Upcycle Living

I bought a really nice canvas bag from a Cancer Research shop some years ago. Love it but don't use it enough, mainly because it's a little too flat (no gusset) and I'm a girl with many things. I've been trying, but can't seem to make it more useful than just fitting a couple of thin folders in it. So I had 2 choices: force myself to take it out regularly and let it get dirty, OR, don't use it and let it get dusty and mouldy. Such a dilemma. During my recent travel, I was rather annoyed by the fact that I have nothing in the right size that can house both a passport and a boarding pass. They are either too narrow for the passport or the opening is too short for the boarding pass, and I'm quite skeptical about folding it. After some window shopping/market research trips to the shops, all I could find are either very expensive leather goods, or the cheaper PVC version that won't last a year. I decided that I'd put my little fingers to good use an...

I have this thing about candles. Plain white or colourful candles, decorative or burning candles, or even melted wax; it's all so beautiful. I do however, hate the fact that they don't always burn perfectly and leaving me with lots of half-burned candles, or candles that can't be used anymore because the wick is stuck inside the wax, etc. This is what I often get left with, and I'm certainly not going to let them go to waste. So I'm going to have a big melt down - for the wax 😀 It's not a very complicated process, just a little tedious and hot. What I need are: A big pot Some used disposable chopsticks Some parcel string (as I haven't any wicks readily at home) Glass containers/candle holders - to clean up glass candle holders: boiling hot water   First is to melt the old wax (different colours separately) in hot water in the pot, with the string tied to the chopstick placed over the glass container. The string can ...

I love aprons: the design, the look, wearing it. But let's face it, aprons are not cheap. And to think that it's something that I wear to block off oil stains and dirt from cooking, it just doesn't make sense to spend money on it. Oh I'm such a stingy hag 😈 This was a sundress I had but worn off over time, and I'd ripped a whole somewhere on the back. Can't give it to charity, didn't want to cut it off into cleaning cloth (not yet), so I had to do something about it, and with it. Since my old apron has become so manky, it deserves a retirement. This old spaghetti strap dress came ready handy as it came ready with 2 attached belts for back tie bow, so all I needed to do was to separate the front and the back (keep the spaghetti straps and belt attached to the front portion), hem the edges to tidy up any loose edge and threads. Only took me one afternoon (hand stitching). Introducing my new apron, formerly called sundress 😎 ...

Recently I've got into a bit of a walk for charity with a Trekmiles app , to stay fit (or rather to not stay unfit 😅, so to say. I haven't been doing anything of this sort for years so I had to do a little preparation. Suitable shoes & socks, checked. Suitable clothing, yes there are enough to make do with. Water bottle, got it. Now there's something missing: the right bag. I've got quite a few bags lying about but they are all sling bags that would keep knocking about on just one shoulder. Referring to my first rule of eco consumption, no unnecessary purchase if I can help it. After all, who knows how long I'm going to sustain this new habit 😛? I do happen to have some denim fabric which I'd cut off a pair of old ripped (as in ripped in area that I certainly aren't allowed to wear them anymore) jeans. After a few nights of stitching away, I finally got my little drawstring knapsack enough for a bottle, a phone, and keys etc. ...

One of the problems with iPad holders is its reaction to the climate, especially in the tropics.The extreme humidity makes the material (PVC/rubber/leather) break and even disintegrate so easily. I can't remember how many holders I had replaced due to that reason, and buying a new one is getting harder because they just stopped making the holders for older iPad models. After numerous iPad-holder-search trips, I gave up and decided that I'll try to do a DIY repair. Afterall, as you can see in the picture below the state of the ripped iPad case - what have I got to lose? I have a PVC tablecloth which I bought from one of my favourite stores - Daiso for £1 some time ago (I was planning to cover up the old book shelves but never got around to doing so) so I thought I'd use that for my little experiment. I've used a PVA glue and spread it all over the iPad case/holder evenly, especially the ripped part, carefully pressing any sticky-outy bits down to make the...

Since the broken tripod from making last year's tinsel tree is still here, I thought I'd cut myself some slack this year and redo the same thing but with a little tweaking here and there. Start the long tinsel on the top with a knot then twirl it around the tripod until it's all covered up. Tie the end to one of the tripod legs to secure it. Connect all the tinsels together to make a really long one This time I first wrap up the tripod with some red net fabric we saved from a gift hamper. This way the tinsel holds better in place when twirled around the frame. And the angel lights are placed first so that the wire is not visible over the tree.

We believe in afterlife. Not in a religious way particularly, just factually :) This cushion cover is made from one of my husband's old shirts, which unfortunately had been damp stained on the collar due to the highly humid weather. We can't give it away to the charity and the material is not suitable for cleaning. I was meant to upcycle it into a wrap dress but was too lazy to do so. Whilst I was staring into the buttons the idea just came to me. It was so simple: Just lay the shirt flat, buttoned, turned inside out. Mark out the square (whatever size fits your cushion) where the button panel will fall in the middle. Secure with pins or quick stitches, cut the excess material out and sew it all around. (I did it by hand as I don't have a sewing machine) Unbutton and turn inside out. Now you have a cushion cover with ready button fastening. We probably won't buy another cushion cover - unless, of course - if there are some really nice ones.