Category Archives: Home

Heat Curtain

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Last winter I decided that I was going to put to use several quilts that are typically stored in the cupboard for guests and so rarely make an appearance. I used curtain clips to hang each one on a spring rod, then placed them around the house in areas that would help to corral the heat.  One went across a stairwell, but it was easy to push it aside to go up and down the stairs. Another hung at the beginning of a hallway and another in the doorway of a rarely used formal dining room.

Recycled Candy Wrapper Art

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Wait – don’t toss out all those candy wrappers! Halloween is a prime time to collect recycled candy wrappers for art projects all year round. I’ve listed a few ideas below but I’m sure you all can come up with many more. Please post your ideas, successes and failures in the comments section.

Ribbons and Bows

Cut each recycled candy wrapper to the same width and tape to package as a decorative ribbon. You can then loop each length of candy wrapper and tape or glue it to the package as a bow. You can face the shiny side out or the writing side out.

Decoupage

I hardly ever buy silver leaf anymore. I just use recycled candy wrappers and recycled potato chip bags.

When carefully opened and washed the shiny side of these wrappers can be used in a decoupage or collage project, or to simulate a body of water in a doll house or Christmas gingerbread house.

I like to use recycled candy wrappers to cover smaller surfaces or surfaces like a frame where a long skinny shape is best. I use recycled potato chip bags for larger surfaces such as pots, trays, etc.

Antique Foiled Frame

I’ve covered scratched wooden frames with the shiny side of recycled candy wrappers. First crumple the candy wrapper. Smooth with your hands. Cut to fit, and glue to the frame. Wipe the foil with brown or black shoe polish to age it.

Contemporary Foiled Frame

Cut wrappers into squares or rectangles. Glue pieces to frame, butting together or overlapping.

Mod Frame

You could use the packaging label side to cover a frame for a retro mod look.

Decorative Tray or Box

Any of the ideas above can be used to cover a tray or box. I’ve used candy wrappers to cover a tissue box, then I use the box to store spare change.

Laundry Room Exchange

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My friend Sheryl lives in a small apartment complex that has a community laundry room. One day she was clearing out some things from her kitchen and instead of taking the items to the thrift store she placed the box in the laundry room with a sign saying “Help Yourself”. When she went back the next day all the items were gone. A week later someone else had left a couple of dining room chairs in the laundry room with a sign on them. Now it’s a regular thing for those in this apartment community to leave items they no longer want in the laundry room. If an item has been there for a week or longer someone will either toss it in the trash or take it to a local thrift store.

Home Redecorating – Un-Decorating Your Home

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I’m approaching home redecorating from a different angle this time around. Instead of buying new stuff and giving away or selling my old stuff, I’m redecorating by un-decorating. I had always thought that by not throwing my old stuff in the landfill that I was being eco-responsible, until I realized that I could go one step further by making more of an effort to not buy new stuff at all.

I started my home redecorating project by removing everything from each room I was redecorating and then only putting back things that I truly wanted in that room. Besides how it contributed visually to the room I considered the fact that anything I put in the room would have to be cleaned or dusted.

Then I lived with each room for a few days to a few weeks, taking away even more things as I found they didn’t add to the room’s visual appeal or usefullness or putting a piece or two back into the room if needed.

Some of the things that I removed from one room I ended up using in other rooms. Other items I sold or gave away.

The next step in my redecorating project was to re-purpose items:

  • quilts became wall hangings
  • tablecloths and scarves became window valances
  • branches from outdoors were arranged in vases
  • I traded bed and sofa pillows
  • an outdoor plant pot became an indoor umbrella stand
  • dining room chairs became a new patio set after the cushions received a triple-coating of Scotchguard and the chairs were treated with marine-grade polyurethane
  • patio chairs received new cushions and became my new dining room chairs
  • a floor runner became a table runner

By the time I was finished my home redecorating project I’d spent less time than I normally would have (since shopping for new things takes a tremendous amount of time), saved loads of money and didn’t add a thing to the landfill!