Upcycling Wood Flooring Samples

Are you the kind of person who can easily see shapes or objects in the clouds? I play a similar game when I see obtainium - stuff that has been cast aside and deemed useless, until it's obtained by someone who can see the potential in it.

Last week, I found myself staring at a few wood flooring samples, envisioning all kinds of uses for these things. The larger ones would be fun to use as luggage tags and there's no way anyone else would have a giant faux wood-grain luggage tag, so there would be zero chance of someone picking up my suitcase by mistake. Score!

The smaller ones would work as an unusual business card (glue or paint my info on the back) or I could Mod Podge a photo on it and hang it from my key ring.

You know what else I see? Door hangers! Granted the opening isn't big enough for this to slip over a door handle, but adding a piece of twine would fix that. And there are so many ways to personalize it.

I grabbed some Scrabble tiles and chalked a wooden embellishment, then affixed everything with glue dots (a glue gun would've worked, too) and, voila! 

A door hanger for Sara.

Wouldn't these be cute hanging in each child's cubby at school? The project is simple enough a child could make her/his own hanger. If you don't have Scrabble tiles or other pre-made letters, give the kids things they can cut out and glue onto the wood.

Speaking of Scrabble tiles, old game pieces are fun embellishments for all kinds of crafts, so be sure to raid your game boxes before getting rid of them or watch yard sales for deals. You'll find lots of games being sold for $1 or less because they're missing a few pieces - but you won't mind, because crafting with Monopoly property cards is so much more fun than playing!

Now it's your turn: what would you make of these floor samples?

Good Garbage is Louisville's one and only creative reuse center, where you'll find all the components for this project and a gazillion others. Visit GoodGarbage.org for store hours, info on upcoming events, a link to our Etsy store and more!

Turning Carpet Samples into Locker Rugs, Yes, Locker Rugs!

When I was old enough to have a school locker, they were used to hold books. Maybe a photo or two, held on with magnets or Scotch tape. And we had to walk uphill, in the snow, everyday, just to reach our locker, so no one spent much time decorating it.

Fast forward to today and there are lockers at my son's middle school that are better decorated than my bedroom! I say, "Good for you." I'm all for expressing yourself and making your locker something other than a pit of old papers and squished sandwiches.

So far, the only "extras" our son wants in his locker are a shelf (his locker has none) and a mirror (and he's not even sure why he wants that, but he saw it in an ad and figured he needed it). While shopping for these luxuries, I saw this:

(photo credit: containerstore.com)

Oh my stars! Is that a chandelier in the locker on the right? And wallpaper (removable). And adorable organizers, that are also practical - those I would buy. Then there are the locker rugs. I see pink on the left and a zebra pattern on the right, but should tell you there are soooooo many more choices (who knew lockers got chilly?).

I did discover patterns and project ideas for making your own locker rug - weaving, knitting, macrame, even hook rug kits - those are something I could get behind. Again, I'm all for self-expression. But $10 or more for a locker rug?

Well, it just so happens that Good Garbage is cleaning out its remaining carpet remnants to make room for new remnants that will be donated his fall. So, I've been busily brainstorming what could be made from these plush little squares. Coasters? Barbie area rugs? Cushions for the inside of a gift box? Or how about a one-of-a-kind locker rug?

I used some good, strong cardboard as my base - left over from a book of fabric remnants. I cut it to 10.5"(w) x 10.5"(d) for our 11" x 11" middle school lockers.

Then I wrapped the edges with Washi tape, to cover the raw edge left after cutting and to make all the edges look the same.

After that, it was just a matter of gluing the carpet samples to my base. I used a glue gun, but a strong craft glue or double-sided tape would work, too. And I mixed in some larger carpet samples I got at Home Depot years ago, because who wants uniform?

If you prefer a more finished look, you could add piping or ribbon to fill the gaps between the pieces and cover any flaws.

If you don't have a locker, you could make one of these for the cabinet under your sink or a drawer liner or the place where your pet's food and water bowls sit or any number of spaces in your home.


Now it's your turn to brainstorm: what would you make with carpet samples?

Good Garbage is Louisville's one and only creative reuse center, where you'll find all the components for this project and a gazillion others. Visit GoodGarbage.org for store hours, info on upcoming events, a link to our Etsy store and more!

Let's Talk Trash

Garbage. Junk. Scrap. Trash.

Most of the time we misuse those words, associating "garbage" with things that are distasteful or beyond use. In reality, garbage is just something we deem no longer useful or wanted and, as a result, we throw it out. But, not all garbage belongs in a garbage can.

So, how do you tell the difference between just garbage and good garbage? Learn to look for the potential, to see the possibilities in items you'd typically toss.

Some things are obvious. Leftover supplies, incomplete sets, prints or patterns that aren't your style - all of these still have life in them. While extras or odds and ends might look like clutter in your home, in a classroom or artist's studio they are welcome additions and sources of endless creativity.

Other things pose more of a challenge. Broken appliances, stained or worn out clothing, junk mail - you can't imagine anyone finding a use for these things, and yet, once you train your eye to see the possibilities in what's around you, even those can find a good home.

At the very least, you can recycle or properly dispose of almost anything these days (search online for your city's .gov site and you'll learn what's allowed and where to take it). Repairing or repurposing is becoming more common. If your sewing machine is already broken, how much more can you hurt it by tinkering around with it? Or, if your headboard is beyond repair, put it in your backyard and let your Morning Glory grow all over it.

A word of warning: once you start seeing potential in the things around you, you may start seeing it in people, too - a lovely side-effect in a world where people are often treated as disposable.

So, there's the premise behind Redux Lou - a blog inspired by and in support of Good Garbage, Louisville's first (and only) creative reuse center.

Lynn Quire (a creative reuser and owner of Good Garbage) and Leah Bradley (a maker who blogs at makingsomethingofit.com) will share their ideas for diverting usable materials from landfills.

Likewise, it's hoped that you will share your questions, projects ideas and brick walls when it comes to working with what you have. It's all fodder for good conversation around what's garbage and what's not.

So, welcome to a new way of looking at things. It's all good here!

Good Garbage is Louisville's one and only creative reuse center, where you'll find all the components for this project and a gazillion others. Visit GoodGarbage.org for store hours, info on upcoming events, a link to our Etsy store and more!