Festive and Holiday Vase Decor

The Reuse Centre recently hosted a drop-in crafting activity where participants made Winter Scene Tealight Holders. The pieces of art that were created during this session were stunning, and we just couldn't resist sharing them with you.

Most participants opted to stick to the original project, and designed their own tealight holders using decorative beads and ribbon but there were a few people who thought outside the box and used their vase/candle holder to create beautiful winter and holiday scenes, sans tealight. Here were some of the creations.

Photo Credit: Tessa M.

Photo Credit: Tessa M.

 Photo Credit: Vanessa

Photo Credit: Vanessa

Want to create your own festive vase for this holiday season? Here's a quick tutorial to get you started. One added bonus, all of these items are available at the Reuse Centre.

Materials

• Glass vase, candle holder, or other type of glass jar
• Table salt
• Small holiday or winter figurines and ornaments
• Artificial greenery or floral type material 
• Ribbon 
• Glue gun and glue sticks 
• Any other accoutrements that you like (i.e. sequins, bells, glitter, beads etc.)

Instructions

1. Ensure that your vase or container is clean. Once you start to add items, it will be difficult to wipe off dust or fingerprints.

2. Fill the bottom of your container with salt. A 1-2 inch layer should be enough, but you can add more or less, depending on how much "snow" you want in your scene.

3. Once you've added your "snow", start creating your winter/holiday scene. I'd recommend placing larger items in first and then working the smaller items around them. Try experimenting by adding some glitter to your snow. And don't be afraid to trim down your artificial greenery and floral material to create little trees or shrubs. A great part of this project is that you can put items in and take them out relatively easily, so you can create exactly what you're envisioning.

4. When you've finished creating your scene inside of your container, try adding some ribbon or other items to the outside of your container. Just a word of caution, adding too much to the outside may make it difficult to see your scene on the inside. Pay attention to what your scene looks like from eye level and not just the top.

Taaa-Daaah! You're all finished!

Interested in attending our next crafting session? Be sure to follow us on Facebook to find out about any upcoming drop-in crafting activities and workshops.

- Vanessa (Staff)

DIY Tea Cup Candles

I was recently enlisted to help plan a bridal shower and the theme was a high tea party. As with most parties, I wanted to provide some kind of favour or keepsake to thank guests for attending.

I've seen tea cup candles in stores and craft fairs over the last few years and always thought they were pretty. When it came time to come up with an idea of what I could give guests I thought, why not try to create my own tea cup candle. It turns out, that they're pretty easy to make. I was able to find almost all my supplies at the Reuse Centre. The only thing that I couldn't find there was a tea cup, but I manged to find one at a local Goodwill store. Yay! A 100% reused project.

Materials

• Wax (any of these will work): old candles in similar colours, with wicks removed; paraffin wax; beeswax; soy wax
• Ceramic/porcelain/china tea cups
• Candle wicks with metal base
• Skewers
• Knife
• Cutting board
• Small metal coffee can  
• Pot 
• Water
• Oven mitts or other heat resistant gloves

Directions:

1. Chop your old candles or wax that you're using into small bits. This will make it easier and quicker to melt the wax.

2. Place your chopped up wax in your metal coffee can.

3. Submerse the can in a pot of water. The water should be about halfway up the side of the coffee can. Start to heat the water on medium heat. The water should be hot but not boiling. Occasionally stir the wax as it melts.

4. While your wax is melting, prepare your tea cups. Place one wick in each cup with the metal base resting at the bottom of the cup.

5. Place your skewer, perpendicular, on top of the tea cup and rest the excess wick on top of it. This will ensure that the wick stays upright when you pour the wax in.

6. Once the wax is fully melted, remove the pot from the heat and carefully remove the coffee can from the water using your oven mitts/gloves.

7. Pour the melted wax into each tea cup about 3/4 full. Adjust the wick, if needed, to ensure that it is upright and straight.

8. Allow the wax to completely cool, remove the skewer, and trim the wick to about 2cm above the wax.

Presto! You have a cute tea cup candle.

The guests loved the candles and an added bonus of creating them was that they doubled as decor during the party. These candles would also make a great gift for lots of other occasions. Happy crafting!

