The Power is Yours!

I've never been a big fan of practices that are considered wasteful or that may be harmful to the environment.  Maybe that's because I grew up watching Captain Planet guard the earth and The Raccoons protect the forest.  I was taught to be aware of pollution and to be a good global citizen by putting litter in its place. 

Graphic by Charlene

As a kid, I was lucky enough to participate in programs and initiatives that supported the environment.  I took school field trips to logging sites, where we helped forestry services with tree planting.  I still remember how exhilarating it felt to physically place those tiny, baby trees in their new earthy homes.  I thoroughly enjoyed the fresh air, exercise, and the opportunity to make a difference.   

Since the invention of the internet, it has become exponentially easier to learn about and discuss our impact on this earth.  Knowledge is being shared across the globe every day.  While this has certainly been helpful, it's also made it clear that there's so much more work to be done. 

Graphic by Charlene

There are many simple and accessible changes that I’ve made to lessen my impact on our planet.  When I learn a new way to complete an everyday task that presents an environmentally-friendly alternative to the norm, I try to adjust my lifestyle.  I'd like to share a few practices that I've adopted.

Low-Impact Dusting

Let’s face it, dust bunnies are everywhere!  They congregate in corners and hide behind doors.  If you’re not careful, they invite all their friends and family over for a party.  My house regularly hosts conventions for a small army of the biggest dust bunnies known to man*.
*not scientifically proven

I’ve found vacuuming tends to leave a trace amount of dust behind, that's particularly noticeable on hard surfaces.  So I utilize a few tools that don’t produce the waste involved with disposable dusting products:

• reusable container
• cloth that’s not too fancy
• small amount of tap water

For the container, I typically rinse and reuse a small plastic butter/margarine tub, but you could use the dish or bucket of your choice.  If you don't have the right container at home, the Reuse Centre carries an assortment of types and sizes, based on donations.  Reusable cloths are widely available, and there are many DIY options too.  For example, old holey t-shirts can be cut up into small squares, or you may already have a selection of dishcloths ready for retirement.  Face towels are good options too.  If you choose a reusable cloth, the impact can be further minimized by removing/rinsing as much dirt or grime as you can using your water bin, then tossing the cloth into a wash cycle with other clothes.  When I'm done dusting, I "donate" the dirty water to my compost farm!

Cardboard Creativity

I prefer cardboard to plastic, but end up with a lot of it at home!  I've begun shredding smaller packages and spreading them in my compost farm.  For those without compost worms, cardboard containers make great reuse!  Think... wrapping for presents, packaging for parcels, even everyday organization around the house.  Use cardboard to separate drawer contents and keep small objects contained.  Cardboard boxes are also great if you plan to move!

Have you discovered a great way to reduce, reuse and save?  

Please leave us a comment and share your ideas for supporting the environment!

Submission and artwork by Charlene (Volunteer)

September Reuse-It Item: Trophies

When customers first learn we take trophies, they are always thrilled. Nobody likes to throw out a reminder of an important moment or great achievement, but what do you do when your shelves get cluttered with awards?

If you're not ready to part with your trophies, but hate all that extra dusting they create, we have some great ideas for you. It's time to turn those old awards into something new and functional!

Michelle

Using old trophies and a bit of spray paint, repurpose those old trophies into flower pots in 5 easy steps! 

This would be a lovely idea for small herbs and plants.

Get the tutorial here.

Emma


My favourite idea would be to soak up the last of the Summer sun by getting out in the back yard and making a fairground style ring toss game for kids. Get some Hula hoops, line up the trophies in a giant size, bowling pin triangle formation and see who wins!

The heavy marble or concrete bases also make great pattern weights for sewing!

If you're feeling more ambitious, I came across this amazing arbor made of 300 trophies on Green Eco Services' Top 12 Ways to Recycle Trophies

Sarah

I love these display stands made from old trophies! They would be great for themed birthday parties, Oscars or award show parties, or season-end celebrations for any kind of team.

Check out the tutorial at Just Something I Made to learn how to make these cute cupcake stands from trophies and pie tins.

You could also make a really cute display shelf for a themed room if you used something a little sturdier than pie tins, like wood or plexiglass.

Tamara

Do you have items that are sitting gathering dust but you can never seem to allow yourself to discard because they carry some sentimental value with them? Perhaps yours or your children's old trophies is an example of such an item. Here's a great idea of what to do with them: turn the tops of them into a unique coat rack! How cool does this look?

See the tutorial on Design Sponge.

Do you have an interesting and innovative way to reuse old trophies? Share with us in the comments below!

August Reuse-It Item: Paint Swatches

Anyone who's ever done a big painting project knows that it's easy to accumulate a ton of those paper swatches, fast! Ecru vs. Eggshell, and oh, this brand's Forest Green looks just a tad darker than that brand's Evergreen. Whether your project is big or small, it's important to get the colour just right, so those little swatches come in handy! There's no denying that they're useful, but what do you do with them after you've made your choices?

