You can make your own produce! Here’s how to produce a pineapple out of stuff you’d otherwise put in the green bin.
What you need
– Top of a pineapple
– Cup of water
– A warm place or heat pad
Later on, after you see lots of roots growing:
– Soil
– Container
How to do it
made by half-pint-munckin
What you need
* Acrylic paint for canvass shoes. Leather paint for leather.
* Paint brush
* Chalk (fabric chalk works best)
How to do it
* Draw the outline of your design in chalk
* Paint! If your shoes are black you may need to do 2 coats (don’t do one thick coat)
* Let dry overnight
* You may want to finish with some finish, such as clear acrylic spray paint or Mod Podge.
This is perfect for when you need to charge your phone or other device during class or a meeting. I’ve seen lots of phones get kicked accidentally by people walking down a hall or behind a row of chairs at a table, totally unaware that someone is charging their electronic device.
It’s super small, so you can take it with you anywhere – and if you misplace it, the only thing you need to be worried about is the phone that you probably lost along with it!
What you need
– Piece of thin cardboard (like a pasta box)
– Clear tape
– Exacto knife
– If you aren’t great at cutting circles, round objects like a soda bottle lid.
How to do it
– Check out this video
– Print off the template here
Check out this cool upcycled computer art by Nick Gentry
They made these amazing paintings by painting over old computer discs. I like how the incorporated the design of the discs into the subject of the painting, by using them as eyes.
Have you done anything interesting with computer parts?
– UPcycling Phoenix
To celebrate Earth Day, here is something anyone can create!
Make an orange scented candle out of an orange.
What you need
– Orange
– Cooking oil
– Matches or lighter
How to do it
– Cut the orange in half and eat it. Keep the centre stem part in the orange.
– Fill with vegetable, olive or other cooking oil until it’s right below the top of the stem.
Your candle is ready to be lit. It will last for hours, so be mindful not to leave it unattended.
Have a long sleeved top with arms that aren’t long enough? Making a long sleeve to 3/4 sleeve shirt is super simple. If you haven’t done much sewing, this is a good way to start clothing re-construction.
This is a kids shirt, and while it fit my body, the arms were a tad too short.
What you need
* Shirt
* Scissors
* Needle and thread, or sewing machine
* Sewing pins
How to do it
* Cut off the sleeves to the length you want
* Turn the shirt inside out, hem (meaning, you fold the material over twice), pin in place and sew
* Remove the pins, turn the shirt right side out, and you’re done!
It may be hard to see, but I hemmed this by hand using an X stitch. It looks interesting and holds better than a traditional straight stitch.
– UPcycling Phoenix
Want to update your wardrobe or have a shirt that doesn’t fit as nicely anymore? Try making a one strap shirt.
I cut the shirt open on one side, hemmed the cut parts, and made a corset closure.
What you need
* Shirt
* Scissors
* Needle
* Thread
* Pins
How to do it
* Cut off the sleeves
* Make a diagonal line, starting right underneath the neckline, and doing down to the bottom of the arm hole. You can make the line go straight up on the side that touches the neckline, if you want to create a wider shoulder strap.
* Hem the edges you’ve cut
* If the shirt doesn’t fit like you want (Personal warning: if you are small chested, or the shirt isn’t super small, the one strap shirt can be somewhat loose fitting) or you prefer having two straps, add some! Using the sleeve material, or other textiles, make a strap and sew it on.
This shirt had short sleeves, so I used material from both sleeves and sewed them together in a zig-zag pattern, then attached it to the shirt.
Done!
– UPcycling Phoenix
Making a corset shirt is simple and cute, and it is a NO SEW clothing surgery!
Made by: hippieginger
What you need
* Shirt
* Scissors
* Long thin scraps (I use ones cut from other shirts), lace or shoelace
* Sewing pins
* If you want to hem: needle and thread
How to do it
* Figure out what part you want to make into a corset, and cut a straight line.
* If you want, hem the edges.
* Lie the shirt flat and pin the sides together.
* Cut very small holes, evenly on both sides, and spaced evenly apart. I use my fingers as a guide but if you want to you can use a ruler.
* Remove the pins and thread your scraps, lace or other material through the holes in an X fashion (like you’re lacing shoes)
* Tie the ends together and cut off any excess.
Get creative – do the corset down the arms, sleeves or back!
– UPcycling Phoenix
Do you have a shirt you don’t want to wear but don’t know what to do with? Why not make a bag?
What you need
* shirt
* Thread
* Needle
* Scissors
* Pins
How to do it
* Cut the sleeves off the shirt.
* Cut the neck hole into a square. This is going to become the opening for the bag. Make sure not to cut too much off the shoulder part of the shirt, since those are going to be the handles.
* Flip the shirt inside out, pin the bottom end of the shirt together, and sew.
* Hem the neck and arm holes, and sew.
* Flip right side out, and you have a new bag!
– UPcycling Phoenix
A sewing kit is a handy thing for anyone who is into upcycling.
I made my sewing kit by cutting off a pocket from a pair of pants. With multiple pockets, I can keep my scissors and stitch ripper separate from my zippers and random stuff, and there’s lots of room in the main pocket for thread and needles. The sewing kit is still compact enough to throw in my bag along with a half complete t-shirt or anything else I need.
What to do with leftover PVC scraps?
Make a pincushion! It’s really simple. It’s pretty much a pillow, but smaller.
I have never seen a PVC pincushion before, and even though the material isn’t something you typically want to get tears or holes in, I still think it makes a cool pincushion.
Leftover textile bits are perfect for stuff like a pincushion, making a patchwork quilt, or a pillow for your small furry friend.
What do you do with your leftover textiles?
– UPcycling Phoenix