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.

LINK DEC 17 Holiday Countdown: DIY Decor

It is always fun to redecorate your home and there is not a better time than during the winter.  And there is not a better place in Laramie to go for handcrafted artwork, design, a home decorations, created by local artists.  There are a couple DIY home decor examples as well as some perfect gift ideas below.

Concentric Circles from Mid Century Modern.  This could be combined with the CD wall art or cardboard tube project.  (LINKS TO POSTS)  WOW used a variation of this using picture frames.  I took some frames from our storage room and placed a mini mirror in the center.  They are located in our gift shop, which has a plethora of home decorating ideas, arts and crafts.

Here is DIY display project from Your Marketing BFF (could be used for storage ideas) similar to what we are doing at the gift shop in WOW.

Another DIY idea comes from one of our WOW member's who blogs.  Upcycled magazine boxes.

If you are interested in any of these projects set up an appointment and we can help you get started.  If you prefer to purchase decorations rather than make them WOW is the perfect place to come for your Affordable Art for the Holidays (click the link to see some of the work currently in the gallery and gift shop). We are located in the Laramie Plains Civic Center in Suite 271.

Holiday Countdown: Project Websites

Are you an artist, craftsperson, or simply someone looking for some fun crafty projects, gift ideas, or projects for the little ones?  Here are some wonderful websites to search for upcycling, crafting, and creative project ideas.  Be sure to look for these pages (and similar pages) on Facebook and add them to your "art list."  Learn more about Facebook lists here.

Craft Gossip - Facebook
Crafting a Green World
Recycle This
ThreadBanger - Facebook
Etsy - Facebook
Pinterest - You can post to Facebook and/or Twitter via Pinterest

Connecting with these sites can offer some excellent networking opportunities.  What are some sites you have learned from? Post them below!  If you would like to get involved in the local emerging artist, artisan, and small art business communities here in Laramie (and greater Wyoming) be sure to stop by WOW.  We are located in the Laramie Plains Civic Center in suite 271.  Our phone number is 307.742.6574 or feel free to email us.

MORE Holiday Countdown: Personalized Gifts

Create this mini album and fill it with photographs.  This technique could also make for some excellent art books. (Check out these other art book techniques that could be used for mini albums).

If you enjoy this process and art be sure to enter some hand made artist books in one of our juried shows.

If you are not much of a crafter or artist, come in to visit and support local emerging artists.  We are located in the Laramie Plains Civic Center in suite 721.

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: 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?

Agriculture and Art for a Healthy Forest

Works of Wyoming will be presenting a new artist, Leroy Jons, in our gift store in a couple of weeks. Check him out. Mr Jons has been a part of the Resource Conservation and Development (RC&D) organization for many years. One of their initiatives is to partner with small businesses to find ways to harvest the beetle killed pine that has devastated our Rocky Mountain forests. The beetle-killed pine trees are obvious as you drive through the Medicine Bow National Forest west of Laramie. Leroy decided to do his part as an artist to upcycle and sustain our beautiful forests on a small but creative scale. He will be a really fun and energetic addition to our online store. He is using that pine to make old west style birdhouses and market them. We are fortunate to have some of his one-of-a-kind pieces. Once again, health and art meet. In this case, using diseased pine for art helps encourage a new and healthy forest.

Healthy=Profitable

This blog about health and art and business was inspired by a trip to Ecuador  and a lasting memory. One afternoon before heading out to start a month-long trek, we visited a high mountain village on market day. I came upon a small plaza near the center of town. This plaza was filled with a small mountain of wool socks and old wool clothing. Aside from thinking, “ Oh, so this is where lost socks go” it appeared that these socks and old clothes were awaiting being cleaned and processed and reborn into being recycled into all sorts of new other things. Baskets, blankets, other clothing, new yarn, for example. Upcycling =healthy business practice. It is an offshoot of the baby boomer trend toward simplifying our lifes. Simplifying our lives leads to Sustainability. Rural communities re-use and barter and distribute locally, and have always done so. But we are adept at reaching out and being creative with resources. I think about a family in the Platte Valley near Saratoga, Wyoming, who lease a portion of their property for grazing and who built a windbreak out of old tires, for their small herd of cattle. They collect old cars and sell the parts via the web. They are weavers and gardeners, use at least two alternative fuels and solar power, and are extremely successful, vibrant, small businesspeople. Their business is truly a very diverse and creative enterprise. It is also sustainable for their grandchildren, who are slowly taking the reins to keep the enterprises fresh and lively.

To stay current on how to support those Wyomingites wanting to start or sustain small businesses, representatives from the Wyoming Womens Business Center and Small Business Innovation Research program went to the Gro-Biz conference this past week of February 21st. Our representatives heard L. Hunter Lovins, President and founder of  Natural Capital Solutions, speak about sustainability as an intergral component of profitability and her work consulting with all sizes of businesses. They came back excited about sustainability concepts and the emphasis on that concept as an avenue for small business profitability. I get excited about sustainability concepts and practices as avenues toward healthy business practice that extends to healthy practices for owners, owners' families, and owners' customers. In short, all of us who grew up with Earth Day, and with a renewal of conversation about whole food and conservation of resources, which includes adaptive re-use. Economic development for rural communities, like those all over Wyoming, can implement sustainable practices to help your business evolve and stay competitive and stay healthy for your families, your customers, and your community. Healthy=profitable.