Showing posts with label fun. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fun. Show all posts

4 Ways To Create A Kitchen Garden Using Upcycled Materials

On: Monday, May 20, 2013

 

Whether you live in an apartment and have no yard space or are just enchanted with the idea of growing a bit of food in your own kitchen or on your porch, creating a kitchen garden can be fun and rewarding. There are, of course, a host of kitchen garden pots, planters and other tools available for purchase, but why not create your kitchen garden using upcycled materials? What better way is there to be kind to the environment while enjoying home-grown food straight from your own kitchen?

What to Grow 

A number of plants are suitable for a kitchen garden, but it is important to take into account root depth, sunlight requirements and more. Below are a few suggestions of plants worthy of consideration for your kitchen garden.
  • Strawberries: Nothing quite beats the romance of picking plump, red berries off your own personal plants. Because they are shallow-rooted plants, they adapt well to container growing.
  • Lettuce: Incredibly easy to grow, lettuce is a top candidate for kitchen gardens, especially if you choose a cut-and-come-again lettuce blend. There are some fantastic seed blends with a wide range of leaf textures and colors and tastes that vary from bland to spicy.
  • Herbs: The best chefs use fresh herbs. Join their ranks by planting your own food seasonings such as chives, basil, rosemary, parsley and thyme.
  • Tomatoes: Be cautious when selecting tomato plants. If you have limited space, you will want to look for patio container varieties. These will stay a bit more contained than some of the bigger garden varieties. You can also grow tomato plants specifically for indoor growing, as they don't require bees to pollinate them. Although the pollen naturally drops from one flower to another, some growers suggest gently shaking your tomato plant to encourage pollination.
  • Radishes: Their compact size and bursts of color make it a no brainer – it must be included in the kitchen garden!
  • Dwarf Carrots: While your average carrot is too long for many containers, the more compact, ball-type carrots work well.
These are some of the easiest to grow and most popular plants for a kitchen garden. Of course, you can grow many other things, but keep in mind that plants such as watermelon and squash need a lot of space! Once you have decided what to grow, it is time to get down to the business of finding containers in which to plant.

5 Awesome Book Purses

On: Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Reading is a treasured pass time and one of the greatest things you can do. There is nothing quite as satisfying as sinking into a story and losing yourself to the plot, characters and excitement.

Which is something that fewer and fewer people are enjoying these days, the lack of appreciation of books depressing. Even with the creation of ereaders, which give us greater access than ever.
Why not do your part to show books some love? Check out these awesome purses that upcycle your favorites.

1. Harry Potter

Harry Potter Purse
While the series is now over and done with, Harry Potter will go down in history as one of the most popular fictional worlds of all time. Order of the Phoenix is a favorite of many, and this Etsy seller is offering purse with custom fittings, buckles, straps and decorations using the cover. I have seen many other Harry Potter books used, with every title available.

Why Haven't I Thought about That: DIY Photo and Postcard Organizer

On: Wednesday, November 28, 2012

You are most likely to have lots of photos, lots of memories. You like entering your home and being met by those memories. That's what make us feel at home!

However there's never a good way to organize them: Photo frames are boring (you can't often change photos in them) and they don't always fit. Besides, they cannot have too many photos inside...

DIY Photo and Postcard Organizer

 But how about this idea: You can use this DIY shelf  to store postcards and photos. You can re-arrange them as often as you want even daily always creating a new mood! How brilliant!

Plus with some paint and creativity you can make this shelf look cute!

DIY Photo and Postcard Organizer

Old Toys into a Cool Chair

On: Friday, February 17, 2012

I have a three-year old daughter and her toys are everyone: on and under the bed, on almost all shelves in the wardrobe, in the attic, all around the floor (especially each evening). She doesn't play with most old ones but still doesn't want them to go.

When I stumbled upon this cool Hello Kitty chair on Flickr, I thought "Would she love that chair?" What are your thoughts?

Old Toys into a Cool Chair

Three of the Strangest Things Inspired By... Printer Ink Cartridges

On: Saturday, December 17, 2011

Note from editor: we have had one fun idea on reusing cartridges into a lamp. Now here a few more of creative examples of getting inspired with cartridges!

Almost everyone uses printer ink cartridges all the time, whether you’re at the office, at home, or constructing an elaborate set-up of dominos for your Rube Goldberg machine and ran out halfway through. In fact, they’re so omnipresent they almost seem invisible. I know I barely register them, even as I’m tossing out the old ones and slotting the new ones home.