- Vanessa (Staff)
All Photos provided by Vanessa

Fun Crafts from Knitting (or Crochet!) Scraps

Knitting and crochet both have a lot of benefits as autumn craft activities: they can be enjoyed alone or with friends; they're portable for holidays and road trips; and kids can join in the fun (particularly with techniques like arm knitting or finger crochet). These pastimes are also great from a sustainability standpoint, as needles/hooks are durable and rarely require replacement and yarn can be purchased (or found at the Reuse Centre) in a variety of eco-friendly fibres.

One of the reuse challenges that I encountered when I started crocheting regularly was what to do with the many scraps of yarn that I accumulated from different projects. I found that the easiest solution was to wind each piece into a small roll and store them in a mason jar or on an empty paper towel tube. Here are 3 fun ideas for how you can put those scraps to use.

1) Ornament or Hanging Mobile

Yarn scraps can be wrapped around styrofoam balls to make individual ornaments or a stunning hanging mobile. This project provides the opportunity to be creative with color, size and arrangement, making the finished project suitable for anywhere in the home, in any season.

2) Wall Hanging

This is another versatile home decor project, requiring yarn scraps and a piece of dowel. Check out A Pretty Fix for a great example. Different colors and textures of yarn can be used in combination and the dowel could be replaced with a branch or piece of pipe for a more rustic or modern look, respectively.

3) Gift Wrap

Although this example from It Happens in a Blink is for a Christmas present, the idea is great for any time of year. Alternatives to conventional gift wrap are important from a sustainability perspective, plus a fun and personalized package is sure to bring a smile to the recipient's face!

-Karlene (Volunteer)

From Kitchen Trash to Canada Day Crafts!

Now that the kids are out of school, it's a great time to start on some fun and easy summer crafting! Instead of going out and buying new supplies, why not use items that might be already lying around the house? Reusing is less expensive, more convenient and eco-friendly.

If you're looking for new-to-you craft items, the Reuse Centre is a great place to start as they have an ever-changing selection of arts and crafts supplies at a fantastic price (only $5 for up to 25 kg of materials).

With Canada Day fast approaching, here's a selection of craft ideas that the whole family can enjoy together. Each project takes a common kitchen recyclable that can be found in your blue bag and turns it into something festive!

1. From Soup Can to Wind Sock

This craft is a great example of how a common waste item (like an old soup or vegetable tin) can be upcycled into something celebratory! This activity is also great for using up scraps of coloured paper and ribbon to create the windsock and string, yarn or wire for the hanger loop. Check out Today's Parent for a tutorial.

2. From Glass Jar to Centerpiece

Although the original project calls for mason jars, spray paint and wood cutouts, this project can be made more inexpensively and kid-friendly using empty jars from jams or sauces, acrylic craft paint and a DIY maple leaf made from leftover card stock. Check out Love to Create for details.

3. From Milk Carton to Bird Feeder

This feeder from Today's Parent has been painted to resemble Jellybean Row houses in St. John's, Newfoundland, but you can come up with any design imaginable! Setting up a bird feeder provides a great opportunity to observe and learn about local wildlife and to share why nature and sustainability are so important.

Happy Canada Day!

-Karlene (Volunteer)

Create a Cheerful Craft Nook on a Budget! (Part Two)

We will continue our project of creating a fun and sustainable crafting space!

In part one, we discussed how to find a workstation and think about storage. Now we will move on to the next steps.

3) Choose energy efficient lighting. Good lighting is critical for your crafting area, especially if you’re reading patterns, taking photographs or working on a smaller-scale project like cross-stitch. Especially in the winter, our natural light fades quickly!

Photo: Karlene L.

My craft nook is in a basement with dimmable LED fixtures and an LED desk lamp with adjustable brightness and position. This way, I can control the amount of light I need – whether I’m watching a movie or working on a project – and the energy used is a fraction of that consumed by conventional incandescent bulbs.

4) Accessorize! Congratulations, you’ve made it to the really fun part! Your space should be an extension of who you are, so whatever brings a smile to your face, now’s the time to display it using shelving, cork boards, pegboards or a gallery wall!

