These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things. Januarys 10

I am going to have a monthly list of some of my favorite upcycled/re purposed projects that I have found on other blogs and websites. These are all things I have tried and loved. Here are the first 10. So kick off your shoes and enjoy.

#1.  Newspaper Basket (free)
My husband writes for our local newspaper so we always have extra newspapers lying around. Since I am pretty addicted to pinterest lately, I searched for craft ideas using newspaper. This is my favorite one I found. I only started this a week ago and haven't had time to completely finish it so please ignore the top of my box. I still need to had the top piece. But I thought I should post my version so you can see how awesome they are! You can see the complete finished product and step by step instructions on the link below. This box actually inspired me to make my Burp rag blankets.

Newspaper Basket idea courtesy of How About Orange

#2. Paint Chip Banner
 (Paint chips were free, punch was $12)

This summer I took my daughter to our local home improvement store and picked up as many paint samples as I could. I had so many projects already going that I didn't do anything with them until a few weeks ago. Again, I search "paint chip crafts" on pinterest and got inspired by all the awesome ideas. I liked this one so much that I went out and bought at butterfly punch from JoAnns with my 40% off coupon that I clipped out of the newspaper (before I folded it up to make the basket).


Paint Chip Banner photo and idea courtesy A Little Bit Funky

#3. Recycled T-Shirt Scarves (free)

There are a lot of blogs that offer a tutorial on how to make these super cute scarves out of old t-shirts. Not saying that one is better than the other. I just happened to stumble apron this one first.
I had tons of old t-shirts that a friend gave to me. I turned most of them into rags but I wanted to try this awesome scarf I saw. I think I like the dark blue one the best. And Maybe if I try making one again, I will add a braid or two in with it.

T shirt scarf idea courtesy of Ette Studies

#4. Homemade Lip Balm ($.35 each)
 I re purposed my old makeup containers for lip balm. I really liked the way it turned out. And the most exciting part is that I had most of the ingredient already. I used grapeseed oil instead of olive. And the only flavor I added was lavender because that it what I had on hand. But you could experiment with different flavors. The awesome thing about this craft is that it takes about 10 minutes (max) to do. Great gift idea.

Lip Balm recipe courtesy of Crunchy Betty

#5 Wooden Spool Doll ($.25 each)
The funniest thing about this is that it came off a website that was designed for kids. But I didn't want to wait until my 15 month old was old enough to make it on her own. So I made it for her (she can make another one when she is older). I came across a bunch of wooden spools at a thrift store for 75 cents and couldn't pass them up. I used left over yarn I had from a previous project and went to work. It was so easy, even a child could make this...
Spool Doll Pattern courtesy of Artist Helping Children


#6 Cloth Wipes ($.75 for 100 wipes)

I knew the moment we found out I was pregnant that I wanted to use cloth diapers. But I never really thought about cloth wipes before I started researching what diapers to buy (I am happy with my Flip diapers, but wish I would have tried making my own). I came across this blog when I was looking into diapering solutions. As you can see from my photo, I changed her pattern a bit, but you will get the general idea from her site. I used an old sheet and a couple thin towels that I picked up a the thrift store.
 Cloth Wipes inspired by Progressive Pioneer

#7 Fitted Sheets ($.25-$1.50 depending on size)

I have a bunch of fabric from the sheet left over from the diaper wipes so I decided to make some fitted sheets for my bassinet and changing table. I found this pattern online and just changed the sizes because it was for a crib. In addition to the sheet, I used an old fleece blanket that I didn't have any use for. I made three changing table sheets and five crib sheets. I think I spent a total of $3.00 of all the fabric and elastic.

Fitted Sheet Pattern idea courtesy of Domestic Bliss

#8. Cloth Blocks ($.25 for 3)
You know how I mentioned the fleece I used for the fitted bassinet sheets? Well, I still have a little bit left over after I made the sheets. So I looked into some other projects I could make. I came across this website and changed their pattern a little to make it a taggy cloth block instead of just a block. In order to do that, all you have to do it sew the ribbons into the fleece before you sew the fleece (or whatever fabric you use) together. I also added a few bells in the block to add some fun noise for my daughter to enjoy and stuffed it with polyfil I found at the thrift store. The block on your right I made with fabric scraps. And I made a matching ball rattle and taggy blanket to go with it.
Baby Block Pattern courtesy of Make Your Own Baby Stuff

#9 Pillowcase Dresses ($.25 each)
Amanda Blake Soule. Inside she has many different craft patterns using old materials. The pillowcase dresses were one of them. I found some cute patterned pillow cases at the thrift store for .25 cents each. Added a little ribbon I already had and made my own bias tape. It was really simple and looks really cute on Liana.
Pillowcase dress pattern courtesy of Prudent Baby

#10. Baby Booties (free- $.25)

I just loved this pattern when I came across it. I used fabric scraps and elastic I had lying around since it only calls for a small amount of material. The pattern is vary simple to follow and doesn't take vary long to complete. The most amazing thing about these, Liana can't take them off! She is all about taking off her socks, but never tries to take these off. They are awesome. And when she grows out of this size, I will just expand the pattern.  Baby Bootie Pattern courtesy of Great Turtle 

Well those were a few of my favorite things. Hope you enjoyed (you can put your shoes back on now)