Archive for the ‘Reuse’ Category
Posted by Megan Jeyifo to Decorating and Reuse on
16 July 2010, with 7 comments so far.
Lisa Congdon’s wall of plates
ReadyMade’s Editors’ Notes blog recently featured a fantastic round-up of ceramic plate reuses. At the end of the post, Katherine writes: “If all else, and I mean all else fails, you can hang them on the wall.”
Gotta disagree with Katherine on this one: I think plate walls are a first rate choice for ceramic and plastic dishes, especially suited for the dining room or above the kitchen stove. Plates won’t catch fire in the event of a wok flair-up and if grease happens to spatter upwards, you can simply remove, wash with the rest of your wares and rehang. In fact, I love plate walls so much that I have three of them! Two in the kitchen and one outside on the back porch.
The majority of my plates came from thrift stores for less than a dollar apiece, making the plate wall a cost effective way to achieve big impact in any space. Craft and hardware stores have wire plate hangers in a variety of sizes and you can trace your plates onto wax paper and tape up a template for perfect planning or start with one and go random. Use different sizes, shapes and colors or go monochromatic. The possibilities are endless.
(more…)
Tags: ceramic, hang plates, plate, plate wall, Reuse, vintage plate
Posted in Decorating, Reuse | 7 Comments »
Posted by Sonia Zjawinski to Decorating and Furniture and How-To and Pets and Reuse and Storage on
12 July 2010, with 4 comments so far.
Ever since I saw Kim Johnson’s Ikea hacked kitty shelf I’ve wanted to make one of my own. The clever mod cuts an Ikea diaper changing table in half to create two wall shelves affixed to the wall.
With an Ikea gift card given as a wedding gift, I set out to make my own. Along the way, with the help of my sculptor father (who is a crafty carpenter, plumber, and general genius on the side), I made some adjustments to Kim’s original schematics. After the jump, how to make my version of Kim’s clever hack.
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Tags: cat shelf, ikea, ikea hack, wall shelf
Posted in Decorating, Furniture, How-To, Pets, Reuse, Storage | 4 Comments »
Posted by Sonia Zjawinski to Gardening and Pets and Places and Reuse and Salvage on
7 July 2010, with 1 comment so far.
A tree grows in Brooklyn, and so does its flock of birds. If you live in New York, or plan to visit before the end of the year, take a special trip to Fort Greene, where you’ll find the Myrtle Avenue Bird Town.
The project, created by Jennifer Wong and Daniel Goers of Wongoers, includes a sanctuary of 50 birdhouses and feeders, designed by the couple and built by people in the community. The bird favela is meant to house and feed some of the boroughs native birds.
The avian accommodations, according to Wongoers, “express creative use of both natural, recycled, and found materials. Throughout the project experimental fabrication, detailed carpentry, and materials science were employed.”
The installation is located at the Northwest corner of Fort Greene Park (Myrtle Avenue & St. Edwards Street) as well as Person Park (Myrtle Avenue & Carlton Avenue). Just remember to look up!
I plan on checking these guys out in person in November — before heading over to Cake Man Raven’s for a slice of delicious red velvet cake — but if you can’t make it to New York to see these in person, check out Flickr user Atomische’s great snaps of each of the birdhouses in the collection. After the jump, some of my faves I’d love to reproduce… (more…)
Posted in Gardening, Pets, Places, Reuse, Salvage | 1 Comment »
Posted by Sonia Zjawinski to Color and Decorating and Lighting and Reuse on
5 July 2010, with 2 comments so far.
There’s nothing more romantic than a outdoor dinner by candlelight. Since patio tables can get filled quickly with plates, bottles of beer, and accouterments, you may find yourself wondering where to place your mood lighting. Well, here’s a great DIY project from the folks at CalFinder.
Their project turns an empty wine bottle into a wall mounted sconce, using pieces you can easily find at your local hardware store. Use citronella Tiki torch oil and you’ve got a DIY bug repellent that’s stylish to boot.
