This is really more of a remodel than a trash-t0-treasure but it still fits nicely for a Thursday crafting post!  One of the topics I like to search for on Pinterest are ideas for using chalkboard paint around the home.  You can see some really cool ideas on my Chalk Love board.  I broke down a few weeks ago and bought a jar of chalkboard paint and a magnetic primer.

How to Turn a Door into a Chalkboard (and magnetic)

Step 1: Decide what you want to paint.  This was the hardest part for me.  I didn’t want it to be a spot in my house where I would regret my decision.  I started small and chose the hall door in the foyer of our house.  I didn’t tell my husband where I was going to do this because I didn’t want him to ‘change my mind!’

Step 2: The magnetic primer called for 2 coats in order to be strong enough to hold a magnet after the chalkboard paint was applied.  Be sure to read the directions about how long to let each coat cure before proceeding to the next coat.  I did the magnetic primer the first day and let it cure for a day before I painted the chalkboard.

Step 3: Only apply 2 coats of chalkboard paint or you’ll lose the strength of the magnetic primer.  Each coat has to dry 30 minutes before you reapply.  The final coat needs to cure for 48hrs minimum before you can draw on it.

Step 4: WAIT, WAIT, WAIT!  And try to keep the kids from getting anxious and coloring on it before it’s fully cured.  This was THE hardest part!

Step 5: Color away!

Here is what it looked like on Halloween.  I guess it’s time to erase it and let the kids start having fun with it.

Tip: The magnetic primer makes the surface rougher than it should be for a chalkboard.  This makes it harder to erase.  The primer isn’t all that strong either so only lightweight magnets will stick.  To top it all off the primer was $20 and there is hardly any left.  I would skip the magnetic primer and just do the chalkboard paint.  Either way, they both have pretty strong odors so paint while the kids are out of the house and open a window until it dries.

Now I have half a jar of chalkboard paint left and I have an itch to paint more surfaces.  What should I paint next?

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A few weeks ago I shared with you a pin-spiration project that was found while searching Pinterest for hours on end.  A few days later the boy and I made a trip to our local craft store to pick up the wire form needed to complete the project.  I ended up with 2 large wire wreath forms and 2 small forms.  We experimented with the small form first, here is our progress:

Trash to Treasure Halloween Wreath Tutorial (with pictures):

First start with a pile of fabric and/or t-shirt scraps and select the color scheme for your wreath.  Since this is a Halloween theme we went with oranges, purples, blacks, greens, yellow, and a few old Halloween scraps.

The tools we used for the project were very simple – a wire wreath form, a pair of scissors, and fabric.  We didn’t use anything else for our project and it was very kid friendly.

Cut your fabric into strips about 1″ in width.  The length of the strips depends on the size of your form.  Using a small form our strips were about 4-6″ in length (no need to be exact here you can always cut them shorter if they are too long).

The next step is to begin knotting the scraps of fabric onto your wire form.  You can tie them on one wire or multiple wires at a time.  I tried to vary the pattern so it would give it a very random look in the final project.

Continue tying pieces of fabric around your wire form alternating the colors until the wreath is to your desired fullness.  I packed them on pretty tight to give it a full and poofy look in the end.

This is the view from the backside of the wreath showing the patterns and knots.  Some pieces were double knotted while others were only a single knot.

Yes, I did let the kids help with this project.  Lil’ B enjoyed playing with the fabric scraps and organized them into pretty stacks.

The boy got his own wreath and fabric scraps and wrapped them around a bit differently than mine.  He left some of the wire form exposed and it actually looked quite nice.  I try not to dictate how they complete their projects too much…(takes a LOT of strength to not try and make things perfect – i.e. “My Way!”)

Once I finished tying the pieces onto the form I gave it a bit of a haircut to try and even out the pieces.  Working on such a small form it looked like a giant pom pom when I was done so I decided to add a little accessory.

Voila!  Happy Halloween!

I need to find some pink t-shirt scraps for the larger wire forms.  I want to make one to go in Lil’ B’s big girl room when I get ready to redecorate.  Anyone have any pink tshirt scraps they want to send me??

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Day 12 – Baby dolls need cloth diapers too!

Starting last December (2009) I’ve been slowly growing confidence behind my sewing machine and sewing up some cute projects around the home.  Lil’ B has recently fallen in love with baby dolls and now has three of them.  All of which have bare bums – no diapers included.  I decided last night to look around online and see what I could find for doll cloth diapers.  Thanks to @taprilcrosier and @mrsob1 for leading me to Etsy where I actually bought a few items that I’ll share with you once they arrive.

