Halloween Tutorial - Milk Jug Lid Spiders

Nothing gives away your age like being obsessed with pipe cleaners and pompoms. Yup 70's child front and centre! Except when I was little they actually were for cleaning pipes and only came in yellow from the smoke shop. Hard to believe I'm only mid 30's right?

Moving swiftly on, just made these for the little guy and had to share, tons of fun, pompoms, googly eyes, pipe cleaners, ribbon, and ... milk jug lids, heaven.

Milk Jug Lid

Glue on your pompoms.

Glue on two more for eyes and 2 googly eyes.

Wrap base of lid in ribbon/bias tape just to hide the ugly plastic. If you have plenty of pompoms you could use those instead.

Cut a small piece of pipe cleaners for fangs and 8 Z shaped pieces for legs.

Glue on fangs.

Flip him/her over and glue the legs in place, hold on to each one for 5-10 secs to make sure it's glued properly or it will come off when you start rearranging the legs.

Flip it back over and play around with the legs until it either sits or stands.

It's ok they're tame, just don't feed them after midnight! (Ancient movie reference ahoy!)

- Emma (Volunteer)

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)

Reusing in Edmonton: Art Discarded

The Reuse-it Edmonton team recently got together to brainstorm ideas for the blog, and there was one thing we kept coming back to: all of the fantastic reuse initiatives currently happening in Edmonton. So we decided to profile some of the individuals, companies, and groups that are spearheading these initiatives over the next few months on the blog, for your (hopefully) reading pleasure.

It was easy for me to decide who to write about because I have heard so many great stories about Lawrence, and his very popular blog, artdiscarded 

Lawrence is a Reuse Centre customer and a great lover of original art, who decided to undertake a personal challenge of 100 days of finding art in Edmonton. He wanted to see if he could buy a piece of original art a day for less than a premium cup of coffee (or the occasional bottle of wine). Along with price, Lawrence set himself a few other guidelines for the piece of art: it needed to be original (or a limited numbered piece, at minimum) and it had to be something a collector might display.

Bought at Goodwill for under 10 dollars

The challenge had him hunting through various thrift stores including Goodwill, Value Village, Salvation Army and also the Reuse Centre on a daily basis, though he says it wasn't time consuming. Armed with a monocle (this piece of equipment came later) to test the originality of the art, his small collection of just a few paintings steadily grew to over 560 pieces. Lawrence kept going after his 100 days were up.

One of Canadian artist Richard Tetrault's earlier works was found at the Reuse Centre. 

Lawrence started his blog when he bought two pieces of art at Goodwill for 10 dollars with no indication of who the artist was. He put a call out on his blog asking for information. It was a popular idea and people began following his blog, so in response he started posting more pieces that he found. Artists began contacting him to ask questions, most of them interested as to how he came to own their works, and as the word spread, the blog grew and grew.

Smaller pieces that have been matted and framed by Lawrence. They are now on display at his workplace.

The pieces that Lawrence finds are not always in good condition. Keeping with his "reduce and reuse" initiative, he often frames and mats the pieces himself, using materials found at thrift stores and the Reuse Centre. He told me that he has mended canvas with a spray bottle of water, used car paint to re-colour old frames and even got a friend of his to restore certain pieces of art that were damaged.

This particular painting was done by a Disney animator in the 1960's. Lawrence found it in Kelowna of all places!

The pieces of art are now displayed in Lawrence's workplace for all of his co-workers to enjoy. One day Lawrence plans to have an art auction of many of his pieces and the proceeds will go to charity.

Lawrence's amazing collection shows us that art can be reused to great effect, and that many great pieces can be found in Edmonton for very low prices. If you've grown tired of the art in your home, donate it to a local thrift shop or the Reuse Centre for the chance at a second life. Your old painting might just end up being the newest acquisition in Lawrence's gallery!

- Hayley (Staff)

Scraps Project: Slipper Boots

It's almost the end of summer, and sometimes the nights and mornings still carry a bit of a chill. This was one of those mornings; temperatures dipped overnight and since we leave the windows open 24/7 this time of year, the apartment was a bit nippy when I got out of bed. Brisk as it was, I was loathe to close the windows and deprive myself of the fresh air. We're on weather lockdown 8 months of the year; we have to take advantage when we can!

