Upcycle Living

We probably can't go a week without buying something. Some of us try to reduce consumption, reduce the use of plastic bags, use BYO containers, go to the nearest shops whenever we can, etc; but the issuing of receipts seems to be a mandatory for all the major shops and malls. No matter how hard I try to squeeze as many items into one purchase, I still end up with way too many receipts. What's worse is: you get 2 sets of receipts when you use a credit card, and the thermal receipts are apparently not recyclable! Being a stubborn cow that I am, I refuse to throw any away as long as they still have a blank side on them - thermal receipt or not. I've been using them as note pads, to take phone messages (not that we had a lot), and write my shopping lists on, before I put them into the recycling bag for paper. Along with the compulsory receipts, these supermarkets and department stores also make sure that they paste a "Sold" sticker onto every bag (or every item i...

Have you ever bought electrical appliances or laptops, etc that came with not one but several of these twist tie wire thingies? Of course you have, and they will keep coming for as long as you plan to buy more in the future. Some people find them annoying because apart from tying some wires for storage purposes, they would just become clutter. Personally, I find them highly useful in aiding me in my daily chores and getting the house organised. Here is what I did with some of them: An extended hook for this calendar with a hole that's too small to go on the existing hook: The previous tenant left behind quite a few pointless nails - like this one that is too deep into the wall - which I can hardly hang anything on. So the twist tie wire came in handy as an extension: Due to the flexibility of these twist tie wires, they can be twisted into any shape and form to adapt to your needs. They are also quite strong and sturdy so I've used some to tie the new roller blinds to the old b...

There are some CDs which I can't get the printing or labels off, so they can't be used for making coasters . But I still refuse to send them to the landfill and I have used them to support plant cuttings over water like these herb cultivations here: I often make cuttings from my existing herb plants such as basil and mint to prolong and increase harvesting. I will place the cuttings in old jars (especially those which labels can never be taken off) filled with water till they root and can be put into soil. However some cuttings can be rather short and the leaves may fall below water surface and they will start to rot. So I put each cutting through the hole of the old CD/DVD, then place over the jar. This way the leaves can stay dry whilst the cuttings stay safe in the water. I have done this so many times, my very first basil plant is still alive since 2008.

The big 2-panel full window by our bathroom long tub is one of the prettiest features in our flat. The problem is, some evil developers have built 2 much taller condominium blocks right opposite us. This means that the residents on the higher floor of these blocks might (we just won't know) be able to see us in the tub through our big clear glass window. One might argue that they are too far away to see us clearly, but the thought is just scary. We have done some DIY frosting on the lower panels of the window when we first moved it, just so that we have some privacy (just in case) and will still have good sunlight shining through in the morning. But these high rise blocks were not built then. I would hate to fully block the whole window, nor do we have enough window frosting sticker left from the last time (the lower panels and those in the second bathroom). So I thought I would improvise with the left over sticker. I cut the sticker into small rectangles and stick them on to the t...

We live in the hot but humid tropics so stuff in the house tend to get mouldy easily, especially the 3-tier shelve units that we stacked up to make a sideboard. The construction site opposite our place makes it doubly dusty so we have to sweep and mop very often, and the fact that these shelves are in direct contact with the floor is just not helping. The only short term solution (besides moving to another country which is not happening in the near future, bah...) is to give the shelves legs to elevate them from the floor surface. I've been collecting a lot of Sunglo Sour Cream and Sunglo Yoghurt tubs - mainly for freezing stock and storing leftover food in the fridge - which are rather tough. So I scraped the paint off the tub label and stacked them under the shelf units, and this is how the sideboard looks now: I've done the same to the book shelves in the study, hoping that they would not getting mouldy so easily. Whilst achieving the purpose of elevating these shelves off t...

My nieces, like all other young girls, love everything about princess. Last Christmas, I made them tiara party hats out of old Christmas cards and sequins I took off a free handbag (which I've turned into a multi-compartment handbag ). Since I have some leftover beads which are not enough for anything extensive, I thought I could make them some beaded tiaras. I've used only fishing lines as I haven't any steel wire, and buying some just for that is going to defeat the purpose of using up existing material. Fishing lines are soft and flexible so they can't be worn like commercial tiaras. However, they turned out to be dual-purpose: 1. to be worn as a headband, and 2. as a necklace. Perhaps I can make up stories about some fairy princesses whose tiaras can turn into magical necklaces that give them power, and I think the girls would like that.

My habit of saving up stuff and trying to make them useful traces all the way back to my teenage. This is my first handmade bag, made using the excess fabric from my blouse. My mum and her sisters were tailors so they used to make all my clothes and I learned stitching and operating the sewing machine by watching them work. I didn't do this all by myself, of course. One of my aunties helped me with the more complicated bits. And we'd a sewing machine then so it was not exactly hard for a 16-year-old. More than 2 decades on later, this bag is still in good condition although it might be a little too small and girly for me now. I can always give it to my nieces, or use it as a gift packaging... well I'll make sure it's put to good use. Note (21 Feb 2010) On 14 February 2010, first day of Lunar New Year - my youngest niece used this for collecting her red packets, and I let her keep it as she loves it so much - it's just the right colour for her!