DIY Frame Desk Organizer

I saw this idea on Pinterest awhile ago and when I saw this I thought it would the perfect use for some scraps I had leftover from a skirt refashion.

It was really simple.

Here's what you need:

- an old frame with a removable back that can stand on its own
- three (or more) pieces of fabric
- hot glue
- paint (optional)

First off, this was originally a brown frame. I painted it black to match my fabric choice. (Think about the paint/fabric possibilities here!)

I cut three pieces of fabric so they stretched tightly across the back insert piece of the frame. I chose to have three pockets, but you can choose to have more or less. Starting at the top, I hot glued each piece along the bottom and sides, then inserted the back into the frame.

Reusable Snack Bag

Every time we go on a long car trip, I pack each child a 'snack bag'. It ends up being some combination of whatever sweet and/or salty things I have on hand. However, I hate pulling out baggies only to end up with a backseat full of empty ones that end up in the trash.

Enter in the vinyl place mats I found at garage sale last summer that I fell for but I knew did not match our dining room AT ALL. I knew I'd find some cool new purpose for them. 

This is about as easy a sewing project as it gets. I folded up one end and stitched up each side. Mine already had the angled edges, which I thought would mean escaping pretzels and whatnot, so I sewed up the angle a bit (see picture above).

Then I hand sewed a button and made a slit which I hand serged (but hey, vinyl doesn't fray).

Voila! Washable, reusable snack bags.

Beer Bottle Cap Coasters

Know someone with a big bottle cap collection? Up-cycle the caps & show them off by making coasters! I made these for my husband as a gift, using only part of his hoard. He's been saving them for years and keeping them in an old popcorn tin. Each coaster is unique!

To make:

3.5in x 3.5in plywood squares

3.25in x 3.25in cork squares

small translucent craft gems (find at any craft store in the floral section)

extra strength super glue

bottle caps (make sure they are mostly flat)

1. glue cork squares to rough side of plywood and let dry

2. dab a bit of glue onto back of a bottle cap, then press the rounded side of 1 stone onto the cap.

3. Dab a bit of glue onto the flat side of the stone, then press onto the plywood square.

4.Hold in place for several seconds.

5. Repeat steps for desired number of coasters.

Rainbow Rice

Do you have a bag of questionable white rice?

I did.

Pinterest to the rescue!

Found the idea on this page.

Squish together 1 cup of rice with 1 T. rubbing alcohol & 2-3 drops of food coloring.

Each color in its own plastic baggie.

Spread the rice out on foil-lined baking sheets to dry for several hours or overnight.

Dump the rice into a large container and bury little creatures or treasures for your child to find.

My daughter had a blast digging!

Skirt Purse

This is one of those times I could kick myself for getting excited about a project and NOT taking a before picture.

This used to be an A-line skirt.

Rolled Paper Beads



I love pretty paper. But I'm not going to actually buy it. People send me it all the time in the form of cards. Seriously, have you ever looked at all four sides (or sometimes more) of a card? Often the inside and backs of cards have the best usable pieces for new things like this project. I also like to make my own repieced cards and tags.

A new way to use paper? I found the idea for rolled beads and thought that would be a great thing to try. Here's how to do it:

Pick paper pieces with desired colors and cut them into triangles that look like this:

The wide side should be the width you want your final beads.

Roll them starting with the wide side (think crescent rolls) over plastic straws. Use a little white glue to hold them in place (don't worry - it dries clear and helps them be a tad waterproof so your bracelet/necklace doesn't fall apart in the rain). Now...this is a little tricky depending on the thickness of the paper you choose (cardstock will crinkle). You might have to repress the pointed ends down to encourage them to stick. If using bendy straws, don't wrap beads over the bendy part. But keep wrapping beads along straws until you have as many as you want/need.   Once dry, I snip the individual beads apart and string them on elastic cordage.

Knotted T-shirt Scarf

T-shirt scarves are all over the place - and they are one of the simplest refashions. No sewing, no rules. 

Laura posted her latest creation here and it is darling! I'm posting two I've made in the past which feature knotted portions as the centerpiece as further inspiration for you to be creative with your old, unworn t-shirts out there!

Here's how I fashioned mine:

The red one I made by weaving strands of the scarf together much the same way you would with those classic potholder looms. 

The blue one has a wrapped flower center. This is simple enough to do:  Just take an extra scrap from the part of the t-shirt you did not use for your scarf and start wrapping and twisting it into a circle, using hot glue every now and again to hold it together. I hot glued it onto one of the ruffled strands and position in the center of my knot when I style it around my neck.

For instructions on how to make a basic necklace scarf, check out ette studios' great tutorial. Then - have fun making them your own!

Up-cycle: T-shirt Necklace/Scarf

I have seen so many ideas for upcycling old t-shirts that I want to try! I made my first attempt at a t-shirt scarf today, inspired by one I saw on Etsy. Mine's not as pretty, but I think it's got personality.

so many t-shirts, so many possibilities...

Upcycled Caddy

Easy homework caddy that matches the colors of our kitchen and doesn't take up so much space on our little round table under the kitchen window.

Here's how to make this 10 minute gem:


Take three clean soup cans, lids removed, and a washed milk jug. Cut the milk jug in half, saving the bottom portion. I cut mine on an angle. I covered all three with fabric scraps which I hot glued in place. You can see from the picture that two cans will fit all the way down into the milk jug bottom, and the other will sit a bit higher up. I liked this for accessibility and it also meant I didn't have to glue them in --they are perfectly snug as is.

Decorated Glass Bottle

Sometimes, but not often, glass makes me happy. It can be old wavy glass in windows (we have some on either side of our fireplace!), added bumps, color or the shape of a certain bottle. This one was too cool to throw into the recycling bin (hard to see but it's squared off on the sides). So with a little decoupage and an old card, voila!

Card Placemat

 I have long been a lover of cards. I save them and make new cards. I use them for making paper ornaments  and decorating other things in interesting ways.

This recycled card placemat sits under candles, jars, whatever tis the season for the round table that sits in our front room (upcycled piece from my dad's college dorm room!)

Lion Costume

My oldest son wanted to be a lion this past Halloween. The mane was going to be the hardest part. Not only how to make it (mops? yarn?) but also how to keep whatever it ended up being on his head. Enter, the toilet seat cover. Yes, that's right. The toilet seat cover. Found in the bottom of the linen bin at Goodwill, in yellow (and washed thouroughly indeed).