[Image: CalFinder]
Tags: bbq, candle, citronella, diy lighting, garden, outdoor, outdoor lighting, tiki, torch, yard
Posted in Color, Decorating, Lighting, Reuse | 2 Comments »
Posted by Megan Jeyifo to How-To and Reuse on
22 June 2010, with 13 comments so far.
Chris recently posted about how wonderful anyone-can-do-it DIY projects are. This recycled-bottle dish soap dispenser definitely fits the bill and coming across it made me downright giddy.
I’ve been griping to the Mister for months about having an eyesore on our kitchen sink. Been searching high and low in every thrift and craft store I enter for something to replace it, something with some character and whimsy (I almost bought a vintage still-sticky syrup pourer with a smiley face sticker on it, that is how desperate we are talking). Claire, the blogger behind Blah to Tada, has come up with something simple and cute to replace the ugliness many of us have perched atop our counters right now.
Glass + spout + soap = problem solved.
Check out Blah to Tada for the whole post and do go through the whole site. It had me yelling out “TADA!” to my computer after viewing each transformation.
Thanks, Claire!
[Images: Blah to Tada]
Tags: bottle soap dispenser, dish soap, dish soap dispenser DIY, Kitchen, recycled bottle, soap
Posted in How-To, Reuse | 13 Comments »
Posted by Megan Jeyifo to Reuse on
16 June 2010, with 6 comments so far.
Summer is definitely here in Chicago. It’s been a strange one so far, with eighty plus degree days followed by a few milder ones where we struggle to get up to seventy. I’d prefer something right in the middle—say eighty-two—especially since my apartment has no air conditioning.
When the temperatures have pushed past ninety, fan to the rescue! I picked up the turquoise baby pictured above from new-resale-shop-on-the-block Seek Vintage here in the Second City. Thirty bucks. It keeps me cool and was loud enough to drown out all of the fireworks and hootin’ and hollerin’ that went on last week when the Blackhawks took the Stanley Cup.
If you’re hunting for a fan to get you through to September look no further. Here’s a round-up of what’s available from second-hand Etsy sellers right now. Read the fine print: some are not in working condition but I think they’re gorgeous all the same. Perfect for you lucky ones with air conditioning.
Vintage Electric Brown Metal Fan For Display, $32 by Sweet Love Vintage // Vintage Industrial Small Dominion Electric Fan in Green, $34 by Junk Culture // Refurbished Westinghouse Electric Fan, $72 by Fishbone Deco // Turquoise Electric Fan, $28 by Finding Fabulous // Vintage General Electric Table Fan, $60 by Rhan // Vintage Shabby Chic Green Trav-L-Aire Electric Fan, $72 by Fishbone Deco // Large Vintage Electric Fan, $15 by Mrs. Potts Vintage, Tripl Aire Cintage Electrical Fan Lasko, $42 by The Vintageholic Frog // Large Industrial Fan, $145 by Hindsvik
Tags: etsy, vintage decor, vintage fan
Posted in Reuse | 6 Comments »
Posted by claire to Decorating and Reuse on
8 June 2010, with 4 comments so far.
A dugout home, a la Laura Ingalls Wilder
When I was a kid, my dad read all of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House on the Prairie books to me. I loved imagining life as a settler, and I was fascinated by the idea that for part of her life Laura lived in a house that they carved out of the ground. It seemed amazing to think that your walls, floor, and ceiling might all be made of dirt. As I was growing up in a very clean house I simply couldn’t imagine my mother letting the walls be made of dirt.
The Cave Home of Curt and Deborah Sleeper
In a recent slide show on extreme home make-overs, The New York Times looked at several innovative approaches to making existing spaces into homes. Laura’s dirt house came to mind when I saw Curt and Deborah Sleeper’s Sandstone Cave Home in Festus, MO.
