Switch plate redeux.
Rather than buying a new switch plate when redecorating a room, you can just cover an existing plate with fabric or paper.
We simply cut out a piece of fabric a little bigger than the switch plate, folded and glued the fabric to the back.
Easter is long gone, but those plastic Easter eggs never go away. We have found yet another use for them. A pattern for painting.
We have been working hard to get ready for the Benson Summer Fest. We will have a table and will be selling a few items, (We will post more about this later). One of the items we are making are produce/bulk bags. We want them to be functional, yet stylish so we are painting on them. The plastic eggs made the perfect circle on the bag.
For today’s repurposing post we are featuring an artist who’s work is now on display at the Foundry in downtown Benson.
Mark Thomason is an artist from Sioux City who repurposes materials such as newspaper, maps, phone book pages and magazine pages into canvases for his art work. Â He also uses broken pieces of plastic in his paintings for design.
Stop by and see some of his work at the art opening next weekend (Friday, May 7Â 7:00p.m.) at the Foundry 6051 Maple St.
Today, for our re-purposing project, we highlight a pillow case. Melany had this pillow case and wasn’t using it on a bed. We decided to make a few things from it.
The first is an artist roll. We used the pillow case for the outside and the pockets. Paired with the bright orange fabric, it makes for a nice place to store your art supplies.
The other item we made is a wall hanging for storage. Just the place to put mail, keys, or bills.
There you go, two practical and yet, nice looking, items made from one pillow case.
A jar, a piece of fabric, a little hot glue and viola! we have today’s re-purposing project. Sewing Kit in a jar.
We simply took a jar and glued a bit of fabric (this is a piece from the skirt-to-sandwich-wrap) with some batting. Then we filled the jar with sewing bits for a starter kit.
P.S. The little needle book was also made form the skirt.
Today’s re-purposing idea: Styro-art
We get veggies from the store on styrofoam trays (not quite sure why). Anyway, rather than put them in the trash, we decided to make some art with them.
Carve a pattern into the bottom, then spread paint then press onto paper or fabric (use fabric paint). Now you have an original, unique design. We made cards out of our patterns.
This project would also work great with kids!
As you may remember, Melany’s sewing machine died a tragic and early death last week. However, our story has a happy ending. Friend of Citymade, and good friend of Carol and Melany, Becky, has lent Melany this sweet sewing machine circa 1958.
It is truly a beautiful thing. It came with the table that it folds up into and a bench that opens for storage. When we opened the bench, we discovered that the, perhaps, original owner had done some re-purposing. The bobbins were in a cough drop case, the discs were in an old frosting container and there was an old greeting card box full of accessories. Over 50 years ago, re-purposing was cool. This is cooler than finding an iPhone in a bar.
Crib sheet redo.
What to do with a crib sheet when the crib is gone (or not needed)? Use it to line a basket with. Just measure out your basket and add a drawstring. Now it is a cute addition to a handy storage basket.
Baby Clothes Quilt
 I, Melany, have an emotional attachment to my children’s baby clothes. I firmly believe in passing these clothes down to other babies but there are some that I just can’t seem to give away. I also had a pile of baby clothes that had stains that made them unwearable. To preserve these memories I decided to make a baby clothes quilt. I chose a rag style quilt to give it some more texture. This was definitely my most time consuming project yet. I am sure that I put hours and hours into this project but it was well worth it. I put the quilt on my girl’s bed and we love to sit and talk about each square and where it came from and memories from when they were babies.
Today’s re-purposing project: Ribbon storage/dispenser.
We happen to have a bunch of shoe boxes. These are the smaller kind used for dance shoes. And, as always, an abundance of ribbon. By adding a few grommets on the side, we were able to use the shoe box as storage/dispenser for the ribbon. You can also use a larger box or smaller grommets if you have smaller ribbon.Â
