Featured Reuse-It Item - Neckties

Here at the Reuse Centre we usually have a few neckties kicking around waiting for someone to pick them up and give them a second life. Neckties can be reworn over and over again but they can also be repurposed and upcycled into numerous creative things. Our blog team has put together a number of great ideas to upcycle old and unwanted neckties. Check out what we came up with.

Ellen & Tamara

The best thing about crafting with preloved neckties is that the best patterns are often the ones rejected by current fashion trends. What no longer works with a crisp, professional suit, will look lovely cut to bits on a crafting table!

Using Sadie Seasongoods' tutorial as a guideline, I started with a plain vibrant blue necktie and roughly measured the circumference of a typical to-go coffee cup then snipped the end of the tie to accommodate the circumference. I sewed along the cut line to prevent any unwanted fraying from occurring. The cut line would be hidden by the tip of the tie overlapping, so the seam didn’t need to be fancy. I decided to use adhesive-backed hook and loop Velcro strips. I fixed the loop side of the Velcro fastener to the backside of the tip of the tie and the hook end of the Velcro strip to the other side of the tie. Once the Velcro was attached all I had to do was wrap my necktie cozy around my beverage cup or bottle. Super easy!

Photo Credits: Ellen

With summer just a couple of months away, these drink cozies will be perfect for enjoying a cold beverage out in the sun. What a "cool" idea for keeping your drinks from getting warm this summer!

Vanessa

What better way to repurpose an old necktie than to use it to add a little extra flare and adornment to an existing shirt. I love the contrast of blue with the yellow on this tee shirt created by McKell's Closet. There are unlimited possibilities to create one of a kind ruffled necktie tees.

Mallory

Neckties are easy to find stuffed in the back corners of closets, hanging untouched on hangers, and drooping in second-hand stores. It's also hard to find a use for them once the crazy prints are obscenely out of style.

Good thing there's an upcycle option for everything, including your old ties! A great example for those who are handy with a sewing machine is to use the bright, vibrant colours and interesting prints as focal points in quilts. Your tie quilt will continue to draw attention in a beautifully eye-catching way. See Anita's Piecing and Quilting for a tutorial. 

Sarah

I am always looking for ways to better organize my things, so I'm not always digging for something in my cavernous purse. I love this idea for a pouch made out of an old tie! I have a collection of ties in cool prints that I've been trying to use up, and I think I'll be whipping one of these up over the weekend! See Snapguide for detailed instructions.

 

   

Happy Crafting!

Family Day Celebration 2017!

Join us for our annual Family Day celebration at the Reuse Centre on Monday, February 20th from 12-3pm. 

There will be reuse crafting, facility tours, scavenger hunts, popcorn and more. Look around the store for some puzzles, games, movies or books to bring home and enjoy with the whole family. Our price is $5 for up to 50kg! You can also drop-off any donations on our Accepted Items List during your visit. RSVP to our Facebook event to stay updated about the event. If you are interested in attending, please see the following event schedule:

Reuse Crafting Session, Scavenger Hunt and Popcorn | 12-3pm

We will be making robots with reusable materials. This activity is recommended for children 5 years and up, and parents must stay to supervise in the Workshop Room. Also, grab your family and complete an in-store Reuse Centre scavenger hunt. Celebrate by sharing some popcorn with your team and enter to win a gift basket full of goodies.

Source: Reuse Centre

Composting & Recycling at Home | 12-3pm

Are you a saavy recycler or a newbie composter? Learn more about how you can compost and recycle at home with your family. Make a compost tea bag with the help of Master Composter Recyclers, or ask them about other great ways your family can reduce waste at home.

Source: City of Edmonton

Facility Tours |12pm, 12:30pm, 1pm, 1:30pm, 2pm

Get a sneak peek of the Reuse Centre, behind the scenes. Join us for a free 30 minute tour of the facility and learn more about how we divert waste from landfill. Tours start at the front desk in the store area.

Source: Reuse Centre

We look forward to seeing you at the event. Happy Family Day!

Upcycled Bouquets for your Valentine

Valentine's Day is right around the corner -- do you have plans to surprise your sweetheart? You don't have to break the bank to show them that you care. This year, gift a bouquet of handcrafted flowers that will last forever!

Here are six fun, unique ways to create your own eco-friendly, reuse-crafted flowers for friends, family, and that special someone in your life.

Necktie Roses

Put a funky spin on the classic rose bouquet by making some patterned necktie roses with this tutorial from Joallie Petit. Wild patterns work best, so hit up your favourite thrift store and see what you can find.


Egg Carton Roses

These egg carton roses from Todolwen are easy to make, and have a rustic beauty when made with plain cardboard egg cartons. For a more colourful bouquet, dip-dye or paint your finished flowers in any shade you like.


Pop Can Flowers

These are stunning! I would never have thought you could make something so lovely out of a simple pop can. Check out Crissy's Crafts for the tutorial, and for several ideas on how to use your creations.


