RePlayGround - recycling with a twist!

Ammmunition box tea organizer

2012-02-14T08:00:00.000-08:00

RePlayGround just posted a new DIY project on Instructables.com, so take a look! See step by step instructions to make your own tea packet organizer out of a repurposed ammo cartridge box: http://www.instructables.com/id/Ammunition-Box-Tea-Organizer/

This project can also add a bang to your Valentine's Day gift giving!

IDSA Design Summit in NYC!

2012-02-08T14:55:00.000-08:00

If you're looking for something fun and designery to do in NYC this week, check out the 2012 IDSA Design Summit at the Knoll Showroom on 9th Ave. There will be a very exciting panel discussion with myself and other design gurus, like Gaz Brown of Quirky, Cordy Swope of Fahrenheit-212, and Dan Fogarty of Noodles and Company. The event is organized and moderated by the lovely Angela Yeh of Yeh IDeology. Yeh! Hope to see you there!RSVP here!

Tupperware FX Pedal

2012-02-06T08:00:00.000-08:00

The New York based band Globular Cluster has recycled flair! Guitarist Jake Adams performs with this effects pedal which is designed by artist Brendan Byrne. Byrne modifies effects pedals and rehouses them in plastic tupperware containers for easier access to the controls. This would make any Tupperware party 10X cooler.

To see more of Byrne's work, click here!

ReMaking my entertainment center!

2012-02-01T19:44:00.000-08:00

My computer area has been in serious need of a makeover. I had been ignoring the poor little area being taken over by cords and piles of paper. But it's a new year, and the perfect time to freshen up my space. But there's no need to buy new. It's the perfect excuse to ReMake It with thrift store finds.

Here's the before:

I reused the existing filing cabinet and computer table. Then added thrift store end tables, a desk, and a lot of white paint (low VOC, of course!). And here's the brand new version:

The new version has the perfect spot for my printer, my many supplies, a pile of ReMake It books, and plenty of room leftover just waiting to be filled with new materials! Plus this whole set up will be appearing as the background in some new DIY videos to be coming out soon. Stay tuned for those.

To purchase end tables that fit together perfectly, I took measurements at the thrift store and planned it all out before buying anything. The desk that is smack dab in the middle was the perfect find from the Meeker Avenue Flea Market because it had adjustable feet, perfect for resting on top of different heights of tables. And to top it all off, there's a thrift store teapot turned vase for daffodils.

Happy ReMakovering!

RePlayGround at the American Folk Art Museum!

2012-01-27T08:00:00.000-08:00

This February 2nd, 2012, RePlayGround will be hosting Make It Thursday at the American Folk Art Museum! We'll spread some crafty recycling inspiration with an upcycling talk, then we'll teach how to make your own soda tab bracelet. ReMake It! author Tiffany Threadgould will also be available for a book signing.

Admission to the event is $10 and includes refreshments. For more information on the event check out the museum website: http://www.folkartmuseum.org/index.php?p=folk&rd=9568&id=8998

American Folk Art Museum

2 Lincoln Square

Columbus Avenue at 66th Street

New York, NY 10023

Thursday, February 2, 2012 from 6pm - 7:30pm

Create with Crates!

2012-01-25T08:00:00.000-08:00

We recently added some upcycled storage space in our RePlayGround studio. We used discarded wooden wine crates, and stacked them to create shelving space. Colorful clamps secure the boxes together.

For a few more DIY storage crate ideas, check out these easy instructions:

Add casters to the bottom of a crate to build a moveable bookcase by Factorycraftdirect.com

Build floating kitchen shelves by planetgreen.com

Spice up your garden with these crate planters by re-nest.com

These storage projects are the cratest way to get organized!

DIY wine cork stoppers

2012-01-13T08:39:00.000-08:00

Elsie Larson's blog A Beautiful Mess is a great source for DIY upcycled inspiration. We love her thread spool wine cork project, and you can learn how to make them here!

RePlayGround is always thinking of ways to upcycle wine corks as well. Our favorite use for old corks is to make them into a trivet. Check out our ReMake It trivets here!

Tote Overload in New York Mag

2012-01-09T18:00:00.000-08:00

New York magazine recently ran an article called Tote Overload (Dec. 12 2011). The article makes a good point about consumption. There's no argument that reusable totes make an impact on the burgeoning plastic trash problem we face. But over consumption can still occur with the eco-friendly tote bag. Professional personal organizer Beth Zeigler came up with an innovative solution. She staged a redistribution drive this December in L.A, and collected 1,900 unused reusable bags for redistribution. Great! Now let's get these drives to catch on in cities nationwide!

To view the entire article, click here.

Create a CD jewel case calendar. Just in "time" for the New Year!

2012-01-02T18:00:00.000-08:00

This calendar project will make a "clear case" for recycling projects this year! All you need is a CD jewel case, some scrap paper and a pair of scissors. You can even recycle last years calendar pages into this crafty creation. Check out my complete how to with instructions and illustrations over at the superfab Craftzine.com.

Happy 2012 everyone and let's start ReMaking this year off right!

Stuff your stocking with upcycled cheer!

2011-12-22T19:16:00.000-08:00

Old sweaters are great fabric for new projects. If you've forgotten to make your stockings with care, here's an easy way to whip one up just in time for the holidays. Embellish them with buttons and other found objects and you'll be celebrating the season in a style you've remade yourself.For the complete how-to complete with a PDF pattern, head on over to the lovely Craftzine.com. Happy holiday ReMaking!

Altered books

2011-12-21T10:00:00.000-08:00

Here are some creative ways to upcycle old books. A good book never goes out of style!

Bookworm Linked Bracelet by Etsy jeweler TheUnwrittenWord

Hanging Hearts Valentine by Etsy crafter BooksETC

Book Purse: You can find a tutorial of this project in our book ReMake It!

Recycled Tin Ornaments

2011-12-14T11:44:00.000-08:00

We love the eco-crafty inspiration behind the new Crate and Barrel Recycled Tin Ornament collection. These ornaments are handmade by weaving thin strips of recycled tin around an iron frame. What a cool way to add some upcycled style to your holiday decor!

Recycled Goods at Crafted at the Canal!

2011-12-09T07:29:00.000-08:00

This Saturday Dec. 10th you can finish your holiday shopping in eco-style. Crafted at the Canal is a holiday craft fair that will be open from 10-5PM, and will include over 30 vendors! RePlayGround will be selling new recycling kits to make cereal box wallets and magazine gift bows, and you can pick up a signed copy of ReMake It!, which makes for the perfect gift for crafty friends and family.

RePlayGround's blogger Kathy Tingum will be there selling her recycled magazine frames, vases and other Twofold Designs items, so be sure to drop by and say hi!

The event is held at Build It Green! in Gowanus, 69 9th Street, Brooklyn, NY. Build It Green is a great resource for second hand furniture and building materials, and their new space is loaded with recycling inspiration!

See you there!

Cheapskate's guide to green gift giving

2011-12-07T10:50:00.000-08:00

This holiday season it's ok to be a little tight on cash. RePlayGround will help spice up your gift giving the cheapskate way. Our book ReMake It! Recycling Projects from the Stuff You Usually Scrap is filled with ingenious ways to cut down on your holiday shopping bill, and impress friends and family with your eco-crafty know how. You'll be giving out hand crafted necktie iPod cases, tree ornaments made from holiday greeting cards, a yoga mat carrying case from old cargo pants, and much more!

For more info on the book, click here.

Grab your copy today and start ReMaking the season!

ReMake It at Barnes and Noble tomorrow!

2011-12-02T05:30:00.000-08:00

Hey there RePlay readers! Tomorrow I'll be at Barnes and Noble in NYC from 12 - 1PM. Swing by, make your own gift bow from magazine pages, and pick up your own copy of ReMake It! You can start ReMaking all of your holiday gifts! At only $12.95 it makes a super duper present for that your favorite craftastic friend.

This Barnes and Noble is located at 86th Street and Lexington Ave.More details are here!

Plastic bottle portrait

2011-11-30T11:25:00.000-08:00

Mary Ellen Croteau created this 8 by 7 foot portrait out of bottle caps and plastic bottle parts! The design is modeled after Chuck Close's portrait style and makes for an interesting critique on consumerism. Croteau's work focuses on the effect of plastic garbage on the environment, and asks that we look at our trash in a new light.

"I firmly believe in the power of the visual, and my work is my voice: a social critique and a visual challenge to all the cultural detritus we are force-fed every day. My art is about looking at things in a slightly different way, and is intended to undermine the status quo with wit and humor."

To see more of Croteau's colorful and inventive artwork from plastic bags and bottles, see: http://www.newdream.org/resources/2011-09-artist-critiques-consumer-culture

(close up of her nose!)

ReMake your holiday shopping at Union Square in NYC!

2011-11-27T10:30:00.000-08:00

As we're entering the holiday shopping season, think about giving the gift of ReMaking this year. Our ReMake it kits are on sale at the Karma Kiss booth at the Union Square Holiday Fair. You can pick up a wine cork trivet, bottle lamp, stationery kit, and more. The gift of ReMaking never goes out of style. And neither does the gift of wine, for that matter. So consider picking up a wine cork trivet for your fave adult.If you can't make it to the holiday market, you can always score ReMake It kits online at Karma Kiss and Greenfeet. And don't forget to pick up my new book at Barnes and Noble!Happy holiday ReMaking!