My area is a work in progress so the walls are still bare, but I’m taking inspiration from my office where I have a beautiful vintage map of Belgium (to remind me of my travels) and a display of some of my completed craft projects (to provide inspiration).

Photo: Karlene L.

My accessories include a vintage tall ship model, a locally-made ceramic yarn bowl, two "Made in Alberta" letterpress cards, a repurposed IKEA (zebra print!) office chair and a whimsical button-print rug.

Photo: Karlene L.

Another great idea is to hang paintings that you can make with your family – no experience necessary! With a few inexpensive stretched canvases (available locally at Michaels, DeSerres or The Paint Spot), brushes and acrylic paint, you can have a fun family afternoon and decorate your space at the same time.

So there you have it! With a little bit of time and creativity, you can have the whimsical and sustainable craft nook of your dreams. Instead of saying, “there’s no way I’m cleaning off my desk and dragging the sewing machine out,” you can just sit down at your workstation and start making.

-Karlene (Volunteer)

Create a Cheerful Craft Nook on a Budget! (Part One)

Like many of you, I pour over craft blogs and gaze longingly when they profile their work spaces. Such beautiful storage! Such beautiful lighting! But, how do you begin?

For years, that’s as far as I went. I didn’t set up my own work space because I thought that it would be too expensive nor did I have the time or the room. I didn’t even know where to start!

That all changed when I saw a profile of a sewing space that was simple yet functional on the British Tilly and the Buttons blog. It looked like a charming place to curl up with a tea and a project on a rainy afternoon.

When I flipped through the crafter’s blog, I realized that she and I had actually been neighbours! If she could make it happen in her space, then so could I. All I needed was the UK profile of an Edmonton blogger to help me realize it!

Photo: Karlene L.

Although my space is a work in progress, it brings me joy every time I see it. Using a small corner of the basement, I designed an inexpensive, functional and eco-conscious playground for creating and exploring - and you can too! Here’s how to start.

1) Find a workstation. Your workstation needs will vary depending on your crafting interests and the space you have available. If you’re into crochet and lettering, you’ll need less flat space than someone who quilts. If you have the luxury of setting up a full sewing room, you’ll have more space for tables than someone carving out the corner of a larger room.

Photo: Karlene L.

In my nook, my eco-friendly workstation is my mother-in-law’s beautifully re-purposed dining room table. The wood is solid, the construction is meticulous and it’s expandable with two additional leaves hidden under the table top. Look for similar vintage gems at thrift stores, garage sales, Find or the Ambleside and Kennedale Eco Station Reuse Areas.

2) Think about storage. If you’re a minimalist: well done, this part will be easier! If you’re more like me, less so. Having all of your craft supplies handy makes projects faster and far less frustrating. Less time finding bobbins means more time stitching.

Photo: Karlene L.

My main storage piece is a happy yellow IKEA KALLAX, which offers space for both storage and display and is a more environmentally sustainable version of the classic EXPEDIT. I also re-purposed a pink IKEA office storage unit from several years ago, which is fantastic for storing patterns and notions. For smaller items such as buttons and crochet hooks, I reused mason jars (from preserves that we had received as a gift) and old coffee mugs (like the one from the Ambleside Reuse Area on the right).

Check back next month for Part Two where we work on lighting and accessorizing our new spaces!

-Karlene (Volunteer)

DIY Fabric Scrap Wallet

I've been sewing a lot of garments lately, which means I have a lot of smallish, oddly-shaped fabric scraps lying around. After scouring Pinterest for a simple, practical, scrap-busting project, I decided to try my hand at this photo-only tutorial from UsefulDIY.com. The lack of instructions might make things tricky for a new sewist, so I decided to share my version, with written steps.

What you'll need

• 2 small rectangles of fabric (approximately 3" by 5")
• 2 large rectangles of fabric (approximately 5" by 6")
• 1 button
• 1 piece of elastic cord (approximately 2.5") OR 1 hair elastic
• Thread
• Hand-sewing needle
• Optional - sewing machine
• Optional - iron 

I used my sewing machine for this project, but it's small enough that it would still be very easy to do by hand. If you're new to sewing, check out this great guide on hand-stitching basics from Sew4Home.

