! I just need to finish my dining room (oh and clean the whole house) by about 7pm Tuesday… yikes, technically that's today already! All that aside, I'm excited to give you a peek into our progress!! This weekend was a wallpaper party!! (Actually, it was nothing like a party. My father-in-law and I just wallpapered. He sort of hates doing it, but he's good at it, and was nice enough not to say no when I asked. Calling it a party just makes it sound more fun and exciting!) You probably remember that I had ordered Graham and Brown's Frames wallpaper.
The paper was a dream to work with because the repeat didn't matter (I wanted a random look) and the pattern didn't go off the roll. Seriously, this saved us hours!
If you haven't wallpapered before, you should totally try it. It's not as hard as people make it seem. Seriously, some people make it sound worse than a root canal without Novocaine! Here were some of my supplies.
I'm not going to give a wallpaper tutorial because there are about a million online, but I'll tell you my one must-have item… a folding table. I use this to do all the pasting (this paper wasn't pre-pasted, but even if it was I usually add extra paste).
You just slap the paste on with a brush, then I went over it with a mini roller. Just to be sure it was nice and pasty (reminds me of a certain vampire I love!)
So wanna see what it looks like?? Here you go… Drum roll please…
I REALLY, REALLY love it. Not just a little, a whole lot.
Once the paper was up it was time for moulding! Remember I mentioned some cool idea using PVC pipe? Well, here are a few ideas we toyed with…
Single row of PVC between some shoe moulding…
Double row of PVC sort of Olympic-style…
In the end it was time for a hubby to DIYer heart to heart. Eric was willing to do the PVC if I was in love with it. He admitted he thought it was a cool concept etc, but he talked me out of fantasy DIY land and back into mom of four kids with less than 72 hours before company arrives land. We calculated that it would take approximately 7 Billion PVC circles and would probably end up being a detriment to our marriage, so…
Very simple, plain Jane, clean lined moulding it was. In the end I think we made a very wise choice and I will just plan to use my PVC moulding elsewhere (soon!) Oh, and BTW… if you didn't know already, I'm a dork sometimes. I totally didn't think ahead and look where I divided the wallpaper and paint… Hellooo light switch!
Sweet huh? Oh well, it is what it is. A tad quirky, just like us: ) Ok, so this novel of a post is almost over, but I have one more thing to share… We needed to paint over the navy stripe in the crown moulding. It matched perfectly for The Nate Show, but now looked pretty out of place. So what color?? Hmm?? Let's try 'em all!
Thought the yellow might be fun… Nope, made the wall seem all choppy. White to look like monsterous moulding… Nope, made the paper seem too off white. Grey, because can you ever go wrong with grey… Perfect!
We're almost done! Tomorrow we need to touch up the trim where it was nailed, add the enormous mirror I repainted and repurposed for over the buffet, and then accessorize! I can't wait to see the finished product!! Here's where it's at right now…
You'd never guess I have tons of family arriving in less than (Oh.my.word.) 20 hours! It's okay, we're good under pressure. I'll be revealing the finished product on Turkey day, so be sure to check back between football and food!
Have you ever been somewhere and found the absolute perfect decoration, gift, clothing item etc? You just KNEW it was exactly the right match? For me, these times are far and few between, but as I've stumbled upon developed my sense of style and a direction for our home, I've been a bit more successful since I know how I want the rooms to evolve. Monica mentioned the barn sale we went to yesterday, and it was awesome. However, I won't spend any more time boring you with details about it, but I will tell you this: I didn't know what I was looking for. This, my friends, is dangerous. Especially since there were, literally, thousands of items just waiting to be repurposed into something fabulous. Luckily, for me, I found an item that is PERFECT for my living room.
See that vintage suitcase? Yup, that's her. When I picked her up at the sale, my original thought was to stack her with a few other vintage suitcases in my fireplace, since we don't use it at all. Something that looked sort of like this:
Source: kaseybuick.com via April on Pinterest
But, alas, my suitcase didn't fit in our tiny fireplace opening, which meant stacking three suitcases was definitely not happening. My hubs, brilliant man that he is, suggested putting it next to my statement piece under the basket I'm temporarily using to hold a throw blanket.
Great thought, hun! I love it, and like I've been saying all along, looks like it was meant to be there. The light gray-blue stripes and dark brown leather on the suitcase match the wall color, and the legs of my favorite chair as if they were long-lost twins. {Sigh}
I've been fortunate enough to have a few other lovelies in my living room that are perfect accessories for the room. Piece of evidence #1:
This pillow was found at Home Goods in January, and again, I wasn't looking for something like this at all, but it works!
No matter how hard I try, I can almost NEVER get a shot of my house without a) one of my two children, or b) toys in my pictures. It's just a phase (and by that, I mean the toys! Not my kids!: )
See? Random lanterns are not rare in this house. No sir.
Piece of Evidence #2: I also found a pair of these paisley pillows at Home Goods on the same day. I saw them just as another woman picked them up. I couldn't believe my bad luck that they were EXACTLY right for my house, but I was a minute too late! My mom and I discreetly followed her around the store for awhile, and lo and behold, she put them back! I cheered and jumped for joy nonchalantly walked over to them and grabbed them for myself. Score!
Finding these pretties rank high on my happiness scale, right up there with birthing my babies and marrying my husband. (Don't you dare judge me.: ) So, fill me in, is there an item that was made for you and your home? I'm secretly crossing my fingers, hoping that I'm not the only one.
Tracie from Cleverly Inspired is a blog rockstar, in our opinion. Not only is her blog fabulous, she is effortlessly beautiful and stylish, which we got to see firsthand when we met her at Haven in June. She has been super supportive of us from the get-go, and offers such sweet encouragement to us. Plus, she has great taste! Just check out theoffice makeover she did for her husband:
Please give her a big EC2 welcome and show her some love! Hello there East Coast Creative readers! I am thrilled to be here today!! I was so excited when Monica and Jess asked me to share a project with you. It was a joy to meet them at Haven this summer! They are creative clever girls! My name is Tracie and I am author of CleverlyInspired. I share all sorts of projects, crafts and recipes to help you be clever in your own home. I hope you can stop by and see me sometime!
Back when I was making over the peanut’s room… I found this old art in our storage room. It was a piece that was rather outdated… but I had a feeling I could repurpose it somehow… just wasn’t sure what it would become. The artwork and frame was one piece. The art was actually painted on a thin piece of wood or veneer… so it was nice and smooth. My wheels started turning… :)
The first thing I did was tape off the edges and spray half of the artwork with chalkboard paint. I did 2 coats and let it dry according to the directions. When it has cured… you take the side of a piece of chalk and “season” the chalkboard. Erase… now it’s ready to use!
For the other side… I used some tacky glue and adhered some cork. I bought a 4 pack of cork at Wal-Mart. Get the pieces as close to each other as possible. Place some books on top and let it dry. Then… take some favorite fabric and use spray adhesive to adhere the fabric to the cork. I cut my fabric with pinking shears so that the edges were pretty; )
Finish off the edges with some trim… if you choose to.
There you have it! Custom bulletin board/chalkboard… on the cheap! Now go look for some really outdated art and make it sing again! Thanks again for having me visit!! I would love for you to come by CleverlyInspired to see me!! Here are a few past popular post (say that 10 times fast!)
Cinnamon Toast Muffins
Garage Sale frame Twig Art
Girls bedroom becomes office Ok, everyone, go ahead out to your local thrift store and pick up some framed artwork! You have a project to do!: ) Thanks so much, Tracie!