My toes are always the first things to get cold. Enter one of my favourite things about fall and winter in this region: slipper boots. Unfortunately, my own were a few years old and they were looking pretty sad. After a few seasons of good use and many a trip through the washing machine, the soles were cracking and on the right foot, actually breaking off in chunks. The pom-poms had fallen off one slipper, and on the other had long since unravelled and shed their stuffing.

I've been meaning to replace them for a long time now, but once spring hits, slipper boots become difficult to find. I've toyed with the idea of making some, but it just never seemed that urgent. Well, today was the day. With freezing toes and the initiative required to pull out my sewing machine, I sat down to work. 

I had a surprisingly difficult time finding a pattern on the internet. Most free slipper patterns and tutorials seem to be for knitting or crocheting, and of those that were for sewing, hardly any were for boots. Taking a cue from this tutorial I decided to make my own. Of course, since I was making boots instead of snug ballet flat style slippers, things got a little wonky. I simplified. 

First, I traced the bottom of my slipper onto a piece of plain white paper, adding roughly half an inch for seam allowance. Then I grabbed one of my dingy old slippers and a pair of shears. I could see from the seams that the top of the boot was only two pieces, so I cut the top away from the sole and snipped along the joining seams, to end up with this:

The one that's shaped like weird pants? We'll call that pattern piece "Top 1" and the other shall be known as "Top 2".

 I traced these onto paper as well, again adding room for a seam allowance and voila! I had a pattern. Now, I could have started with a nice, fresh bolt of fabric, but where would the fun be in that? Slippers are small and don't take much material, so they are perfect project for using up leftover scraps, or even old clothing. Wooly sweaters make awesome slippers. In my case, I had a failed sewing project, made of the funkiest flannelette in the world. I'd been waiting for some inspiration and a project small enough to use what little I had.

I adore this weird, busy print but it was too much to take in cardigan form.

 My slippers would also need a lining; luckily I was also sitting on some artificial sheepskin that I'd purchased for a coat before changing my mind. I was happy to have a chance to use some of it up. What really urged me to action though, was this recent find at the Reuse Centre:

You really never know what you're going to find in the "Sewing Notions" bin! 

Now, here's a great tutorial if you happen to have two sided fabric, or something thick that doesn't need a liner. If you don't have an old pair of boot shaped slippers, it's also a great reference for pattern design.

Again, using this tutorial (from above) I simply adapted the author's directions for a slightly different shape. I pinned and sewed my boot pieces together using the remaining, uncut slipper as a reference.

Remember me? Top 1 is the heel and ankle piece, and Top 2 is the toe piece. Simply sew (right sides together) the curve of Top 1 to the flat part of Top 2, and then sew the sides of Top 2 together to make the upper half of your boot. 

Even with all of my fiddling and adapting the pattern (not to mention watching TV at the same time), this project only took about an hour and now I have a pair of adorable, cozy new slippers. What do you think?

-Sarah (Volunteer)

Reflections on my summer at the Reuse Centre

This summer I was given the opportunity to become a part of the City of Edmonton’s Waste Management family. My role would be carried out at the Reuse Centre as a summer student, assisting with the daily operations of the Centre. I would be getting a behind the scenes look at the inner workings of one of Edmonton’s most effective waste management initiatives.

Patrick sorting through donations

As my time at the Reuse Centre went on, I started to realize how my studies at the Kings University College as a environmental studies student and the operations of the Reuse Centre coincided. At school I had learned about the effects of human activity on the environment and our creation of a society that chooses to be wasteful in nature. Consequently this has led to adverse effects on the environment such as resource depletion, environmental degradation and pollution to name a few. At the Reuse Centre I have been able to see the operations of a service that tackles these socially created environmental issues. The concept of reuse has become very important in changing people’s perception of what is reuseable. I have seen how people are willing to rethink how they conceive what can be done with their unused items. This summer I have realized that Edmonton is full of thoughtful people who take their time to come by the Reuse Centre to drop off items that are in good condition. Items they feel someone else would like to use, when the easier option would be to throw it away.

This interesting book that was donated, a bit dated but still reusable

It is this concept of reusing that allows for the success of the Centre, as well as its promotion of

creativity. After all the idea is to change people’s perception of what is reuseable, by demonstrating to them that with creativity most items can be given a renewed purpose. Whether it’s getting creative with a broken lamp shade or using keys to make a wind chime. Really the possibilities are endless. If anything my experiences at the Reuse centre this summer has demonstrated to me that it’s not merely about encouraging people to reuse. It goes beyond that. It is also about spreading a message of rethinking about what we once considered useless.