Some people see differently though. Very differently. These three strange and wonderful things, in no particular order, are a tribute to that creative impulse that drives those strange and wonderful people to make things like...

Cartridge Lamps And Lightboxes

Used Ink Cartridge Lamps

Since some bright spark noticed that ink cartridges are translucent, images of these fun and creative decorations have suffused the internet. The wide range of bright colours that adorn the fronts of ink cartridges makes them pretty handy for home decorating, but what really sells them is how eco-friendly they are. Not only does the maker recycle old printer ink cartridges to make the lamps and lightboxes, but they also use very energy-efficient bulbs to generate the light.

Etsy is well-known for the, ahem, quirky charm of many of its products, so it’s not much of a surprise that the website that inspired the comedic parody site Regretsy.com is responsible for these crafty little designs. What is surprising is how genuinely appealing the things look, although some might baulk at the price and decide they’d rather make some themselves.

What happened next?

The people behind boxlightbox on Etsy have since moved their online store to Lowell and Louise, but are staying on Etsy for now. Although their store is empty at the time of writing, it looks as though we might see more from them in the near future.

A Metalcore Band

Ink Cartridge Funeral

Yep, you heard right. Metalcore. The heavy metal sub-genre of metalcore has been deeply fashionable with a certain type of metal fan (the younger ones) for a few years now, and is distinguished from other metal genres by its melding of metal, hardcore punk, and post-hardcore influences.

The band certainly ticked all the right metalcore boxes, with quirkily aggressive song titles such as If Your Laugh Was Your Life, I’d Hate To Have Your Life, depressing and self-conscious song lyrics, and a promising deal with a record label. However, with a name like Ink Cartridge Funeral, you have to wonder if these guys were ever bound for success.

Their album is now out of print, but you can still listen to their tunes on last.fm and on their MySpace page.

Ink Cartridge Funeral didn’t use ink cartridges as inspiration for any of their songs – at least, not explicitly or directly – but their name will last forever as a footnote in the twinned histories of weird metalcore band names, and ink cartridges.

What happened next?

If your interest in Ink Cartridge Funeral and their music was piqued by any of those links, don’t worry – three of their members continue to play in internationally-touring post-hardcore band Silent Drive.

Sci-Fi Art

Sci-Fi Art
Sci-Fi Art

Printer ink cartridges already have a certain amount of geek credibility. When boxlightbox first posted their lamps on Etsy, it was the geeky tech blogs that were first to leap on the news. Artist Faith Pearson seized on this geek cred and took it up to eleven; she re-created a series of iconic sci-fi and pop cultural figures and landmarks using printer ink cartridges as her material.

Faith recreated scenes and props from such classics as Star Trek, Godzilla and King Kong. She also recreated a night out at the theatre, but don't worry; geeky superhero movie Kick Ass (more like ass kick) is playing on the screen, and the audience is made up of such comic book luminaries as the Incredible Hulk, the Joker, Penguin and oft-derided superhero Aquaman.

What happened next?

Faith Pearson lives in Birmingham, England, where among other things she helps kids to make toy theatres and giant dinosaurs. Whether this is a wise course of action is unknown – it depends, of course, on the type of dinosaur being created – but it is certainly a very cool course of action.

Patrick Robson is a freelance journalist and regular blogger. Patrick blogs for Cartridge Shop, an online provider of a wide range of printer cartridges from respected brands, such as Canon ink.

Vinyl Record into a Cool Necklace

On: Monday, November 22, 2010

If you frequent my little blog, you are likely to know how much I love cool original ideas. This vinyl record necklace just made my day.

It looks chick and the implementation is just awesome.

A black record album has been heated and then folded over itself to give the effect of warped pavement.

Looks cool, doesn't it?

Vinyl record necklace
Vinyl record necklace

More awesome DIY projects with recycled vinyl records:

An Old TV into a Book Shelf

On: Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Isn't it brilliant? I have a couple of those 20-year-old TVs in my garage - I never thought about reusing them this way!

Unlike a TV aquarium we saw previously, this one is so easy to make! All you need is an old TV and 20 minutes of work!

Old TV into a Book Shelf

DIY Wood Log Table

On: Monday, August 30, 2010

We had a birch log table yesterday and now we have another bright idea! A table made of piles of logs and sticks.