Call for Skraptacular volunteers!

2011-11-22T10:59:00.000-08:00

Call for volunteers!

The Skraptacular Eco Gift-Making Workshop will be held Saturday Dec. 3 from 1-5PM at the Muscota New School in Manhattan. This is an afternoon where kids and adults come together to create unique holiday gifts from reused and upcycled materials. Proceeds from this event will benefit Skraptacular and the Muscota Parents' Association.

Lots of creative adults are needed to help at the various stations. There's a creative child in all of us, so come have a ball to help kids make it all!

To volunteer, call Michelle Del Guercio at 917-699-8136

You can find more information at http://www.skraptacular.org/

Fortune Cookie Coaster

2011-11-11T09:00:00.000-08:00

We came up with a fun way to recycle fortune cookie wisdom! Check out our fortune cookie coaster project on Instructables here to see detailed instructions. Show off your wise, yet crafty side with this easy paper project!

A minty fresh Halloween!

2011-11-06T18:00:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone had a happy Halloween out there! As usual, I remade mine from scrap I had at my studio. I was an upcycled tooth fairy complete with a pleated skirt made from toothpaste tubes, a wand made from toothbrushes, toothbrush jewelry, and sparkly wings, tank top, and tights.

Want to make your own upcycled tooth fairy skirt? Head on over to Make:Projects for my step-by-step instructions. You can get a head start on next year's costume and try this pleated, upcycled skirt. It'll take a little while to collect all of those toothpaste tubes. But don't fear, after all of that candy this year, you'll be needing an extra dose of toothpaste.

What were you for Halloween? If you made (or remade) your own costume, you have 2 more days to enter it into Make's Halloween contest. I hear there are some scary-good prizes!

More crafty creations for Halloween! Courtesy of Kiwi!

2011-10-30T20:40:00.000-07:00

Hey there blog readers! Spend your Halloween in crafty style tomorrow and try one of these crafty projects. I wrote up two new projects for the October issue of Kiwi Magazine.

Dish up this sweet recycling project with scrap paper and candy wrappers. Then, put a new spin on an old T-shirt with this spider web project. These projects are a sweet way to flex your recycling power this Halloween. So grab a copy of Kiwi Magazine for the complete how to and get crafting!

Craft up this cardboard carton candy carryall!

2011-10-24T19:41:00.000-07:00

Getting into the crafty Halloween spirit? Check out these sweet candy totes we made for Craft. We used an empty salt container, oatmeal cylinder, and ice cream carton. It's a great trick for turning empty containers into Halloween treats. Get the complete how to over at Craftzine.

Green City Challenge Race & Family Expo

2011-10-21T10:41:00.000-07:00

This Sunday Oct. 23 you can catch RePlayGround at Green City Challenge in Union Square Park from 12-3PM. We'll be teaching free eco-crafty projects to make and take, so stop on by! The event will demonstrate how to live, work, and eat green, and will also connect eco-friendly businesses and organizations. To see more info on the event, click here!

Plastic bag bangles by Garbage of Eden!

2011-10-18T15:00:00.000-07:00

This week we're featuring our friend Stephanie Huffaker of Garbage of Eden! Stephanie, who is also a RePlayGround instructor, creates beautiful bangles out of plastic bags and yogurt cups. Below you can see the process of creating the yogurt cup base. Stephanie uses pre-consumer and post-consumer waste to make her upcycled designs. Materials include misprints from companies and also used materials that are sterilized for reuse. Garbage of Eden seeks to raise consciousness about sustainability. "If we take the time to seek out and realize the positive potential in the objects around us, there is no waste." To get your own recycled bag bangle, check out the Etsy shop!

Light up used glass!

2011-10-14T15:00:00.000-07:00

Cargo Collective offers a line of JarLamps made from re-used glass jars! A hole is drilled in the cap and a lamp fitting is offered through to create your own recycled reading lamp. Our favorite is the Nutella JarLamp! Check out more functional designs including drinking glasses made from beer bottles and a jump rope from used plastic bottles at http://cargocollective.com/upcycle

Adam Matta remixes a recycled bicycle!

2011-10-11T09:27:00.000-07:00

This year at Maker Faire we met a cool musician who beatboxes with upcycled style! Adam Matta (as pictured at Maker Faire 2011 below) reinvented the bicycle wheel as an artistic turntable. Matta combined Marcel Duchamp's Roue de bicyclette and a deconstructed cassette tape player to make his turntable sounds. The cassette tape runs along the outside of the bicycle wheel, and as he turns the wheel the tape moves across the cassette player piece at the base of the stool. he is then able to manipulate sound into a record scratching and spinning style. To hear Matta's upcycled musical creation, see his video here!

Adam Matta is great inspiration to remix the way we recycle!

Tie one on

2011-10-02T19:57:00.000-07:00

I was just searching the internet for inspiration to make something nice to make my brother's upcoming 40th birthday. I want to make something for him from my dad's old neckties. I came across these great finds and just needed to share:Diane Gilleland's heart shaped necktie pins over at Craftstylish.

image courtesy Craftsylish

This awesome dress from Glamarita's Etsy shop. Maybe not so appropriate for my brother, but something for my own wish list.

image courtesy Glamarita's Etsy shop

Here's Laura Martin's site Ties that Matter. She's my new friend and fellow upcycler collected from my recent Creative Connection event. Love her range of products from upcycled neckties.

image courtesy Ties that Matter

Whoa. Some of those neckties are up there on the styleometer with my dear old dad's neckties.

Then there's this whole Sewing With Neckties blog devoted to cool tie finds.

And don't forget project 50, necktie gadget case, from my own book, ReMake It.

So, definitely inspired, but still trying to figure out that perfect gift for the tech-savvy brother who doesn't-really-wear-ties-himself all that much. Any ideas out that can tie together the sentimentality of my dad's neckties and a gift my brother would definitely use?

Maker Faire Fun!

2011-09-23T12:13:00.001-07:00

Thanks to all who came to Maker Faire NYC this weekend and visited the RePlayGround booth! We taught how to make bottle cap magnets, and used the caps to build a colorful mural that spelled out MAKE.

Tiffany also ran a workshop where she taught Makers to fold their own paper picture frame. We had fun creating with all kinds of crafty people, and we're super inspired by all the amazing Makers we met! To see more photos, check out RePlayGround on Picasa!

We're already counting down to next year's Maker Faire!

ReMake your weekend!

2011-09-16T11:44:00.000-07:00

There are some trashy happenings this weekend you won't want to miss out on! RePlayGround will be at the 2nd annual Maker Faire this Sept. 17-18, 2011. Come make recycled art with us, and check out all kinds of hands-on projects including arts, crafts, science, tech and more.

On Sunday Sept. 18, we'll show how to make your own Scrap Paper Picture Frame. The demo will be from 2-2:30 at the craft demo stage. For more info on this Maker event, click here!

RePlayGround can also be found at the Creative Connection this Sept. 16-17 in St. Paul, MN. Tiffany Threadgould will be teaching Repurposed Paper- Gift Bows and Paper Beads. This workshop shows you ways to add pizzaz with recycled magazines and scrap paper.

And if you can't ReMake it at either of these events, you can follow this scrap paper picture frame how-to over at Craftzine.

We hope to see you out for some end-of-the-summer recycling fun!

go green in the garden!

2011-09-02T14:10:00.000-07:00

Enjoy the last of the summer weather with some upcycling projects for your garden! These crafty ideas will make you think twice about those discarded items in the garage or attic.

Glass Totem

see a tutorial by Gardens & Crafts here!

Wren House with License Plate Roof

D&G Gardens and Crafts

Plastic Container Planters

instructions can be found in the ReMake It book!

The grass is always greener on the upcycled side!

art and reuse with Louise Nevelson

2011-09-02T14:01:00.000-07:00

Artist Louise Nevelson's work is crafted from found wood objects that are arranged and painted in a monochromatic fashion. Before she became an exhibiting artist, the impoverished Nevelson collected discarded wood from the streets to burn as firewood. Her 3-dimensional collage style was born from these piles of scrap material, and now grace the walls of major art galleries worldwide. Nevelson used everything from boxes and crates to bowling pins and wood bannister posts. For a detailed biography, check out http://www.louisenevelsonfoundation.org/

ReMaking It with The Creative Connection!

2011-08-29T06:00:00.000-07:00

I'm super excited to be a part of this year's The Creative Connection! This conference is being sponsored by Sterling, the super-awesome publishers of my book, ReMake It.

I'm excitedly preparing for my sessions on Repurposed paper - creating gift bows, paper beads and more. Class participants will learn all my paper tricks for ReMaking projects from magazine pages. There will be loads of other super-awesome classes led by other authors, crafters, cooks, and more. A few highlights include crafty faves like Shannon Okey, Betz White, and Ashley English.

So get Creative! Get Connected! And secure your crafty spot this September! There are still a few registration spots open. The event is September 15 - 17 in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Mark your Calendar for Maker Faire

2011-08-24T13:26:00.000-07:00

Thanks to all who came out this weekend for some RePlayGround fun! We had a blast teaching craft projects and talkin' trash at the New York Hall of Science Maker Days and Summer Streets NYC event.

To view photos of the events, click here and here.

