Opal Crown: Upcycle

A sustainable alternative to gift wrapping is furoshiki. Which is a traditional Japanese wrapping cloth used to wrap gifts or carry belongings. The type of fabric that is most commonly used is cotton, silk, nylon, or rayon. I love using fabric instead of single-use gift wraps to reduce waste. Cloth wrapping doesn't only look gorgeous, but it can last a very long time. You can use various pattern designs or colors depending on who you are planning on gifting it to. I wanted to make the fabric wrap using materials I already had at home. I found these beautiful fabric scraps I've used in previous projects. They were perfect and came out better than I expected.

MATERIALS:

Fabric
Scissors
Needle & thread or sewing machine
Optional: greenery or flowers

DIRECTIONS:

1.) Cut the fabric to your desired size or depending on the size of your gift. (Mine measures 60 by 60 cm.)

2.) With the right side facing down, fold and press half an inch from the edge.

3.) Fold and press the edge again. (Do this to each side.)

4.) Pin the edges so they won't unfold.

5.) Sew using a straight stitch by hand or with a sewing machine.

6.) Do this to each side, and you are done!

7.) Decorate the gift with greenery or dried flowers.

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One of my first zero-waste swaps was this canvas tote bag. I purchased it years ago and still use it to this day. I wanted to give it a fresh new look using fabric paint. I was going for a modern/minimalistic landscape design, similar to a painting I saw on Pinterest a while back. I loved how easy it was to transform this bag, it quickly became one of my favorites, and I can't wait to share with you guys how simple it was to make.

MATERIALS NEEDED:

Tote Bag
Fabric Paint
Paintbrushes
Masking Tape
Pencil

DIRECTIONS:

1.) Place a piece of cardboard inside the tote bag so the paint won't transfer to the other side.

2.) Create a border using masking tape.

3.) With a pencil, draw 3 overlapping mountains and the sun in the center.

4.) With a cream color, paint the background of the tote bag.

5.) Next, paint each mountain a different color. For the first mountain, I decided to mix red and orange with a tiny bit of black to obtain a color similar to terracotta.

6.) For the second mountain, I mixed orange, red, and white paint to achieve a coral color.

7. For the last mountain, I lightened the coral paint with more white.

8.) For the sun, I painted it using mustard yellow.

9.) Remove the masking tape once the paint has dried. (You can stop here, or you can turn the tote bag over to paint the other side.)

10.) For the back of the tote bag, I basically did the exact same thing, except I drew a crescent moon instead of a sun.

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Ever since my son got his first playhouse 2 years ago, I've been trying to give it a makeover and transform it into something even better. For the past couple of days, I was brainstorming how I wanted to remodel my son's tiny house, and thanks to Pinterest, I came up with several great ideas. Because I've been spending so much time at home, I finally had the opportunity to start working on this project. With the help of my team ( my son & mom ), we were able to tackle this project in less than a few hours. We had so much fun working on the playhouse and spending time together, that every second of it was absolutely worth it.

MATERIALS NEEDED:

2 white spray cans for the roof and windows
2 gray spray cans for the outer walls and indoor walls
1 black spray can for the door and sink
Clear topcoat spray paint
drill or screwdriver

DECOR ITEMS:

Curtains
Decorative sign
Plants or flowers

DIRECTIONS:

1.) CLEAN.

The first step is to peel off any labels/stickers from the playhouse. Which was easy to remove using soap and water.

The next step was to rinse and remove any dust from the playhouse.

With a towel, we wiped down each area of the playhouse to ensure each piece was fully dry.

2.) TAKING APART THE PLAYHOUSE.

After the playhouse was nice and clean, we took apart the entire house.

3.) PAINT.

Now for the fun part, I sprayed the entire house twice and followed up with a clear topcoat to protect the paint from chipping.

4.) PUT IT BACK TOGETHER.

Once the paint was fully dried, we put the playhouse back together again.

5.) FINAL TOUCHES.

Finally, to finish the tiny house, I made some curtains, added a decorative sign, and a plant.

2 comments

Making a tie front top is a lot easier than you'd think and can be made in under 5 minutes. Seriously it's that easy to create, all you need is an old top, some fabric glue, and a pair of scissors. In no time you'll transform an ordinary top into something more stylish and modern.

MATERIALS NEEDED:

Old Top
Fabric Glue
Scissors

DIRECTIONS:

1.) Start by folding the t-shirt in half.

2.) Cut straight across the front side of the shirt. Continue to cut until you reach the top of the neckline and then cut it in a v-shape.

3.) Carefully cut the rest of the collar, as shown in the picture below.

4.) Glue along the edges of the top, fold over, and press.

5.) To finish off the top, tie a knot on the front side, and it's done!

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I'm always looking for different ways of reducing less waste in my life, particularly when it comes to disposable products like makeup remover pads. Single-use items like makeup wipes or cotton pads are incredibly wasteful and are harmful to the environment. Making your own won't only save you money in the long run, but it's also more sustainable and can last you a very long time if well taken care of.

MATERIALS NEEDED:

Cotton Fabric Scrap (other options: Bamboo, hemp, flannel, old t-shirt, etc...)
Scissors
Needle & Thread

DIRECTIONS:

1.) Thoroughly wash the fabric before you start sewing, to prevent shrinkage later on.

2.) Fold the fabric in half and cut it into even circles. I used a candle to obtain the perfect circle, but you can use anything round that you have in hand.

3.) Layer two circles together with the right sides facing each other.

4.) Sew using a needle and thread, or you can use a sewing machine.

5.) With the leftover fabric scrap, I made a mini drawstring bag to store the cotton rounds inside.

Sleep Spray
DIY Cutlery Wrap
How To Make Produce Bags

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If there's something I enjoy doing, is customizing my clothes. Even though my sewing skills aren't the best, that never stops me from transforming any piece of garment I choose to work on. That's why I like to tie-dye because you can change the way your clothes look with minimal effort. All you need for this project is fabric dye, a 100% cotton t-shirt, a pair of gloves, and a couple of rubber bands. I loved how each piece of clothing turned out unique. I couldn't wait to share with you guys how easy it was to make.