Eve of Reduction

We've Moved to Wordpress

2013-04-14T18:59:00.000-04:00

Hi Reduction Rebels, I'm am please to say our move to WordPress has been a success. You can now find all my new and existing posts under at EVEofREDUCTION.com. Everything is all in one. I'll be adding more content pages as the week goes on, but for the most part, the tent poles are up.

I look forward to seeing you there!

Sustainable Living: Seed Preservation in upcycled shutter and magazine envelopes

2013-04-10T21:10:00.000-04:00

Since we're in seed starting mode, it doesn't mean it's too early to start preparing for seed storage for next winter. Now, I'm not suggesting that we'll be starting a seed bank, but by taking some simple steps we can easily preserve seeds for 2-5 years.

The most important part of preserving your seeds is proper drying. This is why I prefer to store them in paper envelopes in a cool, mostly dark place. If you seal them in a bag or jar, moisture can be trapped. This will lead to mildew and waste.

I made upcycled envelopes from magazine packages. I fully intended to upload the envelope template PDF for downloading but I don't see how to do that on Blogger (grrr). So, if you're interested email me and I'll send you the file.

The circle stickers are for adding the year so I can keep track of how long the seeds have been around.

I made small envelopes with large flaps out of the magazine pages. The large flaps are to hook through the slats on the old shutter I picked up over the weekend. Now is a perfect time to look for discarded things like shutters, buckets and hoses when people are cleaning out their garages for the upcoming warm season.

Here's the shutter I grabbed.When I first saw a shutter used as a mail organizer on Apartment Therapy, I thought it was so clever, but not practical for high-traffic use. As seed storage, it's organized and convenient.
Naturally I had to paint a little detailing before adding my seed envelopes then hang it in a place that will be cold for the winter. Many people store their seeds in the freezer, but I prefer the garage. The temperature is consistently cold, dry and ventilated.
I've had no trouble keeping my surplus seeds in the warm garage during the summer months because the temperature changes gradually over the seasons.

Eve of Reduction: Free Seasonal E-Newsletter; Extra tips and wit on Facebook; Reduction Beauty on Pinterest ; The debut DIY lifestyle book (includes 10 upcycling tutorials); and the guide to creative streams of income ebook (only $2.99).

Upcycling Buffalo's Grain Elevators: Silo City Rocks!

2013-04-09T11:55:00.000-04:00

This photo is from the Buff News article

Sunday's edition of the Buffalo News left me saying, "I'm SO proud to be a Buffalonian!" There were several positive articles on the city's revival including more rails to trails and something that got me super excited: reinventing the old grain elevators into a World Class rock climbing center.
Those massive structures of cement have been a puzzling eye sore. How can we get rid of a bazillion tons of cement? Not cheap, easy or pretty. But you know what is? Upcycling them into a rock climbing and recreation mecca complete with indoor and outdoor climbing, yoga, kids climbing and kayaking.

Silo City Rocks LLC. is the company that is planning this daring and creative transformation from Buffalo, NY's historic industrial past to an invigorating pulse of fitness and adventure. With 6 days left, hey are already 68% of the way to meeting their fund raising goal of $23k.

If we want to continue to reinvent cities and foster urban renewal in a manner that preserves history and still give residents what they want, this is the kind of plans that need to move forward. Like I always say, "Take what you have and make it what you want." This is a huge example that I hope proves to inspire globally.

For right now, I ask that you visit Silo City Rocks and help them reach their fundraising goal!

Upcycle: How to Reuse Refuse for Seed Starters

2013-04-07T12:50:00.001-04:00

Every year I start my seeds in recycled yogurt cups, because they're a perfect size container and my family eats a lot of yogurt. However, this year, I was a little late to start collecting my reusable containers. This prompted me to get a little creative in my seeding starter containers.

Just last week Karen from The Art of Doing Stuff did a post on how to make paper pots for starting your seeds. I especially like this blog for outdoor projects (like gardening) because Karen is from the Toronto area, which is very close to me therefore when she recommends planting celery, I know that will work for me. And, because we have the same climate, when she's thinking about getting her seeds started, so am I.

To do this project I had to fish this wine bottle out of my recycling bin. Then I took newspaper and wrapped it around the bottom half of the bottle. The easiest way to gauge how much newspaper to use is to fold the newspaper in half the long way and then cut down the center.

Leave about 2" extra extending from the bottom of the bottle. Then fold that in, stuffing it into the recess in the bottom of the wine bottle.
To help the bottom stay in place, I sprayed a mist of water on the bottom folds so they'd stick together.

Check out the wine bottle in the back. It's now the "watering can" for my seedlings

For my second reuse of refuse - this time kitchen garbage, I reused an orange peel to repurpose as a seed starter container. I was so excited to see my husband picked up a couple oranges because not only did they compliment our buttermilk pancake breakfast, orange rinds make great starter containers because they can go right in the ground and serve as compost. This is especially ideal for delicate herbs that hate being transplanted - like cilantro. I've sabotaged many a cilantro seedling because I damaged it during the transplant from the yogurt cup.

Here's how to preserve an orange ring to use for planting:
1. Cut the orange in half in the direction of the wedges.

2. Gently run your finger around the edges to separate the orange from the rind. Do not dig down - just the edges at this point.

3. With 2 fingers, starting at one end (not the side) pull the orange out of the rind in the direction of the wedges.

4. Your orange will continue to lift out of its peel leaving both the orange wedges and rind in tact.

The paper post contain Marigolds that I plant each year. They're sort of my heirloom plant because for years I've been harvesting my Marigold seeds in the fall, storing them all winter and then replanting the seeds in the Spring.

Marigold seeds being pulled from last year's plant

I plan to do this with all of my plants. Why not! It's a fun way to perpetuate your garden for FREE! I also exchange seeds and plant seedlings to give as Mother's Day gifts. Start now and you will have a plant to give on Mother's Day, which is May 12th this year BTW.

Now, I have to share a really cool seedling/sapling story. Anne Frank referenced a chestnut tree several times in her famous diary. It was her only connecting to nature during her two-year stay in the secret annex. In August of 2010 that diseased tree came down in a wind/rain storm. Now, 11 of its saplings are to be planted around the US. I find it so thrilling to see history spread through botany. You can read more about the Anne Frank chestnut tree saplings on Huff Post Green.

Do you have any heirloom plants? If not maybe you can be the one to start one.

Eve of Reduction: Free Seasonal E-Newsletter; Extra tips and wit on Facebook; Reduction Beauty on Pinterest ; The debut DIY lifestyle book (includes 10 upcycling tutorials); and the guide to creative streams of income ebook (only $2.99).

Upcycle: Reupholster an old Pillow or Cushion

2013-04-05T20:11:00.000-04:00

Have you ever made a pillow from scratch? Its ingredients being fabric, filling, zipper and thread. Now if you're familiar with buying these things a la carte you know that the two most expensive items on that list are the zipper and filler (unless you're getting some kind of crazy expensive fabric, but let's assume we're dealing with normal, everyday fabric).
It just so happens that the pricey items - zipper and filler - are the most preserved parts of an existing pillow. And since upcycling is about taking what you have and making it what you want, today I'm going to talk you through upcycling your existing pillows and cushions should the need arise.

The cushion on my son's desk chair has been around for literally decades. It was time for a refresher and a gender assignment - the floral pattern just wasn't working for him.

Step 1: I unzipped the cushion cover and removed the foam filler and set it aside to be reused.

Step 2: I stitch ripped the zipper off the old cushion cover to be reused on the new one.

Step 3. I chose fabric that was durable (you don't want to have to redo this project in a year). For my cushion I chose denim that was left over from curtains I had made for my son. I used the cushion as a template/pattern to cut 2 panels of fabric.

Step 4: I sewed the zipper onto each each fabric panel. It totally looks like lips.

"If I could talk I'd thank you for upcycling me!"

Step 5: I sewed the denim sides together. Remember to include ribbon or ties so that you can attach the cushion to the back of the chair. To do this the ribbon/ties should be inserted into the facing fabric inside and just the inside ends visable to sew through.

I used an olive colored ribbon for the cushion ties.

Step 5: Flip the cushion cover right-side-out through the zipper opening and stuff with the foam filler.

Here's another testament to how much I hate ironing.

This project can easily be applied to pillow covers as well. Fashion changes, fabric wears out, stains happen. It doesn't mean the whole thing gets tossed. Salvage what you can to reduce cost and waste.

Eve of Reduction: Free Seasonal E-Newsletter; Extra tips and wit on Facebook; Reduction Beauty on Pinterest ; The debut DIY lifestyle book (includes 10 upcycling tutorials); and the guide to creative streams of income ebook (only $2.99).

Sustainable Living: 7 Benefits of the Brown Bag Lunch

2013-04-03T11:56:00.000-04:00

First off, when I say brown bag lunch I really mean reusable lunch bag filled with food prepared from your home. I am not advocating for disposable paper lunch bags that show every bit of moisture and get thrown in the trash afterward.
Now, moving on.
You may have a horror story from your childhood of an embarrassing dripping pickle in your lunch bag or a sandwich that got smushed into the shape of a canoe. This may have been traumatizing and turned you off to bringing vs. buying your lunch, but as a Reduction Rebel it's now my duty to bring you back to the benefits of being in control of the most important meal of your day.

1. Cost. Need I say more? You're an adult; you know that you cannot live off the dollar menu and the alternatives cost much more than your groceries.

2. Reduce Food Waste. Bringing a lunch is the perfect opportunity to eat last night's leftovers. This not only gives you a hot meal, it's one less thing cluttering up the back of the frig only to get thrown out a week later.

3. Control your Options. If you're just winging it, you're not in control of what's available for you to eat. You are at the mercy of the cafeteria or the eatery decided upon by your lunch buddies.

4. Decide before you're Hungry. When I get hungry, I go right for the carbs. After all, hungry people do not make the best dietary decisions. So, if the night before your logical brain has already portioned out a fair amount of all the food groups, you'll be poised to follow through with good eating habits.

5. Time Management. Wouldn't you avoid waiting in line if you could? Think about rushing out on your lunch break. It's not just waiting in line; it's drive time and waiting for service. In my new book, Living Simple, Free & Happy I talk about being on other people's schedule. Eating out is another example of this. You are against crowds, the competence of your waitress and the teamwork of the staff. This is all beyond your control even though you're on your own timed schedule to get back to work.

6. Pace of Eating. It's well know that smaller meals and more frequent snacking is the way to keep your blood-sugar up and your binge eating down. By bringing a pre-packed lunch to work you can eat intermittently throughout the day to preserve your mood and energy.

7. Reduce Resources. Processing and packaging of on-demand foods suck a ton or resources. From saving on gas by not driving to a restaurant to reducing waste by packing a reusable bag with reusable containers and a cloth napkin, bringing a lunch eliminates a chain of resources that are saved by bringing your own lunch.

Replacing a rushed lunch hour with thoughtful catch up time will reduce stress. I challenge you to bring your lunch to work for a week. See what you get done on your break. Does bringing your lunch mean you have time for a brisk walk? Or read a good book? Catch up on "thank you" cards?

Sustainable Living: It's a Card Habit to Break

2013-04-01T11:50:00.000-04:00

Several years ago I read Brian Tracy's book on Goals:
Goals!: How to Get Everything You Want -- Faster Than You Ever Thought Possible. In it he talks about the unbelievable stats supporting writing down your goals. This prompted me to start a journal where I wrote down my goals - even creating verbage that made it sound like I'd already reached them.
Every now and then I come across this notebook and kind of laugh. "Oh, yeah, I remember when I was doing that/wanted that." Don't get my wrong, Brian Tracy's book is fabulous, but the notebook thing just didn't work for me.
Recently I came across something that I feel is more effective: a bonus card for habits.Think about it, reward cards are kept in our wallet for everything from haircuts to coffee. Why? Because it keeps us loyal.
Let's take a page from mastermind marketers trying to get us to spend our money at their shop and bring it into our own life, 30 days at a time.

