• Reusing Wine Bottles

    I’m always looking for great ideas to recycle things around the house.  In a world with the threat of global warming, every little thing we can do to eliminate waste makes a better world for us to live in. Empty wine bottles always abound after a good party, and empty champagne bottles after a great party (at least in this champagne aficionado’s house).  If you want to save some from the recycle bin, here are some fun, easy and creative ideas to reuse them.  Cheers!   Check out the full DIY instructions for wine-bottle torches here, and the wine bottle wall vase here. The bottle candleholder is called Bottelabra, I…

  • Chalk Paint

    We love things that are beautiful, practical, and that help us express ourselves and be even more creative.  If one thing could do all of this, well, that thing might be Chalk Paint!  Yes Chalkboards have moved out of the classroom and into any room you want.   A calendar for your home office, an entryway note area, a kitchen grocery list spot, or a place just to write love notes for family, a chalkboard wall can be all of these things. Moving beyond the walls, adding a chalk surface to storage containers is a great idea for the kitchen or home office. Store-bought formulas come in traditional green and black. …

  • [ DIY ] Google Map Envelope

    I was inspired by The Google Maps Envelope concept by Rahul Mahtani and Yofred Moik, of Syracuse University’s Industrial Design program. This is so easy and fun to make. Go to Google Maps and add the return address. Click Get Directions and add the recipient address. Copy the map. For Mac users click Comand+Shift+4 (this will save it to the desktop); use the cursor to select the area you want to save in the map.  Remember it should be roughly the dimensions you want for your envelope, though you can adjust it in the next step. Use a word processor program or Photoshop to add the addresses text bubbles; I…

  • Old Dressers Get a New Look

    At Craigslist, Ebay, Goodwill or at any other thrift store you can always find a good deal on old furniture. A can of blue paint, a few accessories, some casters on the legs, and a Carrara marble top transformed this old dresser in a new and lovely kitchen island. Budget-friendly can be beautiful, functional, and truly unique. Here is another painted dresser idea I loved: