Upcycled Design Lab Blog

It's a Cinch 4 in 1 Skirt Refashion

Greetings from snow covered Colorado! If you have been following this blog you may already know that I am planning to do something sort of crazy on March 13th. When I first mentioned that I was thinking about this I hadn't decided one way or the other. There were obvious reasons for my hesitation but one that may not be so obvious is this. I want to enjoy this process but I would feel horrible if it appeared that I was in any way trivializing the experience to anyone who had no choice in the matter. The best way I... Read more →

Quick and Easy Men's Dress Shirt Make-Over

I am a product of the "Friends" generation and I still enjoy watching the re-runs on late night TV. In one of the episodes Joey and Phoebe have an argument when Joey declares that there is no such thing as a truly selfless act. The rest of the episode centers around Phoebe trying (and failing) to do something good for others that doesn't also make her feel good. Last week I announced that I was going to shave my head at the annual St Balrdrick's fundraising event, to help raise money to fund Children's cancer research. I am not trying... Read more →

Men's T-shirts to Kaftan Dress Tutorial (and my "big" decision)

A couple of weeks ago I mentioned that I was wrestling with a decision. Today with part excitement and part trepidation I am sharing what I have determined. For the past several years the hubby has participated in the St Baldrick's Foundation's fund raising event and I have been there to support him. Each time I have watched on the sidelines as hundreds of men, women and children have had their heads shaved and raised thousands of dollars to support children's cancer research. I have stood as a spectator and felt that perhaps I should participate, someday. Someday. Someday is... Read more →

Love Potion - Plastic Bottle Make Over

I am running a little late today so let's jump right in to the upcycling shall we? I have been wanting to come up with an Upcycled Valentine's Day project so here it is. Use this little bottle for some home made perfume, bubble bath or bath salts. For this project you will need one empty plastic shot bottle, some newspaper, yarn, masking tape, white glue, hot glue gun, polycrylic, paint and paint brushes Start by wrapping a single layer of yarn around the bottle neck, secure with hot glue as needed. Continue wrapping until bottle is completely covered. To... Read more →