Here's how you can make a goal a habit in 30 days:
1. Right click on the image at the top and download it onto your computer. Or make your own.
2. Fill in your habit-in-training. Think about it. Don't cut back on sweets if your just going to compensate with chips.
3. For the next 30 days, track whether or not you followed your goal or not. If you did, punch the sad face with a hole punch (or scribble it out). If by the end of the 30 days you have a lot of sad faces on your card, make a new one and start over. If you did great. Test the waters without the card. Is that goal part of your lifestyle?
4. Print out a few cards - one for each goal you'd like to achieve. Nothing wrong with multitasking!

Eve of Reduction: Free Seasonal E-Newsletter; Extra tips and wit on Facebook; Reduction Beauty on Pinterest ; The debut DIY lifestyle book (includes 10 upcycling tutorials); and the guide to creative streams of income ebook (only $2.99).

Recipe: Highbrow Pineapple Jell-O Salad

2013-03-29T12:21:00.000-04:00

My seven year-old said to me, "guess my favorite salad." His answer, "Jell-O salad." It struck me as funny because the combination of Jell-O, fruit and whipped cream is the furthest thing from one's perception of salad.
On the subject of one's perception of different foods, I'd say the general consensus for Jell-O's reputation is not positive. Word association include things like picnic food, old lady, church pot luck, and Halloween gag.
I'm here to change that notion with this fantastic Jell-O recipe that is not only a crowd pleaser, but pairs very well with the Easter ham.
Now to validate this as "highbrow" Jell-O, I have one more reference point. I don't know the actual origin of this recipe, but in my family it came from my Aunt Joan. Many years ago my Aunt Joan attended Le Cordon Bleu cooking school in Paris. Therefore any recipe that comes from her is automatically deemed as superior in my family. This recipe is no exception.

Highbrow Pineapple Jell-O Salad - an Easter Tradition
2 pkgs LEMON Jell-O (don't get confused by the pineapple title)
1 can (2.5 cups) crushed pineapple
boil together for 1 minute. NOTE: do not add water - just the power and pineapple
cool til slightly thickened
Add 1 cup whipping cream + 8oz cottage cheese
Set in bowl or Jell-O mold in frig overnight

I have to say, is it me or are Jell-O molds becoming scarce? The only mold type thing I have is a train that my kids used for a rice crispie kit their aunt bought.

How to Create Joy with Upcycling

2013-03-28T15:31:00.000-04:00

This past Monday I was interviewed by Sandy Fowler, host of Heart Filled Holidays Radio show. She and I talked about my new book,

Living Simple, Free & Happy: How to Simplify, Declutter Your Home, and Reduce Stress, Debt & Waste

Our conversation morphed into a discussion on how to bring joy to your life through upcycling. This concept may seem like kind of a stretch, but when you think of upcycling as improving something that already exists, how could that not bring you joy.

Here are some specific ways to bring joy to your life with upcycling:
1. Upcycling improves your home by raising the aesthetics and purpose of your possessions.
2. Upcycling inserts your talents into your surroundings to give you an unbelievable sense of pride.
3. When you're upcycling, you don't always know what your going to have to work with. It's all about discovery. Discovery is the opposite of boring and predictable.
4. Upcycling personalizes your home. Bring your interests to life by upcycling things into something to be used for displaying your passions. One example is Sandy Fowler's daughter made her a holder out of driftwood to display her sea glass collection; collecting sea glass is a hobby she shares with her daughter. Every time she looks at that thoughtful, handmade gift, she is reminded of the happy memories it represents.

Click to listen to the whole podcast or check out Heart Filled Holidays free on iTunes.
To learn more about upcycling your home decor, free time and expenses, check out my new book, Living Simple, Free & Happy!

Recycled Craft: Reusable Easter Bag Made from Bed Sheets

2013-03-21T09:11:00.001-04:00

Okay parents...I mean Easter bunnies, let's face it; it's pretty hard to hide an Easter basket. That huge loopy handle can't fit under anything! So here's a fun, recycled and reusable alternative: an Easter Bag!
Stay with me. Now if you don't have kids or celebrate Easter, This is still a really cute reusable bag for taking out shopping. The best part - it stuffs down into a small little carrot!

That little carrot will fit nicely in any purse, making it easy to remember to bring with you to the store or farmer's market.
Below is a video tutorial on how to make this reusable bag from a bed sheet:

Mod Podge Furniture: Refurbished Buffet Table

2013-03-19T14:40:00.000-04:00

I've been holding out on sharing this project for a while because a) it's pictured in my new book, Living Simple, Free and Happy and b) This is my most ambitious Mod Podge project. But the wait is over...here is the full story, no holding back!
Last summer, while hosting a garage sale at my house, my husband came home from work and told me there was a buffet table out to the road in our neighborhood. Then he adds, "I saw it on my way to work." That was hours earlier. I thought, "it's never going to be there!" But we gave it a shot and sure enough there it was. When we loaded it into our minivan we came to understand why no one else took it. It was a million pounds and so long it was hanging out of our van. Oh, and one other thing, it was ugly, chipped white veneer!

We brought it back to our garage sale and put a $30 tag on it.
No one bought it.
So I decided to go crazy with fabric and Mod Podge! Yeah, happy ending.
There were several Mod Podging lessons I learned along the way that I must share.

1. Measure and cut and test your pieces before you even unscrew the lid to the Mod Podge.

2. Mod Podging a piece of this size is best done with two people. Especially the top. That was done with a single piece of fabric so my son and I poured and spread the Mod Podge on the top (matte) then lowered the fabric down with each of us pulling two corners.

With two people, you can take pictures of each other. This is me in action!