If you missed out on all the fun, not to fear! We'll be back at the NY Hall of Science for Maker Faire NYC in September. This year's event includes robotics, textile arts and crafts, biotech and chemistry experiments and much more! Be sure to stop by the RePlayGround table for some hands-on eco-crafty projects to make and take.

What: Maker Faire NYC

When: Sept. 17-18 2011

Where: NY Hall of Science, 47-01 111th St, Queens NY

RePlayGround fun this weekend!

2011-08-19T11:22:00.000-07:00

Are you looking for some recycling fun this weekend? Drop by one of our events and make a free craft project! We'll be at Summer Streets NYC at the GoGo Squeez tent, where you can make a gift bow and a wallet out of recycled GoGo Squeez applesauce wrapper. You can also find us at Maker Days at the NY Hall of Science, where you'll learn how to craft envelopes and gift bows out of old magazines.

Summer Streets NYC

August 20, 2011 7AM-1PM

Foley Square, NYC

Maker Days

August 20-21, 2011 12-5PM

NY Hall of Science

47-01 111th St. Queens, NY 11368

See you there for some eco-crafty fun!

Times for upcycled office designs!

2011-08-12T15:44:00.000-07:00

Hey there RePlayGround readers!

Here's a great article that came out yesterday in the New York Times. It's titled Making Designs out of Rubbish by Penelope Green. It talks about my work with the uber-awesome-upcycling company TerraCycle and about our upcycled office renovations that I put together with the rest of the design crew.

If you're interested in having your own office space upcycled, let me know!

Photojojo helps us put a new spin on our photos

2011-08-10T05:27:00.000-07:00

The wonderfully crafty photo site, Photojojo, featured one of our projects in their newsletter this week! Swing by their site and get the complete how-to. And sign up for the newsletter while you're at it. You'll get fun photo ideas straight to your inbox on a regular basis.

And if you're looking for more crafty photo goodness, be sure to pick up a copy of their book, Photojojo - insanely great photo projects and DIY ideas. We contributed to a project in there. And we have ourselves our own copy and really do think the book is insanely great. Get up and start your photojojo!

GoGo and upcycle with us tomorrow!

2011-08-05T06:00:00.000-07:00

GoGo squeeZ and TerraCycle will be taking part in this year’s Summer Streets event in New York City and we'll be there showing people how to upcycled items from their packaging material!

Summer Streets was set up in the city as a way to let people walk, run, bike, rollerblade and just enjoy the fresh air without being bothered by the noise and pollutants of cars. The festivities will run during three consecutive Saturdays, August 6, 13, 20 from 7am to 1pm. Our location is at Foley Square in NYC on the corner of Lafayette Street and Duane Street.

Check out the GoGo squeeZ tents where you’ll find samples of the GoGo squeeZ product and some fun activities. You will be able to take part in a TerraCycle upcycling event, where you can make wallets and bows out of GoGo squeeZ pouches! Come to the event and upcycle with us!

For more information on how you can be a member of the GoGo squeeZ Brigade click here.

Cigar Box Jewelry Box

2011-07-29T12:01:00.000-07:00

This week we found a new use for an empty cigar box! We started by cutting down chopsticks to serve as compartment dividers. After hot gluing the chopsticks to the bottom of the box, we cut out magazine pages to fit in the compartments, and glued the squares down with a glue stick. We found you can also give the inside of the box a more finished look by spraying on a few coats of glossy lacquer.

We picked this box up at Refugio Cigar House around the corner from our RePlayGround studios. A lot of cigar stores have empty boxes that pile up by the end of each week, so if you'd like to try this project, ask your local store for any cast-off boxes.

Check out our other crafty cigar box projects at Craftzine.

This smokin' hot jewelry box makes a great summer project!

Blast off with Maker Days at the NY Hall of Science!

2011-07-19T07:00:00.000-07:00

We’re back and the New York Hall of Science this summer for Maker Days and we couldn’t be more excited to make projects with you! This weekend is the Maker Days kick-off and we’ll be on-site sharing our recycled projects galore. Not only do you get to make stuff, you get to take the stuff you make. And bigger bonus - it’s free with museum admission!

RePlayGround be on-site from noon to 5pm these three weekends this summer:
July 23 – 24, August 6, 7 and August 20, 21
The great big NYC Maker Faire is coming your way on August 17 and 18th and we’ll be there, too.
Each weekend will feature different projects from cereal box rockets, bottle cap magnets, magazine gift bows and more.

So rev up those recycling engines and get ready to blast off with our Maker Days! We can make it great – with your help!!

Turn an outdated necktie into a picture perfect camera strap!

2011-07-18T07:00:00.000-07:00

Here's a project that's "suit"able for any occasion - a necktie turned camera strap.

Stop on by Ecouterre.com for the complete how-to.

If you'd like more of a hands-on tutorial for turning neckties into new, come out to the Creative Connection in September. I'll be teaching a class on turning neckties into new. Fun! And trashy!

Make crafty memories!

2011-07-16T10:00:00.000-07:00

Check out my latest project over at Craftzine and learn how to make a memory mirror frame.

It makes a great gift for weddings, birthdays, graduation, and every other event in-between.

What a good lookin' family, if I do say so myself!

Go postal AND go green!

2011-07-13T06:20:00.000-07:00

A fellow design junkie recently alerted me to the new eco-stamps available at the US Postal Service.

She writes:
"Hi Tiffany, Have you seed the "Go Green Forever" postage stamps? I went today to our local post office and Wola! The clerk said to me 'I've never seen anyone SO excited about stamps'. Apparently I must have had an out-of-body reaction when I saw them!"

So of course I instantly went on-line and ordered my own stamp sets.

Get yours, too! And help spread the eco-word by mailing it. In the words of Stacy - Wola!!

Crafty friends can organize, too!

2011-07-07T05:07:00.000-07:00

Nothing warms my crafty heart more than when a friend recently told me he and his girlfriend sat down one afternoon and whipped up a few projects from my book, ReMake It.

That is until he told me in his upcycling frenzy he decided to reorganize his CD collection and reused old boxes as organizing labels.

From Brian:
"So, here is my "bigger" craft project inspired by your book -- I'm getting close to finishing it up.

Anyway, as you know I end up with my share of beer containers and 6-pack holders, and I have wanted "labels" for my CD collection for a while now. So, instead of buying plastic or metal little label-holders, I started with a Sixpoint Brewery 4-can container (that's a great beer, BTW) and cut it up along the folds in the proper sizes -- so the "corners" of the can container are the folds of my labels. Then, sticking on some mailing labels to write on, I'm able to label each of the compartments of my CDs. I also used another 6-pack and a container for crackers, and now I'm getting close -- one more 6-pack and I'll be all set. And you know I'll be good to have another of those soon. :)

For me, its a big deal, since like many music lovers I have a unique filing system -- I use a genre-based system -- so Kate needs the lables to find anything!"

Happy crafting! And beer drinking (for more boxes of course!)

crafty kits by RePlayGround!

2011-07-05T09:25:00.000-07:00

We're super excited to introduce our brand new recycling craft kits on Etsy! We've had a few projects which have had such a demand, we decided to make them available to everyone! Now you can bring RePlayGround fun to your next party with our pre-cut materials and step-by-step instructions. These projects are also great for events, fairs, a classroom setting, or a good ol' craft night at home! Recycling has never been so fun and easy!

Magazine Gift Bows (includes a simple version for craft beginners, and a fancy bow for the craft savvy)

Food Box Wallet

And the recycling fun doesn't have to stop there! Check out our event page to hire RePlayGround to run a workshop at your next party or event. We have loads of crafty inspiration to share!

Recycle-A-Bicycle

2011-07-01T07:24:00.000-07:00

Recycle-A-Bicycle (RAB) is a community based bike shop that works with NYC youth to refurbish bicycles for new use. The non-profit organization salvages 1,200 bicycles a year from the landfill, and teaches students bike mechanics and repair techniques necessary to get junked bicycles back on the road! Every purchase from the store supports youth programs and environmental initiatives. RAB reaches kids and adults with programs where you can earn a bike through volunteer work, internships, and a Kid's Ride Club, along with adult education courses in maintenance and cycling skills. RAB estimates they have diverted 36,000 pounds of waste from NYC's landfills yearly. That's a big impact!

Another program RAB offers is Recycled Arts, where young people can transform old bike parts into crafty, artistic creations! We're always excited to see people getting creative with scrapped materials. Take a look at our own spin on recycled bicycle with our bike chain jewelry:

For information on how you can get involved with Recycle-A-Bicycle, or to donate a junked bike, check out http://www.recycleabicycle.org/

New Uses for an Old Cigar Box

2011-06-24T08:00:00.000-07:00

Last week we made a Cigar Box Desk Organizer which is featured in the Father's Day edition of Craft Magazine blog! Check out our DIY tutorial to make your dad an upcycled gift he'll be sure to reuse!

For more recycling craft ideas, check out these upcycled cigar box projects:

Cigar Box Turned Washi Paper Dispenser

by: Cathe Holden of Just Something I Made

view step-by-step instructions here!

3D Valentines and Gifts

by: The BBB Craft Sisters

view instructions on Design Sponge

Cigar Box Guitar

by: Ivan Sucharski

See instructions at Cigar Box Nation

These smokin' cigar box ideas are sure to be crafty fun!

Another "Junked" item Rescue Story!

