More of the 3 R's

I have been doing a few more Reuse, Re-purpose, and Recycle projects that I wanted to share with you. You will find that I do a lot of these because I love that they save money and the environment. Plus, it really sparks my creativity to take trash and turn it into a treasure.

I recently acquired a large lot of vintage buttons. I have my present stash in a big glass jar and there is no room for more, so I had to figure out something. Fortunately, we were just finishing off a big plastic jar of nuts. I knew that would be the solution to my problem.

I didn't want to fuss with trying to get off the label that went all the way around the jar, so I decided to cover it instead. I cut some scrapbook paper the width of the recess where the label is. The scrapbook paper is 12" x 12", so that was my length. I also traced the lid onto the paper and cut out the circle. I glued it to the top of the lid. I used ribbon to cover the sides of the lid.

The scrapbook paper didn't go all the way around the jar. I killed 2 birds with 1 stone by machine embroidering a label that would let me know the content and also cover the gap in the paper. Here's the finished jar.

I have to admit, I still darn socks. To me, if there is just a small hole or two, they should be mended and not thrown away. Well, I no longer had a darning egg, which makes it so much easier, so I created one. I had an empty plastic egg from M & M's at Easter. I decoupaged it using Mod Podge and pages from old books. After that I dabbed on aqua and brown paint and then quickly wiped it off. After that dried, I gave the egg 2 more coats of Mod Podge. Now I have a pretty darning egg.

I am very glad my fiance eats things that I don't, because he provided part of the materials for another project; the Spam Spread can.

After a thorough washing,  decided to cover the can with a ribbon. I found one the right width, but the wrong color. I was able to flip it over to use it because the back was plain - double usage for this ribbon!

After applying the ribbon, I felt the can was a bit bland, so I added yo yo's like the ones I put on the little jam jars.

I put the finished can to use as a holder for my darning egg, so it would stop rolling around on my sewing table. I think it looks adorable in the little can.

 

My last project for this week involves a recycled Altoids tin. I have an embroidery pattern for my machine that made a cover the perfect size for these tins. After stitching it out, I glued a layer of batten to it and then glue that to the tin. I trimmed it with mini ball fringe. It now holds my machine needles.

 Please don't forget to check out my web site: Colleen's Cottage Crafts