3. There comes a point when sometimes you need to use your fingers to slap on the Mod Podge. It can be intense.

4. Because Mod Podge can dry rather quick, I brought my project inside so the heat and wind wouldn't accelerate the drying process. I wanted to have as much time as possible to smooth the fabric out.

I arranged the drawers in the basement, the coolest, moistest part of the house.

5. I folded the fabric around the underside of the buffet top like you would wrap a present. I used a liberal amount of Mod Podge, but I also hammered one tiny fabric tack into the underside of each corner.

This turned out so nice that we decided to keep it! Kind of glad now that it didn't sell at our garage sale.

Here is a helpful video that shows my work in progress:

BTW, the mirror on top of the buffet was garbage picked about 2 weeks after we picked up the buffet table. It's just sitting on top - not attached.

This project is featured in my new book, Living Simple, Free & Happy. Mod Podging is just one of the several fixes for damaged furniture that I discuss in my book. You'll also find 10 tutorials on how to upcycle and repurpose common furniture like dressers, baby furniture and doors.

Eve of Reduction: Free Seasonal E-Newsletter; Facebook; Pinterest ; DIY Lifestyle book, ebook

Furniture Upcycling: Baby Playpen into a Laundry Sorter

2013-03-13T12:53:00.000-04:00

Here is an upcycling project that will help organize and simplify your life: upcycling an obsolete playpen into a lights and brights laundry sorter.

Anyone born before 1980 will probably recognize this wooden playpen from pictures of their toddler years - or the movie Back to the Future. Yeah, no one wants these any more. Well, accept me...and maybe you by the end of this post.

A neighbor of mine was getting rid of this so I took it off her hands before it became landfill fodder. I put it down in my basement and the next time I went down there, I was like, "What's that awful smell!" Yikes, this thing smelled so musty, to the point of reeking. The good news was, I was planning on hacking it up, which meant it would be in small enough pieces that I could seal it in a large black garbage bag with some kitty litter. The clay litter absorbs moisture and smells wonderfully and can save many old, musty pieces like suitcases, too.

I cut up the playpen into 8 sections so that they could be reassembled as two, four-sided laundry sorters.

You'll notice that I'm making 2 structures, each with 4 legs, but there are only 4 casters. To remedy this, I positioned two casters as the back legs, then repurposed a crib spindle to use as the front legs of the laundry sorters.

I screwed the spindle in through the bottom support of the laundry sorter

Because there were so many cut edges, and now the miss-matched wood from the crib spindles, I painted the laundry sorters to bring it all together.

Next, I reused a fitted sheet to make the laundry bags. This worked out great because I reused the fabric and elastic, plus the casing for the elastic was already sewn.
Click here to get the sewing pattern for the laundry bags.

The last detail was adding a bottom onto the sorters. I fully intended to cut up the original particle board bottom that came with the playpen, but the sorters left a very tiny ledge for them to rest on the inside and from underneath, I'd have to cut around the added front legs. I decided it would be easiest to simply use the remnants of the fitted bed sheet to tack down a fabric bottom. The fabric was really easy to work with.

Ta-da! The final product...

If you like DIY projects that are easy, inexpensive, reduce waste and add beauty and function to your home, please check out Living Simple, Free and Happy on Amazon. It is also available at bookstores, home improvement stores and craft stores nation-wide.

The book includes 10 upcycling tutorials that take easy to find furniture items and transforms them into customizable, organizational solutions from your home.
What else do you get?

Simple techniques that eliminate clutter and keep it from returning
A personalized plan to help you reclaim your time
Practical (and profitable) ways to sell unused items in your home
Tips to eliminate debt and curb consumption
Dozens of exercises that help you identify and honor your talents, values, and goals

Please remember to leave a comment on my blog tour page to be entered to win a copy of Living Simple, Free & Happy. There you also see my blog tour schedule and can check in to learn more about upcycling, simple living, decluttering and writing a book.
Please know that I look forward to reading each and every comment!

Upcycling: Sewing Cabinet Repurposed into a Child's Play Kitchen

2013-03-09T12:00:00.001-05:00

I've seen kid's play kitchens made from everything from an end table to a console TV. So I thought, why not from an old sewing cabinet. The thing I didn't realize was how much more repurposing would be involved with a project like this. Because, isn't it the details that make toys so much fun!

The first trick to converting a sewing cabinet into a play kitchen is selecting a sewing cabinet that opens from the front.

Then, you need to source a piece of wood to serve as the bottom of the cabinet so it can be used for storage. I unscrewed the top of the cabinet, and screwed it onto the bottom. But before that, I removed the legs.

Now, no matter what sewing cabinet you select, the legs are too long for it to serve as a play kitchen. Therefore, I would need to trim the legs to a size that would make it the right for a two - five-year-old. The sewing cabinet I'm working from was made in 1968, and has what I consider nice legs. In this case, I wanted to preserve the legs, as is, for another project. I luckily came across a cheap end table in a garbage pile and Bogarted those legs.

So next step was preparing the cabinet top for becoming the inside bottom of the cabinet. Because I was screwing it into the bottom of the cabinet AND screwing new legs into the bottom of I had to drill all my screw holes first.

You can see the pencil lines from where I lined up the cabinet, then positioned the leg holes inside of that.

Here's everything screwed in.

The cabinet top now has the sewing machine hole exposed. This is perfect for the kitchen sink! I found a plastic storage bin that fit the space almost perfect. To fill n the gap to the right, I positioned a scrap piece of hardwood flooring to act as a cutting board. From there I scavenged around my house and garage for other odds and ends to repurpose. I found dresser drawer pulls that I painted to look like burner knobs and plastic coasters to be the stove top burners.

Then it all came down to spray paint to bring it all together, looking more realistic.
The other important detail is the back splash. This is what really says "kitchen." I used one piece of scrap wood and jigsawed it into the wall with a shelf and hooks. Then I used L-brackets to attach it to the cabinet.

I cut and screwed these pieces together to form a shelf.

Props really make it come to life!