Pressing folds and seams with your iron will make your project look neater and more professional, but it's not strictly necessary. Always make sure you're using the right temperature settings for your fabric. If you're not sure what your fabric is made of, start with low heat and work your way up until the fabric holds a crease.

Step 1

Take one small rectangle and fold one of the long edges under, about 1/2". Press with a hot iron to hold the fold, and topstitch to hem this edge. Repeat with the second small rectangle. These will form the pockets on the inside of your wallet.

Step 2

Matching the raw 5" edges, lay your pocket pieces on top of one of the larger rectangles with right sides (the patterned or nice sides) facing up. The hemmed edges will face each other, with about an inch of space in the middle.

Step 3

Lay your second large rectangle on top, with the right side facing down, so that your pocket pieces are sandwiched in between. Match all of the edges as best you can and pin 3 sides in place. Leave one of the short sides open for the next step.

Step 4

Place your elastic in the center of the short side that you left open. If using a hair elastic, pinch the center and place it so that it's about half in and half out of the fabric sandwich. If using a cut length of elastic cord, fold it in half and place the looped end inside your sandwich (between the fabric layers). Leave the tails sticking out and pin the last side in place.

Step 4

Sew around the edges of your sandwich, making sure to leave a gap in the end opposite your elastic. I used a seam allowance of 1/4". To get sharp, crisp corners on your wallet, clip the corners as shown in the ninth photo of the UsefulDIY.com tutorial. 

I didn't clip the corners, so you'll see later that my corners have more of a rounded edge. If you want a really rounded edge, sew rounded corners instead of sharp ones and clip.

Step 5

Flip your sandwich right side out through the hole you left. Make sure to push corners and seam out. Fold the raw edges of the hole inside and press your seams so that the outer edges all lay flat and smooth.

Step 6

Topstitch about 1/8" from the edge around the outside of your wallet. This will close the gap and help keep all of the layers in place. Make sure you can fit your cards inside the pockets! Depending on whether or not your fabric has stretch and on how closely you followed the measurements described above, you may want to topstitch closer to or further from the edge.

Step 7

Fold your wallet shut and place your button so that the elastic loop can stretch over it easily, but tightly enough so that the wallet stays closed. Mark the spot and sew your button on, making sure to stitch only through the outside layer of fabric so that the stitches are hidden inside your pocket. If you sew through the pocket, you won't be able to get your cards in properly. 

Voila! You're done and you now have a custom, one-of-a-kind wallet to store your cards.

- Sarah (Volunteer)

All images provided by Sarah

Father's Day Gift Ideas - Reuse Style

With Father’s Day right around the corner, you may be wondering what kind of creative gift you could give – I’ve suggested three of my favourites. These gifts are not only thoughtful, but also incorporate a reuse theme! Another added bonus, is that these gifts shouldn’t take too long to make.

Recycled Tie Photo Album

Does your Dad have a few ties hanging in the back of his closest that he no longer wears? This tie photo album is a great way to use them to create a meaningful gift. You can print out some photos of you and your Dad to put in the album as well – he will love it!

This idea does require you to purchase a 4” x 6” photo album, unless you have one at home already. Other supplies required include sew on snaps and fusible interfacing.

For the full tutorial, check out lilblueboo.com

 Dad’s Coupon Book

I love the simple yet thoughtful idea behind this gift. My dad is always telling me that all he wants is to spend time with me rather than material gifts. With the coupon book, you can suggest fun activities that the two of you can do together, or perhaps chores where you can offer to help.

The main item you will need for this gift is paper to use for the coupons. Old newspapers or pages from a book that’s no longer being used work great. Essentially, all you need to do is cut the paper into a number of small rectangles (using a ruler to measure them, so they’re the same size), choose one to be the cover, and add the activities/items you’d like to share with your father on each page. Feel free to personalize the pages and jazz them up a little! Then you can either staple the pages or punch holes in them and loop a piece of string/twine through so the book holds together. Check out Crafting a Green World for full details.

No-Sew Slipper Socks

These cozy socks are a perfect gift for anyone, really. My dad loves slippers, so naturally this is one of the first thoughts I had. This idea involves adding a sole to an old pair of socks to make them into slippers.

Items you will need include sueded fabric and fusible webbing (a material that bonds fabrics together).

Standing on a piece of cardboard in your chosen socks, trace and cut out an outline of your feet. After you cut out the cardboard template, trace the pattern onto the sueded fabric and fusible webbing with a sewing pencil; cut those out as well. Position the cardboard template inside the sock where you’d like the sole to go, place the fusible webbing over the sock, and then the sueded fabric at the top. Iron according to the instructions that come with the webbing, and then remove cardboard. Voila, you have a new pair of slippers!

Visit marthastewart.com for full instructions.

Happy Father's Day! 

- Tamara (Volunteer)

Kid's Activity Mat: Upcycled Bed Sheet

Usually my old towels and stained clothing get broken down into cleaning rags, but bed sheets present a dilemma in terms of absorbency. They’re simply not great at cleaning. So when I encountered a tenacious bright blue paint stain on a fitted, king-sized sheet, I was forced to get creative on how to repurpose this item.

Meanwhile, I was preparing for a family road trip wherein two children under the age of four would spend 25+ hours in a car making picnic-type pit stops only to end up at the final destination to spend each day hanging about in the outdoors, picnic-style. Are you following me?

Enter the homemade picnic play mat!!

This craft requires: 

• Fabric paint/markers 
• Sewing machine and the ability to sew in a straight line 
• Thread 

Optional: 

• scrap fabric for trim 
• scrap fabric for corners if using a fitted sheet 

I began by cutting out the elastic on each corner to allow the sheet to lie flat. Given I was working with a king-sized sheet, I should have cut the remaining flat piece into a rectangle but I didn’t want to lose the extra space so I kept it as is.

Next, I traced my design using a marker or pencil. Since we were embarking on a road trip, I drew a series of streets with landmarks around them before inviting my three year old son to help colour them in and add detail.

The transformation. Image Source: Ellen

We included a volcano, fire station, construction site, mountains, mine, boulders, lake, forest, and hospital. All the most important things, in my son’s opinion. I packed the fabric markers along with the blanket and we kept the artwork incomplete so we could invite our friends to continue the process while on vacation.

Highlights. Image Source: Ellen

If you’ve been working with a rectangle, you can simply fold the edges and sew a seam to prevent the fabric from fraying. Since I had four gaping corners, I filled them with some Canadian road trip fabric (how perfect!) and finished the entire thing with a bright binding along the edges.

Image Source: Ellen 

The final result is far from complete but will evolve as we spend time on it. It was dragged through seven states and two provinces and will now be used for picnics and play in our backyard and local parks.

How do you use old bedding? Share your thoughts in the comments section.

- Ellen (Volunteer)

The Almost (Not Quite) $1 Backpack

"Back to School" season is on the horizon! I thought this would be the perfect time to share the backpack I made recently, trying to use entirely thrifted materials or things that I had on hand.

I found this fabric in a thrift store several months ago, and I kind of fell in love with the colours and kitschy print. Plus, it was a dollar. How could I go wrong with that?

Okay, so it's a little busy. It's going to be good though, I promise!

The whole big piece was pretty overwhelming, so I'd been sitting on it for a while, trying to figure out what to do with it. When I started taking transit to work and realized a backpack would come in handy, I knew this would be perfect. It's a nice, medium-weight canvas so I knew it would be sturdy enough to cart my things back and forth every day. 

I was even more excited when I realized I had the perfect accent fabrics in my stash. I have a pretty big swath of heavy, cream coloured canvas from helping my sister-in-law make a costume a while back. She'd also given me some green cotton that I knew would make the perfect lining. I even had the perfect zippers on hand, and a big, ornate, gold button for the flap closure that I found at the Reuse Centre.

How perfect is this?

I was well on track to making my $1 backpack!

Then I got ideas.

I thought the canvas was too light. I wanted a darker accent. I remembered that I had a box of brown fabric dye, also found at a thrift store. The dyed canvas came out perfectly. Still on track...

Nope, it's not dinner.

