Fit Fund

Today I was in the mood for another Pinterest cleanup.

This time I decided to merge two ideas that I really adore!

  

(click the images for the DIY instructions!)

I really liked the idea of a workout tip jar. I have several fitness goals to attain, and I like the idea of being able to fit into a smaller pair of jeans and already having some money put aside for them! And, those colorful glass jars are just too cool.

This is what I made:

Recognize that snazzy font? Same one I used for my recycling and compost bins! I love continuity ;)

Plus, I was able to reuse a cool-looking glass spaghetti sauce jar. Awesome!

And, as you can see, I've already made good use of it! Ah, I can hear those new jeans calling already.

Living room cleanup meets Pinterest cleanup!

My partner and I love our video games, so it's not uncommon for our coffee table to look like this:

So when I was looking for something to keep my hands busy, I remembered this really cool newspaper basket that has been haunting my "Arts & Crafts" Pinboard for quite some time and thought it would be a great solution!

I was really excited to use some of the newspaper that I had leftover from making my compost bin. I also like that it doesn't take many materials to complete this project!

I cut the paper at the fold and kept folding the paper long-ways and slicing until I had many strips of newspaper.

The tutorial said that it would be easy to complete this part using a rotary cutter & mat. I don't do the kind of projects that necessitate these tools (yet), but I agree that it would have made this part easier!

The initial weaving part was made easier by dotting glue where the strips of paper met.

When it came time to build up the sides, I had to extend my weaving area by gluing more strips on outward.

Ta-da! Perhaps a little more wobbly-looking than the original, but I think that it's really cool!

And, it definitely gets the job done! Much better.

Under-the-Sink Transformation!

The other day, I made my very own apartment-sized worm compost bin! This is something I've been putting off for a long time, so I was very proud to finally get it done.

I put it under my sink and stepped back to admire my achievement...

...and I was kind of underwhelmed.

I saw two problems with this scenario:

1. The interior of my cabinets is blaaaaaah, but I'm a renter so I can't paint anything.

2. The labels that I'd made for my recycle bins were quite unimpressive.

So I decided that that must be changed!

I didn't want to spend much money on this project. So to change the cabinet interior I broke out some cardboard, spray paint, and acrylic paint to make a liner.

The recycle bin situation was trickier. The original plan was make stencils and use some of that same acrylic paint to paint labels on the bins. So I made stencils using a free font that I liked called Fontleroy Brown.

But after a good hour of painting, letting dry, painting more, letting dry ... I found that the paint didn't stick onto the plastic bins at all! :( Not one to give up, I scraped off the dry paint mess and re-stenciled with Sharpie markers.

Et voila!

Yay - this one little space looks so much happier now!

Crafting FAIL ... Purchase WIN!

Andie and I saw these beautiful DIY lanterns on Pinterest and we really wanted to try to make them.

            

(click on each photo to see their DIY instructions!)

So we get all of our supplies together ... we apply string and doilies to balloons ... we let them dry ... we pop them, AND-

Sad trombone.

But we decided not to sacrifice our lantern dreams. So we went to one of our favorite downtown stores, Mod Pod, where we had seen some paper lanterns before, and...

The takeaway: You win some, you lose some.

And I think we ended up winning anyway. :)

Rag Rug!!

Ever since I saw this tutorial on Pinterest, I have really been wanting to make a rag rug!

So over spring break, Mom and I gathered materials to make rugs together. Her rug was completed soon after I went back to Corvallis. I, however, took my sweet time ... but four months later I finally summoned the gusto to do it!

So here's my little tutorial.

What you need:

-A huge crochet hook. I got my size Q one from Michaels for about $2

-Pleeeenty of fabric. You could use shirts, but when you cut the fabric like that it takes ages so I suggest using old sheets. I bought fabric/sheets from various thrift stores (and I raided Mom's stash!) which totaled about $6.

-Scissors (for cutting off ends)

-Time. Mine took 10-12 hours total for a 3 1/2 - 4 foot rug.

Let's begin!

1. Gather your fabric. I used a variety of textures, but I really REALLY  recommend sticking to woven fabric like sheets. Then, instead of having to cut your fabric (labor intensive!!!) you can snip and rip.

 2. Cut or tear your fabric and roll it into balls. I made my fabric into about 1" strips. I would snip into my fabric, tear until I almost reached the other edge, then flipped, snipped, and ripped again. This way I was able to make one long strip from a big rectangle of fabric.

For me, this part took about 5 hours by itself. I imagine I could have reduced my time by at least an hour if I had used all woven fabrics that I could rip, rather than some knit that I had to cut all the way.

3. Start crocheting in the round! I single crocheted so that the holes wouldn't be too big. Here is a good tutorial for crocheting in the round.

 4. At this point you're going to want to turn on a TV show and watch it as you work. This takes hours and hours, but it's a fabulous project if it's a hot day and you don't feel like moving much!

 5. Fasten off - you're done!

Mine turned out big enough that I can sit on it with plenty of room. It currently hangs out in my living room, but it is a fantastic size for if I want to move it into my kitchen, hall, or bedroom!

J&L Adventure 4: OSU is Rad

Lindsey and I are both proud Oregon State Beavers, and though we both go to classes, hang out, and participate in groups on campus, we decided that we should see if there are any sights that we have yet not seen at our beloved school.

Here are some of the cool things we found...

 First, we went to see the art exhibit at Fairbanks Hall. Their front room is a gallery, and right now they're displaying artwork that OSU faculty has created. I wasn't sure if I could take pictures of the art, so I decided against it. Lindsey and I did make a friend on the outside of the building, though!

 Lindsey introduced me to this cool building that is maintained by Herbology Horticulture students! It has a garden for a roof! And no, those aren't just weeds growing like they would out of your house gutter, they're intentionally-planted herbs and vegetables and stuff. How awesome!

 Next to that building is a beautiful on-the-ground garden filled with flowers and vegetables.

 The sunflowers and corn are waaaay taller than me!

We spotted several large squash (pumpkins?) in that garden, too. This guy was the size of my head, and obviously still growing. 

We must have climbed to the highest floor of five different buildings looking for a good view - boy, was that a good workout! My favorite view of the trip was from Pharmacy Building looking down at Benton Hall.

It felt like we didn't have nearly enough time to explore all of the cool buildings and features, so we decided that we'll go for another adventure here soon to learn more!

J&L Adventure 3: Jackson-Frazier Wetland

Lindsey and I went for our third adventure! This time we...

Biked to the Jackson-Frazier Wetland toward the north end of town!

One of the cool parts about the wetland is that the path is entirely a raised (and wheelchair-accessible!) boardwalk. We visited in the summertime, so it didn't make much of a difference - but in the spring, visitors are glad it's raised because, as the name suggests, it gets wet.

We saw a lot of really cool-looking plants.

A lot of it was the kind of stuff you'd expect to see in a sci-fi movie set on another planet.

It was a beautiful day, too, for such a walk! 

Coooooool. 

The boardwalk forms a circular path through the wetland. As we came toward the end of the circle, we saw a bunch of standing water. Lindsey said that in the spring, this is what a lot of the wetland looks like.

 Obligatory reflection shot!

While this experience was really cool, we decided that we should come back again in the fall, winter, and spring so that we can experience this habitat in all seasons. So, be on the lookout for updates in the coming months!