How to DIY Age Wood

Finished 6 wine box display

I have read lots about this on tutorials and it seemed like quite a bit of work but thought I would give it a go.

First you need some wood to age. 

I chose wine boxes because they fitted in with the size of my Creative Upcycling craft fair display table & I needed something that could withstand the rigors of being flung in and out of my car and dropped on the floor regularly when I manage to overturn my trolley!

You will also need:

Black Tea (I also needed some to drink as I did the job)

Distilled vinegar (the clear stuff)

Fine wire wool (Not a soap filled pad!)

A two inch paint brush

A surface to work on (REMEMBER THIS IS MESSY AND THE VINEGAR WILL MAKE A MESS OF YOUR EXPENSIVE DINNER TABLE)

Wire Wool to Oxidise

Firstly put the wirewool in a jamjar with the vinegar and walk away for a couple of days.

Distilled Vinegar

I got really impatient at this point so decided to experiment with just using white vinegar without having to wait for the wire wool to oxidise in the jam jar. 

Once you are ready with black tea in a jam jar and the vinegar in another jam jar you are ready to go.  Using the brush paint the wood of the box with tea.  You do this because the brown stuff in tea is tannin and when the chemicals in the tannin react with the vinegar it turns the surface a lovely grey colour.  You could experiment with not painting with tea as often untreated boxes have plenty of tannin naturally present in the wood.

Be careful as the tea mixture is very drippy and you want the box to be coated evenly with tea.  Leave this to dry.

Next having washed the tea brush and dried on a paper towel use the vinegar mixture by brushing onto the box.  Again be careful as its drippy.  By the magic of chemical reactions, the box will start to ‘silver grey’ as it dries.  I found that by painting over again with vinegar the box colour darkened.

Left Side after Vinegar Right Side before Vinegar

I also found no difference using the vinegar straight away without the wire wool oxidation, my top tip is to trial what you do on a piece of wood (in an unobtrusive place) until you get the finish you like.

To protect the silvered surface you can use clear wax and a little elbow grease or you can spray with a matt acrylic finish or a high gloss finish.  Its all down to personal taste.

I painted the inside of my boxes with a white matt emulsion paint watered down to 2:1 but again you could do a different type of finish inside or do the same as the outside.  The only limits are your imagination. Beware watered down emulsion is also drippy and will make a mess (see my photo showing mess!)

Good luck and if you have any other tips please share them as I love to hear from you.

Valentines Day - Romantic but Frugal

As a teenager, Valentines Day was … well… awkward!  The peer pressure was intense.  Did you get a Valentine card?  How many?  Who From?  If you got one and you didn’t know who it was from there was a strange feeling of who is that stalking me!!  No wonder it felt awkward.

Looking into the history of Valentines Day the festival of Lupercalia was celebrated by the Romans on February 15^th and was all about fertility it was decided in 496 by the Pope that February 14 would be the feast day for St Valentine (presumably because the old Roman festival was still being celebrated).

Beeswax Tea Lights
Creative & Upcycling

Today, as with many occasions, Valentines day has become another day of the year when we are encouraged to spend money on our beloved.  This year I am trying to stay frugal.  For me nothing says romantic like candlelight and moonlight!  As it may be a little chilly outside to stare at the moon with my beloved I will be enjoying candlelight in the form of little heart shape tealights filled with natural beeswax.

The beeswax is from local hives and is filtered by use of a solar filter.  The warmth from the sun melts the wax which is then filtered to remove any impurities.  Check this YouTube video which shows how it works. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQbcglp85f4 Anything that helps to promote bees is fine by me as they are vital for our UK food production.

I am also making a simple Valentines card by upcycling some of the many buttons I have in my button stash.  We all have buttons from old clothes this is the ideal way to use them up. You don’t have to go out and buy card in a bulk pack I managed to save some card that came with some clothing (A shirt was folded round, it ok, its white on one side and grey on the other but with the addition of an inside sheet of copy paper its fine).  The envelope is just some recycled wrapping paper.  Check out upcycling project ideas on YouTube and Pinterest for envelopes and cards.