If you're like many Edmontonians, you bring them to the Reuse Centre! This month, our blog team has put together a list of our favourite ways to reuse paint swatches.

Michelle

Paint Swatch Collage

Using cut out circles of paint swatches, create a stunning effect of ombre colors. I have also seen triangle cut outs attached side by side.

Don’t forget to frame your art work!

Sarah

I always have a book on the go, (sometimes two or three at a time!) but I don't actually own any bookmarks. I resort to using receipts, scrap pieces of paper, and the torn-off ends of opened mail.

I really love this simple and cute idea for reusing paint swatches and personalizing them with permanent ink or paint. This a great all-ages craft and perfect for back-to-school.

Nichole

There are so many cool and beautiful ways that paint swatches can be repurposed that it makes me want to take a cloth bag to Home Depot and clean them out. For instance, while I've always thought that mosaics are an interesting way to tszuj up a table top, the idea of smashing up ceramics for it seemed messy and slightly dangerous. But this doesn't have to stop me anymore now that I've found this awesome idea for creating a mosaic look with paint swatches! Just secure the paint chips to the wood top and cover with a piece of glass, and you have a gorgeous work of art that you can tailor for any room.

Lana

While the pretty colours of paint swatches make them perfect to incorporate into parts of a scrapbook page or a handmade card, the paper is generally not acid-free or of archival quality.

"Hey Gorgeous", takes advantage of the perfectly matching colours and light weight to create a customized chandelier that's full of movement. Check out the tutorial here. The same technique can be used for a lampshade or a mobile.


Emma

Visit Poppytalk to see how this amazing feature wall was made over the course of a weekend!

Like cleaner lines and a little more order? Design Sponge also has a great example of a paint chip wall

Or if you don't have half of Home Depot's supply of paint chips, a handy dandy calendar, could totally be made from a Reuse Centre picture frame!

Visit DIY Projects for instructions on how to make this cute, custom calendar.

Do you have a great idea that we missed? Add your paint-swatch reuse ideas in the comments below!

Blogger Team's New Year's Craft Resolutions

The Reuse Centre blog team got together recently, to touch base and brainstorm for the next year of Reuse-It Edmonton. As we traded ideas and proposed topics, discussion turned to our own personal New Years Craft resolutions. It seemed like each one of us had something we wanted to learn, or a neglected project that's been languishing in the back of a closet somewhere.

We made a pact - each one of us is going to try and tackle one of those things, and we thought it would be fun to share our crafting goals with you!

Sarah

Meet my refashion pile. It's huge, it's embarrassing, and my boyfriend probably thinks it's gained sentience because I keep moving it while he's not looking, in the hopes that he'll forget it exists.

My 2014 craft resolution is to get through this pile and refashion everything so it can be reintroduced to my regular wardrobe. And, of course, to stop adding to it!

Michelle

My craft goal for 2014 is to build a dog bed or house. I don't have a dog but my best friend has a puppy named Bella and stays with me quite often. She is a one year old long haired Chihuahua, so a very tiny dog. Here is an idea that inspired me to do this. I want to reuse old items to create the structure, maybe a stool or old furniture. I am not really sure what the exact plans are yet but wish me luck!

Hayley

2014 is the year that I will learn how to sew! I have been inspired by all of the incredible crafty people I blog with and also our customers at the Reuse Centre. I have signed up for a Learn to Sew class in the spring and I am really looking forward to learning these essential skills.  My ultimate goal is not to make clothes for my cats (as my sister suspects) but to be able to mend my own pant legs to the proper length, and after that use my new found skills to make a duvet for my bed and try other home decorating projects (so many great ideas on Pinterest)!          
Nichole

My craft goal for 2014 is to furnish my new apartment with as many antique and repurposed items as possible. I found a craft book with ideas on how to make candle holders out of plumbing parts, and bulletin boards out of pegboard and rubber bands.

Lana

I loved the book Generation T by Megan Nicolay since I first looked through it (almost 10 years ago!). It fully convinced me of the versatility and wonders of cotton jersey knit. Since then I’ve saved up every promotional T-shirt that came my way, but I didn’t get much further than that. My 2014 craft resolution: Use those T-shirts (two garbage bags full) to make some of the projects in this book and its sequel.

Kelly:

This year I've resolved to upcycle thrift finds into more current pieces rather than supporting disposable fashion. For the same price, you can thrift unique, quality clothing that really only needs some creative tweeking to be perfect. Bloggers like A Pair & A Spare's Geneva Vanderzeil and Love Aesthetic's Ivania Carpio are great inspiration for fashion reworking!