2011-06-20T08:00:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago we asked for stories of ways you rediscovered or reused a "junked" or thrift store item. This week we're featuring Garbage of Eden founder and fellow trash-lover, Stephanie Huffaker's lost and found story:

A couple years ago, I bought a cute vintage necklace for $7 from a thrift shop. It was one of those large wooden-beaded necklaces from the 70's. It was a fun shape and it was black so it went with everything. I loved it and wore it all the time.

It fell off a lot because the clasp was loose, but since it was kind of big I usually noticed when it fell off and just put it right back on. I kept telling myself that I should restring the whole thing and replace the clasp but I just kept putting it off.

One day, I was running errands around my neighborhood when I noticed that my necklace was missing. I retraced my steps for a few blocks, but it was nowhere to be found. My favorite necklace was gone for good. :(

About a month later I invited a friend of mine to go shopping at the Salvation Army near my apartment. We got in line with the spoils of our thrifting adventures and...what to my wondering eyes?!

A black, 1970's wooden-beaded necklace was hanging by the checkout! I looked closer....it had a nick on one of the beads where I had stepped on it by mistake- it was my favorite necklace!

And this time it only cost me $1.00. :)

If you have a story you'd like to share, let us know! Email us at kathy (at) replayground (dot) com

Light up your dad’s day with this smokin’ cigar box desk tray

2011-06-17T05:56:00.000-07:00

Dads are super-special people. They teach you everything they know and the credit they take is watching you grow. Do something special this dad’s day – make him something and share your crafty love.

We created this smokin’ cigar box organizer just for Craftzine and are happy to share it with you, too. Head on over there for the complete step-by-step and craft up an organizer that’s perfect for any dad – office essentials, tool organizer, fishing lures. Most any type of dad can use a little help with organizing.

If your dad doesn’t smoke cigars, no problem – swing by a smoke shop and ask for an empty box. That’s how I snagged mine. This project is a great way to show how much you care and it’s easy on the wallet, too. Your dad will beam with pride when you show him you were paying attention during his lesson on frugality.

I miss you daddy!
Thanks for everything you taught me!

Summer Soda Tab Ideas!

2011-06-10T07:14:00.000-07:00

Looking for some upcycling summer fun? Take a look at these cool and crafty soda tab creations. For Earth Day, we taught how to make soda tab bracelets and belts at Etsy Labs, which you can view here. We met some creative people who took their own spin on on soda tabs, so we thought we'd share their ideas for your own recycling inspiration!

Crocheted Soda Tab Flower

Soda Tab Headband (laced with ribbon)

Double Stacker Soda Tab Bracelet

Add some soda tab pizzaz to a summer tote or t-shirt with this DIY project from our book! This DIY soda tab flower is one of 95 projects featured in our book ReMake It! Recycling Projects from the Stuff You Usually Scrap!

Have fun ReMaking it!

Tristin and Tyler talk trash again!

2011-06-01T21:00:00.000-07:00

Tristin and Tyler helped me ReMake It at the Powerhouse Arena in Brooklyn, NY. I was promoting my new book, ReMake It, and they stopped by and filmed one of their Tales from the City episodes. They may look young, but they're old friends and have stopped by our RePlayGround before. Check out the latest video on YouTube. Then pick up a book so you can ReMake It, too!

Rescue that Trash!

2011-05-29T10:00:00.000-07:00

Have you ever found a "junked" item on the berm or in the back of a thrift shop, and found a cool new use for it? If you happen to have a rediscovery or reuse story, send it our way, and we'll feature your story on our blog!

Here's my trash rescue story:

On by walk home one day, I noticed a neighbor had set a huge, ornate, gilt style frame out with the trash. The corners were crumbling, and some of the carved decoration had chipped away. It could have been crushed down in the garbage truck, but I saw potential, so I grabbed it and brought it to my backyard. With a can of spray paint, I painted the entire frame glossy black, so it had a sort of sleek, modern look to it. I then placed an ad for the frame on Craigslist, and within a week, I sold it for $50!

Sometimes it pays not to pass up trash!

If you have a story of a way you reused or recycled a found object, let us know, and we'll post your story on our blog!

Crafty Fun at Greenlight Bookstore!

2011-05-27T09:21:00.000-07:00

Get ready to ReMake it this Saturday at our book signing event at Greenlight Bookstore! Author Tiffany Threadgould will be signing books, talking trash, and teaching a recycling craft project that you can make and take. So if you're in the New York City area this weekend, stop by and get your hands on a copy of ReMake It!

When: Saturday May 28, 2011 11AM-12PM

Where: The Greenlight Bookstore

686 Fulton Street (at South Portland) Brooklyn, NY

See you there!

Another addition to the Unconsumption Uncollection

2011-05-24T22:00:00.000-07:00

Since just about any type of trash can be made into jewelry, the Uncollection un-assignment didn't seem like real project without some sort of jewelry addition making an appearance.

These earrings are made from #6 plastic and then shrinky dinked with the Mr. (and Ms.) Cart logo.

You can get the brief how-to make recycled shrinky dink jewelry all on your own. You can find #6 plastic in things like deli lids and other take-out containers.

And then challenge yourself with an un-project. Add something to the Uncollection and post your photo. It's a great way to unconsume and still be really excited about the new-to-you object.

Unbottle your crafting skills this weekend!

2011-05-20T11:37:00.000-07:00

Get ready for some upcycling fun this weekend with GrowNYC! In order to raise recycling awareness and promote our high quality NYC tap water, you can take part in a plastic bottle sculpture project this Saturday! So unbottle your creative side, and drop by for some hands on fun!

When: Saturday May 21, 2011 11-3PM

Where: DEP Visitor Center

329 Greenpoint Ave & Humboldt St (G train to Greenpoint Ave)

Brooklyn, NY

Please note, you must be 18 or older to attend this event. Don't miss this exciting twist on recycling!

Design Values

2011-05-11T18:54:00.000-07:00

Image courtesy TerraCycle

TerraCycle’s CEO, Tom Szaky and I have had a long-running debate about the intellectual property of design. In an upcycled nutshell, He thinks it’s a fair business play to manufacture a product that is an unprotected design. I think that a designer should be compensated for their design and provide their services to assist in the manufacturing of that product. Tom’s recent New York Times blog post, titled the Quagmire of Design IP, dives into the subject a bit deeper as he shares his views on the subject. I encourage you to read it and comment. Unsure what a quagmire is? You should read it, too.

Join the Uncollection!

2011-05-10T21:40:00.000-07:00

The super nice folks over at Unconsumption recently challenged me to reuse their logo and ReMake something from my book. The idea is simple - they are making
"the logo 'available' for anybody who wants to use it on things they already own. The concept in a nutshell: Take an old T-shirt you don’t really wear anymore, print our logo on it — and it becomes, on some level, a brand new T-shirt!"

Right up my recycling alley, right? And that logo of Mr. Cart is just super cute.

Check out the projects I (re)made for yourself. And then give it a try! Share it on their facebook page and spread the Unconsumption word. It's making something old that you already own, new again.

Green for Queens Earth Day Fair!

2011-05-06T08:12:00.000-07:00

RePlayGround is spreading eco-crafty fun all over the city, and our next stop is the Green for Queens Earth Day Fair! Great for kids and adults, this fair will include sustainable food tastings, reptiles and more from the Wildlife Children's Theater, a discussion with Anne Lappe on her book Diet for a Hot Planet, cooking for kids, live music, and of course, recycling craft projects brought to you by RePlayGround! So be sure to stop by for your own free project to make and take, and much more!

When: Sunday, May 15, 2011 1-4PM

Where: Central Queens YM & YWHA 67-09 108th Street, Forest Hills NY

Website: click here!

See you there for some trash-tastic fun!

Earth Month online project round up

2011-05-02T12:08:00.000-07:00

It's been a busy Earth Month here at RePlayGround!

My new book, ReMake It, hit store shelves in March, plenty of time for an extra eco-reason to celebrate this Earth Month!

We got loads of crafty blogs to jump on the ReMake It bandwagon (and if it were a real live bandwagon, there's a debate going if that bandwagon would be powered by good old fashioned leg pedal-power or by biodiesel).
Here's a summary of online posts, many with bonus projects straight from the book:

- The eco-fashion site, Ecouterre, shared the cargo pants into a yoga mat bag project
- Our friend Dave at PSFK gave a bonus book review
- The extra-crafty Craftypod showed readers how to make our yogurt tub buttons and gave a super-friendly book review
- I stopped by Etsy labs to give a tutorial on soda tab bracelets
- A nice review on Upcycle Magazine shared more recycling eco-book support
- Lots of Craftzine love with candy wrapper barrettes and a soda can tab belt
- Treehugger shared our top 10 must-have tools for ReMaking It
- Parentables posted the scrap paper picture frame project (with a picture of my lovely niece)
- Our new fave blog COLOURlovers posted a book review and the scrap flower pin project
- And rounding it out was our friends over at Brooklyn Based with a post on the book and our Earth Month events.

Whew! If you're like us, Earth Month isn't just in April. There will be a whole lot more year-round do-it-yourself ReMake It goodness coming your way from RePlayGround!

Win a free book! Show some green COLOUR!

2011-04-27T08:00:00.000-07:00

In the spirit of Earth Week, the fabulously colorful website, COLOURlovers, is sharing some green. They’re giving away 3 copies of the ReMake It book. You have until tomorrow (Thursday, April 28) to sign up. And win! They'll tell you how in the post.