...except for the part where the fabric refused to stop leaching dye. I tried every trick I knew (salt bath, vinegar soak, endless rinsing). Nothing in my arsenal seemed to set the dye properly, so I reluctantly had to set this fabric aside. I didn't want to take the chance of it staining my clothes. I ended up purchasing some new brown canvas to use.

This was the first setback in my plan to only use thrifted materials or things I had on hand. My original intent was to make the backpack found in this tutorial from Aggelicat. If I'd continued with that plan, I could have finished with the supplies on hand.

Ideas struck again.

I really wanted my bag to have adjustable straps. I also loved the look of the grommets in this tutorial from sew4home.com. Both of those things required hardware: a set of grommets, two D-rings, and two sliders. If I'd had the time or the determination I could have thrifted those things, or repurposed hardware from worn-out bags. I caved, and bought them new (for shame!) I also bought some interfacing to give the bag a little more stiffness and structure. 

The finished project!

In the end, I pulled elements from both tutorials, and added some of my own. My bag turned out to be about 50-60% used or on-hand materials, and it's been a great help on my commute!

- Sarah (Volunteer)

All images provided by Sarah

New Programs at the Reuse Centre!

Have you heard the exciting news?

The Reuse Centre is now offering group programs and birthday party programs. These offer a wonderful opportunity to learn more about how to reduce everyday waste through reusing, upcycling, DIY ideas, scavenger hunts, and eco-challenges. Each program includes a complimentary Reuse Centre Shopping Experience where your group can pick up items for future crafting.

Photo Credit: City of Edmonton

What Group Programs are Available?

Group Programs are an excellent option for community groups such as daycares, Girl Guides or Scouts, sports associations, seniors’ groups, youth groups, schools, or any other interested social group. Programs must be booked at least 3 weeks in advance and are available year round.

We offer 1.5 hour or 2 hour program options, and each program can accommodate up to 30 individuals. You can choose from the following themes:

DIY Kids | 6 - 11 yrs
DIY Youth & Adult | 12 yrs and up
Green City Challenge | 6 yrs and up

Why not brush up your upcycling skills and book a program today? Also, stay tuned for more information as we will be offering a few pre-registered workshops in the Fall.

Photo credit: City of Edmonton

What Birthday Party Programs are Available?

Want to celebrate your child's birthday at the Reuse Centre? Birthday Party Programs are available for ages 6 - 14 years. Go on a reuse crafting adventure or put on your detective hat to solve a waste mystery.

Birthday Party Programs are 2.5 hours in length which includes a 1.5 hour program and a 1 hour room rental for cake and presents. You can choose from the following themes:

Crafty Kids | 6-14 yrs
Reuse Detectives | 6-14 yrs

Book now to celebrate your child's birthday with us!

Photo credit: City of Edmonton

Did You Know We Also Offer Boardroom Rentals?

Need a place to host your next meeting, workshop, or small social gathering? The Reuse Centre’s boardroom offers an affordable, flexible space, and amenities to meet your needs, with space for up to 30 people. Discounts are available for non-profit organizations.

Booking Information
For more information, or to book a program or rental, visit our website
CALL 780-944-7424
EMAIL reusecentrebookings@edmonton.ca

Father's Day Gift Ideas

Father’s Day is right around the corner but don’t fret if you haven’t been able to find anything in the stores yet. Here are some great gifts that you can make by repurposing items laying around the house.

For the Dad that loves to garden: Floppy disk plant holders

These are very cute and are sure to brighten up any space! Floppy disks are a thing of the past now but it’s likely that many of you still have some lying around the house. These aren’t hard to make. Simply gather up as many floppy disks as you require (min. 5 for every planter) and a glue gun, then go plant shopping!

Full details on: BRIT + CO

For the Dad that loves winter: Handwarmers

While not in season at the moment, these will be very useful come winter. You can be creative making these! Use some fun patterned fabric, perhaps you have an old t-shirt that you love but it no longer fits, or an ultra-soft blanket that has a stain on it. You’ll need to cut out two, ¾ inch squares from your fabric of choice to make each handwarmer. Sew the two pieces of fabric together, fill with rice, and sew the handwarmer closed.

See detailed instructions here: Rae Ann Kelly

All you need to do is pop them in the microwave for 20 seconds before you’d like to use them! That’s it! A very practical and comforting gift.