This option. I made a little skirt, mainly to cover up the ugly legs, but also to add a soft, frilly touch. While I was at it, I sewed matching potholders. Coincidentally (I swear) I had scrapbook paper that matched the fabric so I dressed up the shelf with scalloped edging.

You are so ready for a tea party.

Before

After

Upcycle: Repurpose a Sewing Cabinet into a Pet Bed

2013-03-08T16:43:00.000-05:00

You may be familiar with the sewing cabinet that I upcycled into a bar cart. That's where this love affair with sewing cabinets began, really. I had glibly driven by so many out at the road, and then bought one at an estate sale. This got me thinking about all the ways I could repurpose a sewing cabinet. So much so that I used these projects as the crux of my furniture upcycling presentation at the Buffalo Home Show.

Here's what else I explored along with serial upcycling of sewing cabinets. I wanted to cover several diverse lifestyles. I wanted to take one, somewhat obsolete, but easy to come by piece of furniture and make it into something that could appeal to a large amount of people, one way or another.

So here goes:
1. The indestructible, 4-poster pet bed. Petcare is a multi-billion dollar industry and therefore, with numbers like that I knew this project would cover a large audience. Secondly, if you know anything about dogs and cats, they scratch and chew the heck out of everything...but not so much this.

This is how to go about turning a sewing cabinet into a pet bed:
Phase 1 - Preparing the Cabinet

Source a sewing cabinet that has a shallow space for storing the machine.


Source something that can be used as "feet." I used a section of a crib spindle. Wooden drawer pulls work well, too.

Open the top of the cabinet so you can screw in the feet

The feet will screw in through the underside of the cabinet top, in all 4 corners

When the feet are screwed in, close the top and screw it down to the cabinet body. One screw on the opposite side from the hinges will do.

Primer and paint cabinet as desired (or don't).

Phase 2 - Sewing the Pillow and Canopy

Flip the cabinet upside down so that it's now resting on the little feet you attached. Measure the distance between the original long legs of the cabinet. These are now the bedposts. Your measurement will be width x depth. Add 1/4" to the measurement and cut a square of fabric that size.

Figure W + D x 2 = the perimeter of the posts. This will be the skirt part of your canopy. Add slack to this measurement so that it will have pleats; you may want to even double the measurement for a lot of pleats. Determine how long you want the skirt part to be.

Then hem the strip of fabric. Sew the ends so that you have a circle of fabric. Now pin the fabric in pleats to the top square/rectangle of fabric.

If your cabinet had furniture glides on the bottom of the legs, remove. Polish or spray paint and then use them to attach the canopy to the top of the bed posts.

To make the pillow for the cabinet cavity, first measure the dimensions of the cabinet. Make a pillowcase to fit that size. It's helpful to leave an opening in the back of the pillowcase so that the pillow can be removed and the case washed.
TIP: If your pillow sinks into the cabinet because it lacks height, you may want to ball up newspaper to stuff under your pillow.

To check out other sewing cabinet repurposing projects click on the links below:

Sewing cabinet upcycled into a bar cart with storage

Eve of Reduction: Free Seasonal E-Newsletter; Facebook; Pinterest ; DIY lifestyle book, ebook

Repurposing Obsolete Home Goods Can Organize and Simplify Life

2013-03-07T14:21:00.000-05:00

I want to share an easy upcycling project that will help organize and simplify your life: repurposing an old window sash into a mail organizer.

If you're planning on attending the Buffalo Home Show this weekend, you'll see me present this project live. You can also sign up for my Free Seasonal E-Newsletter for a chance to win this window mail organizer (at the show).

There are a few things that make this project worth the time investment.
1. Old window sashes can be picked up for usually less than $10 at flea markets, garage sales or salvage resources.

2. It's very customizable - meaning you can make it really elaborate or simple and it's still attractive and functional

3. Not only are you reusing an obsolete window, other recycled supplies are used for his project.

4. Reusing old windows not only add function, they add architectural character to your home without any remodeling. And don't we all just love adding character to our home? If you answered, "heck yeah," keep reading!!

Supplies:
Window Sash
Liquid Lead (found in craft stores near the craft paint)
Vellum (optional)
2 Eye screws
Heavy gauge wire

Ideally I would have loved to have used a beveled, lead glass window, but because they are harder to come by and much more expensive, we're going to fake the look with Liquid Lead.

Step 1: Create a design with pencil, ruler and paper large enough to fit in the window panes. I used the back side of, well, a beer label print sheet left over from my days at Anheuser-Busch. Wrapping paper works well, too.
Tape your pattern to the under side of the window.

Step 2: Pipe on the faux lead, using your pattern for guidance. The liquid lead is really easy to work with. If you smudge, use a razor blade to push the lead back in line. If you really mess up, wait for it to dry and then peel it off. You can then start over like nothing happened.

Step 3 (optional): If you'd like to add more visual interest, especially if you want to just hang up your window for architectural character, or as a privacy "curtain" like on a patio, you may want to add color with vellum. Vellum is a sturdy, semi-transparent paper.
Cut the vellum to fill in the shapes drawn in liquid lead. Then carefully tape them on the back side of the window so the tape will be hidden by the lead lines.

Step 4: Screw in the 2 eyescrews at the top of your window and wind your wire around them. Your decorative window is ready to be hung.

If you'd like to take your window project a few steps further and make it into a mail organizer / storage organizer, you'll need the following supplies:

Cardboard
Quilt batting
Fabric (I recycled an old pillow sham)
Packing Tape
Fabric tacks
Hammer

Step 1: Cut 2 pieces of cardboard to fit over the width of both window panes. There will be one piece for the upper panes and one for the lower panes. Also cut quilt batting slightly larger than your cardboard pieces and fabric, slightly larger than the quilt batting.

Step2: Fold the fabric over the back of the cardboard around all edges and tape down with packing tape. Don't worry, no one will see it.

Step 3. Flip the cardboard panels over so they are facing front. Position them over the two, side-by-side panes. Hammer fabric tacks through the fabric and cardboard into the window frame. Repeat with the other piece of cardboard.

