Everyday objects repurposed

Make your own mini bamboo planters from a lotion cap and a coaster

A new house flipping project, Everyday objects repurposed, Handmade decor for my mini house, Uncategorized

Here’s a quick, easy, very inexpensive project for you. Use bamboo coasters, old lotion caps and lids, and a little glue to make planters!

A little scotch tape will help hold the bamboo in place while you get started.

All you need for this project are some old bottle caps or lotion container lids (or lip balm containers, or the other small container or cap of your choice) and some bamboo coasters or placemats.

Here’s what I started with:

Step one was to cut the coaster to the desired height you’d like your planter to be. I started with the green cap and decided I’d like the bamboo to extend just above it on either side.

Once cut, I wrapped the bamboo around the cap, using a little scotch tape to help secure it in place while I worked. When I determined the right size to fit around the cap, I cut it and glued it into place.

I like the kinds of coasters with a mesh backing because you can cut them up and they never fall apart. These coasters didn’t have that kind of backing, so once I began cutting, the tiny bamboo slats began to come out. It wasn’t a big deal — I just put them back where they belonged, but if you can find the coasters with a mesh backing, they’ll save you that trouble. Another option is to glue some kind of backing onto your coasters before you cut them. Some paper, mesh, or lightweight fabric, for instance.

I repeated the process with the lid. It was much bigger, so I needed two sections of bamboo. Here’s a look with section one getting put into place:

After my caps were nicely wrapped in their strips of bamboo, I used a rubber band to hold the bamboo in place while it dried. Later I removed the rubber band and added a little twine as both a decorative touch and also to help keep the bamboo in place over time.

All photos by Holly Tierney-Bedord. All rights reserved.

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A cozy breakfast room on a budget

Everyday objects repurposed, Furniture and decor I've purchased, Handmade decor for my mini house

Today’s room box has lots of inexpensive touches.

The dresser, cabinet, and small table (night stand) were all Dollar Store purchases or from the dollar (or so) aisle of one of my local craft stores. All were originally unpainted. The dresser and night stand have non-functioning drawers, unfortunately.

I wove the chunky rugs on a potholder loom. The flat, tan one is just a scrap of burlap.

Here’s a link to a previous post about the faux macrame wall hanging and the faux light fixture.

The white, fringy wall hanging on the far left is an earring.

This little plant goes here!

The diamond shaped wall hanging is a scrap of burlap I wove some yarn into.

The oversized wooden pot on top of the cabinet was featured here. It’s a napkin ring.

Earrings from Prague.

All photos by Holly Tierney-Bedord. All rights reserved.

Un-be-weavable!

Everyday objects repurposed, Furniture and decor I've purchased, Handmade decor for my mini house

Check out some of my recent weaving projects!

The black and white weaving makes a great little table runner, rug, or throw for the foot of a bed.

Here’s another look at the lemon-themed bedroom, but with the blue curtain covering the tiny bamboo shade:

This little curtain didn’t take long to make. I used a loom that came free with Mollie Makes magazine. Here’s a look at the process:

Wondering how I made the bamboo shades?

They’re made from inexpensive coasters, cut to size…

I tried out this old necklace with the blinds…

And felt it was the perfect cord. I snipped off a portion of the necklace and glued it into place with Elmer’s glue.

Looks good!

Wondering about the pretty artwork in this orange room?

These were gift tags designed by Katharine Watson, sold by Crate & Barrel.

Using some black paint (and a piece of junk mail as my workspace), I outlined three of the trimmed-down tags. After they dried I used double-side tape to affix them to the wall.

The tiny pillows in the lemon-themed room are from Shepherd Miniatures. The little books are copies of my own books, cut from my author business cards.

If you find when you’re weaving with a potholder loom that the yarn wants to slip off, wrap it all the way around the loom. You can then weave using one layer or both, depending on your project’s needs. Problem solved!

