How to Upcycle Glass Bottles

I have been eyeing off this upcycle project  for some time now but have never known how to achieve a clean cut when cutting the bottle in half. I have tried the 'flaming rope' method but that left very jagged edges and the bottle was not salvagable. After doing some intense googling I found Dan Rojas, a green earth activist with amazing and easy DIY videos, and he taught me through the world wide web just how to achive a clean cut. 

The video can be seen HERE and in it Dan demostrates how to use the G2 Bottle Cutter (a seriously good investment for those interested in upcycling bottles).

Now if the above image didnt make up your mind view those below and I am sure you will be itching to try it yourself!

cheapcrafting.com

http://www.flickr.com/photos/smallstump/

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homemade-modern.com

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Instagram Challenge #1

@aliceintheeve - I love this simple vignette made from a vintage garden chair,watering can and jar. Inspired!

Today is the day! It is the first official blog entry for our instagram challenge: #livingthriftyaustralia !
This week we have had a great and inspiring responce from people all around the globe and it has truely touched me to see that there are so many environmentally concious and style savvy people out there. So without further adeu, the pictures in this post are my favourite from this past week (in no particular order) and there were a few more then five that stood out, so here are my 7 favourite, I hope you like them as much as I do!

@sheiiybeiiy - I love this thrifted office setting, simple and stylish. (Drooling over that old kitchen hutch!)

@fawnandfiligree - I love this use for old crates, such rustic charm!

@aliceintheeve - I am inlove with the idea of using old corigated iron as a splash back in your kitchen!

@birdiebirdie_ - I am looking forward to seeing the finished resto project!

@treehouse_girl - Love the look of thrifted plates all clustered together!

 

@mariessmak - This retro side board is to die for!

Chair-tastic

 

Todays post is full of fabulous ideas about what to do with a thrifted chair. If a chair took your fancy in your local thrift store, or you found one calling out to be saved in the local hard-rubbish you're probably wondering how you can jazz it up a little. I am a bit of a chair collector and have spent many hours  trying to decide which move to take in updating my chairs. Today I am sharing my research with you in the hopes that I can make something wonderful happen. 

Giving a chair a new look can be as simple as giving it a new coat of paint, 'dipping' it in the paint (a current trend) or trying your hand at some simple re-upholstering. If you feel like a challenge then there are many options for you; distressing your chair, decoupaging your chair with fabric or your choice of paper (comics, maps, wrapping paper, etc), removing the legs and making it into an out door swing, putting two or more chairs together to create a bench (by removing existing seats and replacing with longer wood/metal to stetch accross all seats), hand painting delicate patterns or even yarn bombing your chair!

Truely, the possibilities for this project are endless so let your creativity run wild and show me your finished project!

http://www.mrkate.com

http://diyremodelingpins.com

http://100percentdelicate.blogspot.com.au

http://www.kokokids.co.uk/

http://www.ravelry.com

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Fancy Fences

Surf Board Fence

 
After yesterday's post about upcycled bottle fences I was inspired to do some more research into other eclectic fences that anyone can make. If you feel like a project then put on that thinking cap and decide what your fence will be made of, you could get away with almost any item these days. When I finally have a propper house with a nice garden, I will be collecting doors to make that gorgeous door fence!

Ski Fence: media.englishrussia.com

 

 

Door Fence

Street Sign Fence: carex.tumblr.com

Pallet Fence

Using What You Have - Bottle Fence

Source: Pinterest

Today a reader contacted me in regards to a thrifty project she is doing at the moment, the bottle fence! Julie emailed me to tell me all about this on going project that her and her husband are doing in their spare time, to bring colour and life to their front fence which was in a very sad condition. Due to the fence being directly next to a salt water pool the metal posts supporting the fence had rusted and deteriorated. Instead of tearing the entire fence down Julie decided to keep the existing brick work and build on to it using bottles that they already had to create an eclectic stained glass effect. From there they intend to build on to it again using reclaimed wood or rustic old doors. See their project below and in the future we will share with you their finished project!

If Julies project has struck your interest then hurry up, put on your shoes and run out to your recycling bin. Quickly salvage any glass bottles that you didnt need before, because you need them now! Choose your colour theme and run with it. If you arent a big drinker why not ask your neighbours, family or friends to save their bottles for you? If you are a big drink well get drinking! This project and give a mosiac effect or can be made into a pattern of your choice. Below are some images I have found to give you some more inspiration! These pictures even include this technique being used indoors in bathrooms and also in a retail setting.

 

Photo source: Pinterest