Merry Geek Christmas!

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!

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

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!

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

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!

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

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