 

 

 

A mini book signing

A new house flipping project, Everyday objects repurposed, Furniture and decor I've purchased, Handmade decor for my mini house

I’m planning to design new author business cards soon, so I have a big stack of old ones that I was going to recycle. Lucky for me, I realized they’d make perfect mini books! Once I made a few, I was inspired to stage this mini book signing.

The tiny handbag is made from a coaster. The newspaper is an image I found online, shrunk down, and printed out.

You know how I love a tiny bunting or garland to festive-ize a room box!

These coasters are great for all kinds of dollhouse and room box projects!

Decorate This (Mini) Room

A new house flipping project, Everyday objects repurposed, Furniture and decor I've purchased, Handmade decor for my mini house, Miniaturists, Shopping for minis, Tweaking store-bought dollhouse furniture

I had so much fun working on the Flip This (Mini) House book that I decided to publish a shorter book devoted to room boxes. It’s filled with never-before-seen photos and projects that are sure to inspire. It’s now available as a Kindle eBook (included in Kindle Unlimited) and paperback.

Decorate This Mini Room by Holly Tierney-Bedord

Decorate This (Mini) Room

A new house flipping project, Everyday objects repurposed, Furniture and decor I've purchased, Handmade decor for my mini house, Shopping for minis

Since my dollhouse is done, I’ve been having some fun decorating a room box. This is the perfect project for a beginner, someone on a budget, or anyone with a short attention span! Any cardboard shipping box is all you need for your structure. Dress it up with scrapbook paper, mini furniture and accessories. Below are a couple of recent projects, including a bohemian bedroom, inspired by a clearance iron-on butterfly I bought a couple days ago, and a Christmasy room filled with clearance minis.








Jewelry as dollhouse art

Everyday objects repurposed

I’ve mentioned how much I love small hardware items like handles, knobs, and hinges when it comes to creating miniature decor. Jewelry is another excellent source for dollhouse design. This vintage fish brooch from St. Vinny’s is going to work perfectly over the fireplace.

Vintage fish brooch. Photo by Holly Tierney-Bedord. All rights reserved.

Vintage fish brooch. Photo by Holly Tierney-Bedord. All rights reserved.

Vintage fish brooch back. Photo by Holly Tierney-Bedord. All rights reserved.

Vintage fish brooch back. Photo by Holly Tierney-Bedord. All rights reserved.

A modern bed with built-in side tables

Everyday objects repurposed

There’s been a huge, unexpected benefit to installing wallpaper that I’m feeling lukewarm about. Before installing the wallpaper, I felt like I was pretty much done with the bedroom decor. I had a little bed I’d made from some Styrofoam, handmade bedding, some nightstands I’d painted, and a little dresser. They were all so-so. I was happy enough with them. Once the wallpaper was installed (And let me tell you, working in a tiny space like that, cutting out the perfect window-shaped rectangle that is positioned just so is the definition of tedium), I realized I would do whatever it took to not have to redo it. That has meant taking a serious look at everything else going in the room, and only allowing in decor that will elevate the overall look of the room. I’ve admitted to myself that some of my original plan wasn’t particularly mid-century or modern. Like the nightstands. I decided I either need better nightstands or better wallpaper, but I can’t leave both as they are, or my room will not be cute enough.

In this instance, inspired mainly by The Century House, I decided I wanted my mini bedroom to have a platform bed with built-in side tables like this, this and this, and ohmygoodness this, so I decided to create one for my mini house.

Several months ago I purchased a bottle of men’s cologne from St. Vinny’s, specifically for the awesome wood cap that came with it. The cologne was nestled in a faux wood box. Here’s a look at the box:

Faux wood box. Photo by Holly Tierney-Bedord. All rights reserved.

Faux wood box. Photo by Holly Tierney-Bedord. All rights reserved.

I decided I was going to turn this into a headboard with side tables!

The box had three parts, as you can see, that all fit together. I decided the two smallest ones would work best for my mini house.

The box is not in perfect condition since it’s from decades ago and has who knows what history. I’m not letting little issues like that stop me. No house is perfect, so a couple of scuffs here and there are no big deal.

Here are the steps I took:

1. Cut the lid in half. These will be my side tables.

You say lid, I say side tables. Photo by Holly Tierney-Bedord. All rights reserved.

You say lid, I say side tables. Photo by Holly Tierney-Bedord. All rights reserved.

2. Next I made marks on what will be the headboard of the bed, outlining where the side tables will be inserted.

Attach side table here. Photo by Holly Tierney-Bedord. All rights reserved.

Attach side table here. Photo by Holly Tierney-Bedord. All rights reserved.

3. Both sides got matching marks, and then were sliced through with an Exacto knife. Then the side tables’ rough cut sides were inserted into the slots that had been made. Here’s the result:

Mini headboard. Photo by Holly Tierney-Bedord. All rights reserved.

Mini headboard. Photo by Holly Tierney-Bedord. All rights reserved.

And a view from the back:

Back of the mini headboard. Photo by Holly Tierney-Bedord. All rights reserved.

Back of the mini headboard. Photo by Holly Tierney-Bedord. All rights reserved.

I realized it needed legs. With their light coloring and clean lines, these wooden caning pegs are perfect for mini mid-century furniture legs!

Caning pegs. Photo by Holly Tierney-Bedord. All rights reserved.

Caning pegs. Photo by Holly Tierney-Bedord. All rights reserved.

4. I punched holes in the bases of the sides tables, and each got a leg added:

Adding some legs to my mini headboard. Photo by Holly Tierney-Bedord. All rights reserved.

Adding some legs to my mini headboard. Photo by Holly Tierney-Bedord. All rights reserved.

Here’s a view from the front:

Mini headboard, now with legs. Photo by Holly Tierney-Bedord. All rights reserved.

Mini headboard, now with legs. Photo by Holly Tierney-Bedord. All rights reserved.

Once the mattress, pillows, and comforter come into play, the imperfections will be hidden or toned down. I think it looks pretty cute! What do you think?

A mid-century brass drawer knob becomes a tiny bowl

Everyday objects repurposed

When we bought our mid-century home, the built-in dresser in one of our closets came with original, giant brass knobs. They were too cool to hide out of sight, so I swapped them with the knobs on an old cabinet from Target that we use as an entertainment center, to dress it up a little. Here’s the look:

Brass mid-century knobs make a cabinet from Target unique. Photo by Holly Tierney-Bedord. All rights reserved.

Brass mid-century knobs make a cabinet from Target unique. Photo by Holly Tierney-Bedord. All rights reserved.

It’s still just an old cabinet from Target, but a little more fun than it was with the original, boring knobs.

We ended up with one extra oversized mid-century knob, and since I’ve pointed out in previous posts that I like the look of metallic bowls around the house, like this one:

Thread wrapped balls in a West Elm bowl. Photo by Holly Tierney-Bedord. All rights reserved.

Thread wrapped balls in a West Elm bowl. Photo by Holly Tierney-Bedord. All rights reserved.

I thought that my mid century knob would make a perfect brass bowl for fruit or other miniature goodies. Take a look:

A mid-century knob becomes a mini bowl of fruit. Photo by Holly Tierney-Bedord. All rights reserved.

A mid-century knob becomes a mini bowl of fruit. Photo by Holly Tierney-Bedord. All rights reserved.

Here it is in relation to a human-scale bowl of fruit:

Fruit for humans and mini fruit. Photo by Holly Tierney-Bedord. All rights reserved.

Fruit for humans and mini fruit. Photo by Holly Tierney-Bedord. All rights reserved.

Bottle caps, particularly from perfume and cologne, and other common items like drawer pulls and knobs, often make great materials for your mini home! You’ve seen me turn them into everything from tiny sofas, to vases, to bowls, and more in previous posts. Best of all, secondhand shops have an abundance of items like these for next to nothing. If you’re creative you can do a lot with very little!