Upcycled Design Lab Blog

My Green Week

Every little bit counts right?  I am diverting a little from pure upcycling projects to visit the bigger picture of what it means to be more green and reduce our carbon footprints, even if it is just a little bit.  To that end here is a list of some small things I did this week.

1) Said no thanks to plastic bags when I only had a couple of items.

2) Brought my own bags on bigger shopping trips.

3) Made sun tea with mint from my garden in an old empty jar.

4) Managed some weeds with vinegar instead of pesticides using an upcycled milk jug as a spray bottle.

5) Dried my laundry outside in the sunshine.

 

6) Walked to the post office instead of driving.  The dogs like this one a lot :-)

 

 

7) Swept my floor by using used dryer sheets on my swiffer sweeper instead of pricey new swiffer pads.  I also like to use my dryer sheets more than once in the dryer.  It softens them up more and makes them work better on the sweeper.

I know these are all tiny little things but it is all the small things that add up.  And it starts with awareness.  Of course there are hundreds of other ways to choose to be green and I will continue to try to make more green choices in the future.  How about you are there some small changes you could make to be more green?  Feel free to share your thoughts here.

 

 

Happy Upcycling,

 

DIY - Upcycled Bird Bath from Plastic Cake Container

 

 

I probably should be working on my T-shirt Project.  I started it almost a year ago and I still have a long way to go but I just can't seem to tear myself away from all the garden projects.

Here is my most recent one.

 

Watch the DIY video here.

Other upcycled garden projects

Upcycled Bird Feeder

Upcycled Wire Hanger Garden Edging

Upcycled Tin Can Planter

Super Simple Upcycled Bird Bath

 

Happy Upcycling,

DIY Upcycled Plastic Bottle Bird Feeder Tutorial (Part 2)

 

 

I don't usually like to brag, but in this case I will just a little. 

 

To be honest, last week, I wasn't all that confident that I would be able to complete this project.  Well, I figured that I would complete it but maybe not be that happy with the final result.  But as it turns out I am quite pleased with my little bird feeder but we will have to give the birds the final say.

 

 

 

So now where were we?   Well we started over here in part one.

 

Which brings us to here.  The glue should be dry by now so go ahead and remove the tape.

 

Materials and Tools

1 Plastic Container Lid (cottage cheese, sour cream I used a Parmesan cheese lid)

16-20 bottle caps

Spray paint and primer (I decided on a metallic theme because that is the color I had)

Low gauge wire (For decoration use whatever you want here.  The wire worked with my metallic theme.)

A pillar or stand (I had a metal thing not even sure what it was but you could use a candle holder, an old wine glass or goblet or maybe even a wine bottle)

Scissors

E600 Glue

Oh and of course bird seed

***

 

Step 13 - Take the plastic lid and trim the lip off.

 

 

 

Step 14 - Glue the bottle caps around the edge of the plastic lid.  They should overhang the edge but still allow the bottle with the tin lid to sit on top of the bottle caps.  Allow glue to dry.

 

 

Step 15 - Spray paint the bottle top and the bottle cap piece with a primer coat.

 

 

Step 16 - Spray again with top coat color.

 

 

Step 16 - Wrap wire around the bottle neck and secure.

 

 

 

Step 17 - Glue four more bottle caps in the center of the plastic lid to support the bottle.

 

 

Step 17 - Glue the two piece together.  Allow to dry.

 

 

Step 17 - Glue wire loop to back of decorative bottle cap and hang over bottle neck.

 

 

Step 18 - Glue plastic bottle and bottle caps to the base or stand.  Mine was a little tricky since I didn't have a lot of contact points to glue but it seems to be pretty secure.

My base looks like this:

 

 

Or maybe it was supposed to look like this.

 

 

Anyway I liked it like this.

 

 

Step 19 - Fill with bird seed.

 

 

Step 20 - Put feeder outside.  Wait and see what happens.

 

 

Happy Upcycling!!

DIY Upcycled Plastic Bottle Bird Feeder Tutorial (Part 1)

 

Oh my where does the time go? 

 

I haven't been crafting much lately and I was down for the count for a couple of days.  When I finally crawled out of bed it seemed that everything was out of control yard work, housework, Work work anyway I am beginning to feel like things are getting back to normal and and I am currently half way through with my upcycled bird feeder project. 

 

I am making it out of this :-)

 

So, with high hopes that I will be able to make a pretty little bird feeder out of a small collection of trash, here are the steps so far. 