Here’s a fun gift for kids to make: A Father’s Day trophy

The idea is to cut out a trophy shape from cardboard and decorate it with all sorts of fun things found around the house, such as dried pasta, sparkles, buttons, beads, plastic jewels, etc. Once the items are glued on and the glue is dry, the trophy can be spray painted gold for a nice finishing touch. Photos can be added afterwards too. 

Check out this blog for more details: Smart Class


Happy Crafting!

-Tamara (Volunteer)

Novmber Reuse-it Item: Disposable Cutlery

Plastic cutlery: what do you do with it after you've used it? Resist the urge to chuck it in the garbage! Wash and reuse as-is, or try one of the fantastic ideas that our blogger team has gathered from the web.

Mallory

A few years ago I stumbled upon a lampshade made of plastic spoons, and absolutely loved the idea. Here is a way to reuse something designed to be clearly "disposable", and change its purpose entirely so that you could put it up for display in your house. 

As a pineapple fanatic, I am ecstatic about this idea  and can't wait to try it myself! All you need is a mold (balloon, large jar, etc.), plastic disposable spoons, scissors, and a hot glue gun. Then you're good to go!

Nichole
If someone had told me they made a mirror out of hot glue and plastic spoons, this is definitely not what I would have pictured! I am crazy about these chrysanthemum mirrors, which you can paint any colour to suit your needs. I'm in love with the cherry red on white shown in the picture, but I'm envisioning a mirror like this in jewel tones over a bedside table or makeup vanity. You can get free instructions for this particular mirror on UsefulDIY.com, but I also found a wealth of great examples on Pinterest.

Siao

Sculptures don't necessarily need to be heavy or costly to display in your own home. Although the dragon featured by RuthAnn below is indeed intriguing, if you are more like me, there are simpler and still beautiful sculptures to try, such as this pear.

 

RuthAnn

Most of us probably don't have time or the patience to turn our excess plastic cutlery into exotic art such as this dragon, but what a showstopper!

 

One of my favourite uses for disposable cutlery is to reuse them as small garden stakes when I am planting my seedlings. I use the forks to hold the seed packets, and I often just write on the knives and spoons. 

-Reuse Centre Volunteers

Magazine Strip Silhouette Art

This summer felt like it stampeded by, so it was particularly nice to have a free Saturday morning! I ended up blocking it off for a fun project with friends which included coffee, craft therapy, and grownup talk.  The project at hand was to make magazine strip silhouettes, and my goal was to make it simple, modern, and a fun distraction from our routine troubles.

Step One: Print Stencil/Silhouette
In preparation for this project, you'll need to choose your images. We found stencils and silhouettes online, then resized them to print onto a full letter sized page.  Images with more surface areas are ideal. For more intricate images, like the zebra, fish or raccoon-Mario, an alternative is to use the magazine strips for the background, rather than for the silhouette itself. (You'll see what I mean later!)

We had a wide variety of images to work with!

Our magazine stash.

Step Two: Choose Colourful Magazine Pages
Pull out pages with a lot of colour or intricate patterns, which will make the silhouette look fuller.  Try to choose pages with colours that will contrast with the background paper you intend to use.

It's okay to have some pages with words or body parts, since these won't be very noticeable in the cut strips. 



Step Three: Cut Strips from Magazine Pages
Fold the magazine pages accordion-style to create nice, straight cutting lines that are the same distance apart. Alternately, you can use a ruler and draw cutting lines. Note that the thinner the strips, the more gluing you will have to do.

Cutting the strips takes patience, but it's worth it!

Be very careful to cut as straight as you can, because it will help when pasting the strips side-by-side. While cutting, my friend came up with an ingenious plan to use a shredder.  Try it out and let me know!

Paste strips on the back
of a printed page.

Step Four: Glue Magazine Strips to the Back
The fun part! Paste the strips as you please on the backside of the stencil pages. The pattern is up to you. We alternated a variety of strips of different colours to make a rainbow effect.  I have seen some projects done with gradients of the same colour, which has a desirable look as well.

Keep in mind that the strips only need to cover the image, so you don't necessarily have to cover the entire page.  Rotate and place magazine strips strategically, depending on where the image cutout will be.  Some of the strips won't be cut perfectly straight, so just overlay them to ensure no blank spaces are showing.

Step Five: Cut out Silhouette and Paste Striped Silhouette onto Paper

Depending on the silhouette, you can also turn the original cut sheet into a second art piece, as with the deer silhouette shown below. As I mentioned earlier, this would work really well for more intricate images like the zebra.

The negative space inside the remaining magazine strips still looks neat! 

Cut-out striped silhouette.

Left, we have the striped silhouette on coloured paper, and on the
right, the leftover striped background over coloured paper.

Step Six: Enjoy Finished Art Piece! Frame and Gift at Your Leisure.

I'm really glad that this turned out so well!  We were really worried that this would turn out to be a pinterest fail moment.  I still have tons of magazines left over, so I will have to come up with another craft therapy session soon!

Our finished silhouettes, ready for display.

- Siao (Volunteer)

All photos provided by Siao.

Dorm Room Decorating on a Budget

When you're a university student living at home, you can still comfort yourself at the end of a tough day with familiar items and surroundings. When you're a student living in 'res', you may be lucky enough to bring a few of your familiar things into an otherwise soulless room that you may or may not be sharing. Even worse, you're probably also completely broke. 

Don't despair! There are a ton of ways to jeuje up your dorm room, organize yourself for school on a tight budget, and still have plenty of money left over for ramen noodles and beer. Some projects can be done with items you might already have or could borrow, and others could be done for a $5 shopping spree at the Reuse Centre. 

I'd like to share a few of my favourite budget projects for personalizing your dorm space and staying on top of school projects.

 DIY Dry Erase

Papers and exams can overwhelm you if you don't stay organized from the start. I always made sure to grab a free agenda during the first week of school, but I also liked having a wall calendar handy to help me plan a month ahead of time. Calendars can be pricey, but if you can pick up free paint chips at a hardware store or the Reuse Centre, a frame from your parents/Reuse Centre/dollar store, and a whiteboard marker, you can make a dry erase calendar to get you through the semester. Bonus points for giving your drab dorm room a punch of colour. Check out DIY Projects for inspiration.

Don't need a calendar? Instead of paint chips, fill the frame with a bit of gift wrap or scrapbook paper. Now you've got a super cheap dry erase board to leave reminders for yourself, or angry notes for your roommate.

Desk Organizers

When you only have so much space, it's really easy to clutter it up and make a big mess. Closets can quickly get out of hand, and course handouts can get lost in the ever-growing piles of paper. Help yourself stay organized with upcycled wicker baskets! Grab some old, outdated styles for cheap. They might be hideous under normal circumstances, but covered in a coat of metallic or bright-coloured paint, they will breathe life into your room and tame your mess. These beauties can become your new T-shirt baskets, paper trays, and pencil cups. If your grandmother doesn't have any, thrift stores and the Reuse Centre certainly will. 

Transform cereal boxes into attractive and useful organizers with a box cutter, your favourite fabric, gift wrap or magazine cutouts, and some tape. Use them for your paperwork, organizing your makeup, storing your hair appliances... Whatever you need! 

Closet Space Savers

This has to be about the easiest possible way to maximize your dorm room's non-existent closet space. Remove the tab from a pop can, loop one end over one hanger, and a second hanger through the other end. Voila! You've doubled your storage space and now you can keep outfits together. You can probably assemble enough pop can tabs for this in an afternoon if you recruit your friends. 

Another inexpensive space saver is to add shower curtain rings to a hanger, to keep all of your smaller items in one place. Belts, scarves, tank tops, you name it! If you're a purse junkie, you can also store them this way. Try your nearest dollar store or second hand shop for shower curtain rings, and make sure your hanger is sturdy. 

Of course, this is just a sampling of some of the easiest ways to personalize and organize your dorm space on a small budget. The Reuse Centre, your closest dollar store, and your parents' basement can hold a wealth of items to accessorize your student life, and a spot of paint can do wonders to turn something dated into something chic. Be creative! 

Best semester wishes from the Reuse Centre! 

Nichole (Volunteer)