Plus, the post shows you how to ReMake the fun, fabric flower pin. Show the Earth you care. ReMake some colorful fabric scraps and pin them on.

Happy ReMaking!

Thanks for a great Earth Day!

2011-04-26T13:14:00.001-07:00

This Earth week was jam packed with eco-crafty fun! Thank you to all who made it out this year to celebrate and remake some trashy projects with RePlayGround. Whether you visited us at Etsy Labs, the Sustainable NYC party, the Ecover cocktail party, or E Day in Grand Central Terminal, we want to say thank you for making our week extra green!

We're super inspired by all the creative, crafty people we met this week. To see pictures of all our new friends and their trashy creations, check out our flickr photostream.

If you're in the NYC area and missed out on Earth week, don't worry! We'll be at a few more book signing events this coming month, so drop on by! You can get your hands on our new book ReMake It! Recycling Projects from the Stuff You Usually Scrap and make a craft project to take home with you. Check our event calendar for more event updates.

Green in BKLYN

432 Myrtle Ave, Brooklyn NY

April 30, 2011 2-4PM

Greenlight Bookstore

686 Fulton Street (at South Portland), Brooklyn NY

May 28, 2011 11-1PM

Earth Day may have come and gone, but we'll keep ReMaking It!

Celebrate Earth Day with free projects!

2011-04-22T05:30:00.000-07:00

Happy Earth Day everyone!!

We've had a great Earth Week with loads of events. If you're in the NYC area, there are a few events to go!

We love celebrating Earth Week by ReMaking things. This year we have an extra reason to celebrate - our new book, ReMake It! is now on store shelves.

If you don't own the book just yet, but are itching to ReMake something today, then download some of the bonus projects over at Sterling Publishing's ReMake It site.

It includes projects like this umbrella turned rain hat, a tissue box soccer game, button down shirt purse, and lots more.

ReMake your Earth Day great!

ReMake this Earth Week great!

2011-04-15T07:55:00.000-07:00

Thanks to all the eco-crafty kids and adults who dropped in at the Powerhouse Arena last weekend for our book signing event! We had a blast upcycling cereal boxes into wallets and talkin' trash.

We're super excited to host Etsy Labs this coming Monday (4/18/2011)! We'll be making soda tab bracelets and belts, so pop in and make your own to take with you!

Where: 55 Washington Street, Suite 712 (7th floor) Brooklyn, New York, 11201

When: Monday, April 18th

Demos will be held at 4:15, 5:15, 6:15 and 7:15PM

RSVP here (space is limited!)

Webcast: For those of you who can't make it in person, check out the live demo via livestream at 3:30PM E.T. on the Etsy Community Page.

More Earth Month events with RePlayGround:

Drop in at Sustainable NYC and grab a copy of our new book ReMake It! and free beer from the Brooklyn Brewery! We'll be remaking the bottle caps into upcycled lockets and keychains!

When: Thursday April 21, 2011, 6-9PM

Where: 139 Avenue A (btwn 8th and 9th Streets)

And of course, we'll be celebrating Earth Day at the biggest eco-party in all of New York: Earth Day NY!

When: Friday, April 22, 2011, 11-7PM, Saturday April 23 11-5PM

Where: Grand Central Terminal

We'll also be making an appearance at Green in BKLYN. Get your own signed copy of our new ReMake It! book and make a crafty project to take with you!

Where: April 30, 2-4PM

When: 432 Myrtle Ave, Brooklyn NY

We'll see you soon for some trash-tastic fun!

Upcraft! Candy wrapper barrettes

2011-04-12T20:57:00.000-07:00

Craftzine just shared our project for these super sweet barrettes on their website. They're made from candy wrappers. Just in time to upcycle all of those sweet Easter treats! They'll tell you the step-by-step. Then head over to TerraCycle to upcycle the rest of those candy wrappers.

RePlayGround at the PowerHouse Arena!

2011-04-05T13:51:00.000-07:00

This Sunday (April 10, 2011, 3-4PM) RePlayGround will be at the PowerHouse Arena for a fabulous book signing, eco-craft making event! If you're in the NYC area, be sure to stop by and get your signed copy of ReMake It! Recycling Projects from the Stuff You Usually Scrap. You can also make your very own cereal box wallet to take home with you. You will certainly impress all your friends with your eco-crafty abilities!

Don't forget to RSVP on the facebook page.

37 Main Street, Brooklyn New York

See you there!

Laurie Anderson's Recycled Sound

2011-04-01T06:52:00.000-07:00

Last week we explored inventive ways to upcycle old VHS tapes (see blog entry 2nd Take on the VHS Tape). Musician Laurie Anderson has her own spin on reusing tape to create new sound. She created a violin bow strung with magnetic audio tape instead of horse hair. By drawing the bow across the violin strings, she can play the sound captured on the section of tape backwards and forwards.

Laurie Anderson repurposed a section of tape to say a phrase in dutch when drawn forwards across the strings. By pulling the bow back, the phrase is played backwards, sounding out a phrase in english. What an inventive way to repurpose not only an old audio tape, but also sound itself! To see more of Laurie Anderson's musical inventions, take a look at her website: http://www.laurieanderson.com/

My super duper dad

2011-03-28T04:48:00.000-07:00

Hi there RePlayGround blog readers. I’m dedicating this blog post to my awesome dad. He recently passed away due to a heart attack and he was a super duper awesome guy. He greatly influenced the person I am and especially influenced my career. I’ll really really really miss him (there’s not enough space to add the number of really’s I’d like to list), but I’m finding comfort in knowing just how many lives he’s touched in his life, including my own.

As a kid I grew up creating 4-H projects for my county fair in mid-Michigan. My dad was the 4-H agent of my county, so my brother and I always joked that 4-H was a requirement if you lived in our house. In 4-H I learned everything from basket weaving to sewing to baking to a whole lot more. I attribute a lot of the design skills I frequently use today to my 4-H days.

Even as I flip through my new book, I can see that a lot of the projects were inspired by 4-H projects that I did as a kid with a new, upcycled spin – weaving baskets now with plastic bags, sewing a new skirt from old t-shirts, an origami folded picture frame made from old maps. I’m happy that I was able to send my parents a finished copy of my new book just the week before my father passed away. My mom said that when they got it, my dad sat down and looked through every single page of the book and he was really really proud.

My dad also taught me a great deal about gardening and locally grown food. My dad always planted way too many vegetables in our summer garden. Little did we know that that excess would someday become my parents’ career. When I was about 8 years old my family started taking our excess produce to the farmers market and selling it on the weekends. With the money made from those first few weeks, my brother and I bought an Intellivision (kinda like an Atari if you’re from that era) game system. This not only taught me about appreciating good food, it also taught me about entrepreneurship and growing a business. About 15 years after that Intellivision purchase, my parents both retired from their day jobs and grew their farm into quite the business. I would never call them retired since the farm required more than full-time work in the summer. It was something they really enjoyed doing together and just one more way that they added to their community.

I know my dad especially liked talking to people at the market and give them tips on how to keep their veggies fresh, how to keep fend off garden critters, and just general plant-based knowledge.

I’m already missing him an unmeasurable amount, but recognizing his influence on my life and others helps me to see the impact he had during his 67 years here. And while there will never be beans or tomatoes that will quite measure up to the ones he grew, I'll still remember those bean-picking days where he would be sharing his words of wisdom as we plucked green and yellow varieties off of the plants. I may not be taking over the garden business, but I've certainly taken parts of what he taught me and reinvented it into my own business of reuse and remaking. And those are the best parts.

2nd Take on the VHS Tape

2011-03-24T19:45:00.000-07:00

Warm weather is around the corner, and so it's time for spring cleaning! This year, remake your old junk instead of leaving it out for the trash collectors. As I did a little of my own spring cleaning, I discovered a pile of old VHS tapes in the back of the closet. Check out these cool takes I found on the upcycled VHS tape!

External Hard Drive VHS
Find it here: http://blog.metroparkusa.com/2010/01/21/vhs-upcycle/

VHS Tape Loomed Flowers
Find a tutorial here: http://www.craftstylish.com/item/43650/crafting-with-vhs-tapes

Video Tape Frock
Find it here: http://www.trendhunter.com/trends/scianca-vhs-dress#!/photos/78908/1

With such inventive recycling ideas, you can count on your VHS tapes never going out of style!

Earth Day Acts of Green

2011-03-17T08:58:00.000-07:00

Earth Day is fast approaching, and we here at RePlayGround are counting down the days with anticipation! We're happy to announce this April 22 and 23 we'll be at Earth Day NY in Grand Central Terminal. So drop by the RePlayGround booth and say hello, make a cool recycled craft project, and celebrate the environment with us!

Earth Day NY has an initiative to collect 1 Billion pledges of "Acts of Green" by the 2012 UN Conference on Sustainability Development. Get inspiration from people pledging to take action, and make your own pledge at http://act.earthday.org/

We've also added some more fun book signing events, so be sure to check our event calendar and stay in the loop. Please note a few events have been rescheduled, and the Brooklyn Brewery will now be providing beer for the Sustainable NYC book signing event on April 21, 2011!

