tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18994259644969489722026-01-22T20:37:08.872-08:00DIY stuff made of recycled material: 100% green and free!Jessy Troyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07395752416503362536noreply@blogger.comBlogger260125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1899425964496948972.post-30599731789786946842016-04-29T08:50:00.001-07:002016-04-29T08:51:21.902-07:00

One of my readers emailed me asking for some instructions on how to turn a book into a purse. I did some research and picked some of the nicest looking DIY projects to answer the question. I have already listed cool book purses but there are no instructions. This time I made sure each project had a detailed instruction. Here you go: How to upcycle an old book into a cute purse: 1. How to

Jessy Troyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07395752416503362536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1899425964496948972.post-40524909034430168512016-04-27T16:39:00.000-07:002016-04-27T16:39:02.665-07:00

It's spring-summer time! The season of traveling and family time: LOTS of memories to keep, share and decorate your home with. Here are three fresh ideas to create upcycled photo frames to store and display your cherished memories: Old tart pans (old flan tins) into picture frames Very neat and touching idea: Collect your memories! These could be good for family pictures, food photos, your

Jessy Troyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07395752416503362536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1899425964496948972.post-22148591080095817842015-05-17T10:13:00.000-07:002015-05-17T10:13:08.946-07:00

Great idea for fashionistas! And for moms looking to educate their little girls on sustainability and upcycling (as well as have fun time with them). Turn your old sucks into neat fingerless gloves. Let your imagination fly: Come up with different-colored decor elements to match your manicure! Instructions are here; Discovered on Pinterest. Thank you, Dr Elaine Nicholls, for sharing this

Jessy Troyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07395752416503362536noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1899425964496948972.post-73386395154271905562014-10-10T21:30:00.002-07:002014-10-10T21:33:28.397-07:00

Francesca Crolley of Nansulate.com has shared this cool tip with us: We've had a few people that use our clear lead encapsulation coating to repurpose relaimed wood. This company is one that uses the reclaimed wood from Hurricane Katrina for picture frames By using a clear coat over the wood that's a lead encapsulant, you can make sure that it is safe for use by others while keeping its

Jessy Troyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07395752416503362536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1899425964496948972.post-84707603355497455902014-10-08T11:29:00.002-07:002014-10-08T11:30:07.830-07:00

Rhonda White of Her Christian Home has a very neat idea of a gardening bench workstation to have all her pots and tools there. So she turned her “Baker’s Rack” into her very own Gardening Bench Workstation! And a really beautiful one! I think it will make any garden prettier and cozier! Please check the whole tutorial here! Rhonda also has an awesome Pinterest board where she curates all

Jessy Troyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07395752416503362536noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1899425964496948972.post-33931061650702522302014-10-06T21:36:00.002-07:002014-10-06T21:38:51.132-07:00

Staci Edwards at Switch Studio used an old door to create this awesome piece of furniture. What a lovely idea! The bench looks really stylish and neat: I love the minimal feel, yet the cozy atmosphere it creates! It doesn't look like huge work too! Another proof that stylish home doesn't need to cost a fortune! Steal the idea! Before: After: A special thanks goes to Wayne for sharing

Jessy Troyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07395752416503362536noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1899425964496948972.post-67771456945602241362014-09-12T18:17:00.001-07:002014-09-12T18:20:13.923-07:00

We continue featuring our readers and frugal living advicates. In today's edition David Leonhardt shares how he has turned old farm machinery into garden decor and tools I've placed a few rusted, but nicely-formed, bits of old farm machinery in my garden.  Rather than ship it all to the dump when cleaning out the old barn, I used some as decor.  I had also found a couple old metal

Jessy Troyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07395752416503362536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1899425964496948972.post-63519368099329115432014-09-10T08:25:00.000-07:002014-09-10T08:25:03.397-07:00

It's great to see upcycling make it to the news headlines and big companies with funding emeging as a result: TerraCycle make millions recycling trash and turn it into useful products, such as fertilizers. Watching their video gives you a clear view of how much the company is doing for upcycling! Look at how they re-use glass bottles: Or take a look at their chair beautified by candy