 

I have to apologize in advance for my photos.  It is very hard to photograph clear plastic.  Hopefully they are good enough for you to be able to tell what is going on.

 

Material and Tool required so far:

One empty medium sized plastic bottle

One large can lid

One Brad

One Push Pin

Kitchen Knife

Small Piece of Corrugated Cardboard

Sharpie

Ruler

Painters Tape

Scissors

E600 Glue

 

Step 1 - Wash Bottle and remove label

 

Step 2 -Measure and mark the finished height of the bird feeder.

 

 

Step 3 - Line up painters tape along measurement points on the lower side of the measurement.

 

 

Step 4 - Add another row of tape to make approximately a 2" wide stripe.

 

 

Step 5 - Cut long the bottom edge of tape.

 

 

Step 6 - Cut tabs approximatly 3/4" wide from the bottom of the tape to the top of the tape.  Folding every other one up into the bottle.  (Tip you want to end up with and even number of tabs)

 

 

Step 7 - Cut off the tabs that are not folded in to the bottle using a v shaped cut.

 

 

At this point your bottle should look like this.

 

 

Step 8 - Remove tape and use a push pin and cardboard to start a small hole in each of the remaining tabs.

 

 

 

Step 9 - Make the holes big enought to put the brad through using a kitchen knife.

 

 

Step 10 - Stack each of the tabs on to the brad.

 

 

Step 11 - Press brad open when all the tabs have been stacked on.

 

 

The bottle should look like this.

 

 

Step 12 - Use the E600 Glue to glue the bottle and the can lid together.  Use painters tape to secure and allow to dry.

 

 

 

Well that's it so far.  Tune in next week to see what becomes of my ugly little bird feeder.

 

Happy Upcycling,

 

6-23-12 Update I finished the project here.

Upcycled Plastic Bottle Make Over (yep another one)

 

 

I have been enjoying my upcycled lotion bottle and the home made lotion that I posted about a couple of weeks ago.  But I also wanted to replace the soap bottle that I have been using.  My creation is nothing spectacular but it is an improvement don't you think?

 

 

 

 

I had this empty bottle and I liked the shape of it.

 

 

The labeling was printed on instead of a sticker that would easily pull off.  So I decided to see if I could scrub off the label.  Thanks to the magic of the Brillo pad I was able to get a nice clean bottle.

 

I used the same laundry detergent bottle as my last bottle project but I deided to use a tooth paste tube this time instead of the aluminum can. 

 

 

Then I used the same pin punch technique to make my design.  The toothpaste tube was much easier to work with than the aluminum can but you can see that the punch holes aren't quite as crisp.

 

 

But I am happy with my little bottle set.

 

Thanks for stopping by.

 

Happy Crafting

 

 

Upcycled Plastic Bottle Make Over

 

 

I have been wanting to try this moisturizer recipe from Potholes & Pantyhose but I needed a bottle.  And of course not just any bottle would do I wanted something that I could leave out on my bathroom counter.  It is fairly simple but I think it is finished enough.

 

 

I started with my empty bottle and part of an aluminum can and laundry detergent bottle.

 

 

The front and back labels peeled right off and made perfect templates.

I cut the green layer slightly larger than the silver layer.

 

Then I needed some simple art.   I finally decided to use one of my Upcycling Logos.

 

With two layers of corrugated cardboard tape together and the aluminium layer taped down with the art work on top.....

I used a push pin to punch my design into the aluminium.

 

Glue, secure and let dry.

 

Repeat

Now I am ready to refill my bottle with a home made moisturizer.

 

Happy Crafting,

 

 

DIY - Upcycled Milk Jug Mask Tutorial

I actually made these masks a couple of years ago but thought I would share the info again.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I might have gotten a little carried away.

 

:-)

 

Happy Crafting

 

Upcycled Vintage Suitcase - Yes I did :-)

 

 

Oh dear. 

Where have I been? 

Was my last post really in November?  It is Shameful really isn't it?

At least I have been crafting a few things here and there and will attempt to post them without monthly delays in between. 

 

So let's get to it.

 

Today's post can only be describe as well ...... as........ Truly one of a kind never seen before and probably will never be seen again.  It was constructed from mostly upcycled materials and is completely whimsical which is what you get when you mix Christmas my nephew and his gift request made specifically for his Crazy Aunt Cindy (that me.)

 

The request....

"A suitcase full of Mustaches with a Barber Shop Pole coming out of it." 

 

Does that make you giggle?  If not read it again. 

You have got to at least smile.  Don't you love how creative and specific it is?  Well I do. 

