Holiday Countdown: Upcycled New Year

Storage box covered in magazine.
You could use wrapping paper
to create a festive version
of this project.

We all have our New Years resolutions and if yours relates to waste less, avoiding consumerism as much as possble, crafting with the kids, or creating some fun home decorations, here are some great projects for you.  Now that the holiday season is coming to an end and we have a ton of leftover wrapping paper and cards it is time to use them a second time.  Here are some of the best ways I found to upcycle the remnants of Christmas before you throw them out.

Christmas cards

Cards upcycled into jewelry
Make thank you or other holiday cards by cutting the old cards up
Cut out images from Christmas cards and use them to make cards similar to those in this video.  There are a plethora of tutorials on how to make cards on YouTube.  Cut outs from old cards will work just as well as prepared store bought sayings and images.



Another video from YouTube


You could also...

Make some ornaments for next year or for winter.  A simple way to accomplish this task is by using the cutouts, like you would in the tutorials above.  Just cut a hole through the top and thread a string through.

Create gift tags using the same cut out pieces.

Design your own scrapbook cutouts - I did this for our wedding album.  I cut off borders and cut out images. and used them to create frames for photos and backgrounds for text.

Create a 3-d star

Wrapping Paper Upcycling ideas

Use it to wrap candles that can be purchased at a dollar store.

Create your own gift bows

Thin paper is perfect for origami.

Shred to create easter hay or packaging for gift baskets and gift bags

Recover your lampshades.

Scrapbooking paper

Colorful paper also makes great book covers (it could be turned inside out as well).

use like you would magazine (or newspaper) and create any of these projects from an earlier post in our Holiday Countdown.

Holiday Countdown: Framed

I was at one of my good friend's new apartment yesterday and was really excited about her picture frames.  Here are some DIY frames, so that I can be envious of yours too.  In this post I will share a variety of techniques for creating cute picture frames for yourself, friends, and family this holiday season.

Cardboard Tube Picture Frames
Whether it is paper towels, toilet paper or food packaging, we have all thrown these guys away.  Next time you have one to toss, think about this fantastic photo frame made from cardboard tubes.  For all you fine and emerging artists out there, this project could be used to creatively display photographs of your work and be given as a gift as well.  This marketing trick (subliminal imaging) can be given as a beautiful gift your friends, family, and even collectors will love.

Circuit board Frames - These upcycled frames are fun to make, cost effective, and could be sold in our next Affordable Art for the Holiday sale (if you still need some side projects).

Holiday Countdown: For Him

Guys! This post is for you.  I know that many of the previously posted projects lean toward the feminine half of the population, so here is a project for those of you who like to work with you hands but don't want to make clothing and lip gloss.  Ladies, these projects will also make great gifts for the men in your life.  I think I might be making the backpacking light for my husband (and I).

DIY Backpacking Light


Another great backpacking gift is a couple backpacking meals.  Although this gift may work better for an event in the spring or summer, such as a graduation, or birthday, there is no reason not the make them in the winter and store these dehydrated recipes for your first camping trip.

Personally, I love to make gift baskets.  For my husbands graduation I gave him the ingredients to make smores, wrapped in a camping towel with a waterproof camping bag and a bear bell (My husband has given this to his older brother as well).  If you are not fans of camping you could always give an inferno stove along with the chocolate, marshmallows, and graham crackers.  Guys this is a great gift for a special friend, and could score you major points if you go on a date to roast the smores in a park somewhere.  Create some great dried fruit (apple slices dipped in lemon juice, honey, and water (1/3 of each) and cinnamon (to taste) is my favorite recipe.

Here is a wonderful screen printing tutorial from ThreadBanger.


I will finish this "gift ideas and projects for men" post off with a block printing tutorial, also from ThreadBanger.

Guys, what are some of your favorite projects to work on?  Ladies, any advice for what to give the men in our lives this holiday season?

Holiday Countdown: Online Sales Venues

Featured Work on ETSY.  More about the piece.

14 days left until the holidays!

As you may know will are posting 25 days of holiday gifts for the holiday season, DIY ideas, decorations, and creative projects for you, your family, and friends. The projects will include upcyled, craft, art, and other projects from our artists, clients and some other excellent online resources.

I will start this series with an introduction to some great social media sites dedicated to selling your work. These four sites should be considered as a part of your online marketing plan. In fact many of the projects in the series of posts could be made in your free time and sold on these sites.