If you like DIY projects that are easy, inexpensive, reduce waste and add beauty and function to your home, please check out Living Simple, Free and Happy on Amazon. It is also available at bookstores, home improvement stores and craft stores nation-wide. The book includes 10 upcycling tutorials that take easy to find furniture items and transforms them into customizable, organizational solutions from your home.

What else do you get?

Simple techniques that eliminate clutter and keep it from returning
A personalized plan to help you reclaim your time
Practical (and profitable) ways to sell unused items in your home
Tips to eliminate debt and curb consumption
Dozens of exercises that help you identify and honor your talents, values, and goals

DIY Decorating: Braided Easter Chick Craft

2013-02-25T15:10:00.001-05:00

Each year I like to add one or two new holiday decorations, and this Easter I'm adding chicks! You may remember last Easter I made braided Easter eggs using recycled water bottles and fabric scraps. I still love that one!

For the braided Easter egg project I actually sewed clean edges on my strips of fabric. For the braided chick project we're going to go easy on fussing (AKA no sewing) because the rogue threads give it a bit of a fuzziness like a baby chick.
Supplies:
3 Fabric strips about 6 feet long each
Plastic egg (reuse one you kept from last Easter)
1 Brown, Tan or Orange pipe cleaner
Hot glue gun
Safety pin
Scissors
Googly eyes

For starters, plug in your ho glue gun. While it's heating up, use your safety pin to pin your 3 fabric strips together at one end. Start braiding.

I used two of these, which totaled about 6ft of braid.

Your hot glue should be ready to glue the pipe cleaner, at its center point to the under-belly of the plastic egg. Next shape the pipe cleaner ends into the chicks legs so that it can stand on them.

Rotate the egg to the pointier end. This is where you're going to start to glue the braid. The trick is to use one strand from the loose end of the braid to stick out to form the beak. You can always sculpt it with your scissors when you're done.

Then continue to apply hot glue as you rotate the braid in a radial fashion around the egg.

When you have covered the plastic egg with the braid, leave about an inch of the unbraided fabric strips sticking out as the tail. Add a dab of glue right above where the tail fabric is sticking out and press the fabric into it so the tail sticks up straight. Again, use your scissors to sculpt the tail "feathers."

Don't forget to finish off with googly eyes!

Since I had the fabric out and had chicks on the mind, I created another chick-themed Easter craft project using fabric yo-yos. If you don't know how to make them, visit my post on painted branches with fabric yo-yos.

For this craft you'll need a board to work on since it's a 2-D craft, fabric scraps, orange paint, hot glue and googly eyes.

Forward facing chicks
First glue down the tail feathers (AKA small bits of fabric fanned out). Then overlap the fabric yo-yo. They're also called fabric pom poms. Where the yo-yo is gathered in the center, insert a triangle of fabric or gros grain ribbon for the beak. Add a dab of hot glue. Above the beak glue on the googly eyes. Then paint in the legs.

Rear facing chick
First glue down the fabric yo-yo. Where the yo-yo is gathered in the center, insert the tail feather fabric bits. Add a dab of hot glue to hold it in the hole and a bit above so they point upward. Then paint in the legs. Remember to invert the triangular foot.

Happy crafting in this blessed Lenten season!

Virtual Book Tour: Living Simple, Free and Happy

2013-02-20T19:08:00.000-05:00

Pinch me. I thought this day would never come. Scratch that. I knew it would come, but have been busting at the seams with anticipation since April 6, 2012. That's the day my incredibly amazing editor called me to say Betterway Home Books (an imprint of F+W Media) wanted to publish my book.
I was so filled with excitement, I'm pretty sure I got an eye twitch after that call. But then began four months of devotion to the subjects I love most: furniture upcycling, DIY lifestyle and simple living. I really get jacked about reducing waste, creating really cool home decor and paying off debt with the money I save along the way.
In my debut book, I set forth a guide to clearing out clutter, hassles and obligations to make way for whatever it is that truly makes you happy. I help you empower your talents and resources to find sustainable satisfaction and curb your consumption.
Living Simple, Free & Happy offers guidance is many areas, from making money off clutter and getting control over your busy schedule to taking things you have and repurposing them into what you really want. With all these different areas of home life, my virtual blog tour will "travel" to sites where I will share projects and tips and tour hosts will share honest reviews of my book.

Click below to watch my video book trailer:

Now, let's talk giveaways. There is a comment box at the bottom of this post. Leave a comment on what you love about upcycling, reducing waste, simplifying your life or DIY living to win a copy of Living Simple Free & Happy. Or, if you can't wait to own it, purchase it online or in stores (Barnes & Noble) and leave a review on Amazon. Stop back here, let me know you left a review on Amazon for a chance to win an online design consultation with me. Click here to view my design services.

Below is a schedule of my book tour that includes live appearances, TV interviews, book reviews and guest blog posts. Visit these tour hosts to learn more about upcycling, simple living, decluttering and writing a book.

March 1st: Buffalo Spree Magazine interview
March 4th: Mod Podge Furniture on Mod Podge Rocks!
March 6th: Upcycling obsolete Baby furniture on GreenUpgrader.com
March 9th & 10th: LIVE presentation "Furniture Upcycling" at the Buffalo Home Show
March 11th: Interview and book review on Mrs. Hine's Class
March12th: TV interview on Winging It, Buffalo Style
March 14th: Upcycling Project Tutorial on My Repurposed Life
March 15th: Live TV interview on AM Buffalo 10-11am
March 16th & 17th: LIVE presentation "Furniture Upcycling" at the Buffalo Home Show
March 21st: Web TV interview at 3PM on Third Thursday with Rebecca Parsons
March 24th: Radio Interview at 6:30PM EST on Artistically Speaking
March 25th: Radio Interview an 12PM on Heart Filled Holidays
April: Book Review from Shoestring Magazine
April 20th: Book signing and free upcycling consultations at Della's Consignment Shop

I so look forward to reading each and every comment and review. I cannot thank you enough for your support of my book and the goals of Eve of Reduction - reducing waste, empowering talents and resources, simplifying life and finding sustainable satisfaction. Cheers! ~Cristin

If you have a blog for DIYing, frugal living, simple living or home decor and would like to be an affiliate for my book, visit the F+W Media affiliate program page then scroll down to the ShopWoodworking,com link. You will earn 12% on sales.