The Sleepers had been living in cramped quarters with their two children when an eBay property caught their eye. The three acres of land also featured an empty sandstone cave that was once a quarry. In the days of Laura Ingalls Wilder, a dugout home not only kept the family from all the elements, the earth that surround the home acted as a thermal layer for the home, keeping the space warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer. The Sleepers realized their new land featured a cave that had the same benefits and with 15,000 feet of space, they decided to build into the cave.
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Tags: cave house, design, dugout homes, extreme houses
Posted in Decorating, Reuse | 4 Comments »
Posted by claire to Decorating and Furniture and Reuse and Salvage on
4 June 2010, with no comments so far.
Above and below: Recycled wood Armoires by RenziVivian.
I love taking old things and finding exciting new ways to repurpose them in our home. While wandering through the internet the other day, I stumbled upon these great armoires by RenziVivian.
Using existing parts of discarded furniture, these pieces are cobbled together like a big wooden quilt. The style and vintage of the various elements have little to do with one another and when combined make a unique scrapbook of references to different times and trends. The pieces can apparently be used for computer desks, televisions, or clothing storage. I couldn’t locate a place to actually purchase these armoires, but I think a similar DIY project could happen in your own home.
While we are on the subject a reclaiming wood and making artful and functional objects for your home, I would love to direct your attention to Whit McLeod. When my husband and I first arrived in Humboldt county I noticed some of his work on display in a local gallery. I was immediately attracted to the impeccable craftsmanship and the idea that all the wood was salvaged from 70-gallon oak wine barrels. Living in wine country makes these used barrels easy to obtain and McLeod reuses the wood beautifully.
Whit McLeod Folding Chair from reclaimed wine barrels.
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Posted in Decorating, Furniture, Reuse, Salvage | No Comments »
Posted by Garth to How-To and Kitchen and Reuse and Salvage and Storage and Uncategorized on
3 June 2010, with 14 comments so far.
The kitchen is one of the rooms in our house that we spend the most time in. Claire and I live in Humboldt County, California, which is blessed with incredible local food resources. College of the Redwoods, where I teach, has its own organic farm and CSA. Our local food co-op is well-stocked with local cheeses like Humboldt Fog, local organic meats and local seafood.
The kitchen was the first room that we started tearing into when we started renovating our house, and unfortunately, it was one of the last to be finished. We wanted the kitchen to be a place where we actually wanted to hang out and spend our time. The kitchen as we originally found it was fairly well laid out, but filled with horrible cheap 80’s cabinets, dingy floral wallpaper and cheap appliances.
We installed a dishwasher, put up drywall over the wallpaper and painted the room a bright yellow and installed some funky lighting fixtures. It was a great start, but the stove—an inexpensive Sears model with an old pegboard over it— continued to taunt us.
The horror. After removing the pegboard.
What could we do to make the stove area fun and functional? A new stove would be a good start. We started combing Craigslist for vintage stoves, and finally found a great (but really dirty and greasy) one that we could afford. Claire put a huge amount of elbow grease (and gallons of vinegar) into cleaning it. You can read about her valiant efforts HERE.
(more…)
Tags: crates, keeping up with the johnsons, Kitchen, remodeling, soda crates, spice rack, spices
Posted in How-To, Kitchen, Reuse, Salvage, Storage, Uncategorized | 14 Comments »
Posted by Megan Jeyifo to Reuse and Salvage and Storage on
29 April 2010, with 1 comment so far.
Blogger Elsie Marley (real name Meg, like me!) added the photo above to ReadyMade’s Flickr pool this weekend. It was just the inspiration I needed to start thinking seriously about what to do with my own tiny bathroom. Her blog post on the project details the three year journey spawned in part by her brother dropping a hammer on their previous sink, leaving them no choice but to replace it quickly. I’m contemplating dropping something very heavy on my own pea-green sink and telling the landlord that it has just got to go.