Jessy Troyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07395752416503362536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1899425964496948972.post-43985408566445172842014-09-10T08:05:00.001-07:002014-09-10T08:05:23.434-07:00

Welcome to our next edition of "Featured Readers' Crafts" Today we are featuring a great series by Christy Strickler over at MyScrapbookEvolution.com Christy uses all possible items she can find (including shopping bags, plastic lids, and metal pop tab lids) to add texture to your papercraft projects and create awesome-looking crafts! Please check out Christy's series here: Scrapbooking with

Jessy Troyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07395752416503362536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1899425964496948972.post-82875707610142934572014-07-18T17:31:00.001-07:002014-07-18T17:31:33.426-07:00

We've seen lots of great ideas to pimp your interior with bottle decor including Wine Bottle Chandelier, Bottle Christmas LED Lights, and Wine Bottle into the Garden Borders. This time I am sharing an even more original idea: Sweater vases! You take a bottle, add your old unloved sweater and get unique home decor! Here's a detailed tutorial and here are more ways to upcycle sweater crafts!

Jessy Troyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07395752416503362536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1899425964496948972.post-2206846993882563342013-12-01T12:48:00.002-08:002013-12-01T12:48:56.787-08:00

Winter is a season of many things, the holidays coming in first and foremost among them for most of us, presenting us with nearly unlimited opportunities for useful and beautiful crafts and hacks for our homes, both inside and out. Whether you're looking to create a festive atmosphere, or you simply want to get the very most out of some unused items when you've got the time to transform

Jessy Troyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07395752416503362536noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1899425964496948972.post-27062801456336234202013-11-20T15:48:00.000-08:002013-11-20T15:48:06.367-08:00

Christmas is coming, and no that wasn't the beginning of a carol. We are gearing up for one of the most popular holidays around, putting up our trees and hanging up stockings. It also means that DIY junkies like me are looking for projects for house decor and handmade gifts. Especially those that upcycle old items and save on materials. Pinterest has once again come to the rescue. Anyone

Jessy Troyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07395752416503362536noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1899425964496948972.post-29999698859337813762013-08-24T18:25:00.000-07:002013-08-24T18:25:54.150-07:00

Upcycling is a really big hobby for many people these days. Part of that is due to the years of living under a difficult economy during the financial crisis. But for others, it is just a fun interest they have always enjoyed and continue to do so. There are certainly a lot of blogs and social media posts dedicated to the practice, and thanks to Macklemore, second hand shops are more popular

Jessy Troyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07395752416503362536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1899425964496948972.post-50006034226621602432013-05-22T10:46:00.000-07:002013-08-24T18:26:46.095-07:00

Pinterest is one of the coolest social networks I am hanging out at. It is so addictive! I use it to source upcycling ideas for this blog as well! A few days ago I came this beautiful article listing some of the coolest DIY projects found on Pinterest. How cool is that?! Hipstagram Wall! I love it! What are your thought?

Jessy Troyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07395752416503362536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1899425964496948972.post-69679656934510638602013-05-20T15:16:00.003-07:002013-05-20T15:20:38.558-07:00

  Whether you live in an apartment and have no yard space or are just enchanted with the idea of growing a bit of food in your own kitchen or on your porch, creating a kitchen garden can be fun and rewarding. There are, of course, a host of kitchen garden pots, planters and other tools available for purchase, but why not create your kitchen garden using upcycled materials? What better way

Jessy Troyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07395752416503362536noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1899425964496948972.post-78453763506947642672013-04-15T05:47:00.000-07:002013-04-15T05:47:00.317-07:00

Everyone should have a good piece of luggage, even if they only travel occasionally. But what happens when you no longer need a particular set? Maybe you got something new, or you went a little suitcase crazy and picked up too many at a second hand shop. Or you might just have worn it through and need to do something with the old luggage. Don't be so quick to throw it out. Instead, check

Jessy Troyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07395752416503362536noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1899425964496948972.post-798893719956840282013-03-07T12:41:00.000-08:002013-03-07T12:41:32.598-08:00

Earlier this morning I was wandering around Pinterest, steadfastly avoiding doing any actual work, and I ended up in the DIY section. This isn't unusual, as I always end up in the DIY section. Most of my boards are full of different projects I would love to try. One board has nothing but pins I have tried and failed miserably at. My enthusiasm is much greater than my skill, I'm afraid.