Green in BKLYN, 432 Myrtle Ave, Brooklyn NY

*TO BE RESCHEDULED* (originally March 19, 2011 2-4PM)

Check back soon for a new date!

The Powerhouse Arena, 37 Main Street, Brooklyn NY

April 10, 2011 3-4PM

Etsy Virtual Lab, April 18, 2011 Watch the Broadcast: Time TBA

Sustainable NYC, 139 Avenue A btwn 8th and 9th St

April 21, 2011, 7-9PM

(Originally Scheduled for April 7, 2011)

cocktails served and beer provided by Brooklyn Brewery

Earth Day NY, Grand Central Terminal

April 22, 2011 11-7PM

April 23, 2011 11-5PM (author Tiffany Threadgould will be present for a book signing)

Greenlight Bookstore, 686 Fulton Street, Brooklyn NY

May 28, 2011 11-1PM

Time to play with your garbage!

2011-03-05T08:24:00.000-08:00

Image courtesy Design Sponge

Anytime is a great time to play with your garbage. A good friend (who has an awesome new photography site) just directed me over to Design Sponge to check out this super cute clock made from recycled toys and stuffed animals. It appears that it's been painted white to give them a uniform look. It would go great with one of those stuffed animal chairs from the Campana brothers.

Image courtesy Campana brothers

ReMake It! To your local bookstore!

2011-02-28T21:00:00.000-08:00

Woo hoo! I'm pleased to share that the ReMake It book is finally on store shelves!

My super nice publisher sent over this first review from Publishers Weekly which says really lovely things about the book.

Feel free to help spread the recycling love and share this book with your friends! At $12.95 and nearly 100 projects, you get a whole lot of value for your trash.

ReMake It: Soda Bottle Soap Dish

2011-02-27T10:49:00.000-08:00

This soda bottle soap dish project is the latest from the world of TerraCycle DIY videos. It's also one of the fun projects in my new book ReMake It! which will be in stores this week! Woo hoo! Pick up a copy for yourself at Barnes and Noble, Amazon, or your favorite local bookstore. And if your book store doesn't carry them, send them over to Sterling Publishing to stock the crafty love so they can share with all of their customers!

Get ready to ReMake It!

Book it! Events!

2011-02-19T11:55:00.000-08:00

*Dates have been updated below. Note the new schedule of events*
Hi there RePlay ReMakers! I'm getting super duper excited about the launch of my new book, ReMake It, in stores this March!

To celebrate we have a few scraptacular events! If you're in the New York City area, be sure to swing by one of these book signing events:
Green in BKLYN on March 19, 2-4pm Will be rescheduled
The Powerhouse Arena on April 10, 3-4pm
Sustainable NYC on April 7, Now on April 21st 7-9pm (Happy Earth Day eve!)
Each event will have a fun, free crafty project. We'll have books available at all of these locations. Or, you can always pick one up online at Barnes and Noble and Amazon.com. Both the book and the events are filled with trashtastic loads of fun!

Woo hoo for ReMaking It!

Bottle Cap Creations

2011-02-16T12:16:00.000-08:00

This week I discovered a fun twist on used bottle caps! The blog Another Limited Rebellion features a collection of action figures made from bottle caps and other junk pile items. Take a look at this robot made entirely of Gatorade caps:

To see more robot designs on ALR Design Blog, click here!

Here at RePlayGround, we have another fun take on the bottle cap. It's the T-Shirt Checkerboard, and it's made from t-shirts, shoelaces, and 24 discarded bottle caps. With a little sewing and creativity, you can make your own checkerboard to go! This project is one of 95 do-it-yourself projects in our new ReMake It! Book.

This checkerboard will top all others!

More Repurposed Coat Rack Ideas

2011-02-09T07:54:00.000-08:00

The new RePlayGround Coat Hanger Rack made it's debut in the studio recently, and this week I'd like to feature some other eco-crafters who make hanging racks from repurposed items. These coat racks were all handmade Etsy finds!

Vintage Silverware Coat Rack
By: JJEvensen Art
Visit the shop

Antique Hook Rack
By: Blue Bird Heaven
Visit the shop

Birch Branch Rustic Hooks
By: Vermont Branch Company
Visit the shop

It's always great to see other eco-crafty people at work!

Make: Projects!

2011-02-03T23:21:00.000-08:00

I just heard from Make Magazine that they have a fancy new dynamic collaborative projects database called Make: Projects! These projects allow people to interact and improve them over time.

The website is in Beta testing, but already loaded with projects to build, hack, tweak, share, and discover. And be sure to check out the two featured by yours truly just in time for hole-y sweater weather - felted sweater potholder and felted sweater scarf.

image courtesy Make Magazine

Merry Geek Christmas!

2011-01-25T17:59:00.000-08:00

If December is a time for giving, make January a time for regifting!

I attended my first geek Christmas last week and it was a big tech swap with people exchanging gadgets and other technology gizmos to trade. There was the big coil of Ethernet cable (that looked like a wreath – wreathernet cable perhaps?), blinky lights, old microphones, and loads of other tech gadgets well beyond my expertise. It’s like the geek version of a clothing swap! Each person takes a turn to explain what he or she brought and everyone else fights over the free findings. If more than one person want a particular item, they each share their intended use. The original owner of the item deems the winner and passes over the newly coveted item.

It was super fun, super geeky and all over upcycled. My favorite kind of party.
Check out the time-elapsed video from this year's and videos of Geek Christmas past.

Consider holding your own geek Christmas and spread some technology cheer!

photos courtesy Nick Normal

ReMaking It!

2011-01-17T18:24:00.000-08:00

Woo hoo! My first book is here!!

I just received my own book (with my own name printed on it!) in the mail this past week. I have to tell you, RePlayGround blog-readers, that it's pretty rewarding to receive something like this that you've and worked really really hard on and to finally have it in print and hold it in your hands.

What's even more exciting is that this isn't the only copy that exists. Many more copies on their way to a store near you starting this March. The purpose of this book is to empower everyone to ReMake projects from objects that they find discarded around them every day. This book can be used as a garbage cookbook of sorts. We'll have the recipes you need to turn your old CDs into a table lamp, your empty cereal box into a magazine holder, and your old sweater into a scarf. It's packed with 95 do-it-yourself recycling projects from the stuff you usually scrap. Yep, 95.

If you can't wait to start remaking it, then you can preorder your copy of ReMake It on Barnes and Noble and Amazon.com. At $12.95 suggested retail, and even further discounts at online retailers, it's cheap! And if you're all connected into social media, feel free to "like" it on these sites.

The great things about all of these projects are that they're all functional objects that can be incorporated back into your everyday life. In that picture above, I have two clocks from the book already hanging on my wall - one made out of a vinyl record and the other from a paint can lid. In fact, I have a lot of the projects from the book already decorating my apartment.

Grab a copy of the book and you can ReMake It, too!!

Coat Rack Design Challenge

2011-01-12T07:23:00.000-08:00

Tiffany, always a junkie for upcycling projects, gave me a challenge recently to create a coat rack for the RePlayGround design studio.

The design rules were as follows:
1) The coat rack must be able to be mounted to the wall
2) It must hang at least six items
3) The rack must be made out of repurposed items!

With these design aspects in mind, I decided to give some old wood coat hangers an unconventional twist with this Upside Down Coat Hanger Rack:

I started by cutting off all but 1" of one side of each coat hanger. This left enough space to mount the coat hangers onto a scrap wood 2 X 4. Next, we drilled screws from the back of the wood plank into the cut part of the coat hanger, making sure to space each hanger 4" apart. This took one person to line up the hanger to the wood and hold everything in place, while a second person screwed the pieces together. For extra security, I dabbed a bit of wood glue to the sawed off part of each hanger to make sure the hangers won't twist out of place when in use!

Now our coats are hanging around the design studio in upcycled style!

2011-01-05T09:27:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year RePlay readers!

This New Year the resolutions at RePlayGround are to find new things to upcycle, and find inspiration from other eco-crafty artists and companies. This week I found a marvelous way to showcase your old museum badges by repurposing them into magnets!

Museum Badge Magnets

Materials:

6 round metal museum badges

1 packet of ReMake It! bottle cap magnets

Time: 5 Minutes!

1) Remove the little metal prong off the top of each badge. Bend the prong back and forth until it breaks off.

2) Peel off the paper on the ReMake It magnets, revealing the sticky side.

2) Push the backside of each badge onto the sticky part of the magnet.

Now you're ready to display your magnificent museum badge collection in upcycled style!

Also, check out this fun Etsy find by Geekilicious: Metropolitan Museum of Art Tag Earrings!

Upcycle Away!

Kathy

Gill the recycled holiday fish

2010-12-29T16:58:00.000-08:00

Happy upcycling holidays everyone!

I trekked back to see my family in mid-Michigan this Christmas with many-a-handmade gift to give. My 9 year old niece and 4 year old nephew excitedly took me to see their neighborhood fish. I wondered why this particular fish lived in the parking lot of some nearby stores, but since you should never question the enthusiasm of kids, I went along with it and assumed they wouldn't be that excited if his health of living in a parking lot was questioned. When we pulled up it all made sense - Gill was constructed completely from recycled plastics. He was created mostly from laundry detergent bottles, but there were also pieces of plastic plates and an old wading pool in there, too. He also had holiday lights strung throughout him, making him a recycled aquatic Christmas tree of sorts. There's certainly more than one way to spread holiday cheer.