- Patrick (Summer Student)

Make it Reusable: Contest Results

Here at the Reuse Centre, we are all about encouraging creative reuse of the items on our accepted-donations list, so we were thrilled with the entries to our "How Do You Make It Reusable?" contest. Each and every entrant produced something amazing from items that they found here. Several entrants submitted multiple projects, and we couldn't be happier to see such innovation and enthusiasm for reuse!

With so many interesting and unique entries, our team of Reuse Experts had a heck of a time choosing a winner. After much deliberation (and maybe a back-room brawl or two) we made our decision.

Nancy's Lucky Bamboo sure did the trick for her; we were all in awe of her fabulous felt crafting!

 

This little cutie has a detachable pot and bendable leafstalks. The outer surface is made entirely of Reuse Centre felt, and the shape is given by a bit of stuffing, a few pieces of cardboard in the pot, and wire in the stalks. Most of the piece was hand-stitched, and the brown growth rings around the stalks were glued on. From a distance it looks realistic and up close, and all of our judges were impressed with the level of detail and the obvious time commitment something like this must have taken.

When we asked Nancy how many hours she had spent on this, she replied "Too many!" with a smile and a laugh, and went on to say that much of the construction had taken place on a camping trip, in stolen moments when her youngest son was napping.

When Nancy came to pick up her prize basket, she was kind enough to bring along her winning submission and the book containing the pattern, which was chock-full of amazing and cute things to make out of felt. This blogger sure knows what she'll be making her niece and nephew for Christmas this year!

Nancy accepting her prize basket from Reuse Centre staff.

Of course, our contest would not have been a success without all of the amazing entries, so here, in no particular order, are the others if you missed them on our Facebook page:

Three art pieces by Rob:

We loved the innovation and imagination in these pieces, as well as the breadth of materials used!

Child's jumper by Natasha:

The perfect jumper for enjoying a booster-juice as big as your own torso on a hot summer day! We loved the usability of this submission and of course, the adorable model didn't hurt either!

Binky blankies and geocaches by Jody:

     

We loved the practical nature of these submissions, and the way that both are excellent scrap-crafts!

Thanks again to all our wonderful entrants for sharing with us!

-Sarah (Volunteer)

Summer Fun for Kids - or How Avocados Taught my Son to Sew

Looking for some quick, easy summer fun this month? Counting down the days until the little ones are more gainfully employed during the weekdays?

Go straight to the Reuse Centre, do not pass go, do not collect $200. This is the place, for child (and pocket) friendly crafty ideas with a recycled agenda so turn up, get stuck in, then chill out.

Today's genius idea? Teach your children to sew.

It's fair to say that I'm more than a little craft obsessed, and this obsession seems to have rubbed off on the smalls of the house.  With in-progress crafty projects in every room, I'm not the least bit surprised when my 18 month old daughter picks up a crochet hook and starts wiggling it in a ball of wool, or my 4 year old son demands to be taught to sew. Since necessity is the mother of invention, this mother got to inventing an easy sewing lesson with items from around my craft room ( almost all available at the Reuse Centre)

So how do you get started?

Grab some yarn scraps (even string will do)
Embroidery Hoop
Onion Bag/Avocado Bag/Orange Bag (anything net like)
Yarn needle or just holding the yarn between finger and thumb to get them started.

1. Pop the net over the bottom piece of the embroidery hoop, pop the top piece over and tighten as necessary to make the net fairly tight. Cut around the hoop leaving at least an inch all the way around the hoop.

2. Thread the yarn or string through the yarn needle, or for younger children holding the string or yarn between finger and thumb should work perfectly well and with no potential for poking themselves.

My son had never sewn before and with little or no instruction he got to work weaving the yarn through the holes.

It's safe to say that I won't be winning any awards for his finished article, but he learnt something new, he polished up on his fine motor skills and hand-eye co-ordination, and he had fun.

Since the yarn can be pulled out again and again, even this reuse-item craft is reusable.

Got some crafty ideas to keep children entertained over the summer holidays? Drop us a line or get in touch on  FB

- Emma (Volunteer)