What is not to love about this bathroom? While small, Meg has added practical storage that doesn’t sacrifice style. The mailbox on the side of the $100 antique cabinet was scooped from the trash years back and repurposed to hold books and magazines. The metal First Aid kit on the right wall was an eBay find and hides meds from little kiddies. A high school boyfriend was the source for the box on top of the toilet.
The most inspiring part about this photo? She spent a little over three hundred bucks for the whole thing. Thanks for sharing, Meg! I’m off to go (accidentally) destroy my sink.
Add your photos to ReadyMade’s Flickr Pool here.
[Photo: elsiemarley]
Tags: bathroom makeover, bathroom repurpose, bathroom storage, decor, Decorating, elsie marley, flickr, mailbox, small bathroom, upcycled bathroom
Posted in Reuse, Salvage, Storage | 1 Comment »
Posted by Sonia Zjawinski to Gardening and Reuse and Salvage on
28 April 2010, with 1 comment so far.
Unfortunately, as a home owner there are times when you have to cut down a tree. Whether it’s disease, roots battling for space with underground plumbing, or the simple desire to bring more light into your home, that evergreen just has got to go. So, is there a way to honor that retired perennial, while still making room? I recently saw this solution in the front yard of a home here in Pacific Grove, CA and thought it was pure genius. (more…)
Tags: california, containers, front yard, pacific grove, pine tree, planters, repurpose, second life, stump, tree, tree stump
Posted in Gardening, Reuse, Salvage | 1 Comment »
Posted by Megan Jeyifo to Organizing and Reuse on
21 April 2010, with 26 comments so far.
I just added my very first photo to the new ReadyMade Flickr pool. In a moment of clarity this weekend, I decided that the holes in this cheese grater would be perfect for dangling earrings.
The method: Sand and spray paint a thrifted cheese grater. Fill with earrings. Pin onto wall.
Thumbs up or thumbs down?
Add photos of your DIY jewelry displays or whatever else you’re up to around the house to the ReadyMade Flickr group. We’d love to see and share them.
Tags: bathroom, bedroom, cheese grater, diy jewelry display, diy jewelry organizer, flickr, jewelry, organization, projects, vintage cheese grater uses
Posted in Organizing, Reuse | 26 Comments »
Posted by Megan Jeyifo to How-To and Reuse and Salvage on
18 March 2010, with 3 comments so far.
I love Diana Durkes’ Fine Diving, penned right here in Chicago. Her site is chock-full of upcycled and repurposed gems made from castoffs found in alleyways and on the street. Diana uses tons of different applications to update or completely transform each item she comes across and Fine Diving features her how-tos and step-by-step transformations.
This green mat was brilliantly made from a roll of found carpeting and sisal twine.
A pair of chairs found in two separate areas of Chicago are united by black paint and vintage wool crewel. The tutorial for the two is great because it walks you through how to make the seat, not just recover the cushion.
This table was in sad shape when Diana found it on a college campus. The after is so bright and fun. Doesn’t it make you want to break out the spray paint?
A found cashmere sweater in an alley turned into a pretty, soft pillow? Lovely.
Diana inspires me to rethink what I see as trash… and to walk my dog through alleys more often. Visit Fine Diving here and be sure to check out the complete list of before and afters while you’re there. Thanks, Diana!
Tags: alley find, chicago, diana durkes, diy, fine diving
Posted in How-To, Reuse, Salvage | 3 Comments »
Posted by claire to Kitchen and Lighting and Reuse on
5 March 2010, with 2 comments so far.
Garth and I have been on a quest to find and creatively reuse old or discarded objects in our kitchen makeover. We hope that the result of our labor is a unique kitchen that is very functional. Alas, finding the right item to reuse can be tricky when we are problem solving. This was the case when we decided to replace the wall sconces next to the windows. The wall sconces that graced our kitchen walls when we moved in were not offensive, but as we began to pull the room together it became obvious that we should investigate other options.
