Upcycle Living

Our old Christmas wreath made from old mince pie boxes has way passed its sell-by date, so it's time to have a new one made. This new one can't be easier; I found an old wire in the tool box (probably taken out from an old hanger) and bent it into a circle, with both ends twisted into small loop then tied with a bendable twist tie wire. I then twirled a strip of old silver tinsel (found in the box with old Christmas decoration) around the wire, secured by twisting the ends together. Finally slapped on a decorative bell and ribbon - again, from the Christmas decor box. Not a single penny was spent. Not even an inch of cello tape. Welcome to the first day of Advent!

I shall sit under these lanterns to enjoy my mooncake with some green tea... It's been a while since we got our hands on some silly little crafty projects, about time to get those old paper lanterns out from the storage - as Mid Autumn Festival is just around the corner. Last year we turned some paper lanterns into tea light shades , and although the idea can still be reused, I thought we could do something different with the unused ones. The biggest issue we have with these paper lanterns was that they get burnt easily, so a non-fire related solution is essential. I saw some lanterns that use bulbs and thought that we can have our DIY ones: If the power sockets were designed in a more intelligent way, i.e. higher up on the wall and not all the way down close to the floor, we could have hung the lanterns horizontally, across the window. But since the angel lights cable isn't long enough and this is the furthest it can reach so it will have to ...

Forget about what my Christmas tree is going to be this year, here is something I have to share with everyone passionate in reducing material consumption. I was at Jaya One today and was as usual annoyed by their never ending building work going on, making my walk to the supermarket really unpleasant. However, their humble yet refreshing Christmas tree next to the Info Counter has made my day. Open in new tab or window to view larger image. Angel with smiley face drawn on cut out cardboard It is small - under 6', and made out of used egg crates held up by rustic wood! Hanging on the tree are little angels with wings made from fan-fold recycled paper (old magazine pages, used wrapping paper, etc) and halos made from twist tie wires (probably from bread packaging), and smiley faces drawn on cut out cardboard! It is not grand like most of the big shopping malls in Kuala Lumpur or Petaling Jaya, but it doesn't look pathetic like many either. And I think that the ...

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...