Emma

I have sooooo many projects in the works at any one time so I resolve to finish a WIP (work in progress) a week. Since I like to have too much on my hands. I also resolve to hone my knitting skills. There's nothing better than a crafty new years resolution, can't wait to see how far my knitting takes me in 2014!!

We would love to hear your reuse crafting New Years resolution! Share them below!

- Reuse-it Edmonton Blog team (Staff and Volunteers)

Halloween Tutorials - Mini Spell Book

Add a little touch of Halloween or straight up bibliophile glamour to your fall outfit with these recycled spell books, even the smallest amount of paper, card and leather can make one of these. So why not make a few and wear them all together?

What you'll need:

• Small piece of scrap leather, the more wrinkled and aged the better
• Small scrap of cardboard (hard back of a notebook would do fine)
• 1 piece of letter-sized printer paper
• Scrap of decorative paper
• 1 O ring
• Gold Sharpie pen (permanent marker)
• Scissors
• Hot glue gun
• Bull dog clip/bag clip
• Needle (to punch a hole)
• Yellow pages (to lean on)

1. Take one piece of printer paper (A4 if you're in the UK) cut it into 1 inch slices along the width of the paper. Divide the paper up into 5 smaller pieces which should measure roughly 1& 3/4 inches across. I used N.American letter-sized paper which I know is different to A4 so you'll have to play around with the sizes. Make a big pile of these rectangles then fold them in half and squeeze them with a bag clip/bulldog clip. All of the folded 'spines' should be facing the same side and that side should be poking out of the clip.

2. From the cardboard cut 2 rectangles, 7/8ths of an inch by 1 1/4 inches, these will be the front and back of the book, the spine should measure roughly 5/8ths by 1 1/4 inches.

3. Then tape them across the back leaving a hair's gap between the separate pieces, painters tape would be best but I used what I had.

4. If you left enough gap you should be able to fold the cardboard into a book shape.

5. Taking a scrap of decorative paper, draw around the book cover, depending on how large a gap you left the measurement for this will vary. Add double sided tape to the decorative paper and stick to the book cover, either side is fine.

6. Fold the book to give you a less flat book cover.

7. With a hot glue gun stick the wedge of papers folded 'spine' side down into the centre of the book cover, don't be scared to use a great big glob of hot glue, more is more in this case. Push down gently to make sure all the pages adhere nicely.

8. Give it a little squish if you want your book to sit more closed, don't if you want an open looking book.

9. With hot glue again take a scrap of leather and stick the outside of the book cover to it, you can trim round it once it's stuck, don't worry too much about the leather looking rough or feathered at the edges, it's meant to look old right?

10. Now for the fun bit, I used a Sharpie in gold with a fine tip and made a rough edge of gold around the outside of the book cover then smudged it with my finger to age it a little.

11. To give the spine more definition take the gold pen make a rough line and smudge it gently then add some small gold dots, smudging again if it looks too crisp. These books are teeny tiny so I was unable to add a legible title or writing to it. Instead, I made tiny dots of varying heights and smudged them. I just thought about where any text would be and put the dots there. In the pic below I gave the book yellowed pages by just scribbling along the book edges with a gold pen.

12. Punch a hole through the cover preferably with a needle and leaning on a yellow pages, making sure you also go through the cardboard (take it easy, I missed first time eek), add an O ring then put one or two on a chain, and wear them.

Have fun wearing your new necklace!

- Emma (Volunteer)

How do YOU make it REUSABLE contest!

We often wonder what our customers do/make with items they buy in our store. We have a lot of creative, imaginative customers and frankly, we're curious!

So we decided to put together a contest to showcase our customers' reuse creativity! We are asking you to submit your favourite way to Reuse items on the Reuse Centre accepted items list.  We want to see all the wacky, creative, fun, useful or innovative ways you use the items on our list. All entries will be posted on our Facebook page and the winner will get profiled on our Reuse-it Edmonton blog.

Here is how to enter: Submit photos and a short blurb (up to 200 words) of how you have reused the items found on the Reuse Centre accepted items list to hayley.orton@edmonton.ca before the deadline of Friday, August 16th. Please include your name, email address and phone number in your submission (your last name, email address, phone number will not be published).

All entries will judged by our panel of Reuse experts on the entry’s creativity, innovation and reusability. The panel will decide on a winner who will be notified by email or by phone. 

Prize: Our winner will get profiled on our Reuse-it Edmonton Blog and also be awarded a Reuse Centre gift basket (to be picked up at the Centre). The profile about the winner and his/her winning entry will be posted on our blog on Monday, August 26th.

Rules: ALL entries must contain original images taken by the submitter. All photos submitted will be posted on our Facebook account during the contest. All entries must contain items from the Reuse Centre accepted items list. This competition is open to only those living in Edmonton Capital Region. 

If you want a good starting point, scroll down for some inspiration we’ve put together!

