Upcycled Stone Tile Coasters

Upcycled Stone Tile Coasters

While browsing Pinterest, I saw a tutorial for coasters made from 4x4 tiles and scrapbooking paper. I happen to have a TON of old scrapbook paper that I never used. I think I only ever finish one of the several scrapebooks I started. I loved the beautiful papers though. I was still buying the books of paper long after I decided to never make a scrapbook again. That paper has been sitting at my parents house for YEARS!

FabMo has also had tile samples available this summer. FabMo for anyone who doesn't know is a non-profit in the San Francisco Bay Area that rescues samples of designer materials from showrooms and makes them available to the public to repurpose. This is truly one of the most amazing resources for crafters like me who try to upcycle as much as possible.

A little modge podge, clear spray paint and decorative sanding yielded some great results! I made five sets of four coasters. I enjoyed the project so much that I decided to add it as a workshop to my local meetup group. If you are nearby come join us - Bay Area Upcyclers

Set of 4 upcycled coasters

Drink coasters

Zombie Feltie Kitty

Zombie Kitty

How Cute is this little cat? Ok, so she is supposed to be dead which is a little disturbing. You have to check out this book, Zombie Felties. There is even a Michael Jackson zombie feltie named Thrilla! The kids and I are hooked.

dead duckies

As far as easy crafts for kids go, these guys are definitely on the difficult side. Even the single skull difficulty level (which means easiest) zombies are a challenge for little hands that haven't sewn before. I was frustrated teaching the kids to tie knots and constantly reminding them which stitch they were working with, but, they loved it.

They are very proud of their little "dead ducky" creations. Not bad for a 8 and 9 year old who have never sewn before. They think they are totally ready to move on to a two skull difficulty level zombie (actually they are convinced they are ready to tackle the four star zombie surfer). I'm not so sure... I better do some yoga and practice deep breathing to prepare!

I didn't realize how small these little zombies were going to be. They are only about 2 inches tall. I had a lot of felt left over. Can't let that go to waste! I'm hosting a Meetup in Menlo Park, CA (San Francisco Bay Area) to make more of these little critters. The felt was the only supply I had to buy for this project. I already had the rest of the bits and bobs in my abundant stash of crafty goodness. I love that there is part of a bracelet that I made in high school around my zombie kitty's neck. (The black and white beads are supposed to represent an eyeball. Did you see that when you looked at the picture? Neither did I.)

Stay tuned, there are more zombie felties to come...

Upcycled Beaded Wrap Bracelet

First Attempt

Upcycled Beaded Wrap Bracelet $55

shipping included

to purchase email Ashley - upcycledbyash@gmail.com

Meetup.com is quickly becoming one of my go to websites. No matter what it is you want to do, you are likely to find a group of others online looking to do or learn the same thing. There are tons of crafting Meetups and I even found a step-moms group!

A few nights ago I went to an Art and Craft-tastic Meetup where we learned to make Chan Luu inspired bracelets. I've been eyeing these bracelets for a while thinking they were pretty cool. Now I know why the originals are so expensive. They take a LOT of time to make!

This one clearly turned out very well, I really like it. I managed to find enough matching beads and a shank button to make the bracelet with more than 1/2 upcycled materials. The leather and the bead thread were included with the class.

I'll have to dig through my bead stash and see how many more upcycled beaded wrap bracelets I can make. In the future these bracelets will be custom orders due to the fact they need to be made the right size for your wrist.

This particular bracelet is sized for a wrist that is about 5.5". If you are interested in purchasing it or placing a custom order, send me an email - upcycledbyash@gmail.com