What to do with old stuff...

I am one of those people who is always cold, and in the cold weather I LOVE having some sort of fluffy scarf or shrug on at ALL times.  

So last week I was digging getting all of the winter stuff out and I found this old fur collar that I bought at a flea market a year or so ago.  (Hoarder) 

I think I paid a whopping $5 for it and I had no idea what I would do with it.  Honestly, I probably felt sorry for it laying around a booth with a sad $5 tag on it.  Look at it, it is stupid!  But it is so soft and I liked the color.

Over the weekend, I decided I had to do something with it.  I took it apart because it was sewn shut and  it had this weird stuffing inside.  I flattened it out and wore it over my shoulders while I was making dinner.  To say it did not get a good review from my husband and son would be an understatement.  It looked like something crawled onto my shoulders and died!  So sad…

So on Saturday morning I woke up with a plan!  Mark helped me rein in all of my ideas and I started sewing, and I don't even know how to sew!  But look what I managed to whip up, despite my lack of sewing skills!!!

It is a little fur shrug…with POMPOMS!  

I sewed a belt that I bought in Argentina onto one side of it and then I lined the whole thing in hot pink fabric.  The belt already had pompoms, but as you can imagine, I am busy making a few more to add to the mix.

Honestly, it took me almost the entire day, because of the previously mentioned lack of sewing skills.  And I didn't have any thread, but luckily I had embroidery floss.  Same thing, right?

I love it and it keeps my shoulders so toasty warm!

Would you ever sew a belt to a piece of something fluffy and actually wear it out in public?  That is a rhetorical question!!!

PS.  My stand on fur if you are interested...  I am not usually a fan of fur, but I am a fan of recycling.  I would never buy fur that is new.  I think it is mean, but this collar died a long time ago, and I felt sorry for it.  I know I am a walking, talking contradiction, but I've gotta be me!  I make no judgements about people who buy and wear fur, everyone gets to make their own decisions, and I am a BIG fan of that.

Contain Your Stuff/Some of my Favorites!

Let's talk about reusing stuff, some of my favorite products and their pretty containers and how reusing stuff allows you to be a hoarder!!!  Perfect for a Monday, right?

I LOVE to reuse stuff and I REALLY LOVE pretty containers.   I am a total sucker for pretty packaging, if it is cute, I really try to find another use for it so that I can keep enjoying it, which might also be called hoarding in some circles!

My absolute favorite candles are Diptyque Candles.  The scents are fabulous, they burn really well and for a long time and I love the packaging.  I don't think I have ever thrown out a Diptyque candle jar of any size.  If I have them, I will find a use for them, and I usually don't have to hunt for a use for very long!

http://www.diptyqueparis.com/home-fragrances/candles/figuier-candle.html

 Now it is a make up brush holder!

Another one contains the lotions and potions in the medicine cabinet!

Diptyque also makes the most fabulous eau de toilette!  Olene is one of my all time favorites!

http://www.diptyqueparis.com/personal-fragrances/eau-de-toilettes/olene-edt.html

Now it is a cute little flower vase!  I bought this bottle about 12 years ago in France!!!  It has been holding blooms ever since.

And the good news is that we FINALLY have a Diptyque store in Chicago.  It's about time, no more having to order on-line and pay for shipping!  If you are in the Bucktown area, I highly recommend that you check this store out, but be prepared to become addicted!!!

Look at this lovely Rose wine that we have been drinking a lot of out on the patio this summer!  It is called Sofia, it is named after Sofia Coppola and is made by the Coppola Vineyards.

http://www.franciscoppolawinery.com/wine/sofia/rose

This may not be the worlds best Rose, but it is very nice and I just love the shape of the bottle.  To be honest, I first bought it for the shape of the bottle.  The fact that the wine tasted good was a total bonus.  After drinking the wine and saving the cork, I knew I could not throw the bottle away, but the last thing I needed was another vase (see Diptyque bottles above)!  

Now it is the bottle that holds our water at the table at dinner.  I keep it corked with a cork, duh!  And refill it and chill it in the fridge.  Perfect for dinner on the patio whether it holds wine or water!

Have you seen the Honey in the bear shaped bottle at the grocery store or farm stands?  I don't know why, but I just love those cute little bear bottles!!!

Now this guys holds my dish washing soap at the kitchen sink!

And speaking of the kitchen sink, look at the pretty oyster shell that holds my rings while I am washing the dishes.

Are you familiar with Laduree?  OMG, the best macaroons in the world!!!  We ate our weight in them last summer on vacation.  Not only do they taste awesome, but they come in the most beautiful containers!  

(This box might cost as much as a car) 

http://www.laduree.com

A dear friend just brought some back from Europe for me in the coolest tube shaped container.  The three of us ate the macaroons in about a day, but the container lives on in my purse.  It is currently holding lip gloss and is a place for my hair tie to rest when not in use!

Seriously, can you even get over that shiny gold lining?  It makes me happy every time I open it!

Do you ever save your pretty or fancy containers?  I would love to know what you do with yours!!!  Please don't tell me you toss them in the recycling container!

Recycling Tags!

Look at the cute, but sharp, little tags that I made out of my empty Coke cans!

I wanted some little tags to put on some jars (more recycling) that I have been using as candle holders out on the patio.  But, I needed something that would stand up to the rain and elements, so I decided that the Coke can was the way to go.   

I even tied a few of them onto branches in the trees by the patio.  Cute right?

So here is how it all went down, if you are interested.

Drink all of your coke up and rinse the can, then cut the top and bottom off with tin snips.

All of these parts are sharp, like really sharp!  So do what I did and wear gloves, your hands will thank you!  After you get the tops and bottoms off, you will be able to cut the cans with a scissor.  Don't use your fancy sewing scissors, because I don't know what this will do to them.  I used my garden variety scissor that I have already messed up by cutting wire, Coke cans and all sorts of other things that they have no business cutting!

After all of the cutting you will end up with these nice rectangles of aluminum.

Now you just draw or trace your shapes and cut them out with the scissor!

They were cute enough like they were, but then I got my little metal stamps out and stamped some words and dates on them.

 I used a nail to punch a little hole on the top so that I could hang them up!

They are super cute, but again, they are very sharp, so don't put them where someone could get hurt.  

Have you ever made anything out of your recycled cans?

Cheap Art Supplies!

I love to make stuff, and I have a son who also loves to make stuff.  Add the two of us together and you need a lot of money to keep us in supplies.  I have found supplies in unexpected places, including the recycling bin.  Does this look familiar?

I am not proud that I have to show off the fact that I feed my baby Capt'n Crunch, but there it is!!!  Cereal boxes, granola bar and fruit snack boxes (nothing but the best at Factory 506) are some of our favorites.  Almost as fast as I unfold them and cut them up, they are painted, cut and turned into something. 

Look at the sweet heart my son made as a thank you for our dear friend Jude!

Cereal box + paint and puffy paint + pompoms = total cuteness in my book!

Would you ever paint your recycling?  We paint on almost all of it, it saves money and it is good for the earth!

Watercolors!

These may look like Easter decorations, but here at the Factory, we use SO many egg cartons to organize things we have hoarded supplies.  We have a weekly supply of egg cartons and an endless supply of doo dads, thing-a-ma-bobs, doo hickies and general "stuff" that needs to be corralled.  

I painted these guys with water colors and then splattered some metallic gold paint on them, cause everything is better with a little splash of gold paint! 

See?  Little things all nicely organized in their own little spot!

What do you do with your old egg cartons???