Water Bottle Bouquet

This is a great craft for kids who want to make something special for a friend or family member. They're quick and easy enough to make one for every kid in class!

Find out how at Kid Friendly Things to Do.


Storybook Paper Roses

These are perfect for the literature-lover in your life. Grab an old book (preferably one that's in poor condition and can't be read anymore) and craft these elegant paper roses. Make your gift extra special by choosing a book that has meaning for your loved one.

Get the tutorial at 100 Layer Cake.


Pistachio Shell Flowers

I really love the look of these pistachio shell flowers. They're so bright and modern looking! A cluster of these in a nice, simple frame would make a great piece of wall art for your loved one.

See the tutorial at ReLoved Designs.

-Sarah (Volunteer)

New Year's Reuse Resolutions

We're in the second week of 2017 and any resolutions that you made are probably still pretty fresh in your mind. This year, some of our blog team members decided to come up with our own reuse themed resolutions. Each of us created an attainable resolution to reduce some of our negative environmental impacts and change some of our wasteful habits. Here's a look at our reuse resolutions.

Sarah

One of my resolutions this year is to eliminate the use of paper towels and paper napkins in my home. I've stocked my kitchen with rags for wiping up spills and messes, and I made a bunch of fabric napkins out of old cotton scraps. Both of these items are in visible, easy-to-reach spots, which means I'll think of them before I grab their disposable alternatives. 

Interested in making your own cloth napkins? Check DIY Network for a simple tutorial.

Image source: diy network

Vanessa

My reuse resolution for 2017 is to reduce the number of disposable coffee cups that I use. I love a nice hot beverage on these cold Edmonton winter mornings! I try as much as possible to brew my coffee or tea at home and take it to go in a travel mug but there are times that I either run out of time in the morning or just want to treat myself. It's on these occasions that I, more times than not, forget my travel mug at home. Then I always feel guilty when I have to toss my empty cup in the trash. This year, I'm going to make a bigger effort to pack a travel mug with me and have it handy for when I stop at my favourite coffee shop.

Photo credit: Vanessa

Siao

My resolution for this year is to borrow, offer, and buy used. I want to make the conscious effort to consider these options thoroughly before consuming non-essentials. If I was picking up a new hobby, do I know of any friends that would be willing to loan me their tools or old sporting equipment? On the same note, I want to openly offer my unused items for friends and family to use rather than have them sit idly in storage. If there are no extras to be borrowed, then I want to exhaust all options of used purchases before I buy new.

Do you have a reuse resolution? Share it in the comments section.

*Happy New Year 2017 image provided by Gallery

Quick and Easy Quilted Potholder

I recently took a trip to Pennsylvania for a friend's wedding. She lives smack-dab in Amish country, so every gift shop and market I visited was chock full of quilted crafts. Pot holders, pillows, reusable shopping bags, wall hangings and of course, some beautiful and amazing quilted blankets.

I decided I wanted to try a little bit of quilt-crafting myself, and since winter is upon us, I grabbed some holiday fabric from the Reuse Centre and got to work.

I started out trying to make a fancy star like I'd seen in so many Pennsylvania gift shops, but quickly realized I was in over my head! I started over with a simpler design of diagonal strips of patterned fabric, surrounded by a border of plain red.

This quick, easy project took so little fabric that I probably could have made at least five pot holders from the small rolls I picked up! I used my machine for most of the sewing, but this could easily be done by hand with a little patience.

Instead of purchasing quilt batting for the inside, I used two layers of leftover fleecy fabric that I already had in my fabric stash. The hanging loop is a scrap of ribbon cut out of the shoulder of a shirt, making this project 100% reused.

It doesn't quite rival the meticulously stitched works of art I saw stateside, but I'm pretty pleased with how my little potholder turned out. Maybe I'll even work my way up to fancy stars one of these days, too!

-Sarah (Volunteer)

All photographs provided by Sarah

DIY Reusable Magnetic Advent Calendar

In the fall I encountered an advent calendar that had been put out by a local retail store and it inspired me to make my own version. The tins on the original magnet calendar were pretty small, too small for the kinds of tasty treats I’d want in my own version.

Original Advent Calendar from local retail store

To create my calendar, I needed 24 small containers. I put out a call to my family, friends, and colleagues to give me all their small containers of lotions and potions for my project. I decided I wanted round containers, with a lid, approximately 6-8 cm (2-3”) across, I wasn’t fussy about what the container was made from. Once I had collected 24 containers I was ready to go!

My stock of small round containers

I peeled all the labels off of the containers, most of which came off very nicely with no residue left behind. I also needed to take out all of the liners from lids. I gave the containers and lids a good soak and wash in warm water and dish washing soap. The dish soap cut any oils and gunk left behind by the lotions, hair products, and whatever else had been in the containers.

Removing the foam liner from lids

I chose to use fabric to cover the containers, I had some small pieces in my stash that fit the winter/Christmas theme. To cover the lids, I traced a circle of each container lid on the fabric and cut it out. For the sake of ease and time I only covered the lids with fabric, it seemed like an extra hassle to also cover the sides of the containers. Of course you could also use paper, ribbon, or paint to decorate your containers and lids.

