Walls looking bare? Don't toss out last year's calendars. Discover a fun way to reuse old calendars and make wall art to decorate your home....
How to Reuse Old Calendars to Make Cute Framed Art on the Cheap
Easy DIY Denim Book Straps
When I cut a couple of pairs of worn out jeans into jorts (jean shorts) the other day, I had a pile of denim left over. Because I’m a no-waste weirdo, I couldn’t just toss out the scrap fabric. I might be able to something with it. Something really cool. Something unexpected. Much to my surprise, I actually did come up with a pretty neat use for that leftover material. The thin strips of denim left over from trimming my shorts work great as book straps for notebooks. You know, like the straps that go around Moleskin notebooks. All notebooks tend to expand with time and use. Their pages get all flared out and they won’t stay closed properly unless you set something heavy on top of them. Now, you have an easy (and inexpensive) solution. Strap that notebook down with a sweet denim band made from your old jeans. See…just like a Moleskin, only better! I like the clash between the industrial look of the denim and the ultra-feminine images on this notebook. You can also use the strap as a bookmark! What do you think? Would you use a scrap of denim as a book strap? Do...
How to Wrap Gifts Without Buying Wrapping Paper
Buying new wrapping paper, bows, ribbon and tissue paper every Christmas can get expensive—and wasteful. With a little creative thinking and a bit of scavenging around the house, you can find everything you need to wrap gifts with recycled or reused materials. Here are some ideas that I used this year. Newspaper This versatile classic never gets old. Newspaper makes the perfect reuse wrapping paper. It even has the same fun ripping sound and sensation as traditional wrapping paper. And, you can even wrap the gift in the section of the newspaper that best fits the recipient. Funnies for the kiddos. Home and Garden for mom. Sports for dad. Style for sis. I’m being stereotypical here. Please be more creative than I am. Greenery Head out to the backyard and trim some pieces off that pine tree and whatever those other trees are called that are green all winter (Are they just evergreens?). Whatever they’re called, snip off a few boughs and incorporate them into your gift wrapping. A simple twig or two tucked into some ribbon or string will make a package look rustic. For the package above, I made a mini wreath out of snippets of greenery. The...