Old fashioned new shorts

Among this Summer good intentions there was one about getting rid of old clothes. I’ve got plenty of old trousers which not only don’t fit me anymore but are also very old-fashioned. 

So I decided, instead of spending money for a pair of new bermuda shorts to transform an old pair of bell bottom trousers. 

I cut the legs and used a bit of the left over fabric to enlarge the waist area as seen in a tutorial on the web….

My shorts are Nemo approved! 

Productive Summer

All in all this has been a productive Summer. I could have done more, but you are not always inspired, right? 

So, let’s start from my latest craft: here is my brand new insulated bottle holder. 

Some time ago I lost – I don’t know where or when – a very handy insulated bottle holder that I bought, back in 2009,  in Japan at a 100¥ store. It was such a useful item that I decided to try and make a new one.

For the outer fabric I have chosen a scrap of this starred waterproof fabric that I used for another project last year. While for the inner insulation I have recycled an old – and a bit worn-out – windshield sun shade. The two white strings are also a recycle from an old shopping bag.

Anyway, as it is a prototype it is not perfect, perhaps it is even too big. But at least it can accomodate both 500ml or 750ml bottles easily. 😁

The Scratcher

Last Friday my TV set decided it has been used enough (barely 3 Years!!!) and broke down. 😦
Of course the warranty had expired so, what to do with the old cardboard packaging (that you are obliged to keep in order to eventually return the damaged TV)?
Well, I saw a tutorial for a cat scratch pad on Nifty and I gave it a try….

My brother’s kitty, Pimpi, seems to enjoy it, despite she hasn’t already found out exactly how to use it! 😀

My granny Lucia purse

I think I’ve inherited my passion for re-cycling and up-cycling from my grandmother Lucia.

She was always doing things either with her sawing machine or with her crochet. She often used to buy clothes and reshape them to fit her tastes. And she always embellished tableclothes and bathtowel with lace and decorations.

So I’ve been thinking a lot about her while making this my new project… You won’t ever imagine where the outer fabric that I used for this purse, came from… No clue?

Well, some time ago my brother asked my mother to shorten the sleeves of a shirt he uses for work and the light blue fabric is the remnant!

I unstitched the sleeves and ironed them to remove the signs of the old seam and then I added some interfacing to make it stronger. I didn’t have enough fabric to make the string too, so I used the one from the lining that can also be seen on the corsage.

Then I followed the template that I found on the Sue Kim‘s “Bags the modern classic” book …. and voilà!

The instructions on the book were very clear and detailed and I didn’t have any problem at all. I also added the corsage for an extra touch… I think my granny would be proud of me! 😀

my brand new purse

the up-cycled purse

Detail: made by me! 🙂

Detail: corsage

Chinese jade

Some time ago I bought a lovely Chinese jade pendant and all this time I’ve been thinking about how to use it.

I’ve always loved jade pendants from the very first time I saw a Pounamu from New Zealand Maori tradition but I haven’t been able to go and buy one so far…. I actually bought a beef bone maori pendant called “koru” few years ago at the Manly Sunday market in Australia, from a kiwi guy who hand carved it himself. His carvings were so beautiful that it took me quite some time to decide what to buy!  Anyway, since my dream to own a maori Pounamu is still far I decided to at least get me a lovely Chinese jade pendant in the meantime.

So, in the end I decided to make a gold chain using 8 pink quartz beads on both side (see why 8 beads in this post here), and adding an upcycled gold chain from an old and broken necklace that I’ve been given by a friend. I also matched the necklace with a pair of earings made with the same pink quartz beads and a green fluorite rice shaped bead.

Chinese jade pendant and matching earings

Chinese jade pendant and matching earings

The toothbrush pouch

Following this useful tutorial I made myself a brand new pouch for my toothbrush and toothpaste to keep in my drawer at work. The fabric is a remnant of my previous project while the zip is upcycled from an old bag.

I changed the measures to fit in the toothbrush and the result is definitely better than expected!

New pouch for my toothbrush

new pouch for my toothbrush

My new toothbrush pouch in my messy drawer at work!

Christmas collection 4

Here is another gift I made for a colleague and friend for Christmas. Apparently she enjoyed it very much and she was already wearing it. I must say that I liked it too and I actually made one for myself as well. 😉

It is made with upcycled parts of a necklace that was pretty awful. I think that as a bracelet they definitely look better and the pearl gives it an extra final touch. 🙂