Recycled / Repurposed / Upcycled - A Day's Worth of Inspiration

It's Monday! And time for a quick shot of recycled / repurposed / upcycled DIY inspiration. Still confused over those terms? Check out this quick and easy to understand post to help you make the right distinction.

Ready? Set? Go!

It's amazing how a can of spray paint and a little fabric can revive a mismatched set of chairs - via Decor Demon

This recycled canoe - turned - bench is a showstopper, but don't miss the old newspapers on the wall in a map outline of the world continents - via Wabi Sabi

An adjustable chair base becomes a funky little side table - BHG via Decor Hacks

Can you believe this desk is made from recycled piano parts? - via GadgetSponge

Need to roll out of your chair after a large dinner? This repurposed CD/DVD chair is the answer. Via Just Stuff I Find.

Well this is a twist! These beautiful shelves will repurpose as a coffin at the end of your life. A bit creepy...but clever. William Warren via Inhabitat

Repurposed suitcases are not just for dogs...like these cool suitcase chairs and stools via Just Stuff I Find.

Short on space for seating? How about this recycled cardboard chair that stretches to seat up to 16! From Chishen Chiu via  Design Blog.

Now that's the way to get the week started!

Until next time...

Mike

Music Fills the Soul

It has absolutely nothing to do with recycled or repurposed design, but I've decided that this story how music fills the soul was the best thing that I could share with the world today. It resonates with me, and I hope you'll enjoy it, too.


 


 Now I'm already planning on how to get my favorite songs from the years compiled for my later years in life. It's something that I've wanted to do for a long time, and this story just shows me how important that may become. Do you have a song that always lifts your mood?  I know, there are so many it's hard to choose.

One of my all-time favorites is an obscure little song from Sam Harris in 1986 - he covered Gershwin's Always. Now I'm really dating myself here, but if I remember correctly, Sam was the first ever winner of Star Search with Ed McMahon. Too bad I can't find a video clip of this song anywhere on YouTube (or elsewhere for that matter) - but I found this very short snippet of Sam Harris singing Always if you'd like to have a listen. Does anyone else out there remember Sam Harris? He's still kickin' on broadway and such these days. Back then he had a tux jacket, jeans and Converse.

 So, spend a moment today and start thinking what music you might gather to bring you back to life when you're older.

 Until next time...
Mike

It's All Part of the Dance

I saw this quote today and it made me stop in my tracks. I mean seriously, I've had some big project flops over the years. One of my son's favorite phrases right now is "Epic fail!" and I laugh every time it runs through my head when a project isn't going as planned.

Blogs can be deceiving, can't they? I mean, how many times do we really post the failures. I've got lots. Like these two from Christmas that never saw the light of day on Blue Velvet Chair ('til now).

They look okay in these photos, don't they? But guess what? They were epic fails. The black and copper paint that I squirted into the clear xmas bulbs totally separated the next day and what I ended up with were these wierd clear bulbs with spots and speckles of paint inside. Hideous. Needless to say, they were never gifted as intended. And those pinecones...they look cute enough in this picture. I wanted to try a paint dip like I'd seen on Martha Stewart's page - but when I got all of these dipped and looked at them the next day, they just looked like pinecones that had been dropped in paint and not at all like the high-design images in my head.

Epic fail.

But what I know for sure is that I would never swoon over my "yes, I did it!" projects if I never stumbled. I literally giggle inside every time I glance over at my rolled magazine page mirror on the wall - or each time I graze my fingers across the button mirror when walking by. And in those moments I feel nothing but joy.

And for that, I'm willing to fail every now and then.

Until next time...

Mike

The Possibilities of Art

Thank goodness for creative people that awaken us to the possibilities of art. My favorite kind of art is public! And it doesn't have to be in the form of a traditional painting or sculpture to make me seriously swoon. Like these wall carving portraits by Portuguese artist Alexandre Farto (aka Vhils).

Shanghai

Italy

London

London

Moscow

Portugal

Portugal

Honestly, I don't think I'll ever look at a crumbling wall the same again. Make sure to click through to Vhils' site to see more amazing examples of his carved wall portraits.

And given that I talked about a wall painting on the side of a house this past weekend on Facebook - it's a safe bet to say that I've got big outdoor wall art on my brain. 

Would you dare to have a painting on the side of your house?

Until next time...

Mike

Fingers and Friends and DIY

Remember several weeks ago when I mentioned on Facebook that I electrocuted myself? Just found this photo that I took...shows the entry and exit point of my shocked little finger. I know, I know...it looks pitifully small and insignificant. But I promise you it gave me a real jolt and throbbed for the rest of the day!

Well, that's the end of the story about my finger. Now on to the 'Friends and DIY' part of this post. My friend, Marie, is the real creative type...but like many of the moms out there with small kids, she struggles to find the time to fully explore that side of her that just screams to get out. So when she does experiment, it's great fun!

On a recent visit, she showed me how she was recycling and folding magazine pages for a project. What she ended up with were tiny little 2 inch x 2 inch squares. That's definitely a project to sit with while watching the TV. And I shivered as I had memories of doing the same with my rolled magazine pages for the mirror. When her project was done, she showed us this board. Those are thumbtacks in the center of each square holding the folded magazine page together.

Well I thought that was destined straight for the wall for a solid dose of color happiness! And then she dropped a bombshell. "I'm thinking of using it for something else," she said. But she wouldn't say what until she was done. What could it be? A headboard was my best guess. No, that wasn't it.

A tabletop! She turned it into a tabletop for a ratty old table that she picked up at the thrift store for about $5, painted dark gray, laid her magazine art on top and covered with a piece of glass. Voila! Happy colors to sit beside and snuggle up on her sofa. 

Well done, Marie. Well done!

Until next time...

Mike