Vintage China Birdfeeder
Creative & Upcycling

 For my beloved, I am looking at a gift for the garden.  Last year he did some landscaping in the garden so now we have quite a lot of empty space.  We decided that we are going to include more bird and insect friendly planting so my choice of gift is a bird feeder that can hang from the old apple tree  (I make these from vintage china so its rare that there are two the same!).

Roses growing in the garden

I am also getting a National Garden gift voucher so that some plants can be bought. I love the idea of making the Valentines present something that will with careful nurturing grow, it will be of benefit to other creatures and is something we can both enjoy.  It’s definitely in the spirit of that old Roman festival of Lupercalia, appeals to my creative and upcycling side and I know my beloved will like it!

If you have any frugal, creative or upcycling ideas for Valentines day let me know its good to hear from my readers.

Post Christmas Blues? - Not Me!

Family Christmas Present

Nostalgia it’s a funny feeling I get, I guess we all do.  It can be a piece of music, the perfume of the person next to you on the bus or train or for me today it was putting the Christmas decorations away.

Its 12^th night tonight in our family at least, we have always put the decorations away before the end of 12^th night.  (see there goes that tradition/nostalgia thing again!).  Various people have theories about the 12 days of Christmas and I find them hard to fathom so am sticking with what we always did!

Red White & Grey Christmas Decorations

This year for Christmas we had a red white and grey theme for the first time and I loved it!  For the last few years we have been safe with blues & greens in a peacock tail feather hue, but I decided after many forays into Pinterest; check my board called Christmas, on my interpretation of a Scandi theme.

I was pleased with the results I had bought some inexpensive decorations as well as some local hand crafted pieces in glass.  The strange feeling of nostalgia was triggered by all the vintage baubles that I had remembered having on the tree as a child.

I think we are lucky to have any vintage glass baubles to hang as over the years we have had many adventurous cats who have made it their Christmas mission to scale the dizzy heights of the tree with the inevitable crashing to the floor consequences!  I remembered Christmas morning finding a pillowcase full of fabulous stuff, usually books about ponies by the Pullen-Thompsons oh and those lovely selection boxes!  I have photos showing various family members posing next to the most clashing colour tree imaginable year upon year.

Only the hardy decorations have survived the decades and the cats and I enjoyed putting them on the tree again this year even the little red one that is scratched so it shows the silver bottom layer.  It brought on a huge feeling of nostalgia for times past and obviously, memories of family and friends no longer here. 

Some vintage and modern Christmas Decorations

I think far from making me sad it just made me smile about the past, would I ever dare to put a tree up in the house with so many colours on it today? (probably not) I also laugh about the pine needles being found months later (trees used to shed a lot and combined with the cats … well!)

The vintage baubles are wrapped up for next December and far from feeling depressed about January I have a warm fuzzy nostalgia fuelled glow to keep me going.  I have a feeling the Pinterest board will fill with more ideas during the coming year.

I hope you are able to pass on some Christmas traditions to the next generation and everyone feels the glow of nostalgia.  Oh and if you can work out why we take them down on the 5^th rather than the 6^th please can you let me know because I am, as ever confused.

Is Being Creative Good for You?

The good news is … … … YES

Art Relieves Everyday Stress

Don’t you find that activities like painting, making models, drawing, gardening and photography are relaxing and rewarding?  These hobbies can lower your stress levels and leave you feeling mentally clear and calm.

Why does this happen?

Creating art provides a distraction from what you are normally going over in your head, so it gives the brain a mini-break from your usual thoughts.

When you get immersed in creative endeavour, you can find yourself in what’s known as ‘the zone’.  This state focuses your mind and temporarily pushes aside all your worries, focus on small detail is almost like meditation.

 But aren’t these types of hobbies expensive?

Well it doesn’t have to be expensive, many of us have a digital camera on our phone, and some people also have a digital camera.  You can just take a photo of something pretty or that catches your eye each day for a week.  Load it onto Instagram or Facebook and wait for people to like and comment.  Making other people happy through your photos will be good for you too.

