Revolving Desk Tidy

Time for another upcycling project! ♻️

This amazing desk tidy is easily made using some basic materials, but the best thing about it, is that it turns around! It gives you 360° access to all of your bits and bobs! No more cluttered workspaces!

DIY Christmas Cards - Easy Upcycling

In my previous post, I showed you how to make an upcycled mosaic desk tidy from used greeting cards. I had lots of those little punched squares left over, so I decided to use them to create my own little Christmas cards!

DIY Upcycled Hanging Star Decorations

For the last few weeks I've been sorting through my huge pile of used Christmas cards, wondering what I could possibly do with them...

Most of them had glitter on them and were donated to me last year because they couldn't be recycled. So I started to come up with some ideas of how to upcycle them into new creations. The first of which is these fabulous hanging star decorations!

Upcycled Caravan Box

Welcome to another upcycling project! I am using my old favourite again - a Pringles tube - and this time I will be showing you how to turn it into an amazing little caravan box!

With an opening underneath, this sturdy box can be used as a money box, a treat box, a keepsake / storage box or even a unique little gift box. Without the opening, it would make a great ornament or centrepiece!

Memory Baubles

Following on from my Christmas memory bauble tutorial, where I upcycled my old Christmas cards and Advent calendar, I have started to create lots of memory baubles based on different themes!

Pringles Tube Lighthouse

In previous posts, I showed you how to create a postbox and a mailbox out of an empty Pringles tube. I seem to be finding more and more ways of upcycling these versatile cardboard tubes, and so this time, I am going to show you how to turn one into a lighthouse.

DIY Upcycled Love Heart Gift Box

Welcome to another upcycling project! This time I am going to show you how to turn an empty cheese triangle box into a super cute love heart gift box, perfect for Valentine's Day! ❤️

You can include your own personal message inside, then fill the box with chocolates or other small treats and present it to that special someone in your life! ❤️

DIY Woven Paper Heart

In this tutorial, you will discover how to turn an old envelope, or some scraps of paper, into a gorgeous woven paper heart! Perfect for Valentine's Day, they are easy to make, and would look adorable attached to a card or gift for that special someone in your life!

Upcycled Christmas Card Baubles

Happy New Year!

My first upcycling project of 2020 has begun, and I am using all of my old Christmas cards, and a used Advent calendar, to create some super cute Christmas card baubles!

Aren't they fabulous!?

They are so easy to make, and the best thing is you can use any materials left over from Christmas to decorate them.

To make one, you will need:

• used Christmas cards / old Advent calendar / glittery card crackers
• circle punch (I used a 1.5" scalloped edge craft punch)
• pencil
• ruler
• scissors
• strong craft glue
• thread, string, ribbon or wool for hanging

Pringles Tube Mailbox

Following on from my previous post, where I showed you how to create a UK postbox out of a Pringles tube, this time I am making one into a US mailbox! As before, it can be used as a money box, a worry box, a message box or just for somewhere to store things in.

Pringles Tube Postbox

I am so excited to share my latest upcycling project with you! This tutorial will show you how to make a UK postbox out of an empty Pringles tube. It can be used as a money box, a worry box, a message box or just for somewhere to keep your ideas in.

DIY YouTube Play Button

Time for another upcycling tutorial! This time, I will be showing you how to turn an empty pastille tin into a YouTube play button.

Milk Bottle Owl

This is my little upcycled owl, made entirely out of plastic items that would otherwise have ended up in the recycling bin. He is super cute and easy to make, and can be used as a handy desk tidy.

To make one, you will need:

• a one pint plastic milk bottle
• a two pint plastic milk bottle
• 2 plastic milk bottle lids
• 2 smaller plastic lids (e.g. from a drinks carton)
• 2 small bendy plastic drinking straws
• Mod Podge or PVA glue
• acrylic paint and soft paintbrush
• hot glue gun or super glue
• permanent marker pen (e.g. Sharpie)

To begin, cut 2 wing shapes out of the 2 pint milk bottle (one from either side), then cut the ridged section from the front of the bottle and a small diamond shape from one of the sides. Fold the diamond shape in half to form a beak before the next step.

Cover the cut out pieces, the 1 pint milk bottle, the milk bottle lids and the straws with a thick layer of Mod Podge or PVA glue using a soft paintbrush. This helps the paint to stick.

Once dry, fold the straws at the bend and cut one side as shown. Then, using a hot glue gun or super glue, attach the cut off piece to the centre of the bend and cut this to the same size. Finally, cover the straws with a thick layer of brown acrylic paint.

   

    

Cover the 1 pint milk bottle and the three cut out pieces with several thick layers of white acrylic paint. The two larger plastic lids and the plastic diamond (beak) need to be covered with brown acrylic paint.

        

        

Attach the smaller plastic lids to the larger lids using a hot glue gun or superglue.

Then glue all of the pieces in place.

        

    

To make the owl stand up straight, glue the pieces of cut off straw to the base of the bottle at the back.

Next, using a permanent pen, draw the centres of the eyes, leaving a small highlight if you wish, and a few v-shaped feathers on the owl's chest.

Trim each of the straws at an angle, then cover the whole owl with Mod Podge or PVA glue to seal it.

    

Once dry, your little upcycled owl is complete. It can be used to hold paintbrushes, pencils, dried flowers, fresh flowers, or smaller items such as paper clips.

    

        

Candy Wrapper Bag

I'm not one for throwing things away. If something can be reused, or repurposed, then chances are I'll find something to make with it.

Several months ago, I started saving crisp packets and chocolate wrappers again, along with any other thin plastic packaging, with the intention of making another candy wrapper bag. 

And here's the result!

The zip was rerepurposed from an old handbag and the strap came from an old torch that no longer worked. 

I find it incredible that something so beautiful can be made out of materials that get thrown away every day.

Snakes in Baskets

Loom band snakes are starting to take over my house! These cute little creations are so quick and easy to make (following this tutorial), and since we have so many of them, we decided to think of something creative to do with them.

First, we gave them all names and created individual characteristics for them. We then used this information to make some ID tags. We then thought about a place to keep them, and a basket seemed an obvious choice.

As an avid recycler, I already had a collection of empty yoghurt pots that were perfect for the job!

I started by cutting the lip off to make the top completely circular. I then covered it with brown wool, ribbon and ric-rac, secured into place with strong glue. A length of wool tied around it holds the ID tag in place.

Snakes in baskets have without a doubt been my most popular makes this year. The quirkier the better, I say!