The Beautiful Art of Recycling: Tin Cans

I absolutely love the idea of reusing empty tin cans, turning them from useless junk pieces into useful, functional decor. Tins can be covered with lovely paper or cloth; embellished with ribbons; painted on; used as table centerpieces, flower vases,  planters, or a cool organizer for tools, utensils, pens, etc.  There really isn't a limit to what you can do with cans.  So, the next time you opened a can of milk or mushroom, think about recycling that piece of scrap before throwing it away in the trash.  Here are some of the coolest concepts I found online:

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weddingwindow{via} ;{via}

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bystephanielynn {via} ; tartertotsandjello {via}
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bhg {via}; honeysucklelife{via}

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Dekorella{via} ; all women stalk {via}
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apartment therapy{via} ; {via}

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foodnetwork {via} ;  alkemie {via}

~KITCHEN~

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~WORKSPACE~

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bystephanielynn  {via} ; {via}
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~GARDEN~

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Which of these recycled cans caught your eye?

Feeling Crafty: Pretty Bow DIY

This is my second attempt on DIY. I must say, I think I am enjoying it.  This time, I tried my hands on sewing a bow out of the remaining dotted fabric scraps by following this tutorial.  Liz makes a lot of different things on her blog and I am amazed at how crafty she is. So, here's what I came out with.  A pretty bow in polka dots.

The materials you will need are needle & thread, fabric scissors, and some old cloth.

Of course, this was an easy project to begin with. All you need to do is cut one big square, depending on how big you want your bow to be.  I cut about 8 inches by 8 inches from my fabric because there wouldn't be much left so I might as well make use of the entire scrap.  Then, cut a rectangle, about 6 inches by 4 inches.

As you may already have guessed, I am no expert on sewing but I know how to do simple stitches, like backstitch.  Fold your square into half and stitch-up all the sides from the back, leaving a gap on the last corner, just a small opening wide enough for you to be able to pull the cloth from the inside out.  You can sew up this gap later.  Do the same thing for your rectangle.  

With your square fabric, make a crease from the center to form the shape of a bow and stitch it up to hold it together.  

With my rectangle fabric, I twisted it once, placed it vertically in the center of my bow, and tied it up, so that it creates a smaller bow right on top of the bigger bow.

I'm seeing this bow on a headband, as a necklace, or as brooch.

Linked up with:

 

Feeling Crafty: DIY Rossette Fabric Corsage Necklace

I'm excited to be sharing my very first DIY project on this blog. The reality is that I'm not a very crafty person but I definitely appreciate handmade things and I am in awe of creative people. I love discovering DIY crafts; I enjoy looking at photos of the step-by-step process; I collect DIY tutorials on Pinterest, wanting to try my hands on various projects but haven't found the time or the compulsion to do any of them.

Yesterday, I saw this project on A Few Pretty things and I felt this itch to actually create something.  Today, I stopped imagining and just start.  And so, here it is, a rossette I made out of pretty fabric scraps which can be worn as a corsage necklace or a brooch.

This isn't a complicated DIY.  You can trust me when I say this because I'm definitely a beginner in this field.  I was quite hesitant to do this but then I really wanted to give it a shot.  If you're not skilled in cutting patterns, sewing and putting things together, like I am, but would like to try your hands on crafting, this is one project that you can do.

The only tools you need are needle, thread, scissors, a necklace chain and a compass or a circular ruler.  You can also use jar lids to draw circle patterns on your fabric like I did.

Of course, you will need some scraps of cloth with different patterns.  I've been saving these, wanting to do something out of them for the longest time.  It's an awful waste to throw away scraps of pretty fabric when you can turn them into something nice again, isn't it?  For my rossette, I chose to combine dotted denim; black, cotton cloth with smaller dots; and a cambric shirt in blue & white stripes.

The next step is to cut circle patterns in three sizes out of each fabric.  I chose the dotted denim to be on the center so I made four circles of those in equal diameter.  Don't worry if the edges are not perfect as long as they are round.

I folded three of the circle denims in half twice and stitched the bottom corners.

I assembled my circles one on top of the other, and stitched them all in the middle. Then I sewed the three half circles side by side on the center like this: 

When I was done, I realized that my black, cotton fabric was too soft so I needed an extra layer.  I cut two larger circles using the same blue & white striped cloth.  I stitched the sides of these two circles to make it one so it would be strong enough to hold the entire rossette without folding down.

And this is the final output.

I know this is a very simple DIY but I'm happy that I was actually able to finish it.  Think this one's going to be special because it's my first.  Have you done this kind of project? If yes, I'd love to see what you've made.  If you would like to make your own, you can also check out these tutorials on these blogs: denim & sweater fabric brooch by A Few Pretty Things; corsage necklace by Polka Dot Chair.

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Joining the link-up at:

J

The Beautiful Art of Recycling: Perfume Bottles

Perfume bottles can be used as flower vases; mini perfume bottles can be turned into charm necklaces. These exquisite jars can add a touch whim to a shelf or vanity.   My favorite way to recycle the larger bottles is to use them for displaying /  organizing jewelry (bracelets, necklaces) or other trinkets (ponytails, hair ornaments).  I found these pictures from Pinterest and We Heart It for inspiration.

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TO DISPLAY JEWELRY:

 

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TO WEAR WITH YOUR FAVORITE OUTFIT:

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TO HOLD FRESH FLOWERS:

via: 1, 2, 3

TO BEAUTIFY A SPACE:

via: 1 , 2

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Do you collect perfume bottles too?
Which one of these ideas do you love?

The Beautiful Art of Recycling: Used Paper and Old Magazines

Recycling projects are something that I personally appreciate and support.  Last time, I compiled ideas on how to re-purpose old window shutters.  Today, I found brilliant ideas on how to recycle or up-cycle used paper and old magazines.  Instead of throwing away unwanted sheets of paper or old magazines in the trash, why not turn them into something decorative and utilitarian?

floating paper butterflies 

via: Pinterest

Why should we consider recycling paper?  According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, about "33 percent of the municipal solid waste stream (MSW) is made up of paper and paperboard products" (Earth911).  In the Philippines, the National Solid Waste Management Commission reports that about 16 percent of the total solid waste is paper (DENR).  We can thus imagine what a big difference it would make if only each household would avoid wasting paper and try to find ways to recycle or up-cycle paper trash to prevent them from ending up in the landfill.  

paper ribbon
via: Pinterest {tutorial}

The nice thing about paper is that it is a versatile material and there are literally hundreds of different crafts, from simple DIY projects to the more complicated art of paper cutting, you can find online.  On this post, I chose DIYs that I think are easy enough for me to do {except for the Hydrangea and Mums bouquet} :)  If you feel like you're not crafty enough, you may want to take a moment to click on the tutorial links and see for yourself.  You might be inspired to create your own version. So, are you ready to give these craft projects a try?

gift wrap ribbons
via: Pinterest

 Origami hearts
 via: Pinterest {tutorial}

 envelopes
via: Pinterest {tutorial}

 paper earrings
via: Pinterest

 

 whimsical wreath
via: Pinterest

 

magazine vases
via: Pinterest

 

paper flowers
via: Pinterest {tutorial}

 paper bouquet
 via: We Heart It {tutorial}

paper cone garland
via: We Heart It via: Casaecose

jar or vase embellishment
via: We Heart It {tutorial}

"hugs & kisses" garland

via: We Heart It {tutorial}

Which of these ideas have you done or like to try?  Do you know of other paper recycling inspirations?  Feel free to share the links with everyone :) Thanks!