However, I’m very impatient and my super mom complex kicked in tonight so I decided to make my own baby doll cloth diapers.  I actually started out making a baby doll sling so Lil’ B could wear her baby doll just like I once wore her.  That project took an entire 5 minutes to make (seriously it was that easy) so I found a pattern for doll cloth diapers on Skip to my Lou – a fabulous craft blog that I read almost daily.

Here is how my project ended up (complete with pictures):

Step 1: Skip to my Lou has a printable pattern that I used as a guide.  I cut out the pattern using a Gerber pre-fold that I had sitting around the house (because I never actually use them for diapering).

Step 2: I cut out the same size pattern using a fancy fabric remnant I had from a project I made over the summer.

Step 3: I sewed the two pieces together (right sides facing each other) leaving a small seam allowance.  I left about 2-3 inches open in the back so I could turn it right-side out.

Step 4: After I flipped the fabric around and sewed the seam shut I then added Velcro to the front (similar to how a bumGenius looks in the front).  There are many different ways you could close your diaper but this was the easiest option for me (a complete novice).

Step 5: Then I added the other side of the Velcro to the tabs.  When I make my next one I will sew this Velcro strip on BEFORE I sew the two pieces together so that you don’t see the stitching on the front of the diaper.

Step 6: Ta-Da! It’s all done!  It took me about 20 minutes max to complete the entire diaper.  Not too bad for my first attempt!

Step 7: Sneak into sleeping tots bedroom and steal borrow her baby doll to see if it fits!  Then post pictures on Twitter, Facebook, and Blog to show off your new found talent.

Step 8: Use the rest of the scrap fabric to make a matching dress!

Step 9: Try to hide the diaper and dress from the tot until her 2nd birthday next week!  This may be the hardest part of the entire project.

Have you attempted to sew your own baby doll diapers? It was so easy that I’m sure I could figure out how to make a full-sized cloth diaper from some t-shirts I’ve been saving to upcycle.  I’ve been too afraid to try making a real diaper – until now!

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In honor of Trash to Treasure Thursday, this week I’m super excited to bring you the latest and greatest news from TERRACYCLE!  In April, TerraCycle debuted Garbage Moguls on the National Geograpic Channel – a series of television shows that documented the zany antics of the TerraCycle crew as they develop new products from our garbage.

This Saturday, National Geographic will be airing the pilot along with three brand new episodes!  Set your DVR’s – plan a night in with friends – but don’t forget to watch Garbage Moguls this Saturday night.  The fun begins at 7pm ET as they replay the original pilot episode, followed at 8pm’s Pet Project, 9pm’s Fishy Business, and at 10pm pull an All-Nighter with the TerraCycle crew. 

Below is a clip from the 9pm Fishy Business episode where they Tom and Alby visit a plant in Ohio that turns 500 chip bags into a brand new trash can and pitch the idea to the Home Depot team in Atlanta. 

Be sure to join the TerraCycle preview party LIVE on Twitter from 8-11pm to win some great prizes.  Follow @TerraCycle and #GarbageMoguls to be a part of the live fun.  You can also follow along on Facebook and answer some trashy trivia questions.  www.facebook.com/terracycle

It’s my best friends birthday celebration so I may have to sneak onto my iPhone a few times to catch the action live – but shhhhh – don’t let her know!

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Giveaway alert! Two lucky readers will win one of the Generation T books by Megan Nicolay – details at the end of this post.  ECO-ngratulations Alanna & Shirtee.

As you know I’ve been better and better at actually completing eco-crafty projects each week for you. This week is the jackpot of all Trash to Treasure Thursdays with a collection of projects and a giveaway! I’ve been infatuated with finding ways to reuse or upcycle old t-shirts – I scour the blogosphere, YouTube, Etsy, and other crafty websites looking for innovative ways to use t-shirts. In one of my searches I came across Generation T and Megan Nicolay.

Who is Megan Nicolay? Much like myself Megan has had the crafty bug since she was a child – always looking for the next great project. We also share a common statement – “I could so do that!” My friends and family are always telling me – “You could do that!” when they see anything. Megan began her website www.Generation-T.com back in 2005 and by 2006 she published her first instructional book – “Generation T – 180 ways to transform a T-shirt.” In her first book she includes many punk inspired projects to transform that plain boring t-shirt into halter tops, bodices, skirts, leg warmers and more! My favorite is the Grand Finale – “Tying the Knot” – a wedding dress made from old t-shirts. I have a co-worker of mine who is getting married next year and this would be PERFECT for her – she’s a little bit of an eco-junkie like myself.

