buy handmade :: tea cup bracelets

found via Twitter by @craftycrafty

I'm not sure how sturdy these would be hanging on your arm, but look how cool these are! Made from real tea cups, these bangles are adapted by designer Abigail MaryRose Clark who also makes thimble necklaces and other jewelry using reclaimed objects.

Makes me want a nice hot cup of tea and a biscuit.

DIY :: refresh and rethink

Convert. Rethink. Refresh.

In the latest issue of InStyle Magazine, they invited designers, stylists, fashion bloggers and creative directors to transform a basic item in their closets into a whole new look in two steps (or less). You can check out the online article here, or pick up the September issue of InStyle.

inspire :: toilet rolls

found via meet me at mikes / work by Anastassia Elias

Like Pip says, we seem to be always going through toilet paper around here. That's why I only buy the double rolls. Who would have thought that you could turn toilet paper rolls into art? Simply fantastic.

You can out more of Anastassia Elias' work here.

buy handmade :: focal length designs

photo credit: focal length designs

As part of the Summit of Awesome, the gals of Crafty Wonderland held a Show of Awesome featuring 40 handmade vendors.


I met Isaac during the session 'Craft Fair Applications' and somehow started yakking on about Vancouver, handmade titles, craft fairs, etc. I didn't realize that I had actually seen his work at past Crafty Wonderland shows and had pinned his name on my blog board for later posts. Isaac runs Focal Length Designs which uses old, broken camera lenses and makes one-of-a-kind bracelets out of them. Being in the wedding industry, we know tons of photographers and we knew one especially that always goes above and beyond for us. I had thought of getting one for her at the Christmas show when I first saw Isaac's work, but never ended up making it back through the crowds to his booth. After meeting him in person, I realized that it was the world telling me that I need to buy a bracelet which I indeed did!

tutorial :: Smeeta’s Easy Peasy Coffee Sleevy

Ever shrink a wool sweater in the wash? What do you do with it after? Give it to a really tiny friend? Well, I guess you could, but let’s be realistic, it would probably be really ill fitting – so let’s save a tiny friend from a fashion faux pas and do something else cool with that sweater. I’m going to show you a really simple way to make a re-usable coffee sleeve from an old sweater that will incite 'oohs' and 'aahs' from your local barista and coffee-drinking cohorts.

When wool is washed in hot water and dried, it becomes “felted”. Felted wool has some really great characteristics- it’s dense, insulating, and my personal favourite, it doesn’t fray when you cut it! So that means crafting with felt is generally non-fussy.

Materials:
• shrunken wool sweater
• paper coffee sleeve
• 1 piece of paper
• Something to decorate your sleeve (buttons, trim, felt)
• Thread
• Needle
• Scissors


First, you’ll need a shrunken wool sweater. If you haven’t already ruined your favourite sweater in the wash, you can take an 80-100% wool sweater, stick it in the wash on hot and machine dry. The sweater I’m using as an example was purchased at a thrift store.


Step 1 – make a pattern for your sleeve. I’ve used a paper sleeve I got with my coffee and traced it onto paper and then cut it out.


Step 2 – pin the cut out pattern to your sweater and cut along the edge. It might not come out very straight but that’s OK – you can trim it afterwards.

Step 3 – if you want to decorate your sleeve, do it now! I’m a big fan of buttons, so that’s an easy way to snazzy it up.


Step 4 – figure out how you want to connect the two ends together. Again, I love buttons! This was so simple, I pinned my sleeve together so that the ends overlapped, then I sewed the buttons on through both layers. Make sure that you’ve made it the proper size- if your felt is a bit stretchy you might want to make the sleeve smaller.

There you have it – an eco-friendly, re-usable sleeve that you can just pop in your purse and protect your hands from your hot cup, but keep them warm in winter.

So what are you going to do with the rest of the sweater? Why not make some coffee sleeves for your friends as a sweet gift? Or save the rest of the material for another great project like a stuffed toy, a bag, or a pair of fingerless gloves – the possibilities are endless!

Note: for those who are in a hurry, you could even just cut the cuff of the sweater sleeve and use that around your coffee cup! And of course, you don’t have to use a sweater to make one of these puppies, go ahead and re-use any type of material you have around the house (a lovely dinner napkin with a stain in the corner for example).

Smeeta, aka Rita Leung is an avid crafter based in Vancouver. She loves to find creative inspiration from around the world and of course from the West Coast. You can find her goods at smeeta.etsy.com.

cardboard cafe

photo credit: PSFK snapshot

Based in Taichung, Taiwan, this restaurant takes eco-friendly to a new level! All the furniture including chairs, tables, sofas and shelving is made of recycled cardboard. I'm not sure how they keep this dry, but located outside the restaurant are two art installations - the Tower of Pisa and the Eiffel Tower, of course, made of paper as well.



Check out more images on amusing planet.

DIY notebook

If you have not picked up the latest Granville Magazine or checked out their website, what are you waiting for?! Seriously! In a nutshell, the magazine is about sustainable city living through local events, shopping local, eating local and living green. I have been a big fan of Granville Online for a while now, so I was tickled pink when HIlary asked me to be their new DIY guest blogger.

The first tutorial that I had ever written and photographed was featured just before Earth Day where I turned used polyethylene shopping bags into zipper pouches. With a focus on DIY and using sustainable materials, my next tutorial was on making your own notebook out of a paperback novel. ** You can find the tutorial here.

I have signed on for 5 more tutorials that will be featured on a monthly basis. If you have a project that you think I should post about that has a focus on sustainable city living, please let me know!

** this tutorial was inspired by the local craft collective, Maked **