If you are the sort of person who does not like that idea why not get an adult colouring book.  These are available in many shops like The Works, B&M, Homebargains, Aldi and Lidl. (and many other places as well!).  They are not expensive and then all you need are some coloured pencils or felt tips.

Construction of models as children many of us enjoyed Lego, Meccano, Brio and Airfix kits.  The good news it they are not just for kids.  You can have loads of fun building with Lego and these toys are often available in charity shops for a few pounds.

Being Creative can enhance Problem Solving Skills

Because there is no real right or wrong way to be creative our brain naturally gets a work out when faced with a problem.  Artists don’t always use blue for the sky and green for the grass.  If you don’t have blue in your box of paints you may use other shades of grey or green, yellow or pink to colour the sky.  This can be a liberating way of thinking and allows us to consider other options in our day to day problem solving. 

Finishing a lovely art project boosts self esteem.

Its good to get a project finished it gives us a warm feeling.  That feeling of self esteem is boosted when we finish a piece of art that others can admire.  A cross stitch card given to a friend, a lovely calendar with views of where you live, a model of your house in lego, or a completed hand coloured picture can be admired by others who will compliment you on your work.  It makes you feel happy. 

It can help Dementia Patients

This is something I have seen first hand.  I took a silk painting class and some of the other pupils were suffering with Dementia.  They were relaxed and calm when taking part in the class it also enabled them to talk to others in the class and the social interaction together with making some pretty artwork they could keep had a really positive effect.

Final thoughts – Everyone is a Creative, you may play music, take photos, write poems, colour in pictures or make models.  You don’t need too much special equipment or loads of time.  Give it a try you may find you have a talent you didn’t know about.  You may even (like me) find a way to make it into your job.  I am a Creative, Upcycling is my passion!

Enjoy creativity, its good for you.

 

Sustainable gifts for Pets and Pet Lovers

In the last couple of months I have been thinking about mans best friend!  This could be because we have three working dogs or could be because so many friends and family have dogs, cats, rabbits, horses etc!

I wanted to design a range of gifts for dog lovers that could feature upcycled products but were also stylish.  I have noticed that lots of products in pet stores or supermarkets are made from plastic and are therefore not very kind to the planet.  I also noticed posts on the about dogs that had been harmed by the design of some of the toys they had been given.

With all this in mind I decided to try to do a small range of products for dogs.  I now have Harris Tweed Dog Bow Ties for medium to large dogs.  I have designed these with a flexible loop on the back to enable them to fit a range of collar sizes and also for easy removal.

I have made from pure cotton t'shirts a flexible dog toy, it can be thrown or used as a tug play toy.  It can be washed if required in a normal washing machine.  Because its cotton its kind if your pooch chews it and swallows any toy its organic so will pass through the gut without causing a problem.  I do suggest that you supervise play with your dog as this is common sense.

For medium to small dogs I have doggy bandannas also in cotton.  These are supplied by a friend who makes them to send funds for Westie Rehoming a charity.  I am really pleased to be able to stock these as they enhance my range and although not upcycled are made with care and in quality cotton and I know they are helping to fund rehoming a cause close to my heart.  (I have rehomed pets)

Finally; literally and figuratively I have made dog bag dispensers in Harris Tweed.  These bone shape dispensers are refillable with a roll of 15 bags, and have a handy clip for your dog lead, your zip or your belt.  They are in muted shades as I understand that some people do not like carrying brightly coloured dog bag holders.  Dog mess is not a pleasant subject but as responsible dog owners we pick up after our pets, just because its kinder to other pets, children and local wildlife.

I am always up for suggestions for new product; I am considering a silk bow tie for a smaller dog made from upcycled mens ties, but as yet its a work in progress.

Hope you are enjoying happy days with your pets as the weather gets better and the day are lengthening.

How To: Upcycle Vintage Linen

Have you ever found, bought or inherited some pretty embroidered vintage linen?

You look at it think, 'thats so pretty'

Then you realise you just don't use little dainty embroidered napkins just the normal paper ones from Ikea! 

Here is a quick way of reusing the linen.