Perhaps that is why the request went to me and not Santa.

I started with this:

And these....

 

And an old book

I scrounged through my cupboards for all the cardboard boxes I could find.

 

I make messes all over my house.  This project was constructed mostly on the living room floor.

 

 

Here is the Barber shop pole taking a little more shape.  It's just missing some shiny sliver duct tape.

 

 

 

To fill the suitcase I bought some mustaches at a party store.  Cut some more out of fur and felt and I even made some out of candy.

 

 

Of course color and varity where important.

 

 

 

I didn't get at lot of pictures of the mustaches that I made but here are a few in the finished Mustache Suitcase with a Barber Shop Pole.

 

 

 

 

I don't know what my nephew is planning to do with all these mustaches but I sure had fun making the whole silly project for him.

 

So what's your crazy?

Upcycled Plastic Soap Bottle Dispenser

After my post of a few days ago on the plastic bottle island, this post seems, at best, a little anti-climatic but here it is anyway. 

 

We have been looking for a decorative soap dispenser for our kitchen for a while now and haven't been successful at finding anything that matches.  (Our kitchen is red and yellow which may be part of the problem, but we like it.)  So the other day I decided to just go ahead and dress up the old plastic one that we were currently using.

 

The trick was to come up with something that would at least be water resistant.

 

 
 

I started with this:

 

 
 

We recently tiled our counter-top and back-splash.  So I started with some of the small tiles and some contact paper that I had leftover.

 

 
 

For the silver edge I used the reverse side of a beer can.

 

 
 

I had some buttons and the metal letters leftover from other crafts projects and I glued it all together with E6000 glue.

 

 

 

On a completely other note.

 

I am sooooo ready for spring.  We have had a few really nice days here lately but it is still February after all and we haven't really had all that much snow yet this year.  I fear that there are a few more winter days ahead.

 

That hasn't stopped me from dreaming of spring and I have this crazy idea that I am going to have a beautiful yard and gardens this spring and summer.

 

Here is what I have to work with just so you understand the challenge.

 

 

 

This is the good side of the yard. :-)

 

 

 
 

I am dreaming of grass on this side of the yard.  (But since I killed half of the grass in the front yard last summer my confidence is a little low.)

 

 
 

 

Now that you see the barron waste land that I have to work with you may find it particularly humorous that I have decided to try to grow some plants from seeds. 

 

 

 

What else can one do with their spring fever energy in the middle of a Colorado February?  Will have to keep you posted on my "brown thumb tails" as they progress.  But I am hopeful to have a few sturdy little plants to put out in my dust-bowl yard come May.

 

 

 

 

 

In an effort to hide my elegant  seedling containers I made these pretzel box window boxes.

 

 

 

Wish me luck.

OMG! Have you seen this? Upcycled plastic bottles

I have been thinking about decorating a plastic hand soap bottle to make a more permanent soap dispenser for my kitchen.  I am not sure exactly how to go about it.  

 

I want to make this

 

match my kitchen colors and be more decorative.

 

This lead me to the internet for some idea surfing and so, as often happens, I tumbled down the rabbit hole yesterday.  I admit it I am weak and sometimes I have trouble staying focused on the task at hand. 

 

I went to Google with good intentions and entered the search words "plastic bottle" but now Google searches are intuitive and try to anticipate what you are looking for before you enter the full search.  So one of the options that popped up was "plastic bottle island."

 

I couldn't resist. 

 

Do you blame me? 

 

I mean really who wouldn't be curious? 

 

An Island made from plastic bottles? 

 

What on earth (no pun intended) could they be talking about?

 

 The story starts here.

 

 

 

And if you want more info watch these.

 

 

 

  

 

 

And you can read the wikipedia version here.

 

I am sooo... fascinated by this project.  Isn't human ingenuity and creativity a marvel?  One last island video if you are still with me.

 

 

 

WOW!!!  The whole thing is kind of unbelievable.

 

And I thought I was I such a superstar when I figured out how to make this Lady Gaga Lobster Hat from a plastic bottle and some other trash.

 

Oh and here is my other plastic bottle mask project.  But I it is a little anti-climatic after the whole island thing.

 

 

 

 I guess I had better get to work on my soap dispenser project but my head is still spinning.  I want to build a plastic bottle island.  I know it's crazy that's what I love about it I think.  Anyway I live in one ot the most land locked areas of the country so there isn't much need for island building.  I guess I will stick to my tiny little bottle project.

 

 

 

for now :)