Happy holidays and welcome to this week’s edition of the Geauga News Weekly Roundup! Lakeland Community College has awesome events all week long, including the student visual artists exhibition and a live jazz music tribute to Charles Mingus. Attend the grand opening celebrations of Maple Highlands at Middlefield Park. Make the most of old, unused items around your house with our ten upcycle ideas for your home!
Events on Thursday, April 19, 2018
Events on Friday, April 20, 2018
Events on Saturday, April 21, 2018
Ten Upcycle Ideas For Your Home (Part One)
Winter has finally decided to exit in Northeast Ohio. With warmer weather comes spring cleaning, which means finding many unused belongings taking up space in your house. Before you kick some of those objects to the curb, how about you find a new use for them?
In an age where more people are environmentally conscious, reusing and transforming is things is more popular than tossing them in the trash. Upcycling is recycling in a way that results in product of a higher value than the original item.
Looking for ideas on what you can upcycle? We came up with a few projects to get you started.
Upcycling For the Yard
- Living in the snow belt does not fare well for terracotta pots. Try placing broken pieces in the bottom of other pots to improve drainage.
- For a whimsical look on your patio, use outgrown rain or snow boots as planters for herbs or flowers.
- Old tires can make excellent mini gardens and flower beds. Just spray on a coat of paint to add a splash of color.
- Almost any dented or unused kitchen item can be made to hold flowers. Spruce it up with spray-paint and stencils. Repurpose your teapot that doesn’t whistle anymore, a metal colander that’s starting to rust, or even a toaster that no longer pops!
Upcycling In the Kitchen
- Instead of investing in an expensive new light fixtures above your kitchen table, try creating one of your own. Use kitchen utensils, like a grater or an upside down colander, for the base of the lamp. Then, purchase a lamp wiring kit and light bulb.
- Giving your kitchen a fresh look can be costly, but just small changes can make a big difference. Upcycle old flatware into new cabinet handles. Use bonding glue to attach aluminum screw posts to the flattest area of forks or spoons. Remove the old handles from your kitchen cabinets and mount your handles. You may have to drill new holes in the cabinets to fit your upcycled cabinet handles.
Read the rest of our ten upcycling ideas for the home after Monday’s events!
Events on Sunday, April 22, 2018
Events on Monday, April 23, 2018
Ten Upcycle Ideas For Your Home (Part Two)
Upcycling From the Closet
- Before the weather becomes so nice that you don’t want to stay indoors, take a day or two to clean out your closets and dressers. As you sort through your old clothes, decide what can be used to add to the décor of your home.
- Repurposing old clothes to create home furnishings is a great way to make the most out of your treasured t-shirts, sweaters and dresses. Old clothes can also be used to make pillows, puppy toys and wall art. Old socks can be transformed into coffee cozies.
- Dirty or stained dining room chair cushions can be reupholstered using old sweaters. Simply cut a sweater so the front and back are separated, removing the collar and sleeves. Unscrew the cushion from the chair. Next, pull the cut sweater taut over the cushion. Staple it in place on the sides and screw the cushion back into the chair.
- Even if you can’t sew, most anyone can make a t-shirt shag rug. All you need is a pair of scissors and a rug canvas – which can be found at craft stores. First, Cut the canvas to the size you want. Next, cut old t-shirts into 1 inch by 4 inch strips. Starting at the corner of the canvas, tie the strips in a knot by folding the strip in half and making a loop. Insert one end of the loop down through a square in the rug canvas. Then, pull it up again through the next square. Insert the loose ends into the loop and pull tightly. Continue tying the knots along each row.
If you are inspired to create any of these projects but don’t have the right materials, many can be found at local thrift stores. Geauga County Habitat for Humanity and the Womensafe Resale Shoppe are two great places to start looking for second-hand items. Start your upcycling projects there and you will also be help these charitable organizations while you shop!
Are you a crafty upcycler? Which of these upcycle project will you and your family try? Write to drafts@geauganews.com and tells us about it!
Events on Tuesday, April 24, 2018
Events on Wednesday, April 25, 2018
Come Back Next Week for More Local Events in Northeast Ohio!
We hope you’ve enjoyed this week’s edition of The Geauga News Weekly Round Up! Be sure to check in next week for more local news and events in your area. Have a great weekend!
Have an event you want to see in next week’s edition? E-mail us your story: drafts@geauganews.com
