Treasury Tuesday: Hooray for U.S.A.

Red, White, and Blue featuring MFcrafts

Treasuries Created by RNEST Members:

Let’s Hear it for the Red, White, and Blue curated by JustEggsquisite

Treasuries Featuring RNEST Members:

Endearing featuring JWphoto

Lost In the Summer featuring JasonTennant

Fresh Handmade Grey Finds featuring MakingTheNestOfIt

Summertime Blues featuring LynnSchaferDesigns

He Won’t Go featuring BrittanyLeighJewelry

Red Upcycled featuring CircuitBreakerLabs

Leonardo Fibonacci featuring CopperIronAndCarbon

To The Moon and Back featuring OnHandLotions

Make-it Mondays : T-Shirt Tote

This is a great way to reuse one of those old, crumby t-shirts sitting in the back of your closet. And it could not be easier. This project took me less than 15 minutes (including time to dig out materials) and, frankly, I'm pretty clumsy on the sewing machine.

Materials:

-old t-shirt
-fabric scissors
-pen or pencil (or white charcoal in my case, since my shirt is such a dark color)
-dinner plate
-3-6 straight pins
-sewing machine (and thread, of course)


Step 1 : Cut the sleeves off the shirt, leaving the seams in tack.


Step 2: Lay the dinner plate on top of the shirt such that about half the plate is covering the shirt. Trace the edge of the plate with you pen(cil) and cut out that piece. This will be the opening of the bag.


Step 3: Turn the shirt inside out and, using your straight pins, line up the bottom of the shirt. Run the bottom of the shirt through the sewing machine.


Step 4: Turn the shirt right side in and start toting things around!

Treasury Tuesday: Upcycled Treasures

Repurposed, recycled, upcycled...all these terms used for describing new things made from old.  Just as the new year comes from the old, these new things came from old things!

Upcycled Treasures featuring k5art

Be sure you click on the links below and go see more treasuries that feature some of our other awesome RNEST members! (if you don't, you're missing out!)

Featuring RNEST Members:

• Winter Whites featuring HeatherVitticore
• Shades of Gray featuring HeatherVitticore
• Screenshots of Dreams featuring HeatherVitticore
• Penguins Why Not? featuring HeatherVitticore
• After Midnight in the Meadow featuring HeatherVitticore
• Rabbits, Rabbits, Rabbits featuring HeatherVitticore
• Feather Your Nest in 2012 featuring aDifferentView
• Just to Say Hello To... featuring aDifferentView
• Blue Willow featuring TheStitchingStudio
• Gifts Especially For Her featuring TheStitchingStudio
• Lavender, Plum, Purple, and Lilac featuring KarenSwimmer
• Canadian, Eh! featuring KarenSwimmer
• Love Day is Coming featuring k5art
• Once Upon A Time featuring MFcrafts
• What's Black and White and Red All Over? featuring PeachesProducts

Featuring and curated by RNEST Members:

• Valentines Day by k5art featuring an all RNEST cast
• Blast From the Past by k5art, featuring MFvintage
• Ode To Coffee by k5art, featuring TheQuiltedHouse

Curated by RNEST Members:

• Tree Song by k5art
• The Bubbly by k5art
• Scrap of Paper by k5art
• I Love Scarves! by PeachesProducts

* If you make or find a treasury that features an RNEST member, or if you are an RNEST Member who makes a treasury, post the link on the wall at RNEST's Facebook Page. Your treasury could be featured on the next Treasury Tuesday!

Make-It Mondays: Bottlecap Magnets

This week's tutorial comes from our resident plush expert, Kira Sinclair, of KiraArts. For even more info, tips and ideas check out an updated and expanded version on her blog, here. Enjoy! ~Buenahelena


A few years ago, I whipped up these magnets as a last minute Christmas gift. (The jewel of this collection is the cap from a special edition aluminum Mountain Dew Bottle). I used an old Altoids mint tin covered with some scrapbook paper as the gift box.

All you need is:

• A hot glue gun & hot glue
• Small magnets/"button magnets" (you can find these at most craft stores, but I get mine in the kids' craft section of Wal-Mart for about $5-$6 for 50 magnets)
• Bottlecaps (don't forget to wash them!)

Step 1:

First, you'll need to fill the bottom of the cap with a layer of hot glue. (This step is important because the button magnets aren't tall/thick enough to stick up over the edge of the bottlecap.) A good strategy is to You'll need to wait for the first layer to dry before moving on to step 2. I usually make these in batches, so I'll do the first glue layer on about 6 bottlecaps, and by the time I'm done with Step 1 on the 6th cap, the glue on the 1st cap is dry and ready for Step 2.

Step 2:

Apply another layer of hot glue (not too much!) and press the magnet in. Let it dry.

And voila!...Bottlecap Magnets!

So save those bottlecaps! I have all of my friends trained to save theirs (and to be careful when removing the pry-off type of caps). Other places to get bottlecaps are restaurants, bars, and specialty beer stores. Some places will save them for you if you ask nicely!

Make-It Mondays: Match-bookmarks

I'm back with another tutorial, this time by me (buenahelena). For several months I have been using gutted, vintage matchbooks to make mini notepads. Recently though, I got really excited about another solution for my old matchbooks.....magnetic bookmarks! Naming this product however has been a tongue twister. Should it be Matchbook Bookmarks, Book Matches? Match-bookmarks seemed to work the best. Try making some for yourself!

You will need: Matchbooks, Clear heavy duty packing tape, Popsicle stick, Scissors, Adhesive backed magnet strips.

1. Carefully remove matches from the matchbook and lay it flat on the table.

2. Cut off a piece of packing tape and lay it over the flattened matchbook.

3. Flip it over and lay another piece of tape on the other side.

4. Use the Popsicle stick to press the tape onto the matchbook and remove any air bubbles.

5. Cut off the excess packing tape leaving a 1cm margin around the matchbook.

6. Fold the top/front of the matchbook.

7. Add two magnets: 1 on the inside back and 1 behind the front flap.

Now clip it over the page you're ready to read in your favorite book and keep your place with some vintage style!

Make-It Mondays: Suitcase Jewelry Display

This week's tutorial comes from our very own Erin of Sunshyne Silverwear. If you are thinking of ways to reuse thrifted finds for displays at shows you don't want to miss it! Enjoy:

This was a very fun project, so easy too. (right up my alley) I've known for a while that at arts and crafts shows I wanted to showcase my silver spoons separately. One day while scouring for silverware at my local V.O.A., I spotted an old beat up suitcase that I knew would be perfect for the job. (and at 99 cents, I couldn't pass it up) I've seen other artists use vintage suitcases to sell their wares out of, but I've never seen one for jewelry. Well today was the day.

Materials:
* Vintage Suitcase
* 1/2 inch wooden dowels (4)

* 1/2 inch dowel caps (8)
* 1/2 inch drill bit
* Power drill
* Wood glue
* Small hand saw
* Tape measure
* Marker

First I eyeballed it and figured out where I wanted my dowels to go on the inside. I had to account for the length of the necklaces when hung to decide where I wanted the lower bar. Then I measured and marked where I wanted to drill and drilled a hole right through the suitcase. (It was surprisingly easy considering this particular suitcase feels like it's made out of a thick cardboard!)

Once all 8 holes were drilled, I measured how long the dowel would need to be and cut them to size. *Note the comfy house slippers, hey what do ya want, it's my day off ;)

I glued the dowel caps on only one end of the dowel so that I can pull them back through if needed.

Awesome finished product:

click on images to enlarge

I'm calling it 'Grandma's cupboard'.See more of my silverware creations on my web site www.sunshynesilverwear.com