Buy plastic buttons to cover with fabric, mine are from the local haberdasher in the market. (about 14mm in diameter).
Place on your fabric and draw a rough circle round your choice of pattern.  (I like two matching patterns but thats just me)

I want the red flower head to feature on the finished button so I use a large tacking stitch round the circle to help gather evenly. but if you like you can just do this without the tacking.

You may have to do some adjustments to get the shape you want so that the edges look reasonably smooth.

It will look like this on the reverse side.  Its time to put the plastic backing onto the shank of the button.




Once the back is firmly in position (you can also put a blob of E6000 glue [or similar] on before the backing for added security)  then I use a sharp craft knife to cut part of the shank away to ensure you have a fairly flat area to put glue so you can stick the button to a hair clip.  If you wanted to use the buttons to embellish a sewing project do not cut off the shank!



                                                                           

I got a collection of different buttons together that match well and found some pretty metal click hair snaps.  (I chose some that had a plastic coating that don't snag in your hair).  I use E6000 glue (but many others are available!)  It is just that it does the job efficiently and I don't want the buttons coming off the hair clips.

So there you have it a quick way of making use of old linen and 
these clips would be good for friends going to festivals or for little girls for dance or gym class.  They make really good stocking fillers and you have time to make before Christmas.  Just add a couple to some pretty birthday cards you have kept for recycling.

Hope you enjoy making them and please let me know how you get on.

Clare x

How time flies!

Update for Creative Upcycling

It seems a long time since I sat down and taken the time to write a blog post.  Its not procrastination (honestly!).  I have spent the time since I last blogged trying (and failing at times) new ideas for my upcycling business.

For example I love painted furniture: who doesent?  but it takes hours to do it right and not have a drippy poorly finished mess on your hands.  I really wanted to be able to offer painted items with upholstered seats or cushions but have realised that the materials and time involved would make those pieces soooo expensive to sell, that my poor customers would think I was having a laugh!  I am leaving painted furniture to those who have time and maybe some sort of spray facilities that enable them to produce those beautiful finishes I love.

So I hear you cry what have you been doing in all that time?  Well so glad you asked me that.  I have taken some time with my web designer Girl Friday Web Services to do a website with a shop facility so you can buy some of the range of items I make.  I wanted a safe secure way for my customers to shop, or get in touch with requests for personalised items.  Just before Christmas 2015 I launched my new site and I hope you will agree the images done by Jim Hawkins Ltd are lovely and reflect what I like about my products.

I have managed over the past year to source Harris Tweed which was a byproduct from a furniture upholsterer near Manchester.  This tweed is new but is in effect the offcuts so come in strange sizes and shapes, I dont know what colours I am going to get and to top it all it arrives in a huge sack.  I hadn't realised when I opened the sack I would:

* Never fit it all back inside again

* Be hoovering wool lint up for weeks

* Be challenged to make lots of different sized products

I have (I think) managed to settle on a range of products to fit the sizes of tweed I have available.

Larger sizes become iPad or Samsung covers, they are lined with soft vintage cotton.  I like to cover buttons with tweed or if I have a beautiful vintage button I use those in the construction.

Slightly smaller pieces become either the covers of hip flasks or coin purses, which I line with vintage liberty print fabric.  I managed to source some lovely vintage Liberty fabric when on a visit to Bishops Castle.  I am drawn like a magpie to second hand & vintage shops where you can often find beautiful things that have never been used.  

Hip flasks have proved to be very popular as the covers can be removed for hand washing.  I may upon request provide extra covers for a hip flask if you have previously bought one from Creative Upcycling.

The smaller sizes are made into keyrings with the addition of a suede or leather backing which makes the product more durable and cufflinks which have been a huge success for mens gifts but also increasingly for women who want to wear a smart shirt.

In my next blog I will be sharing my tips on how to make hair clips that are pretty and unique and can be worn by all ages.

Please leave comments or suggestions I love to chat and if you have a great upcycling tip let me know if I use it in my blog I will credit you and I will send you a little gift to say 'Thank You'

Creative Upcycling, green, sustainable and made with love x