ETSY is a wonderful site to sell handmade work and vintage items.  Artwork, crafts and craft supplies are all featured on the site.  Several Wyoming artists have work on ETSY.  It only cost 20 cents per item listed for three months on ETSY.

ArtFire is another online resource for selling and purchasing work.  There is a $12 monthly fee for the pro account as well as a free option and a 30 day pro account free trial when you sign up.

FineArtAmerica is another great venue for selling art.  There are many forums, contests, and groups you can join.  Fine Art America is free.   Fine Art America seems like a great way to meet other artists through their groups and forums.

WholesaleCrafts offers opportunities for our wholesale artist.  This site accepts members based on their applications.  They also offer opportunities to show in two wholesale craft fairs in the US.

All four of these sites work well for artists and crafters alike.  My advice would be to see which fits your budget and time as well as your work.  If you would like someone to sit down and research these and other options with you, don't hesitate to contact Works of Wyoming via email or call 307.742.6574.

What are some other online sales sites that you use? Post them below!

Holiday Countdown: Stay Warm

Wyoming winters can get cold, do in addition to the beauty tips posted yesterday, I would like to share some DIY projects that will help to keep you warn this holiday season.  These projects include homemade hot chocolate, a scoody, mittens, poncho, hat, and hand warmers made from a couple old sweatshirts, and a shrug.

Here is a hot chocolate recipe I made for friends and family last year.

Make youself your very own scoodie (scoodie = scarf + hoodie) and arm warmers from an old sweatshirt.
This TreadBanger video will show you more.


Hat, Mittens, and Poncho from ThreadBanger


Another vide from ThreadBanger on how to create a shrug and skirt.

Holiday Countdown: Newspapers

19 days left until the holidays.

If you are looking for a fun and creative way to upcycle some of your old newspapers, here are some great crafty project ideas.

Handbags from uncommongoods.com

From my research about upcylcing old newspapers I have found three main ways to turn them into projects.  The three ways I have found are rolling them into tubes, taking the tubes and making coils, and creating yarn.  If you are less crafty and more practical, you could also consider creating planters.

Some projects you can make from newspaper coils include trash cans, bags, bowls and doormats.

In this tutorial you can see how to make newspaper yarn as well.

If you would like to lead or participate in a crafty workshop at WOW, please let us know what you are interested in and we will try our best to help you set something up.   Feel free to email or Facebook us.

Holiday Countdown: DIY Beauty

Living in Laramie, Wyoming, it is always a challenge to keep your skin, hair and lips taken care of in the dry winters.  I thought I could help by posting some DIY solutions, that I am sure will help you stay beautiful and keep healthy this winter.  Some of these projects could be placed in re-sealable containers and given as gifts or sold in the annual Affordable Art for the Holidays sale (if you want to start planning your booth for next year).  However I will start with one of the most important beauty tips out there.  It is also significant in your artwork.

Confidence and Art Marketing

I know that this is not a traditional beauty tip but it will help people gravitate toward you and your artwork.  If you are confident in yourself, others will notice.  The same is true for your artwork.  If you are confident in your work, others will be as well.  Take care of yourself because your love yourself and take care in creating your work because you care about it.  Confidence will help you and your art career in a variety of areas.  From marketing, where you need to put yourself out there in the big world, to pricing work, where you need to keep prices that will support your business and stand confidently behind those prices.  This winter season, be sure to make you and your art a priority.  In addition to confidence taking care of your body is one way to radiate confidence and here are three more projects that can help.

Lip Gloss

This site has a variety of lip gloss recipes. Flavors include chocolate, candy and cranberry.

Here is a great video tutorial for some great lip balms…These would probably go over well at the next Affordable Arts show.

Here is a ThreadBanger tutorial on YouTube


Video with another three recipies

Scar Removal
DIY Facial from the Secret Life of a Bio Nerd.  Did you know that you can use lemon, cucumber juice and tea tree oil and mix it with non-scented lotion to help with breakouts?  It also helps remove scars.  Find out more in the video below.



Moisturizer
Below is a great tutorial for hair and skin moisturizers for those of us with dry, thick, or coarse hair and dry skin.  Some other great tricks for keeping your hair healthy in the winter includes wearing a head scarf or protective styles.  You can find a ton of videos about taking care of dry, coarse or curly hair on YouTube by searching terms such as "natural hair" and "protective hairstyles for winter."




What are your favorite beauty secrets for the winter?  How has confidence played a role in your art business?