Video of live drawing!!

Upcycle: Baby-Proof your Coffee Table

2013-02-14T09:45:00.003-05:00

The table you see above was just a plain, all wood coffee table that I garbage picked with a $15 garage sale sticker still on it. The top of the coffee table was slightly bowed, which I was willing to overlook. However, when I restained it, we had several mishaps while the stain was drying - like someone set a book on the wet stain. Sigh.

So with the mounting imperfections in the tabletop, I decided to cover it in fabric. Little did I know this would solve an entirely different problem as well; it baby-proofed our furniture!

Within a year of covering the table with several layers of quilt batting and fabric secured with fabric tacks, our young son was starting to walk. And what was he using for support? The coffee table, of course! And what happened when he lost his grip and fell head first into the coffee table? I gasped and he bounced his precious head off a nice, cushy table.

It cost $22 for the remnant fabric, batting and fringe. The covered coffee table looks beautiful (after 10 years) and our 2 children were protected from the hard corners of our two coffee tables (yes, we repeated this project in the family room).

If you are looking for a DIY child proof furniture project, this is an easy, sustainable solution.
Here is an article to check out with more childproof furniture safety solutions.

Eve of Reduction: Free Seasonal E-Newsletter; Facebook; Pinterest ; book, ebook

Upcycling: From Crib to Quilt Rack

2013-02-09T11:03:00.000-05:00

Peppered throughout my blog, website and upcoming DIY lifestyle book, I have used old cribs in so many ways. I would liken my crib repurposing to how the Native Americans used the buffalos they hunted - except I don't eat cribs.

I also want to give you a heads up that more crib upcycling projects will be coming because there are big and small things I've done with crib pieces that keep popping up in my projects.

But today, I'm talking about how I made a quilt rack from the rung or an old crib. This came about because I went to a cute, roadside diner that had the sweetest quilts hanging on the wall and I left there wanting a hanging quilt.

This wasn't a super difficult undertaking because when my grandmother passed away, I took a few of her unfinished quilts. Let it be known that I am not quilter, but I do sew. Therefore I was able to finish off the edging and back of the quilt, and add loops for hanging.

First off, here is the side of the crib that I worked from to make the quilt rack. As you can see I could make like 14 racks if I wanted to. And, actually I did make a rack for my neighbor, which she is using as a scarf rack.

Once you jigsaw off a single bar, there are just a few steps to completion.

1. Your bar, when attached to the wall using flush mounts, will not sit far enough out that you can hang something. You'll need to double the thickness of the bar ends.

Cut an extra bit of the crib rail. Screw and wood glue it to the bar ends. I used a clamp to hold it in place while it dried.
*Test the mount to make sure the screw heads holding the pieces together don't interfere with the mount fitting together.

2. Next, drill holes for your flush mount. Screw the flush mount to the crib bar ends with the "fingers" facing down.

3. Attach the other side of the mount to your wall. You'll likely need screw anchors.

Enjoy your quilt, scarves or whatever else you desire to hang!

Other Eve of Reduction projects made from upcycled cribs:

Hose guides made from the bottom bars of the crib.

Candle holders made from crib bars

Shelving unit and magazine rack made from repurposed crib

Free Family Fun: Snow painting!

2013-02-08T13:19:00.001-05:00

I was just out shoveling...boring. Then inspiration struck. I thought to myself, "I bet someone is going to make a snow sculpture of Nemo," since this blizzard has been named Nemo. Then I was like, "No, I'm going to build a Nemo snowman and paint it!"

As a stocking stuffer, my mom bought my boys snow paint, so I was on-board with using this. However, when I went in to get my camera I realized, oh fudge, we only have blue and green paint.

Then I scrambled to my pantry where I had just organized. Wha-la, I pulled out my red (AKA Tropical Punch) Kool-Aid packet. You may remember this from the toothpick dyeing project I did.

Same thing, except you need a spray bottle.
Fill a small spray bottle with water and Kool-Aid. You'll need the Kool-Aid packets that don't have sugar added, that way the dye is concentrated. I used only one packet with about 10oz of water. This is honestly way too much, but my kids will have fun with it when they get home from school.
Keep in mind you want the water to be really cold so you don't melt your snow sculpture when you paint it.
Twist the spray nozzle to "stream" to make lines and "spray" to fill them in.
It's so much fun and smells good, too!

I used a rock for the eye, which was not easy to find under a foot of snow : 0
Have fun!!!

Eve of Reduction: Free Seasonal E-Newsletter; Extra tips and wit on Facebook; Reduction Beauty on Pinterest ; The debut DIY lifestyle book (includes 10 upcycling tutorials); and the guide to creative streams of income ebook (only $2.99).

Kids Craft: Gold Digger Valentine's for boys

2013-02-08T10:17:00.001-05:00

The weekend is here and this means it's time to do the kids' Valentines. How about you?
My older son is totally into Gold Rush on the History Channel. So for his classroom Valentine's treat he wanted to do a "gold digger" theme. Keep in mind he doesn't know this is a metaphor for anything taboo. I giggle to myself as I help him create a Valentine craft to share with his class.

It was his idea to use Lemon Heads - his favorite candy - as the "gold." I loved his creativity. Now to get a digger...

So far I've created two options for him.
Option1: I made the spade out of craft sticks. I really like the sticker on the shovel because it seems to carry the Valentine message and it structurally helps to hold the craft sticks together. This one's pretty easy.

Option2: I made the shovel out of a recycled paper bag and reinforced it with craft sticks.

With all the tracing and cutting needed for this option, he'll save time with a pre-printed tag. (Boys love getting out of having to write!)