Megan’s second book – “Generation T – Beyond Fashion – 120 new ways to transform a T-shirt” – was published in 2009 and include projects for the home, kids, pets, and men! Having a tot running around the house my favorite chapter is Kid Rock and I can’t wait to make The Little Empress for my own little princess. There is literally a project for everything you could possibly need around the home.

While I have a list a mile long of projects I WANT to complete – here are pictures of projects I’ve already completed. I don’t follow directions well so many of them have been altered from Megan’s directions to fit my own style. That’s the great part of crafting – you are the designer – and you can decide what you like!

My husbands old Little League T-Shirt

My husbands old High School T-shirt

A collection of Counting Crows concert t-shirts

More on Generation-T and Megan -
Blog: www.generation-t.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Generation-T/95374461988
Twitter: http://twitter.com/generationtee

WIN IT! I have one copy of each of the Generation-T books to giveaway. I’m going to split the set and offer this giveaway to two (2) lucky readers – I pick which book you receive. To enter visit the Generation-T website and tell me two things – 1) what are you most excited to make, and 2) what t-shirt do you plan on cutting up first? Leave your comments below and be sure to leave your email address in the comments.

Extra Entries: Earn up to 5 extra entries each day until the close of the giveaway (August 15, 2010) – leave a comment for each task completed (along with a link if applicable).

1 – Follow @Generationtee, @TheEcoChic, and @EcoChicParties on Twitter – 1 entry for following all 3 combined.
2 – Like all three (3) on Facebook – 1 entry for Liking all 3 combined.
3 – Blog about your own Trash to Treasure project and include a link back to this giveaway. Leave your own link in the comments below. – 1 entry for each project.
4 – Tweet about this giveaway – include @Generationtee, @TheEcoChic, and a link back here in your tweet. – 1 entry for each tweet.

Rules: Winner will be randomly selected at the close of the giveaway period from all entrants over the age of 18 who are residents of the US & Canada – however Canadian residents will be asked to pay shipping if selected. Giveaway ends midnight (ET) on August 15, 2010.

Disclosure: Thank you to Megan Nicolay for sending my copies of each of her books for review (and inspiration). Megan also supplied the copies for the giveaway. Images in this post are original creations by The Eco Chic and vary from the actual projects featured in Generation – T slightly.

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I have been sewing lots lately and decided to use the fabrics that I have on hand instead of going back to the store to buy brand new, fancy fabrics.  Most of my on-hand fabrics are old, retired t-shirts.  I’ve seen many different varieties of a t-shirt scarf and here is my own version.

Supplies:  2 adult t-shirts, a sewing machine, pins, needle, thread, and scissors

Directions:

-Decide how wide you want your scarf to be.  I used a scarf I had on hand as a guide.
-Cut strips from your shirts.  I cut about 8″ wide strips starting from the bottom of the shirt (cute through both sides).  Remove arms and neck pieces.
-After I cut the width strips I cut those strips into 12″ lengths (approx. size only – all sizes can vary).
-Decide on a pattern and color scheme by laying the strips out the way you would like them on your scarf.
-Pin the front sides of two (2) pieces – continue this process all the way down the length of your scarf.  My length was about five (5) pieces – well over 6 ft total.
-Repeat these steps for the back side of scarf.  *My version has two (2) sides and at the end will look like a tube before it’s turned to the right side.
-Begin sewing where your pins are leaving about 1/4-1/2″ seam allowance.
-After you have the desired lengths sewn then you can begin sewing the front and back sides together.
-I sewed down one long side, one short side, and the other long side – leaving the final short side open – right sides facing (inside out).
-On the final short side sew 2/3 of the way across (still with right sides facing).
-Turn your scarf so right sides are facing out.  You may choose to iron the back side before flipping to allow the seams to lay nicely.
-Hand stitch the remaining hole closed using a blind stitch (which I’m not sure I’ve really learned or mastered but it looks good to me).
-You are now ready to wear your scarf!

The wilder the print on the t-shirt the more unique your scarf will be.  As you can see in the pictures above mine were pretty simple – but depending on how you wrap your scarf you can see different parts of the pattern.  I have plans to make a smaller version for my tot to use in her dress up box since she apparently likes mine.  I also have plans to make one for this falls football season to match our teams colors!