Holiday Countdown: Snow Dyeing

Who here (in Wyoming) loves snow? For those of you who do, this project will be perfect and for those of you who are not big fans of the fluffy white stuff (known as the s-word in my house as a child), this project will show you the true beauty that snow can help you produce.

Bloom Bake and Create features this process on her blog.  To learn more check out her two post series.
Snow Dyeing Part 1
Snow Dyeing Part 2

This is one project I have not a chance to try yet.  Let me know how it works and post images of your projects.  Any tips or tricks you learned?  What is your favorite method to dye fabrics? And what do you do with the fabric once it has been dyed?

Holiday Countdowns: Plarn

Plarn, or plastic yarn, is a wonderful alternative to traditional yarn. It is simple to make, all you need to do is cut plastic bags into strips and connect them together. There are some wonderful tutorials on YouTube.

One of many plarn making tutorials.


You can use plarn for most knitting patterns.  The main challenge is that the material does not stretch the same as yarn (or even T-shirt yarn).  If you stretch the plarn while creating your project, it will probably rip.  Here are some wonderful plarn project ideas.
Plarn Purse
Plarn water bottle carrier
Plarn shopping bag
Plarn bracelet

Like always, if you have questions be sure to contact WOW.  We would love to chat more about this and other projects.

Holiday Countdown: Scarves

24 Days left....

Nothing beats the perfect scarf during Wyoming winters so I thought I would share some tutorials on how to make and tie scarfs for the second day of the Holiday Countdown.

This DIY T-shirt scarf tutorial is my favorite (and I have seen many and even created one myself).  Some others I have made.


A scoody would be perfect for this holiday season.  If you want to make me one, I will be at WOW.

A circle scarf...


Now that you have several scarves, lets look at some ways to jazz them up a bit.  Here are 25 ways to tie a scarf in 5 minutes


Now that you know how to tie and make scarves, be sure to stop the gallery to buy and/or to sell some beautiful scarves.  We currently have several t-shirt scarves as well as some knitted beauties.  If you would like to attend an upcycled scarf making workshop, be sure to contact the gallery.  Email us, find us on Facebook or call at 307.742.6574.

We are open from 1 - 5 Monday - Friday and 1 - 4 on Saturdays.  Satuday December 3, we will open at 10 am.  Be sure to stop by Suite 271 in the Laramie Plains Civic Center.

Holiday Countdown: Our Tree

For the holiday season we will be posting 25 days of holiday gifts, DIY ideas, decorations, and creative projects for you, your family, and friends. The projects will include upcyled, craft, art, and other projects from our artists, clients and some other excellent online resources.

I figured I would get you started with a project that WOW has been working on for the past couple days. Gayle and our intern, along with our intern's family had a great time decorating the tree for the 18th Annual Festival of Trees and Silent Auction here in Laramie.  The auction and lighting ceremony will be held tonight from 6 - 8 pm at the UW Art Museum.  All proceeds will benefit the museum.

The tree titled Plains to Mountains was decorated using handmade holiday ornaments.  The two recipes were cinnamon dough ornaments from MarhaStewart.com borax ornaments using pipe cleaners and sagebrush from Food.com.

Affordable Art for the Holidays

WOW's annual Affordable Art show is a wonderful family shopping day activity. The open house will be the same time as the Civic Center Bazaar, Saturday, December 3 from 10am - 4pm. The show is a blast and there is a huge variety of work. This years show includes ceramics and glass work, upcycled projects, paintings, personalized drawings, scarves, jewelry, hats and dyed silk.

The artists are all from Wyoming, so it is an excellent opportunity to support local artists.

Artists in the show...

Jeanie Schlump 

Diana Kopalos 

Dan Roberts Metal Art 

Dona Fleming 

Bianca Allemani 

Cat Martin 

Cathy Carr-Lundfelt 

Kimberly Harris 

Rosemary Bratton 

Yekaterina Minaicheva 

Pat Butera 

Janice Bray 

Robert Martinez

Crystal Lawrence

Bren Lieske 

Ginny Madsen 

Jon Madsen 

Sandra Guzzo

Bill and Marsha Abbott

Marilee Manalo

Carlos Mellizo

Heather Storey

Joy Keown

Barry O'Riley

Jerry Glass

Felicia Follum

Alberto Alcantara

Lisa Edwards

As you can see there is a plethora of work and all of it is $100 or under.  Links to our member's sites can be found in the sidebar.  Be sure to stop by.  We are open Monday - Friday from 1 - 5 and Saturdays in December from 1 - 4.