Please let me know what you think. Which would you do - 1 or 2? I'm also open to suggestions, especially if they involve recycling or reusing. Thank you!

Eve of Reduction: Free Seasonal E-Newsletter; Extra tips and wit on Facebook; Reduction Beauty on Pinterest ; The debut DIY lifestyle book (includes 10 upcycling tutorials); and the guide to creative streams of income ebook (only $2.99).

Guest Post: DIY Decorative Clock with recycled embellishments

2013-02-07T08:00:00.000-05:00

I'd like you to meet Ashwini, who is guest blogging on Eve today. Ashwini is the author of the blog, My Cuppa Soul. One thing she hates is waste (just like us) so I wanted to share with you this clever recycled craft she created using packaging from grocery store veggies - think mushroom packaging. I love this project idea because it combines DIY decorating with reducing waste.

I got up this last weekend at 9.00 AM and still felt wierd, bored. Wait..I have to feel happy 'coz I got to sleep those 3 extra hours!
Oh now I got it!..It's that boring looking white pale clock that I saw as soon as I opened my eyes. So then I went scrambling for all the junk stuff I have at home and came up with this easy peasy idea of jazzing it up with foam packaging.

Things you will need:

Vegetable foam packaging
Disinfectant wipes
Scissor/exacto knife/ sharp blade
Cello Tape
Marker which has a sharp tip
Scrap of paper

First wipe the vegetable foam packaging with disinfectant wipes neatly.

Next trace a design using marker on a piece of paper, something like I did. The design should be such that it fits nicely around the around the clock. The possibilities are endless here.

Using scissors or exacto knife(I used a scissor), cut the design and place it on the foam packaging. Now using a sharp tip marker , trace the design on the foam.

Depending on the size of your clock and the size of your design, cut as many pieces as you want such that it covers the entire clock. Mine came up to 16 (each of the 2 designs) pieces.

The final part. Make a mental note on how you're gonna place your pieces around the clock. It will help to first put the cello tape around the clock where the pieces are suppose to be. Then stick the foam pieces around the clock.

And Voila!.........

Here's the makeover of the boring white clock. Think creatively and you can come up with various possibilities using different colors of foam. Creativity comes out of odd things also.

I do not have to wake up to look at the boring clock anymore:)
Hope you don't either.

I invite you to check out other DIY projects from Ashwini's blog, like this bag she made out of her parents' clothes. Love it! Ashwini also posts some yummy Indian recipes!

If you are interested in submitting a guest post for Eve of Reduction, please email me. Or click on the Guest Blogger tab to see submission guideline. As always I thank you for visiting Eve.

Quiz: Are you a Diehard DIYer?

2013-02-05T10:57:00.000-05:00

Are You a Diehard DIYer » create tests

7 Marketing Tips from a blogger and author

2013-02-01T18:07:00.000-05:00

I spent the better part of my day today at Career Day at my alma mater. The alumni coordinator asked if I would speak about marketing since I had a 13 year career in branding and package design for consumer products and now am working to promote my new book.

I was really excited to get to talk about marketing because no matter what these girls do in life, from writing apps to selling cupcakes, the following marketing skills will be applicable.

Here's a look at my most important messages (AKA the ones that I live by):

1. Know and understand your customer, consumer, client in every which way.
2. Be a number cruncher. Look at stats, dig for trends, study behavior. Every time someone repins one of my posts on Pinterest I look to see what it was b/c I want to know right away what content of mine is resonating with my audience.
3. Build a brand and keep it consistent. Eventually people should see your work and know it's your voice, your colors, your photography.
4. Communication is key. Be persistent, timely and succinct.
5. Every time you pitch a story or project, ask yourself, "why will anyone care?" If you have the answer say it. If you don't, hang up or hit delete.
6. Know your audience so well that you know everywhere to find them. This includes partnering with other business owners to broaden your reach.BTW, I'm going to be doing a virtual blog tour from my book. If you have a DIY blog and want me to stop by, let me know, please.
7. Network with everyone. Part of the reason I went today was to connect with other professionals. I scanned the list and found there was another author and a publisher in the group. I didn't leave without introducing myself and exchanging business cards.

I just hope all the students I spoke with today realize all the opportunities they have in front of them. I'd like to tap myself at age 17 on the shoulder and say the same thing!

Eve of Reduction: Free Seasonal E-Newsletter; Extra tips and wit on Facebook; Reduction Beauty on Pinterest ; The debut DIY lifestyle book (includes 10 upcycling tutorials); and the guide to creative streams of income ebook (only $2.99).

Simple Living: How to Save Time Making the Bed

2013-01-29T17:08:00.000-05:00

Making the bed is the quickest way to clean up a room. I call it the brow wax of housecleaning. We get so much milage out of a simple tidy-up task. Yet, it's not always just yanking up the sheets and blankets and tossing the pillow on top.

Take for instance my son's single bed. This should literally take seconds to make. Well, it doesn't. Because for whatever reason, his blankets all spill over the side of the bed, as if they were allergic to the wall and had to be united with the floor.

There. See how they cascade down the bed. Not cool. Also, not comfortable for him to fight the gravity of the blanket's predisposition to the right side of his bed.

So I did something, once and for all, to make the process of making his bed super easy. The answer: Velcro.
1.) I hand stitched strips of Velcro onto the bottom edge of his mattress. It sort of looks like the work of Dr. Frankenstein, but no one's going to see it.

2.) I sewed the soft, fuzzy Velcro to the top blanket. The blanket goes through the wash and therefore, you want the fuzzy side of the Velcro on the blanket.

3. I repeated this so there were 2 points where the Velcro attached the blanket to the mattress, just on the one side of the bed.

* Notice that I put the Velcro on the mattress horizontally. This way, I can add Velcro to additional blankets (layers) and they will have room to be attached.

Now, I present the bed you can make in seconds.

It took about 25 minutes to complete this one-time project. But, it will shave off at least a minute of my bed making time. That means that in less than a month, I will have made up my time. Yeah!