Did you make anything this week?  Add your link in the comments and I’ll come check it out!

Want me to make you a scarf using your favorite t-shirts?  Send me an email and we can coordinate the details.  I’m thinking of opening an Etsy store with some of my sewing projects – am I crazy?

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I usually save these posts for Thursdays but I had to share my latest project with you today.  My sewing machine has been quite busy lately but I’ve put myself on a fabric buying ban!  Seems that I get a little carried away at the fabric store with all the pretty prints.  If you remember my last Trash to Treasure Thursday (tie-dyed ruffle skirt) I still had parts of that the tie-dyed t-shirt in my fabric box.  My sweet (mischievous) pug decided recently to attack (and destroy) his pet bed – or should I say he redecorated the house with stuffing!  I decided it was time for him to have a new bed – but I refuse to buy him a new one!  Afterall it will only be a matter of weeks before it’s used to redecorate the house too.

For this project I measured the size of the crate to determine the dimensions of the doggy bed.  From that I cut the t-shirt into the outer dimensions (plus a few extra inches for seam allowance).  Since the t-shirt wasn’t quite large enough for the entire bed I cut two smaller pieces (front and back of t-shirt) so that they would add up to the final dimensions I needed.  Just for asthetics – I cut them again in half so they would form the checker board pattern you see in the final pictures.  Essentially – I had 8 pieces the same size when I began. 

I simply sewed the pieces together in the pattern of my choosing and then sewed the fronts and backs together (right sides facing) -leaving a few inches open on one end.  I then turned the fabric so the right sides were out and began stuffing.  I used polyfill but I also added some fabric scraps to the inside as well.  You could reuse the stuffing from old pillows or old doggy beds if you have them. 

After the pillow was stuffed I simply sewed up the remaining hole and gave it to Champ!  He’s carrying it around with him all day today so I’m pretty sure he likes it.  But then again – he tries to steal the sofa pillows too. 

What have you made this week?  Any fun upcycling projects?  Leave me a link below in the comments and I’ll come check it out.

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My husband cleaned out his drawers a few months back and gave me some of his old t-shirts to experiment with.  I got a sewing machine for Christmas (for myself) and have been learning as I go.  I took a sewing class in High School but that was YEARS ago…so I’ve become friends of YouTube to re-teach me how to sew. 

This use to be a concert t-shirt that he probably wore only a few times.  Now it’s a cute toddler skirt.  I didn’t have a pattern to follow – but I did look closely at a skirt that she already has in her wardrobe as a reference.  I forgot to take pictures along the way but I promise to make it again and provide you with a tutorial. 

Have you made any Trash to Treasure projects this week?  I’d love to see them – leave a comment with a link to your pictures.

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Now before you start leaving me funny comments about how Earth Day was LAST week let me begin by saying that Earth Day in our house is celebrated 365 days a year.  Since I was out of town on business last week I didn’t get a chance to write what was on my mind about Earth Day.  So today you are all going to celebrate Earth Day again…with me! 

When the very first Earth Day was celebrated I was still safely nestled inside an egg in my mothers body.  It wasn’t until a few years later that I would be welcomed onto the Earth and begin leaving my footprints on her.  I remember as a child having passion for projects – the homeless, the hungry children in Africa, the stray dogs in the neighborhood – you name it, I had to be involved.  As I got older this passion for projects turned into a career and I am now one of many who claim to be a protector of the planet.  

While I may not lead the perfect green lifestyle I do make a difference with my small changes.  I am fortunate to be able to make milke naturally for my babies and never had to feed them that fancy stuff from the cans – thus reducing their environmental footprints as well as my own.  With the birth of number two I leapt backwards into the world of cloth diapers.  What I like to look at as an archaic lifestyle has suddenly turned modern once again.  With this leap I have personally saved thousands of diapers from a lifetime sentence in the local landfill and have encouraged others to do the same.  I guess we can learn something from our parents; after all my mom used cloth on both my brother and I. 