Tracing each lid on festive fabric

I borrowed some fancy paper cutting tools from a friend to cut out numbers and snowflakes from extra scrapbook paper I had kicking around. I contemplated painting on the numbers, but I’m not that great at painting fine details and I was worried I’d mess things up.

Numbers and embellishments I cut out for each lid

With my trusty Mod Podge and foam brush in hand, I coated the top of each lid generously and layered on each specific piece of fabric that I had traced and cut out. Once the fabric was on the top of the lid, I added a layer of  Mod Podge to the top of the fabric. I then added my numbers and embellishments to the wet Mod Podge, and added on more layer of Mod Podge and left everything to dry overnight.

Mod Podged lids with fabric, numbers and embellishments

To make a magnetic base for each container, I used magnetic tape. My goal was to put the calendar up on the fridge, or on the metal closet door in our hallway. You could also use a fancy cut piece of metal, a cookie sheet, or a magnetic whiteboard to display your calendar.

Magnetic strip on the the bottom of each container

Once I added the magnetic strip to each container, I filled each container with tasty treats! I went to the Lindt store and purchased small chocolates. I also bought a gift card to go in the final container for December 24th. When all the containers were filled, I had to play around with matching lids to containers, since I didn’t mark them before I started!

Filled containers and matching lids

I learned a few things along the way* that I may go back and change for the next time but overall I’m happy with how my DIY magnetic advent calendar turned out.

The final product!

Next year, I may alternate candy with interesting kinds of tea, love notes, or vouchers for homemade treats that can be redeemed throughout the upcoming year.

*Here are a few helpful tips that I learned that would make the process a little bit easier:

• Rough up the glossier plastic lid surfaces with sandpaper

• I had considered sanding the shiny plastic lids a little to rough up the surface and allow the glue to adhere better but decided against it. Unfortunately, the fabric didn't stick as well to some of the containers with glossier plastic.

• Full magnet coverage on the bottom of each container

• I initially cut medium pieces of magnetic tape for the bottom of each container, so that the magnet would fit across the middle of the container but not go out to the edges. This worked for some of the smaller containers, but not for the taller or bigger containers. The larger containers didn't stay up very well and needed more magnetic backing. If I could go back, I’d use a magnetic sheet and cut a circle to fit the whole bottom of each container. I might still do that before we use the calendar again next year.

Kat (Staff)

All images provided by Kat

Festive Holiday Events!

‘Tis the season for reuse crafting! As the holiday season approaches, it's important to be mindful of the amount of waste created over the holidays. With all the merry festivities comes a mountain of used wrapping paper and purchases of new items, which ends up creating a great amount of waste!

This year, let's try having a Waste-Less Holiday! Celebrate an eco-friendly holiday season by making an effort to decrease our waste before and after the holidays. Instead of buying new, why not head to the Reuse Centre to pick up an artificial tree and deck it out with some creative ornaments? Or, try upcycling Reuse Centre items and create some one of a kind gifts.

To get your creative holiday juices flowing, the Reuse Centre is hosting a number of festive crafting sessions and reuse workshops at the Reuse Centre to provide hands-on holiday reuse crafting. We hope that you will join in the holiday fun!

Free Drop-in Winter Crafting Session

Bring the family for this free crafting session where we will be creating snowmen by using reusable items. This is a great opportunity to get the children engaged with holiday crafting and to check out our holiday reuse ideas that you can make at home. The workshop room will be decorated in reuse Christmas cheer to get you in the holiday mood!

Date: Thursday, December 1st
Time: 4-7pm
Where: Reuse Centre Workshop Room
Ages: Children 5 years and up recommended, parent/guardian must stay to supervise 

Deck the Halls DIY (#586371) 

This special reuse workshop is just for adults! Cozy up to the DIY fireplace as we show you how to transform ordinary household items into festive home decor. Repurpose old lightbulbs to make hanging ornaments, craft a wine cork Christmas tree and try out some paper-free gift wrapping alternatives. All craft materials and some light refreshments (tea and cookies) provided.

Date: Thursday, December 8th
Time: 6:30-8:30pm
Where: Reuse Centre Workshop Room
Ages: Adult
Cost: $18

Register: through eReg or by calling 311 (course # 586371)

All I Want is a Waste-Less Crafty Christmas (#586370)

This reuse workshop is for the whole family. Make a frosty snowman light-up jar, a decorative holiday wreath and Christmas tree ornaments with puzzle pieces. While waiting for your project to dry, try playing one of our winter-themed games, and nibble on some tasty treats. All materials provided. Adult must register and attend with the child(ren) registered in the course.

Date: Saturday, December 10th
Time: 10am -noon
Where: Reuse Centre Workshop Room
Ages: 6 years - Adult
Cost: Child $8 / Adult $15

Register: through eReg or by calling 311 (course #586370)

Happy Holiday Crafting!