Upcycled Design Lab Blog

Star Spangled Jewelry Upcycle

Hello, I do hope you had a wonderful fourth of July Weekend, last week, if you are here in the States. Or a lovely week in general if you are elsewhere in the world. If you stopped by last week you will know that l made this crazy pair of flag shoes to wear to a fourth of July party. So in the spirit of, if you are going to do something, why not over do it? I made this jewelry to go along with my other patriotic garb. l mean, why not? l already had the paint. Right? The... Read more →

Found Objects Upcycled Dog Tag Earrings

It's 6:30 am on Saturday morning as I write this and there is peace and quiet, for the moment, in our little kingdom. If you follow this blog you may already know that at the end of last year we lost 3 of our four pets to a variety of health issues and if you are an animal lover you know the heart wrenching nature of this kind of loss. Earlier this year we decided to add two new puppies to our household and then a few weeks ago we brought home two new cats. Our older dog is great... Read more →

Upcycled Magazine Paper - Quilled Earrings

Update on 6-9-2017 Check out my new quilling how to video here Hello, Thanks for stopping by. I have a lot to get through today so I had best get started. I wasn't sure whether or not I was going to mention this, but it has been troubling me for the last few days and while I would like to be above such things, I just can't quite shake my hurt and indignant feelings. A couple of weeks ago I posted a tutorial for woven magazine baskets. Some of you left me lovely comments on my blog post. THANK YOU... Read more →

DIY Hard Shell Glasses Case Upcycled Tin Cans

Over the last couple of years I seem to have accumulated a pair of reading glasses for almost every room of the house but they seem to get easily scratched and broken. So for this weeks project I set out to solve that problem. Start with a few household items. 2 can of tomato paste 1 empty cereal or cracker box Scissors Tin snips or metal cutters Safety cut can opener Gray duct tape Decorative duct tape 1 Strong magnet Step 1 - Remove the top and the bottom of the tomato paste cans with the safety can opener. Step... Read more →

DIY Wide Brim Hat Pattern Tutorial - Make your own custom fit hat pattern

Hello and welcome to my blog. I hope you enjoy this post. Also please check out my newest posts on my new blog Upcycle Design Lab. And be sure to subscribe to receive updates. Whew! I have to say that I am glad this is over. I must admit that this video took a lot longer than I thought it would but it was fun to make and I learned a lot more about my video editing software. Since I am posting this late I will get right to it. If you missed the faux oil cloth finish on the... Read more →

Upcycled "Oil Cloth" Bucket Hat

Hello and welcome to my blog. I hope you enjoy this post. Also please check out my newest posts on my new blog Upcycle Design Lab. And be sure to subscribe to receive updates. Hi All, I am working on a pattern tutorial for the bucket hat that I posted last week but I haven't quite finished it yet. But I did want to test my new pattern to make sure that it fit together. The original pattern that I used for the denim hat was a bit too big so I made my new pattern smaller. I also wanted... Read more →

Men's Jeans to Wide Brim Hat with Faux Oil Cloth Finish

Hello and welcome to my blog. I hope you enjoy this post. Also please check out my newest posts on my new blog Upcycle Design Lab. and visit my Youtube Channel here And be sure to subscribe to receive updates. Happy Upcycling, Cindy ********************************************************************************************************************************** Today's project came together all at once. For days I waited for any kind of inspiration and then finally yesterday I started playing with the idea of making a hat from some of the hubbies old jeans. I searched the internet for a pattern to work with and ended up with this pattern for a wide... Read more →

A Farewell To Hair and An Upcycled Commemorative Bracelet

Hello my dear virtual friends, I have just a quick post today to say I did in fact shave my head on Friday March 13th. Our team raised over 6,000 dollars for the St Baldrick's Foundation. There are events all over the country but the event in Denver at Fado Irish Pub is one of the biggest. This event raised $466,229 and had almost 600 participants. It was a great experience and a fun day with laughing, hanging out with good friends, beer drinking and yep a little crying. I must tell you, when this all started, I was the... Read more →

Upcycled Watch Face Earrings DIY

I have been struggling with a decision. It is not a huge decision. Not a life altering decision, in the scheme of a persons whole life. But it will effect my life for several months and I think more importantly, be an indicator as to what kind of person I am. When I say what kind of person I don't mean good or bad, I am referring more to a personality type or a way of being. I think that is what I mean. If I choose this thing or don't choose this thing it will not change the core... Read more →

Upcycled Watches - Picture Charm Bracelet Tutorial

If you have been following this blog for a while you may be aware that I broke my foot last August and was non weight bearing for 2 and a half months. One of the consequences of being fairly immobile, is sadly, in my case anyway, weight gain. I am happy to report that I have lost 8 pounds by just being ambulatory again but that leaves me with several pounds to go. As it is the beginning of a new year it seems appropriate to set some personal goals, but so far in my life I have made a... Read more →