Good Luck and Happy Reusing!

Christmas decorations made from frozen juice can lids











Using baskets, coffee cans and shoe boxes for storage

Using various items including magazines, carpet and buttons to make pieces of art

(inspired by the visual artist Lee Gainer)

Little owls made from paper towel rolls, 

monster bookmarks, popsicle stick airplanes 

and fish made from CD's

- Reuse-it Edmonton Blogger team

Valentine's Day on a Budget: Quick and Easy Candle Tutorial

With Valentine's Day fast approaching, store windows are filled with red and pink, and we are being encouraged to buy, buy buy! But there are plenty of ways to be thrifty and environmentally friendly around what is often characterized as a very consumerist holiday. For example, if you're thinking of buying flowers for your sweetheart, why not bring in your own vase instead of purchasing one? Most of us have a selection of rarely used vases, and Valentine's day is a great excuse to bring them out and show them off! Remember that it's a busy time for them, but with a few days' notice, most florists will be happy to create a beautiful arrangement in your own, special vase or container.

Dining out can be a major drain on your wallet, when you can usually buy the ingredients to make the very same meal at home for a fraction of the cost. Grab your partner, don your aprons, and have fun cooking a meal together.

So now that we've got flowers and dinner on the table, it's time to set the mood. Dim the lights and impress your sweetheart when you light up your very own, home made Valentine's Day candles.

WHAT YOU'LL NEED

- A mold of some kind. Pictured is a silicone ice cube tray, but I also had success using a heart shaped cookie cutter and a sheet of tinfoil.

- Wax. You can use new paraffin wax or melt down old candles, which is a great way to use up the stubs and bits of those leftover red and white Christmas candles.
- Candle wick. You can buy this at any craft store, or if you're reusing old candles, you can actually reuse the wick as well
- Crayons in red or pink to give colour to your wax mixture.
- A pot and an empty tin can for a makeshift double boiler. A deep pot with a narrower top is the best, so that you can fit the can easily inside with room around the edges for water.
- Cooking spray

THE PROCESS

Set a pot of water on the stove to boil while you prep your other ingredients. You'll want to clean your tin can thoroughly and remove the label from the outside. Be sure to take care as the opening of the can may have some jagged or sharp edges. If you are using older candles and crayons, make sure to wash any dust or grime that may have accumulated on the outside. Remove any paper wrappings that may be around the crayons, and spray your moulds lightly with cooking spray.

If any of the wicks can be easily pulled from the candles, do it now.

Toss all of your wax and some of your crayon bits into your clean and sparkling tin can. Breaking up the pieces or shaving them down will reduce the time it takes everything to melt, but it isn't strictly necessary. If you are intending to reuse the wick string, make sure to leave it intact inside the candle chunks!

Using caution and a pair of oven mitts or kitchen tongs, lower your tin can into your pot of boiling water. If using a lot of wax, the can will be fairly stable. If not, you might need to hold on while things melt so that the can does not tip over.

I got bored and hot standing there above a pot of boiling water, waiting for my wax to melt. A quick dig through my cupboard turned up a metal strainer that, when set on the pot, still allowed the can to sit in the boiling water without tipping over. Using this method, you no longer have to hold on but it is still important to keep an eye on things, as you would when cooking. You may need to top up the water level every so often.

 If reusing old candles, fish out the wicks with a utensil after the candles have melted. Be prepared with an old plate or a piece of tinfoil, as this process can be a little messy. Use caution; the tin can, wax, and wicks will all be hot enough to burn your skin. Lay the salvaged wicks out to cool for a few minutes before attempting to handle them with your bare hands.

Pour your melted wax into your prepared mould and allow it to sit for several minutes so that it is not so liquid when your place the wick inside, or else you will be standing there holding on for quite some time. After the wax has solidified just a bit, the wicks will stay in place on their own instead of flopping over sideways.

If using a cookie cutter and tinfoil, make sure to press down on the cutter and hold while you pour the wax in order to minimize seepage out the bottom. Again, be careful! The wax will be very hot and if using a metal cutter, it will also get quite warm. Hold for about a half a minute and lessen the pressure for a few seconds. If there is major leakage, press down for a bit longer. If it is minimal, you can leave it to harden. Cooling time will vary based on the size of your molds, so it is best to leave them for at least an hour. Putting your wax-filled molds in the fridge will cool them more quickly.

Once your candles have cooled and the wax has hardened through, you can pop them right out! If the bottom of your mold was not completely flat, you can set your new candles on a warm surface (like a bit of heated tinfoil on a cookie sheet) for a few seconds to melt them into a flatter shape so that they don't wobble. If they are small, you can also try floating them! Trim the wicks and they're ready to light!

Now you have some cute candles to share with your Valentine. 

- Sarah (Volunteer)