Worm Poop

For Christmas, I decided to give the gift that keeps on giving! Worm poop! I bet you are thinking "Ew, gross....poop?" Yep, it is. The finest poop on the planet. A few months ago I constructed a worm bin and Dominic and I have been feeding a few dozen worms in our kitchen all of our fresh produce scraps and coffee grounds since then. Finally, after digestion, our worms have given us something in return. 

Worm compost is one of the richest most complete plant fertilizers and is an eco-friendly, all-natural way to give your plants a boost any time of year. It is also smart for your trash bin as worms eat so many things that normally get thrown away. I will cover more on this topic in my upcoming post on worm bins so keep a watchful eye.

Happy Holidays!
Laura

What I Got for Christmas

So...Get anything good for the holidays?

Even better, did you give anything good for the holidays? Santa's workshop was in full effect at our place. It was a bit grueling at times, but infinitely more fun than competing with traffic and blowing my whole paycheck on some crap at the mall (not to mention how much of that money goes toward the packaging surrounding the crap).

So after I bought Laura some crap from the mall (she actually loved her leggings and underwear), I knew I needed to offer a service that she would really appreciate.

So now I can say that I've given coupons for Christmas.

Laura, in turn, did not disappoint.

This knitted beard with interchangeable snap-on mustaches kind of came from a joke between us about an infomercial for a ski mask that covers up a guy's scratchy beard so he can kiss his girl. She got the pattern from ravelry.com.

I saved the best for last:

A completely unexpected collaboration by mom and dad featuring a charming poem I wrote in fifth grade about a young boy destroying himself with a grenade. My mom has been on a roll with her mixed media projects, but this is my personal favorite.

Family is what the holidays are about, but I'll gladly take some badass presents as well. Hope you all had a fun and tolerably dysfunctional holiday. Until next time...

Dom

Reusable Totes on a Dime!

As a follow-up to my previous blog about eco-wrapping, I wanted to briefly mention my grocery totes. I was working on these simultaneously and found the fabric at the Salvation army with the rest of my fabric for gift wrapping.

Never having sewn a bag before and being relatively inexperienced in the sewing world, the results were astounding. Following sewing patterns is like trying to understand a 20 step oragami diagram, it just doesn't work for me. So instead, I grabbed a nearby tote and inspected closely.

I found out it was actually really easy to make and ended up cranking out 5 in one night. Shall we take a look at the steps???

Fabric (I chose heavy duty burlap)

Sewing Machine (Thanks Aunt Nancy!!)

First, cut the fabric to a length and width you will be happy with when the fabric is folded in half. I chose to cut enough to make a 16 x 16 bag. Make sure to cut extra to alot for seams and such. 

Next, fold the fabric  in half so the decorative side is on the inside of the fold. Then sew together the each side leaving the top open. (The bottom is the folded edge). I chose to use a straight and zig-zag stitch for extra support and to prevent fraying. 

    To accomplish a square-ish bottom, I had to fold the corners into triangles and sew. Do this to both bottom corners. (Where the fabric is folded)

 Then, on the top, fold your fabric twice over or at least enough to fold under the unfinished edge. Sew.

 Add your straps! I made mine from another heavy duty fabric which I folded over to hide the unfinished edges and sewed. ( I recommend ironing before sewing to get crisp lines)

Once all edges are sewn and straps are in place, turn the bag inside-out. Here is how the bottom should look when you do the triangle stitches at the bottom.

 Bag! I made these for grocery shopping, but they can also be used for anything and can be modified or spruced up any way you like! 

-Laura

Eco-wrapping

Inspired by an article in our local "Radish" magazine about eco-friendly alternatives to wrapping gifts that Dominic was reading during "toilet time", I decided to take the initiative and try it for myself. After learning that gift wrapping paper is completely non-recyclable, I decided that I, too, was not going to contribute to that garbage bag full of discarded paper. Since shopping for fabric at craft stores completely overwhelms me to the point of melt-down in the middle of the isle, I chose a more limited selection from the Salvation Army. The racks were swarming with mismatched pillow cases, random fabric scraps, and cloth, so this was just enough selection to get my creative juices flowing. Most of the fabrics purchased were only $.90-$2.50 -- a mere fraction of wrapping paper costs during the holiday season. 

Each gift was wrapped differently. Some were sewn into small totes, others simply wrapped and tied; no sewing involved. Even the bows are made from pillow cases. If the bags needed more pizzazz, I added accents! Give it a try. I had so much fun!

-Laura

Ecksmas Cards

With Blizzardmageddon upon us, what better time to crank out some Ecksmas cards? These only required a couple different styles of those fancy edge scissors and some scrapbook paper and glue. Please excuse any photo quality discrepancies as these were taken at the post office on the last possible day to send mail and get it there by Christmas.

-Dominic

Welcome to 1926Tremont

Welcome to 1926Tremont, a blog about our adventures in upcycling, gardening and remodeling on a budget. We are from the Quad Cities and want to share with you our projects and ideas! Thanks for visiting and enjoy!

Light Bulb Garden

It was the week of my friend’s wedding and because I had stubbornly waited to the last minute to come up with “The perfect gift” I was scrambling to create this little garden in a bulb. I have always admired the concept of putting tiny things in impossible places, so the light bulb seemed like the perfect candidate. I planned my attack on this new and uncharted territory, visited my local craft store, and got to work. Finding objects for my garden scene was relatively simple, as there are only a few items sold that would actually fit.

My friend, Elizabeth, and I share a love for gardening and both studied Horticulture at Iowa State University so I couldn’t resist the opportunity to use the cliché metaphor of gardening and marriage.

To begin, I found a clear light bulb from my local Habitat for Humanity Restore ($.50), then chose some miniature sunflowers, dried moss, and a miniature picket fence from Hobby Lobby. (about $10)

Materials:

Clear incandescent light bulb

Pliers

Long tweezers or forceps

Foam (any kind will do)

Glass safe super glue

Glue stick or other craft glue

Dried sheet moss

Miniature objects

Plastic feet

Patience and a steady hand

First, the light bulb: Unfortunately the light bulb was not ready to be stuffed with a garden straight from the store and therefor took some work with pliers and determination. There is a great website I followed for instructions on how to disembowel a light bulb HERE.

Once the innards were removed, it was time for placement. To begin, I cut a tiny piece of packaging foam and, using long tweezers, glued it to the inside of the bulb at the bottom. I chose to drip the glue into the bulb before attaching objects so that I would avoid getting glue all over the sides of the bulb and elsewhere. The materials have to be held in place for a few moments while the glue cures. (Make sure you use super glue which is meant for glass objects, I had some trouble with the chemicals fogging the glass with normal superglue)I then applied more glue to the top of the foam and added sheet moss. (This can be fun if you try more than one moss or texture) 

For the fence, I cut a piece to an appropriate size, folded it up, and shoved it in. I then had to unfold it inside the bulb and place it in the moss. At this point, the project was almost complete.

 I then took each sunflower and applied glue stick to the end of their stem and stuck them into the moss and foam.

It still needed something…..a sign!  I made my sign from a brown paper bag and a tiny piece of miniature fencing. I glued the elements together, wrote my message, and placed it in the bulb the same way I did the flowers.

To make the bulb stand in one place, I bought some plastic “feet” typically used for coasters and stuck them on the bottom.

Because I used regular superglue, I had to remove the cloudiness on the glass with acetone (fingernail polish remover) and a cotton ball. 

Good luck and have fun! This would be a great Holiday gift that special someone is sure to love! You can also try live plants and make a living garden, which I hope to do in the near future. 

                                                                                                                                               -Laura