The whole thing looks awesome when piled together! Good job!

DIY Wood Log Table

DIY Photo Holder

On: Wednesday, April 28, 2010

This is one of those DIY gadgets that will save your life and will take you just a couple of minutes. Actually those are my favorite finds: nothing fancy but really useful.

You can actually elaborate further and use other stuff you have at home to hold the photo using the concept. Enjoy!

DIY Photo Holder

Recycled Can Trays

On: Wednesday, April 14, 2010

If you happen to have plenty of cans at home, here's a good idea on how to turn them into the piece of art: create a nice-looking tray!

It does involve some creativity and effort but think of hoe many ways there can be to use it and decorate your DIY interior!

Recycled Can Trays

iPhone Stand Made out of Cutlery

On: Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Ok, this iPhone stand should made an AWESOME present for your hubby or a boyfriend. You'll have a good laugh over it and the man will surely think of you each time he puts his iPhone in there.

A valuable addition to our collection of DIY iPhone stands and docks!

iPhone Stand Made out of Cutlery

Paint Chips Lamp

On: Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Paint Chips Lamp

Our DIY collection proves it that ANYTHING can be turned into a cool lamp including paint chips.

This lamp is a great example. It is made of paint chips joint together the way the lamp can actually take any random form.

Thus it looks totally cool, innovative and extra-ordinary. Now go figure the way the pieces are joint together!

Paint Chips Lamp
Paint Chips Lamp

A Chick Keyboard Bag (Readers' Inspiration)

On: Thursday, March 25, 2010

Keyboard Bag

We did have a keyboard bag previously as well as a few cool tips on how to use an old keyboard to decorate your clothes (e.g. old keyboard to decorate your T-shirt) and create accessories (e.g. keyboard rings) but there is no limit to creativity and inspiration.

So here's another keyboard bag that might grab your attention...

UPDATE!!! One of our readers ARTSsoul has got inspired and created a cool video how-to. Thanks for sharing!


Via: iphones.ru

Cool iPhone Coat

On: Saturday, March 20, 2010

iPhone Coat

This one is invaluable: not only does it look really cool, it seems cozy and warm!

The coat is styled as iPhone: it has those fun icons all over its front and back. It also has an awesome light effect that should come in handy when you get caught in storm.

iPhone Coat

This post is dedicated to Apple arts and crafts week.

Source: iphones.ru

iSoap - iPhone-Styled Soap!

On: Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Isoap

This one is just unbelievable: every single element in this DIY gadget is made of soap:

  • Soap body;
  • Soap icons;
  • Soap silver frame;
  • Soap cover featuring an apple!

I'd call it iPhone art!

Isoap

This post is dedicated to Apple crafts.

Source: iphones.ru

Golden iPhone Pillow!

On: Monday, March 15, 2010

iPhone apple

Like the one we have published yesterday, this pillow is a great example of how technology meets crafts: a pillow featuring a huge golden iPhone-styled apple!

This post is dedicated to Apple crafts.

Source: iphones.ru

iPillow - for Real Apple Geeks

On: Friday, March 12, 2010

ipilllow

This pillow will be an awesome gift to your geeky hubby or boyfriend! It is designed to look like Apple iPhone in form and color:

ipillow

This and a few upcoming post will be dedicated to Apple crafts: not really recycling but some awesome ideas and inspirations!

Source: iphones.ru

The Best And Worst of DIY

On: Thursday, March 11, 2010

I was just browsing the web looking for some new DIY projects to share and found two cool collections of homemade projects.

Top 10 DIY projects: This one from Lifehacker lists some great DIY alternatives of our favorite things.

Worst of DIY: this fun post lists some DIY stuff that actually shouldn't be homemade :)

DIY razors - Worst of DIY

Plastic Straw Jewelry

On: Friday, March 5, 2010

The following jewelry items do not look as if they required huge effort to create. Just a bit of creativity and bright colorful drinking straws - and you have the whole set of fun bright jewelry:

Drinking straw ring

Source

Drinking straw necklace

Source

Drinking straw breloque

Source

Drinking straw bracelet

Source

Keyboard Rubik's Cube

On: Wednesday, March 3, 2010

If you are still wondering for the ways to re-use your dead keyboard this project will turn great fun.

A new face for your old rubik's cube + new rules to play!

Keyboard Rubik's Cube

More ways to reuse an old keyboard: