36: Chip bag fold

So I'll admit that this simple project was partially motivated by my craving for chips, which I don't usually keep in the house. BBQ chips in particular are my weakness. This pin was a good excuse to pick some up. So I (sampled the chips then) tried the folding technique. Technically, it worked. But it took a few tries and didn't stay very long. In fact, I ended up putting a chip clip on :(

Credit:
http://www.origami-resource-center.com/chip-bag-fold.html

35: Utensil roll

I bring utensils from home to work each day for my lunch, and I couldn't figure out a good way to keep everything together until I threw together this utensil roll from some old material I had laying around. This is one pin project I can say I use every day (that only took a few minutes to make!).

Credit:
http://blog.sndimg.com/hgtv/design/farima/waverly-how-to-instructions.jpg

34: Toilet paper roll cloth printing to purse

Since my recent trial with paper towel roll painting, I was impressed with the variety of designs that could be made. So I thought I'd try printing on cloth, specifically an old t-shirt (even more specifically, the sleeves of an old t-shirt, which always seem to be leftover from other t-shirt projects). From the printed cloth, I sewed the sleeves together, made a lining out of sleeves from another t-shirt, and threw on a couples straps. Hello cute purse!

Credit:
http://limeriot.blogspot.ch/2012/08/toilet-paper-roll-printing-tutorial.html

33: Jet bathtub cleaning

When we first moved into our condo, we thought the jacuzzi tub was a nice draw. Since then (4 1/2 years ago), we've used the tub about 4 times and struggled to keep the tub, specifically the jets, clean. More of a pain than an exciting feature. So I thought I'd try a tub cleaning rec pin. The pictures don't help much on this project primarily because I used my ipad camera, not the best. In addition, this pin worked generally, but it still required some decent elbow grease and didn't clear up some deep stains. I'd give it a B.

Credit:
http://www.wikihow.com/Clean-a-Jetted-Bathtub

32: Sweet potato fries

I was fascinated by the massive sweet potatoes I found at our farmer's market, and having never cooked with sweet potatoes before, thought I'd try something out (the picture is from one sweet potato). What is better than sweet potato fries? I baked them, so they didn't get super crispy, but yummy seasoning (garlic salt, pepper, grated parmesan) made this delish and fairly healthy.

Credit: http://gimmesomeoven.com/oven-roasted-sweet-potato-fries/

31: Paper towel role painting

Paper towel roles appear to be the MacGyver of crafts, and this was my first use of them for a painting project. I was a little hesitant, so I just tested the project on some cardboard. I have to say, I'm liking the paper towel look!

Credit: http://creativecarmella.blogspot.com/2012/07/toilet-paper-roll-paintinga-diy-project.html?m=1

30: Dress to cute top

I have a couple dresses that I've had for far too long (since before my hips grew in), but that I held onto because I liked the tops. I finally got around to chopping off the bottoms and turning them into cute tops. Pretty easy too!

One example of a cool upcycle blog:
http://refashionista.net/

29: Washing machine cleaning

With two dogs, our washing machine gets a little icky. We recently had our dryer vents cleaned (you should do it too- you'll be amazed at the amount of lint that gathers in there, near an open flame no less!), which got me thinking about our washer. Tried this cleaning method, and it's nice and shiny now. Actually, a desire to try washing our pillows also prompted this major cleaning, I recommend that too. There's nothing like laying down on a fresh pillow.

Washer cleaning credit: http://www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com/2012/04/how-to-clean-your-top-loader-washing.html

Pillow cleaning credit: http://cleanmyspace.com/clean-your-pillows/

28: Linen organizing/storage

I love a good organizing trick, and this is one of my new favorites. No need to track down lost pillowcases anymore! Just put the whole set in one of the pillowcases and you're good to go.

Credit: http://athome.kimvallee.com/2011/05/storing-sheet-sets/

27: Tshirt to cardigan upcycle

Apparently it's upcycle week, huh? This one involved an old long sleeve tshirt I pretty much only wore for skiing, which hasn't happened much lately. It turned into a casual cardigan, and was fairly straightforward to do. Might try with a cuter shirt in the future.