Jessy Troyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07395752416503362536noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1899425964496948972.post-26224318058251121692013-02-05T17:10:00.000-08:002013-02-05T17:10:20.871-08:00

Reading is a treasured pass time and one of the greatest things you can do. There is nothing quite as satisfying as sinking into a story and losing yourself to the plot, characters and excitement. Which is something that fewer and fewer people are enjoying these days, the lack of appreciation of books depressing. Even with the creation of ereaders, which give us greater access than ever.

Jessy Troyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07395752416503362536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1899425964496948972.post-3750019199396584802013-01-15T19:25:00.000-08:002013-01-15T19:26:04.705-08:00

The other day I was in my garage and I realized something: we have way too many tires. Living where we do, we end up driving into the mountains a great deal, or further south and into the dessert. Both types of terrain can be rough on rubber, and we go through a full set of tires once a year. For a long time we just threw the old ones out, but now we have been patching and reusing them

Jessy Troyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07395752416503362536noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1899425964496948972.post-47075661794446971832013-01-04T10:49:00.000-08:002013-01-04T10:49:07.570-08:00

There are a lot of cribs out there these days that act as a full sleep system. They go from a crib to a toddler bed, and sometimes even to a base for a full twin later on. But not all of them do this, or live long enough to make it into all three incarnations. I know both of my kids brother their cribs long before they could become even a toddler bed. Which should tell you something about my

Jessy Troyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07395752416503362536noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1899425964496948972.post-12383122147607499242012-12-17T14:50:00.000-08:002012-12-17T14:50:20.709-08:00

We are now far enough into the Christmas holiday that we are all burnt out from shopping, hungover from parties and sick to death of the music, am I right? It may only be December 7, but it all starts so early these days that I feel as though it is all almost over. Even with weeks to go before the big day is really here. A point that I am constantly reminded of every time I look at the list

Jessy Troyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07395752416503362536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1899425964496948972.post-84325790229391575622012-12-11T12:20:00.000-08:002012-12-11T12:20:36.870-08:00

I have so many glass jars! Seriously, I have an entire cupboard full of them, most of them from old food items like pasta sauce, salsa and olives. I don't know what to do with them and I never have. While I recycle, my local place doesn't take glassware and I would have to go clear into another county to get rid of them. Which isn't exactly eco friendly when you consider the driving involved

Jessy Troyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07395752416503362536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1899425964496948972.post-84256796472115868112012-11-28T08:21:00.000-08:002012-11-28T08:21:10.630-08:00

You are most likely to have lots of photos, lots of memories. You like entering your home and being met by those memories. That's what make us feel at home! However there's never a good way to organize them: Photo frames are boring (you can't often change photos in them) and they don't always fit. Besides, they cannot have too many photos inside...  But how about this idea: You can use

Jessy Troyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07395752416503362536noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1899425964496948972.post-32218067707939906492012-09-07T08:21:00.002-07:002012-09-07T08:22:37.812-07:00

We all had those huge ugly calculators in the old days. Now we don't need them: we have laptops, tablets and smartphone calculator apps. But what to do with those almost vintage devices we store in the garage. Here's one cool idea: create fun DIY fridge magnets to help your kid learn math. Looks awesome!   Details via Thrive Here are more ways to reuse keyboard and calculator keys:

Jessy Troyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07395752416503362536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1899425964496948972.post-26689400778963640312012-08-31T13:13:00.000-07:002012-08-31T13:13:50.947-07:00

Some little hacks require no work at all. It's just the brilliant idea. Here's one most of DIY craft lovers will appreciate: yet another absolutely awesome idea to organize your DIY stuff at home. Brilliant! Via Sustainablog

Jessy Troyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07395752416503362536noreply@blogger.com1