Old Shirts = New Scarf

A while back I decided I wanted to do a few recycled projects with old t-shirts.  I asked everyone I know to clean out their dressers and donate a few t-shirts to my cause.  I couldn't believe how they all came through for me...

Three quarters of this pile is from my brothers and their families.  The other quarter is from the 98 cent sale at the DAV Thrift store.

I already had several projects in mind. Revamp a few t-shirts into a new look, a scarf, an ipod case, a laptop sleeve, a few green bags, a scarf, a skirt, maybe a few pair of pajama shorts, etc.

I may not get through all of those projects, but I will definitely get several of them made.  So, let's start with the scarf...

I decided to get a little scrappy with this project.  I picked 25 t-shirts that had fun or colorful prints on them and cut them up into 9" x 4" rectangles.  I made sure not to put two t-shirts of the same color next to each other, but other than I just start picking up pieces and stitching them together to create the front of the scarf. Then I took a piece of solid navy jersey fabric that I had in my stash and cut it to the same size as my scarf front.

To add a little feminine flair to the scarf, I stitched a ruffle on each end before stitching the front and back together.

The coolest thing about this scarf was that when I wore it around my family, everyone could look at the scarf and see what used to be there t-shirt...and everyone had a little piece in there.  

Plus, it keeps me a lot warmer than I expected.  Perfect for cool days.

An Outdoor Rug Makeover

A few months ago I found this great sisal rug at a thrift store for $6!  Yes, I said $6!  I couldn't pass it up.  I had been on the lookout for a rug I could paint to use on my kitchen floor and this was the perfect size.

Unfortunately, I have this playful dog that thinks anything on the floor is a chew toy.  So, I laid the rug out in the kitchen to see if she would leave it alone....but, it only took about 10 minutes to decide it wouldn't work.  She was just waiting for me to leave the house so she could tear this rug apart without me stopping her.

On to plan B....a birthday gift for mom!  Once again I wasn't smart enough to get a before picture, but hopefully with this one you can imagine the before pretty easily.

I used a large wall stencil to create the background print.  As you can see from the picture, I had a few spots where it didn't line up perfectly.  This was my first stenciled rug and the surface was so uneven.  Even with the imperfections, I love how it turned out....and more importantly so was she!

Hopefully I can find another great rug like this one again very soon!

Crafty Upcycle #1: Ombre Bleached Jeans Tutorial

I am totally on board with this explosion of the ombre trend.  So, I decided to give a few pairs of old jeans a new look...one successfully and one not-so-successfully. 

Here are the before looks:

 This was a pretty easy, yet time consuming process. 

Supplies Needed:

Old (or New) Pair of Jeans

Bleach

Large Bucket or Bin

Pants Hanger with Clips

A word of warning...if you are planning on doing this, try to organize it when you can do it outside.  I was not that smart and bleached these in a bucket set in the bathtub in a bathroom with no window.  By the end of the night my eyes were burning so bad that I was having a hard time focusing on my bleach fumes induced hallucinations.  

Step 1:  Mix 12 cups of bleach with 6 cups of water in the large bucket or bin

Step 2:  Attach hanger to jeans on the end you are not going to bleach (I recommend you leave the waist the darkest and go lighter towards the bottom)  The hanger will help you control how evenly  the jeans are set in the liquid.  

Step 3:  Once you have decided where you want the first layer of faded color to be, fully immerse the jeans in the bleach/water mix up to that point.  Leave the area that you want to remain the darkest out of the mix.  Let the jeans soak for at least 10 minutes.

Step 4:  Remove the jeans from the mix and let hang dry for at least 30 minutes to allow the bleach to take effect.

Step 5:  Repeat Steps 3 & 4, but each time leave a larger section of the jeans out of the bleach/water mix.

Step 6:  Once you have bleached the entire pair, let hang dry over night.  Wash the jeans and they are ready to wear.

Note:  One pair that I bleached turned yellowish in the area that was supposed to be white.  I soaked them in liquid dish soap for a few hours and then washed them with OxiClean twice and they came out white. 

Here is the final product: 

Let's start with the bad news first....my failure jeans:

(Please don't judge me on my lack of a pedicure)

This look just didn't work.  So...I guess now I shall try, try again.  Maybe a denim skirt or a coin purse.  To be continued....

Now on to the good news...my success jeans:

This worked so much better!  I was thrilled with the final result and now I have a pair of jeans that are a little  more exciting than the rest of them.

 

From Coffee Table to Ottoman

I have had this coffee table for years and never really loved it or hated it.  It was just there.  So, I decided it was time to turn it into something I love.

One thing I really love to do while sitting on the couch is put my feet up on the table.  However, the table is an extremely uncomfortable place to rest your feet.  So, the obvious solutions was turn it into an ottoman.

But, I couldn't just leave it a boring stained wood color.  It needed a new life and that means a new color.

So, I painted the legs turquoise...

...added a foam cushion to the top...

...covered the foam with a layer of batting....

...and covered that with a chic textured black fabric.

I love how it transformed the living room.  I am no longer apathetic about this table.  Now I love it!!  Plus it is such a comfortable place to put my feet up after a long day.  Why didn't I do this sooner?

 

Upgrade your shades

As I was surfing the blogosphere, I came across this great tutorial on  I Spy DIY on adding a little bling to your sunglasses.  And who doesn't love sunglasses?  I do, but I definitely prefer the $5 sunglasses to the $75 ones.  So, this is a great way to have the best of both worlds...cheap and glamorous.

The tutorial I was following was for cat eye sunglasses, but I couldn't find the right pair with the cat eye design...however, I found these great sunglasses and they were just the right price.

I gathered my materials, curled up in front of the TV and glamorized my new shades.

20 minutes later and viola...they are no longer boring $5 sunglasses.

I added a clear coat of nail polish.  Mostly because it felt like that was the natural next step.

Check out the tutorial on I Spy DIY here.