October Reuse-It Item - Favourite DIY Halloween Decorations

With Halloween just under a week away, we thought that it's only fitting for this month's Reuse-it item to be our favourite DIY Halloween decorations. 

These DIY projects are easy to make and are great for all ages. Check out our favourite ideas and try some of these on your own, or with friends and family!

Vanessa

Pine cone bats are simple to make and are a great way to use up pine cones laying around your yard before winter starts. All you need is some felt, glue, paper, and googly eyes. Instructions can be found at Fireflies + Mud Pies.

Creating a monster door is a fun way to add lots of character to the exterior of your house, when you're short on time or have limited supplies. These doors use coloured paper, paper plates, tape, and party streamers. Find out more details on how to create a monster door at GoodtoKnow.

Sarah

These DIY jar lanterns from Adventure in a Box are gorgeous, and you don't need to be a great artist to make them! Crafters have the option of making their own designs, or using the printable ones from the website. This is a great all-ages craft that looks classy!

Tamara & Lana

Ghost jugs are a simple Halloween decoration that both adults and kids can create. Grab a few 4L empty milk jugs, draw faces on them using permanent markers, and then cut a hole in the back to insert a light. You can find the tutorial at eighteen 25.

A fun variation of this project is to print large letters on each jug to spell out a message or spooky phrase. Another alternative is to add a bit of colour by using coloured permanent markers or a string of coloured lights.

What's your favourite DIY Halloween decoration? Share your favourites in the comments section. Happy crafting!

Goblins and Ghosts and Picture Frames, Oh My!

I love the idea of holiday decorating, but I don't have a pinterest-perfect home. Cute knickknacks on tables and ornaments on shelves tend to get shoved aside in favour of functionality.

This is why I've decided to focus on seasonal decorating with picture frames! My walls are never littered with the empty coffee mugs, books, and cat toys that seem to plague all of the horizontal surfaces in my apartment. 

There are so many ways to use picture frames in your decor. Here are a few of my favourites for Halloween!

Halloween Floating Frames

I love how simple and easy these are! Any frame would be great for this project, with the help of a little bit of paint. The best part is that they'd be really easy to repaint and switch out with each season. 

This tutorial from g*rated uses window clings, but if you have frames that could take two pieces of glass, you could easily design and cut out your own shapes from black or patterned paper. 

DIY Ghost Face Picture Frames

These spooky ghost faces would be perfect for a Halloween party or haunted house! They're a bit more complicated than the window-cling frames above, but this turorial from eHow actually looks pretty easy. 

Boo Frames

These cute frames are easy to make, and a great way to use up bits and pieces of scrapbook or wrapping paper! See the tutorial at A Diamond in the Stuff.

DIY Framed Spiderwebs

Low on time and decorating energy? These quick, easy spiderwebs can be made in a frame of any shape, size, or colour. The tutorial from Twelve on Main uses wooden frames and a staple gun to attach the yarn, but hot glue (or regular glue and a bit of patience) would also do the trick on a metal or plastic frame. 

Halloween Wreath

I love the detail of this funky Halloween picture frame wreath from My Humble Home and Garden. With a little bit of hunting for the right materials, it would be very easy to create something similar.

If you like the idea, but want something with a bit more of a seasonal autumn theme, there are also lots of great picture frame wreath tutorials online!

-Sarah (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

A Glimpse of Reuse at The Works Art & Design Festival

Photo Credit: Siao

It was another expressive and musing year at North America's largest, free outdoor art and design festival. This year, from June 23 - July 5th, there were 55 exhibits across 29 venues within downtown Edmonton and throughout the city for the The Works Art & Design Festival. Although there were many brilliant and vast performances, design and art pieces at the festival, I wanted to give a nod to the reusers.

Right in Churchill square, Canopy by José Luis Torres brought reprieve from the beaming sunshine. This temporary installation was made of recycled and biodegradable materials. It is reminiscent of a stroll in a forest and was a wonderfully interactive piece where many Edmontonians walked through and took a break on the benches underneath. You can see large pieces of the recycled material he used in this installation. This is his second year exhibiting in Edmonton. Last year, he featured Mutations at Latitude 53 Contemporary Visual Culture.

 

 

Photo Credit: Siao

My favorite part of these festivals are always the crafting sessions and there were several stations located in City Hall and Churchill Square.  Drawing from all the different art forms found at the festival, kids of all ages were able to use those inspirations to make their own pieces. I am always awed by their creations and curious to find the next José Luis Torres.

Photo Credit:Siao

In the midst of the festival, there were a lot of vendors on the food street and art market. One stall had a great collection of prints on dictionary pages. This could be a fun idea for your own project. Instead of dictionary pages, you could use old music sheets, encyclopedia pages, or telephone books.

Photo Credit: Siao

If you missed The Works Art & Design Festival, there are still many great art and craft events around Edmonton to check out:

• Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival - August 11-21, 2016
• Kaleido Family Art Festival - September 9-11, 2016

Siao (Volunteer)

Reuse Centre's Emerald Award Success

Last month, the Reuse Centre received an Emerald Award from the Alberta Emerald Foundation, in the category of Government Institution. Emerald Awards recognize and celebrate outstanding environmental achievements and excellence across all sectors in Alberta.

Since opening in 2007, the Reuse Centre has diverted thousands of tonnes of reusable items from landfill and provided affordable items for reuse for individuals and organizations. We continue to see significant growth in the amount of items donated for reuse. In 2015, City of Edmonton residents and organizations donated 243 tonnes of items. That's an average of 20 tonnes per month, or more than 1 ETS bus. Processing and sorting all of these donations is no small feat! Our dedicated team of staff and volunteers sort through and organize all of these donations.

Reuse Centre staff and volunteers are thrilled and honoured to be recognized by the Alberta Emerald Foundation for our positive environmental impact. We look forward to continuing to divert more and more waste from landfill through reusing.

Thank you to all of our customers who purchase and donate items, and to our volunteer partner groups. We wouldn’t be where we are now without your support!

 

Canada Day DIY Ideas

Happy Canada Day! Why not celebrate Canada's 149th birthday this year by exercising your DIY skills? Create some holiday decor to celebrate the national holiday in style. Check out these simple reuse craft ideas to try out with your family!

Canada Day Wind Sock

A great backyard decoration that shows your pride for Canada! Upcycle a tin can and decorate with red and white paint, ribbon, and a maple leaf stencil. Add some old keys or cutlery to turn it into a patriotic wind chime. Learn how on Creative Mama on a Dime

Canada Day Jar Centerpiece

Make a statement on your table. Create a charming patriotic centerpiece by upcycling a mason jar! Don’t forget your red and white paint with a signature maple leaf on the front. Read more at Love Create Celebrate

Canada Day Bunting

You cannot decorate a party without some bunting! Try this Canada Day themed bunting using upcycled books. Add some flair by decorating with red and white buttons. Find out more at Simple As That Blog

Happy Canada Day Crafting!

Jenny (Staff)