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Craft Recycled: 5 Ways to Alter and Repair Your Jeans share

I love shopping for jeans at the thrift store. Some of my favorite pairs of jeans have come from the thrift store and cost me less than $5. The thing that can be frustrating is when you find a pair of jeans that would be perfect except for one little detail. Maybe they have a small tear, are a bit too long, or fit great in the hips but have a cheesy bell bottom thing happening. Never fear! Whip out that sewing machine, crafty friends, because you can easily fix these problems and turn those thrifted jeans into your favorite pair.

1. Hemming

Hemming is probably the most basic repair you can do, and there are a couple of ways to go about it. The easiest is to cut off the pants, fold them to the length you want, and sew the seam, but you can also hem your jeans and keep the original hem, if you like the look of it. Here are tutes for both methods:

2. Lengthening

Shortening jeans is very Sewing 101, and it's not that hard to add a little length to jeans that are a little too short. Julie over at Crafting a Green World shows you a simple way to lengthen too-short jeans.

3. Patching

Confession: I love a patch! Sometimes I add patches to things that aren't even torn, just to up the cute factor. Whether you want to add a splash of color or cover up a tear or stain, check out this tutorial on how to sew a patch. Easy peasy!

4. Reverse Applique

Reverse applique might sound daunting and fancy, but it's really not much harder than sewing a patch. Get more deets on reverse applique and how to use this method to repair torn jeans here!

5. DIY Skinny Jeans

Ever tried on a pair of pants at the thrift store that are super cute until you get to the knees, where they balloon out into bell bottoms? Fear not! You can turn those outdated duds into skinny jeans that fit like a glove. I love this skinny jeans tutorial from Cut Out + Keep for taking in those pant legs!

Have you done any creative repairs or alterations on old jeans from your closet or from the thrift store? I'd love to hear your ideas in the comments!

Image Credit: Thrift Store Jeans photo via Bigstock

Posted: | Categories: Clothes+Accessories, Craft Recycled, denim crafts, DIY, how to alter jeans, how to repair jeans, Living, mending, repair, repair old jeans

Jan

Craft Recycled: 5 Upcycled Valentine’s Day Crafts share

Valentine's day is is coming up fast! Check out these cute DIY decor ideas!

Sure, you could hit the big box store for made-in-China decorations and the huge carbon footprint that comes along with them, but that hardly screams "love!" This year, why not take a little time and pour your heart into some DIY decorations for Valentine's day instead?

Whether you're throwing a party or planning a quiet evening, some cute decorations can help set the mood. Here are 5 projects to get you started!

1. Heart Garland - I love this sweet heart garland made from old book pages. It's a cute, upcycled decoration that's not too over the top.

2. Chocolate Box Wall Art - Do you have an empty chocolate box left from last year's Valentine's Day? Turn it into super cute wall art!

3. Heart Luminaries - Grab a reclaimed glass jar and decoupage yourself a romantic luminary for the tabletop!

4. Origami Hearts - These origami heart Valentines would look really cute scattered on a tabletop. Each one is sealed with a kiss! If you want to make this a really green project, choose reclaimed paper - like junk mail or magazine pages - to make your hearts, and go for fair trade chocolate instead of Hershey's.

5. Painted Twig Heart - Wouldn't this cute, rustic heart look sweet hanging on a door or over the mantle?

Do you have any cute Valentine's day crafts in the works? Tell us what you're making in the comments!

Posted: | Categories: Craft Recycled, DIY, DIY Valentine's day decoration, Valentine's day crafts, Valentine's day decorations, valentines day

Jan

Craft Recycled: 5 Ways to Reuse Old Crayons share

Got a stash of broken crayons that you can't bear to part with? Check out these fun, crafty ways to reuse old crayons!

Coloring isn't the only way that you can get crafty with crayons. Instead of throwing away those pieces of crayon that are too small to use for coloring, stash them in a box! Before long, you'll have a nice stash of colorful, waxy bits that are perfect for all kinds of craft projects.

1. Crayon Valentines

Use those old pieces of crayon and a heart-shaped mold to make cute Valentines for your kid's class.

2. Broken Crayon Monograms

Broken crayons are a bummer, but collect enough of them, and you can create very cute mongram-style art! Wouldn't this make a cute end-of-year gift for a special teacher?

3. Make New Crayons

Yep! You can use those old crayons to make new ones! All you need are a few common kitchen supplies, and you're ready to rock.

4. Crayon Drip Art

Crayon drip tutorials usually call for using new crayons, but that seems like such a waste! Just follow the same instructions, but use those tiny crayon pieces instead!

5. Crayon Shaving Hearts

Can you tell I have Valentine's Day on the brain? How cute are these colorful hearts made from wax paper and tiny pieces of crayon?

Have you done any crafts with your old crayons? Tell us about them in the comments!

Posted: | Categories: Craft Recycled, crafty reuse, crayon crafts, creative reuse, DIY, how to reuse crayons, reuse, upcycled crayons, upcycling

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