But what more can we do today (and everyday)?  As I reflect on Earth Day 2010 and how I reached out to a few thousand employees to make small changes in the workplace; I wonder what else I can do in my own life.  So I began making a list of 40 things I can do to live a more sustainable life.  (*40 since it is the 40th anniversary of Earth Day) 

In no specific order here is my list: 

1. Reduce my paper towel dependance at home.

2. Eat more local grown foods.

3. Eat less meats and seafood.

4. Be more attentive to my families recycling.

5. Use less plastic in our lives (thanks Beth Terry for always making me cringe when I use or trash plastic!)

6. Make more homemade toys for my children.

7. Purchase less STUFF.

8. Get outside more.

9. Watch less TV (and computer, phones, etc).

10. Consider the amount of toxins that are in our families skincare products (thanks #ecowed crowd for making me cringe when I put on lotion!)

11. Attempt to garden more. (I’m a huge failure here!)

12. Compost more (again, another failure!)

13. Find a local environmental project to volunteer for. (Beach erosion or cleanup sound interesting!)

14. Reuse more of our waste products. 

15. Create a weekly trash to treasure project.

16. Blog every Thursday with a new trash to treasure project (one of my original goals of this blog).

17. Involve my family more in our green ideas around the house.

18. Take my water bottle with me more places. (Especially when I travel)

19. Use my To-Go-Ware more and carry it with me when we go out! (reusable silverware)

20. Throw away less food.  Have you ever looked at how much food we waste?

21. Recycle more paper at home. I’m bad about trashing junk mail which is probably one of our biggest wastes.

22. Spend one day a month removing myself from mailing lists; I hardly have time to read it all and never make any purchases from them.

23. Use only real and local soaps. Now more bottled bath wash.

24. Line dry more clothes.  I wonder if I could talk hubby into hanging an old fashion clothes line?

25. TRY the Diva Cup instead of tampons.

26.  Find a local farmers market and start shopping there.

27.  Pick up 40 pieces of trash each time I go to the local beach. (or anywhere really)

28.  Travel with our cloth diapers more.  I’m good on short trips but the longer trips become challenging!

29.   Watch Food, Inc (the movie) or read the book! (CHECK!)

30.  After watching Food, Inc…decide on how to change what my family eats!

31.  After watching Food, Inc…do not eat at McDonalds again!

32.  Green our bathroom renovations…if and when we get off our keesters and actually begin the projects!

33.  Buy and install a rain barrell.

34.  Replace the windows on our house to be more energy efficient.  This may be saved for next year due to the cost of the bathroom renovations.

35.  Take my son to see Disney Nature’s OCEANS! (CHECK – 5/16)

36.  Do something to help the Gulf oil spill.

37.  Get cloth diapers on The Ellen Show. #OperationFluffy!!!

38.  Convince at least one more person to use cloth diapers.

39.  Work to green my sons school and implement a recycling program on campus.

40.  Stop using dryer sheets – try wool dryer balls instead. (STARTED 5/16)

As you can see this is a work in progress.  I can’t even complete the list by thinking of 40 things.  What about you?  Could you think of 40 small things you could do to be more sustainable?  

EARTH DAY 365 PROJECT:  Create your list of 40 small changes and link to it using McLinky below.  Check back montly as I give you an update on my 40 things! 

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This is the first year that I’ve actually tried not to buy new gift wrap, ribbons, and tags for our holiday gift wrapping.  We still have several rolls of wrapping paper (I doubt we will ever run out!) but I really wanted to make some of our wrappings a little more eco-friendly in nature. 

One of our gifts to wrap was a cute little tutu (3 actually) for some of Big B’s girlfriends.  How on earth do you wrap a tutu anyways?  I decided to take use some old t-shirts for the wrapping and tie them with tulle that was left over from the tutus (yes, I made the tutus as well).  For the tags I cut out shapes from food boxes that were in our recycling box and tied them on.  I’m sure if I had taken my time I could have made them even prettier but those who know me know that my time is limited these days!  Here is the final product…not too bad!

And remember all those magazinesI told you I received in the mail?  I decided to make some upcycled ribbons from them.  I found a simple tutorial here and made them my own.  Here is how I made mine:

Step 1:  Retrieve all those old magazines and sale flyers from your recycle bin.

Step 2:  Cut strips of varying lengths and widths depending on how large or uniform you want your ribbons to be.

Step 3:  Fold and tape each strip into a figure 8 (as shown below).  You could also sew or staple the stips to hold them. 

Step 4:  Arrange your strips to form a layer of ribbon.  Staple (sew or tape) each layer together.

Step 5:  Stack the layers to form one large ribbon.  Don’t forget to add a small piece in the center and a tail.

Step 6:  Attach to your package!

Step 7:  Recycle after the holidays!!

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