ReMake your holiday gifts!

2010-12-13T07:54:00.000-08:00

Hey there RePlay readers! Looking for a last-minute gift that's handmade, but doesn't take you a lot of your own time to make? Gift the gift of ReMake It kits! There are five to choose from - wine cork trivet, glass bottle lamp, magazine stationery kit, bottle cap magnets, and the newest addition is the plastic bag trash can! If you live in the New York City area, you can pick any of these up at the Union Square Holiday market in the Karma Kiss booth. And tell 'em we sent ya.

If you're not near NYC, you can order them online at Karma Kiss or at GreenFeet.

The trash can makes a great gift and you can pick up more than one and you don't have to limit it to just plastic bags. Try out some of Kathy's recent creations from t-shirts, paper, and more.

Happy holiday upcycling!

ReMake It! Paper Waste Basket

2010-12-03T07:07:00.000-08:00

It's time for this week's ReMake It Trash Can DIY!

The Paper Waste Basket

Materials:
ReMake It! Trash Can
1 or more magazines
Cereal box
2 Ribbons (approx 12" each)
Scissors
Box Cutter (optional)
Ruler
Clear Tape

Time: About an hour

1) Tear 10-15 colorful pages out of an old magazine (if you have a box cutter, cut along the centerfold to avoid tearing). It’s easier to use a magazine with sturdy paper- for example Vogue or Artforum.

2) Cut strips ¾” wide by 4 ½” long.

3) Take the first strip of paper and wrap it around two of the spokes. Tape the end of the strip down taut to the paper to form a paper chain link.

4) Build the first row of chain links by repeating step 3 until you circle around the trash can. There should be a gap between each link.

5) Start a second row on top of the first by making paper chain links that loop together each set of spokes that have a gap in the previous row. The result is a checkerboard pattern that alternates between a gap and a paper chain link. As you build each layer on top of the last, leave one space open the whole way up.

6) Now we’re going to fill in the open space with a trash can label. At the RePlayGround studio, we’re going to use this trash can to sort recycled paper, so I’ve made a corresponding label. Cut out large letters from a magazine, then cut out cardboard squares and glue the letters on to give the label a good backing. Next punch holes in each of the four corners.

7) Take an end of each ribbon and tie it to the top rim of the trash can. You can secure the knot by taping it down with a small piece of clear tape.

String each ribbon through the corresponding top and bottom hole of the first letter, then loop each ribbon around the nearest spoke. Keep stringing until all the letters are in place. Tie off the ribbons and secure again with tape.

Once you’re done, your Paper Waste Basket will put all other trash cans to waste!

Stay tuned for the last ReMake It! Trash Can DIY in this series!

Upcycle away,

Kathy

Candy wrapper napkin ring project

2010-11-21T21:17:00.000-08:00

As your Halloween candy pile has dwindles into a pile of wrappers, we have a great upcycling project to satisfy your crafty cravings. Here we’ll show you an upcycling trick to transform wrappers into napkin rings – the perfect treat for your Thanksgiving celebration. Then, in the true spirit of recycling, you can reuse them again and again. It’s a sweet way to decorate your dinner party without spending a dime.

You can follow the video above, or get the complete how-to by clicking below!

Materials:
candy wrappers
scissors
pen or permanent marker
ruler
glue stick

Instructions:
1. Cut your candy wrappers to 1.75” x 4” rectangles. You’ll need 16 pieces to make a 2” diameter napkin ring.
2. Take one wrapper and fold it in half lengthwise with the printed side facing out. Open it back up.
3. Run your glue stick along the inside of the wrapper. Fold both sides of the wrapper in to the center fold line.
4. Run your glue stick along the folded side of the wrapper. Then, fold the wrapper in half lengthwise again, so it is now a narrow rectangle.
5. Fold the wrapper in half widthwise and open it back up.
6. Fold both ends in toward the center fold line.
7. Repeat steps 2 through 6 on another wrapper.
8. Now take your two folded wrappers and fit the two tabs from one piece into the slots of the other.
9. Keep repeating steps 2 through 8 for all 15 pieces.
10. To finish your napkin ring, follow steps 2 through 5 to fold your last wrapper. Push this piece through the two open ends of your bracelet. Then, tuck the two ends into the center of this piece. Your sweet, new napkin ring is ready for dinner. As an eco-bonus, use cloth napkins that can be reused over and over.

You can also upcycle your candy wrappers through the TerraCycle collection brigade. For every candy wrapper you send in, you earn 2 cents for your favorite charity. It’s a sweet treat when you can raise money and upcycle at the same time!

A new turn for the ReMake It trash can - plastic bags!

2010-11-16T13:29:00.000-08:00

Hello all!

I'm back this week with a DIY on my first ReMake It! trash can project:

Plastic Bag Trash Can

Materials:
ReMake It plastic bag trash can frame
A few plastic bags (we used 2)
Scissors
Ruler
Time:
About an hour

1) Find some colorful plastic grocery bags. With your scissors, spiral cut around the bag in a long strip that is approximately 45” long X 1 1/2” wide. If it's easier for you, cut smaller strips and connect them together with clear tape. You will need a total of 17 strips.

2) Tie the end of each strip to a spoke towards the bottom of the trash can.

3) Starting with one strip, wrap the strip over the spoke to the right of the spoke the strip is tied to. Pull the strip back up between the two spokes you are working with. Leave the first strip, and repeat the loop with each of the strips.

4) Once you’ve completed your first row of loops, repeat step 3 with a new row on top of the previous row. Keep building rows until you reach the top of the trash can!

5) Tie the strips to the top rim of the can. Trim the excess ends of the strips and tape down each knot with a small piece of clear tape. Once you've tied off the ends, you've got refuse recycling skills in the bag!

See you next week for a new ReMake It can project with recycled magazines!

Upcycle away,

Kathy

Home grown!

2010-11-14T17:41:00.000-08:00

Locally grown, fresh produce runs in my blood. When I was a kid my dad was notorious for overplanting tomatoes, zucchini, and pretty much all vegetables. And in theme with recycling, my family doesn't like to waste anything, so we turned those surplus veggies into a small business. As a part time project, my parents, brother and I would harvest the excess vegetables and sell them at the local farmers market on the weekends. My parents still run their Threadgould Gardens biz in mid-Michigan and during the summer and fall you can find them at the Meridian Farmers' Market every Saturday. True to my farm-rasied roots, I still buy a lot of my fruit and veggies there at the Greenmarkets around New York City.

My good friend Janie, who has also worked at that same farmers' market, shared a great video where you can see my dad, Janie, and a lot of the other Meridian Market locally grown crew. Click on this page and play the video. And visit your own farmers market! It's always tastier when it's homegrown!

Do the T-shirt Trash Can Twist!

2010-11-05T12:02:00.000-07:00

Hi again! I hope you've all been thinking of fun designs for your ReMake It! Trash Can. Here's my new DIY trash can project of the week. It's the T-shirt Trash Can!

Materials:
ReMake It plastic bag trash can frame
A few t-shirts (we used 3)
Scissors
Ruler
Time:
About an hour

1) Find some old T-shirts that you are ready to recycle! Cut the t-shirts into strips 40” long X 2” wide. You will need a total of 17 strips. I chose 3 colors, but use as many different fabrics as you like!

2) Tie the end of each strip to a spoke towards the bottom of the trash can.

3) Starting with one strip, wrap the strip over the spoke to the right of the spoke the strip is tied to. Complete the wrap around by pulling the strip up between the two spokes. Now wrap around the spoke the fabric is tied to and pull the strip back up between the two spokes. Repeat until you’ve reached the top rim of the trash can.

4) Knot the strip to the top rim of the trash can. With the excess fabric, tuck neatly back down into the top weave. Trim any extra fabric that sticks out.

5) Take the strip tied to the left of the spokes you just finished. Repeat steps 4 and 5 from above for all strips, overlapping the last strip you just finished weaving. You may need to spread apart the already weaved strip so you can loop the new strip over the metal.

When you’ve tied on your last T-shirt strip, your new trash fashion will be this season’s must-have trashion accessory.

Have fun! I'll be back next week with a brand new design!

Upcycle away,

Kathy

Meet the New Eco-Crafty Intern!

2010-11-02T06:41:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone!

I'm Kathy and I'm the new intern at RePlayGround! Already I'm learning a lot about wasting less and finding a new use for the things I'd usually toss. Besides coming up with upcycling ideas at the studio, I also repurpose glassware and photo frames with rolled magazine strips and a glossy lacquer. Take a look at my work at www.twofoldesigns.com

My first project at RePlayGround was to find a new design for the ReMake It! Plastic Bag Trash Can (as seen above!) Check back soon for a DIY on how I weaved the plastic bag strips.

Each week for the month of November I will post a new ReMake It! trash can design from scrap material found at home and at the studio. If you have a ReMake It! can, send us a photo of your creative design and we'll feature it on our blog! Email me at kathy(at)replayground(dot)com.

I'm excited to work with the eco-crafty people here at RePlayGround, and learn to reincarnate trash into functional, fun treasure!

Upcycle Away!

Kathy

ReMake your Halloween - Crafty Inspiration

2010-10-28T14:37:00.000-07:00

Halloween is coming up fast and there is no shortage of ideas for recycled costumes and decor. I picked out a few favorites that I hope will inspire you to ReMake your Halloween!

