Sustainable Present Wrapping

Here are 3 tips for easy present wrapping for the holiday season!



Materials:

Fabric: bandana or scarf

If you check out the thrift store you can get bandanas and scarves on the cheap! The two I use in the episodes were thrifted finds. Oh and hey, is the gift getter sew crafty? Then get the fabric out of your stash to wrap the present.



Bags: fabric or paper

This one is easy, fabric bags are great. If you have time on your hands and need a destash, you can whip them up yourself. However if you are pressed for time and monies, grab some paper bags from the store. Use them until you need to recycle them.



Boxes and tubes: from cereal or frozen foods, tubes from toilet paper

Nothing says you're on the naughty list like getting a TP tube. But really, if you are looking for a sustainable, easily recycled wrapping they win. Doll it up with some fabric, newspaper or a craft paper that has a high recycled content.

Cereal and other food boxes are great because they come free with every purchase.

Let me know if you use any of these ideas on the Break + Remake Facebook group. If you liked this video please share with your friends. Do you have an upcycled or recycled craft idea you want me to try? Let me know in the comments, or on the Break + Remake Facebook page or @BreaknRemake on Instagram.


Use what's around!

Fitting Thrifted Shirts for Men

If you are an avid thrifter, don't be sad when you find a shirt fits but is not tailored! Take it in using this simple tutorial.

Materials
Thrifted shirt
Safety pins
Thread to match project
Sewing machine
A buddy!

You need to use the buddy system for this project unless you magically have a dress form of yourself. So make a day of it and partner up! Take the time and line up your side seams if you are taking darts out of the side. This may take a few tries, but once you get the hang of this it's easy.

Big THANK YOU to Cesar for being such a good sport and letting me use him as a dress form. I'm super mean too, and I made him sew his shirt too! 

Easy Creepy Cute Halloween Pictures

This is the final episode of the Craft Spooktacular! This one is easy peasey lemon squeezy, that's why I saved it for last. You can do this right before your party, just make sure you let the ink dry a bit or blot it before you put it in your frame.

Do a search on free Halloween clip art and a bunch of cool images pop up. If you want to get super fancy you can draw your own. Then you can get super fancy and use glitter or metallic paints.

Materials:
Thrifted book
Thrifted frame
Scissors
Ruler
Marking tool
Computer
Printer

Now to go finish my Halloween costume! WOO! What are you going to be?

Let me know if you make this item on the Break + Remake Facebook group. If you liked this video please share with your friends. Do you have an upcycled or recycled craft idea you want me to try? Let me know in the comments, or on the Break + Remake Facebook page.

Use what's around!

Painted Bottle for Creepy Halloween Decor

Yay! Fall decoration is starting in ernest now. It's not just us freaks who start celebrating fall on Pumpkin Spice (September 1st). Painting glass jars that your food comes in is a great way to get some cheap materials and, if you paint on the outside of the jar, they are still 100% food safe. Happy decorating!

Materials

Glass jars- I used some vintage, some from a friend who was cleaning out her craft supplies and some were jam jars.
Glass paint- FolkArt Enamel paint is made in the US and can be either air cured or in the oven. Martha Stuart Chalkboard is made in the US
Sponge Brushes
Palette
Heavy paper for label template- draw a fancy box and use it as a paint guide, or make a simple box mask using tape
Pencil
Scissors or blade
Tape

Let me know if you make this item on the Break + Remake Facebook group. If you liked this video please share with your friends. Do you have an upcycled or recycled craft idea you want me to try? Let me know in the comments, or on the Break + Remake Facebook page.

Use what's around!

Upcycled Fabric Pumpkins

The Halloween fun continues with this sweet little tutorial on fabric pumpkin making. So easy! My friend was moving and getting rid of old clothes so I totally lucked out with my orange fabric for this project. The rest of the fabric was either upcycled from the costume shop.


Matierials:
Fabric for pumpkin and stem
Ruler
Chalk or other marking tool
Rolly cutter or scissors
Fiber fill
Hot glue

These will make a great addition to your fall decoration. I wish it was fall in southern California. We are going through another dang heat wave. So all I can do is burn my pumpkin spice candle and pretend.

Let me know if you make this item on the Break + Remake Facebook group. If you liked this video please share with your friends. Do you have an upcycled or recycled craft idea you want me to try? Let me know in the comments, or on the Break + Remake Facebook page.

Use what's around!

Sugar Skull Pillow

Now begins the Halloween Spooktacular Crafts! I'll be offering a tutorial a week during the month of October to get you feeling like a Halloweenie!

Start your Halloween decorating off right with this fun sugar skull pillow. I used pillows that have been laying around my house forever, and upcycled fabric from the costume shop I work at for the skulls. This project is great, because if you want to change the pillow out and put the skull on a different item it is pretty easy to switch.


Matierals:

Thick fabric for the skull

Paper to make skull pattern

Fabric paint

(we are using a method like the embroidery hoop art, check out that tutorial for more details)

Fabric markers - I used Marvy Graffiti markers, non toxic and made in Japan

Embroidery floss

Embroidery needle

Scissors

Let me know if you make this item on the Break + Remake Facebook group. If you liked this video please share with your friends. Do you have an upcycled or recycled craft idea you want me to try? Let me know in the comments, or on the Break + Remake Facebook page.

Use what's around!

Halloween Teaser

Starting October 4th Break + Remake will do a clever craft project each week. What is a clever craft project? I'm glad you asked. All these projects will be with upcycled and recycled materials. The paints I use will all be made in the USA (less shipping cost and waste, solid environmental laws). 

Let's start a conversation about where our craft supplies come from and how we as crafters can help create a culture of sustainability, make do and mend, all while having a great time. Creativity is weird in that the more restrictions we put on ourselves, the more cool ideas we come up with. 

Let's use what's around!