Credit: http://bowlofcherrys.blogspot.com/2011/08/t-shirt-to-cardigan.html?m=1

26: Upcycled tshirt to comfy workout shirt

I've actually made a few of these, because I thought they were a great use of old tees and they actually turn into comfortable work out tops. Plus I hate sleeves when I'm working out, is that just me?

Credit: http://blogilates.com/fashion-2/diy-racerback-workout-shirt-tutorial

25: Baby name quilted sign

I had a quilted sign in my bedroom growing up that was made for me when I was born, and I always liked it. What kid doesn't feel special with their name on something? So I've started making these signs for my friends who have babies. This is sign #3, so I've worked out a few of the kinks. My friends have said the newborns like the contrasting colors, so it's baby approved!

Credit: http://m.flickr.com/#/photos/10566707@N07/5958358532/

24: Paper flowers

Extra time watching tv? Try these cute origami flowers!

Credit: http://folio-love.com/diy-2/diy-paper-flower-tutorial/

23: Tank top to purse upcycle

Had a few old tank tops the I out-aged (getting old), so this was a super easy upcycle. Led to a few cute casual summer purses!

Credit: http://madeinaday.com/2012/03/28/pinterest-inspired-pic-of-the-week-3/

22: Chicken stuffed peppers

This one was a happy surprise. After work, had some chicken thawed and a couple peppers that were getting pretty ripe. I don't usually use pinterest for a lot of recipes, but I lucked out with this one. It was yummy, easy, and fairly healthy. Will try again when the hubby is in town.

Credit: http://m.campbellskitchen.com//recipedetail.aspx?recipeid=26913

21: Banana sandwich yummies

A delicious and healthy treat!

Warning: makes a lot, so I'd try cutting down the recipe.

Credit: http://www.fitsugar.com/Frozen-Banana-Peanut-Butter-Recipe-24047720

20: Recycled tshirt grocery bag

One of the easiest tshirt upcycles I've done. Snip, sew, use! Already tried it out for a trip to the library, it worked great!

Credit: http://indulgy.com/post/rSsFab1JM1/make-your-own-reusable-bags-from-t-shirts

19: Jeans hemming

I'm average height, but long waisted, leaving little room for my legs, so pants are inevitably too short on me. I saw a post on maintaining the original hem in your jeans, and thought I'd try it. Sadly, this was my first Pinterest fail (or first that I'll admit to at least). I had trouble sewing close enough to the hem, so it just looked ridiculous. I resorted to my tried-and-true fold and sew hemming method, which means I lost the original hem, but I think it turned out fine. Who pays attention to hems anyway?

Note: I used the credited hemming method with a different project and it turned out great. In fact, maybe I'll post about that next!

Credit (attempted): http://refashionmama.wordpress.com/2011/12/17/alteration-my-new-favorite-way-to-keep-original-hem-on-jeans/

18: Cute hubby reminder

When moving my husband down to Houston, one of my concerns was that my usual pre-walking-out-the-door role ("do you have your keys? wallet? phone?") would not be filled while he was living by himself. I thought of making him a sign to put by the door (not that I can be replaced by a sign, but still...), but knew it would have to be extra special for him to actually take the time to put it up. Therefore, the puppy outline was added, with fun scrapbook paper for the silhoutte. Kind of cute, right?

Credit: http://pinterest.com/pin/231231762088056262/

17: Upcycled scrubs to wine cover

There are a bunch of cute wine cover projects out there, like the one credited below that uses old sweaters. In our family, we have a ton of leftover t-shirts and scrubs tops/bottoms. We went to an engagement party for two doctor friends who were getting married recently, so I decided it would be cute to whip up a cover for the nice bottle of wine we got them out of (well washed) scrubs. This was super easy. I basically chopped out out one of the legs from a scrubs bottom, cut the appropriate length, then sewed up the side and bottom, using the waist band as the tie. Voila!

Credit: http://diycrafts.blogspot.com/2011/11/wine-bottle-sweater-sleeves.html

16: Washers necklace

I had some extra washers from a previous project, so I thought I'd try out this quick and easy necklace. Picked an unused nail polish and some thread (my washers were smaller than those in the linked project, so the jump rings kind of overwhelmed the washers- hence the thread), then got to work!

Credit: http://bywilma.com/2012/08/05/diy-washer-necklace/