Upcycled Design Lab Blog

Cat Clawed Curtain Camo Repair - Dogs vs Cats Episode 6

Hello from the battle field otherwise known as my living room. The latest casualty is our living room drapes. If you saw the tin can table top cover up post then you know that the big picture window in our living room is one of the favorite locals for both the Cat Monsters and the Dogzilla's. And over the course of the last several months the drapes have taken quite a beating. The Dogzilla's do deserve some credit for a couple of dirty paw prints but most of the credit for the demise of the drapes does have to go... Read more →

The Battle Over Bedding - Dogs vs Cats Episode 5

Our new pups have official turned one year old and while I have explained to them in detail that they are now officially adult dogs, it says so right on their bag of dog food after all, they persist in their endlessly energetic puppy behavior and continue pursuing one of their favorite pastimes.... Chewing. Awhile back we purchased a new foam mattress and with my must save everything DNA I cut up the old one to make dog beds. In what can only be referred to as horrifically lazy, but with the hope that the beds would stay cleaner, I... Read more →

Upcycled Magazine Paper Catch All Bowls

Greetings from the Lab (aka my kitchen table) This week I am still playing with magazine paper but I have what I think is a slightly more useful project then the woven paper hat. Of course in the end you will have to be the judge. :-) The first step is to cut the magazine paper into uniform strips. Then use a glue stick to paste the ends together in a long strand. I started the "quilling" with a wooden skewer but only used it until the piece was a couple of inches in diameter, after that it just got... Read more →

Episode 3 Dogs vs Cats - Easy Upcycled Door Latch

In this week's breaking news an unprecedented pre-dawn attack orchestrated by the cat monsters lead to the successful invasion of the dogzilla's storehouse of supplies (ie the closet were we keep the extra dog food.) Sources (me) report an early morning artillery strike against an insufficiently guarded storage bunker. The storehouse was largely stocked with rations for the coming months. Also forfeited in the cat occupation was the regions waste disposal site, a devastating loss to the communities infrastructure, according a local authority. (also me) The attackers have been identified by several eyewitnesses (me me and me) as Corporal Kittenmiester... Read more →

Simple Wine Cork Car Air Fresheners

Have you ever made your own car air fresheners? This was my first attempt. I am not big on commercial car air fresheners but I do love scented candles which of course are not particularly suitable for automobiles. So I contemplated what I could use to make my car a little more aromatic. I have admired some of the pretty wine cork Christmas ornaments that I have seen from other bloggers so I thought that I would make my own air freshener version. I started by cutting up some wine corks. Then I added some essential oils to each piece... Read more →

Add Some Bling To Your Table - Upcycled Placemats

Hello Friends, I wish I had thought of this project before the Holiday's. It turned out so sparkly and shiny that it makes me think of New Years Eve. It did take some time to cut all the CD's so I have only completed one placemat so far. The good news is I have roughly ten months to make a few more, so hopefully I wont have to throw a dinner party for one. :-) I started with one of the hubby's old work shirts. To make the base. Then I gathered up my old CD's I used a 1... Read more →

Upcycled Napkin Rings (Paper Tubes and CD's)

Hello All , Some of you maybe aware for a short time I was helping to host a linky party for upcycled crafts. To be completely honest I didn't really have to do anything but paste some code on my blog. Last November the original host decided not to run the linky party anymore. Since then I have been trying to think of a way for other folks to share their upcycled projects. It is not an official linky party but if you have an upcycled project or projects you would like to share on this blog please click the... Read more →

Upcycled Magazines - Woven Baskets and Trash Can

l have to confess that l am a messy crafter. l have craft supplies stored all over the house. But it is the new year and I have just finished hours of cleaning, sorting and organizing in my sewing/crafting room so l am determined to keep things tidy for a little while. Hopefully these baskets will help. A few weeks ago I made a small version of a woven magazine basket but I wondered what else I could make. I needed some storage baskets and a new trash can. So I figured I would give the woven magazine technique a... Read more →

Upcycled Cardboard - Faux Industrial Metal Letters Holiday Decoration "JOY"

Have you seen those big metal home decor letters in Hobby Lobby or other stores? I have always thought they were really cool but I don't have anywhere to put them. Of course at Christmas time all that changes. So I decided to make some of my own letters. Step 1 - Print or sketch out letters on paper. Step 2 - Glue templates to corrugated card board and cut out letters. Step 3 - Cut 1 inch strips of card board from a cracker or cereal box. Step 4 - Make a center line on each strip. Step 5... Read more →

Upcycled Picture Frame Pet Tribute

Hi All, Sorry for not posting last week. We lost our other kitty last weekend just a few short months after the loss of our first cat and I just wasn't in a very crafty place. My sorrow has ebbed to a dull numbness and life goes on. I am thankful for the companionship of these two little furry creatures over the past 12 plus years and so I made a little shadow box from an old picture frame, some cardboard, aluminum cans, paper beads and a few other kabobbles I had in my craft supplies. Stay calm and keep... Read more →