Not knowing much about wiring a lamp myself, I ran to all the light fixture stores I could think of (this didn’t take too long, as we don’t live in a big town). Nothing felt inspired enough to go on our walls.
Garth and I began to brainstorm what type of object we could re-purpose into wall sconces. Mason jars? Bottles? Cans? Hmmm. I headed to the source for all things handmade: Etsy.com. It didn’t take long for us to discover an Etsy shop that we fell in love with called lightexture. Their self-description reads:
ClayLight Simple from lightexture
lightexture is a collaboration between an architect and a lighting designer, We work together to explore light through the construction of lighting fixtures.
In our light construction we incorporate ready-made objects, lighting components, pottery by ceramic artist Sharan Elran and more. The lamps are fitted and assembled by hand in our studio. One of our goals is to create energy efficient fixtures, while maintaining our focus on their atmospheric and spatial performance.
Not only were all the lamps in this shop interesting, the light each piece casts is artful and exciting. We were sold on the SteamLight Sconces almost at once, which are made from steamer baskets. The re-purposed cooking tools felt like the perfect thing to hang in our kitchen. These lights have the added bonus of opening and closing to allow more or less light into the room while casting amazing shadows on the wall.
Although I am committed to doing things ourselves as much as possible, I also love to support people who make amazing and beautiful things way better than I could. This is definitely the case in this situation. We placed our order and received our sconces in a very timely fashion. If I wasn’t already in love with the object, the packaging certainly helped—each sconce was beautifully packaged in recycled cardboard boxes with a small, silver stamped image of the lamp on top. It felt like Christmas.
Installing them did not seem to difficult (though I admit, you have to ask Garth about that)—they came with very clear instructions to follow. In no time we had new sconces on the wall.
Check out lightexture’s other website, which includes animations of how these amazing lights work.
While you do that, we will be having a SteamLight disco party in our kitchen.
Tags: disco, Kitchen, lamp, light, Lighting, sconce
Posted in Kitchen, Lighting, Reuse | 2 Comments »
Posted by claire to Decorating and Kitchen and Reuse on
22 February 2010, with 10 comments so far.
When we finished drywalling and painting in our kitchen, I noticed that there were two awkward, large hooks on the wall near the sink. No thank you, I thought as I grabbed a screwdriver and took them down.
As I dried some dishes a day later, I realized what the hooks were for—dishtowels. Hmmmm. I wanted to find a smaller, more interesting solution for hanging towels on the wall.
Garth and I have been on a creative reuse kick in the kitchen, we are trying to repurpose kitchen-related items in cleaver ways. Several weeks earlier I noticed that one of our favorite antique stores had a basket of old silver forks, spoons, and knives for a dollar a piece. Suddenly this seemed like the perfect (and thrifty) solution to my dishtowel dilemma.
I picked out a couple of spoons and a small spreading knife and got to work. I clamped the bowl of a spoon in our shop vise and cranked it until it was flat. Next, I clamped the arched neck of the spoon in the vise and squeezed it flat as well. Now that the entire spoon was flattened I used the vise to hold it tight while I slowly, carefully, bent the spoon handle backwards (this way when it was hung on the wall the decorative edge of the handle would face out). Finally, I used a wood/metal drill bit to drill three holes in the flattened bowl of the spoon.
Ta-da! I made a dishtowel hook that was ready to hang. I repeated this process for my other spoon and the spreading knife.
Making three hooks took me about fifteen minutes.
I took a look on Etsy (because turning old utensils into something else is no new idea) and found a seller out of Wisconsin making hooks and other exciting objects out of old cutlery for very reasonable prices. If you aren’t into trolling antique stores to find your own vintage utensils take a look at JJEvensenArt and support a crafter who is committed to repurposing!
Image from JJEvensArt
Posted in Decorating, Kitchen, Reuse | 10 Comments »