The cardboard box robot is a classic, and you can find tons of inspiration online - including detailed instructions on this very blog!

If you've got some boxes you need to use up, and don't feel so robotic, try being a Lego instead.

Evil Mad Scientist shares a fantastic bat costume made from used umbrellas.

I'm a sucker (ha, ha) for octopus and squid, so I am totally charmed by Dollar Store Crafts' no-sew Octopus costume (made with socks and an old sweatshirt). You can also see some great ideas for Halloween decor on the same site - like the scary lighted skulls made from plastic milk bottles.

(And on November 1st, don't forget to save your candy wrappers to make upcycled jewelry!)

What's for lunch? More real food, less waste challenge!

2010-10-24T20:55:00.000-07:00

photo by Abby Kelly

Check out this great Waste-Free Lunch Challenge that happened recently in schools across Ontario, Canada.

This program took place as a one week challenge to help schools reduce their garbage. What a great way to put the education system at work. Apparently the average student's lunch generates about 60 pounds of trash per year! That's like the size of a child! There program even has incentives for the classes that have the best participation.

The article also gives a shout out to good old TerraCycle for their dedication to collecting and upcycling hard-to-recycle food packaging. TerraCycling your food wrapper is a great solution when you can't avoid a completely waste-free lunch. You can sign up for collection brigades in the US, Canada, and many other countries.

Read the whole article here. If you're involved in a school system outside of Ontario, why not try to bring a similar program to your school?

From table to table (with a few stops in between)

2010-10-18T19:00:00.000-07:00

If you've been reading the blog for a while, you know that I kind of like to compost.
On a recent sunny Saturday, I worked on my compost pile sifting through decayed veggie peels and other food matter. That's the payment - one afternoon's worth of work once a year in exchange for being able to use drop off compost on Wednesday or Saturdays. And not only did I walk away with a large (recycled) yogurt container filled with what is considered "black gold", but also a better understanding of how food breaks down.

Seeing the compost get dumped from "cooking" for a few weeks and transferring it to a larger bin, you see the recognizable pieces in the mix. Corn cobs are still pretty much corn cobs and coconut shells are of the more determined to stay coconuts, but it's pretty amazing how most of the rest of it - orange peels, carrot tops, egg shells - all break down and start looking like dirt again.

I do work at a company that got its start in compost. In worm poop to be exact. But I'm in the design department and don't experiment much over with the lawn and garden crew other than eat lunch once in a while with them and use the fertilizer myself. So seeing the whole compost process was really helpful. And will make me way more diligent in removing stickers, rubberbands, and other foreign objects before piling it in my compost. I'm usually pretty good, but when sifting at the pile they're all still there, so better to remove 'em beforehand.

Post-compost on that sunny afternoon, I took my newly sifted black gold and planted a few containers of herbs (In upcycled containers of course! You can read the how-to in my upcoming book called ReMake It! In stores March 2011). The basil, pictured above, is sprouting already and I can't wait until it grows large enough to use it on the last of the season's tomatoes. Who knows what that dirt used to be - maybe at one time it was tomatoes and basil? I think the new plant feels right at home.

Brooklyn Skillshare this Saturday!

2010-10-07T13:47:00.000-07:00

Hey, New Yorkers!

For those of you who missed us a couple of weeks ago at Maker Faire, you have a second chance to catch us in action this Saturday, October 9th, where we'll be teaching a glass etching class at Brooklyn Skillshare at The Brooklyn Community Arts & Media High School in Bed-Stuy.

The event runs from 10-4 and is open to the public with a suggested donation. Our class is at 1 pm, but come early and stay all day for a great range of classes (including crafting from plastic bags, taught by our friend Stephanie over at Garbage of Eden!).

The 30 Under 30 Contest!

2010-10-03T21:13:00.000-07:00

I'm pleased to be a judge in Ecover's first ever 30 under 30 contest. I just don't know how I'm going to decide among the treehugging dirt-lover, the water crusaders, the book sharer, the veggie-powered biker, and loads more. You can check out all of the great submissions here. It's great to see so many young eco-activists out there. And even though there can only be one grand prize winner, all eco-activists are winners in my (shared) book!

Make it Faire in New York City!

2010-10-03T20:57:00.000-07:00

Thanks to everyone who made it on down to the Maker Faire last weekend to craft it on up with us!

Crafty and clever were kicked into high Maker-style gear with loads of do-it-yourself goodness. The NY Hall of Science hosted this rockstar event where you could learn to solder, get your hair cut (electronically), watch Coke + Mentos spew 30 feet into the air (and fight for your own bottle of flat, minty soda), check out the life-size mousetrap, get a lesson in crocheting, tear apart old computers, and of course reconstruct your faire share of recycled projects. Whew. Then, just when you were in need of a DIY recharge - you could noodle on over to the delish food fare - some with secret ingredients.

Plus, whoa, there was loads more to see. It was common to hear that you just couldn't see everything in one day, or even weekend.

Here are some RePlay highlights:

do-it-yourself upcycling action at the RePlayGround booth

The deconstruction room with the TerraCycle design crew and goggles so stylish I'm thinking of trading in my rhinestone glasses

a visit to the super crafty Megan Nicolay of Generation T fame. With our super-coordinated, I-swear-it-wasn't-planned reconstructed T-shirt attire.

Our friend Rebecca, the NY Hall of Science Librarian, and her crocheted security sensor cozy

The yarn-bombed rocket ship

And the end of the weekend was topped off with four really really nice editors choice awards to the RePlayGround booth by our friends at Make Magazine and the NY Hall of Science.

Thank you Maker Faire! We hope you come back to NYC for a visit real soon!

Make it to Maker Faire!

2010-09-23T23:38:00.000-07:00

If you're at all into do-it-yourself-ing and making stuff and anywhere remotely near the NYC area, then the Maker Faire at the NY Hall of Science is event you must make it to this weekend.

You can learn how to knit, make your own circuit board, craft up a metro card holder, twist up some plastic bag magnets, and much much more.

RePlayGround will be there ReMaking stuff and showing you how to ReMake stuff, too. You can even catch Abby, myself and the rest of the RePlayGround crew showing you how to make gift bows, wallets, and more out of TerraCycle food wrapper. And catch my demo on the subject at 11am on Saturday in the Craft stage at the Faire.

Catch the faire and make stuff for yourself!

We're in a generation T!

2010-09-22T20:29:00.000-07:00

I'm pretty busy these days creating DIY projects of my own, so it's not often that I find time to follow a project that someone else has created. But there are times when I'm feeling a little crafty and come across that perfect project that is clever and just plain simple. Like this tank top project - from my friend, Megan Nicolay's newest book - Generation T - Beyond Fashion. This style is "The Best of Two Tees" and you can get the book and do-it-yourself just like I did. Super clever, super easy, super-duper DIY!

Plus in true making stuff DIY style - you can see Megan's recent blog post about my t-shirt skirt on her blog.

And if you're in the NYC area this weekend, you can catch Megan, myself, and a whole slew of DIYers at the biggest DIY event around - the World Maker Faire at the New York Hall of Science. If you can MAKE it here, you can make it anywhere.

High flying trash!

2010-09-18T10:41:00.000-07:00

Ever wanted to fly a kite on the roof of a building in New York City? Well tomorrow is your chance!! I'll be at the Port Authority with TerraCycle kites and some extras to share. If you caught the Oreo Cookie wrapper kite in the first episode of Garbage Moguls, here's your chance to fly one of those all by yourself. This event is being put on by our friends at the Fashion Center so check out their website for all of the details.

Woo hoo! Hi flying, trashy fun!

Trash talkin' with More Hip than Hippie!

2010-09-15T05:04:00.000-07:00

The hip ladies over at More Hip Than Hippie recently called me up to talk trash. You can listen to the podcast on their site here. It'll fill you in on all of the trash happenings around RePlayGround because we're always loaded with lots of fun upcycled goodness!

Thanks for the great interview Dori and Val! You guys rock my eco-world!

Make stuff with us!

2010-09-12T21:41:00.000-07:00

Are you a recycling enthusiast? Do you love talking about and teaching others how they can make stuff? Do you live in the New York City area? And are you just generally fun to be around? If you answered yes to the above questions, we want to hear from you!

We're pleased to announce that we're looking for a new part time PR and Events Coordinator here at our RePlayGround. Responsibilities will include general PR promotion of our do-it-yourself recycling goodness, and event coordinating and planning. Email your resume and why you're perfect for the position to jobs (at) replayground (dot) com.

New Life for Shredded Paper

2010-09-07T14:38:00.000-07:00

On a lunchtime stroll the other day I noticed that someone was putting shredded paper to good use in a tree pit.

We covered something similar in our Rethink/Reuse series last year, and it's always nice to see "trash" being used for noble purposes, like keeping our hard-working street trees* a little bit healthier. (*Did you know that each year, 272 tons of air pollution are intercepted or absorbed by trees in NYC? And that street trees raise surrounding property values? Learn more here.)

Tristin and Tyler talk trash with Tiffany

2010-08-31T20:46:00.000-07:00

My new friends Tristen and Tyler stopped by my design studio a few weeks ago. I showed them the latest in RePlayGround trash projects and we upcycled up a storm. Check out this "Tristin and Tyler's Tales from the City" clip and maybe you can make something for yourself, too: