upcycled Archives - Authentic Simplicity

Cute Coffee Cozy - You’ll Never Guess What I Upcycled to Make It!

January 24, 2013 By Anne Simpson

I love re-usable coffee cozies, mostly because I hate waste. Those disposable ones at the coffee shops always seem so pointless, but then I have this little problem of accidentally throwing away the re-usable kind. Henceforth and therefore, I have no desire to spend any amount of money or time on a re-usable coffee cozy (as cute as some may be, and I’ve seen some awfully cute ones!) when it’s just going to end up in the trash one day anyway.

When I was on my organizing spree earlier in January, I cleaned out my sock drawer. (Yes, my sock drawer.) In there was a lonely old slipper sock that had lost is mate a loooonnnngggg time ago and was merely biding time in the dark old drawer, waiting for me to sadly end its life. Only I couldn’t quite bring myself to do that, the poor lil’ slipper sock having been worn only a few times before being reduced to singlehood, and thus in excellent condition still. (I think I have already mentioned that I hate waste.)

As I sat staring at the spinsterly sock, waiting for inspiration to strike… it did! Inspiration, I mean. It struck! This perfectly good slipper sock (that was not dirty in the least, thankyouverymuch!) could have a new lease on life with a new purpose and a new design! All it would take was a snip of my scissors and what was old would be new again.

Almost gleefully, I grabbed a pair of scissors and made two short cuts (don’t worry, it didn’t hurt a bit). Reluctantly disposing of the heel portion - but only because no inspiration struck as to what I could do with that ridiculously shaped tube - I ran into the kitchen and tried first the toe and then the band. And woohoo! It worked! Perfectly, I might add.

Why, yes, indeed. I turned that lonely - but adorable - slipper sock into not one, but TWO adorable coffee cozies that, being free, will not cause me one moment’s grief if they happen to be accidentally disposed of. (OK, well, maybe a tiny moment, because they are awfully cute!)

So. Happen to have any spinsterly spare socks lying around your house in lonely dark drawers? (Of course you do, who am I kidding?!) Give them a new lease on life and release them from their loneliness with a fresh purpose as your own adorable little coffee cozy.

The best part? Everyone will think you knit it yourself by hand. (*snicker*)

Frugal and Easy Essential Oil Storage {From an Upcycled Spice Rack}

January 17, 2013 By Anne Simpson

Since joining Young Living Essential Oil’s distributor program in order to get a great discount on their oils, I have been slowly amassing my essential oil stockpile. It’s exciting, but it presented a new problem: where to put them.

Enter the spice rack I purchased at a yard sale a while back for the measly little price of $2.00! I’d been hanging on to it for a while, intending to freshen it up a bit for a new purpose (not being useful for containing spices, in my opinion), but hadn’t gotten around to that little task yet.

As soon as I started pondering how I should handle my essential oil storage situation, I immediately thought of that old spice rack! It was perfect for the task on multiple levels:

It was just the right size to hold the bottles.
The open shelves make accessing the bottles easy!
I had a spot on my bathroom wall where it would fit perfectly.

However, it was quite ugly. That dark brown stain is not exactly my thing.

So I set out to beautify it with an “almond” colored spray paint. Easy task, yes? Well, unfortunately, either me or my can of paint was struggling because the paint came out all drippy and splotchy instead of in a smooth, even coat. I followed the instructions on the can exactly so I would like to say it wasn’t me… but it had been a long while since I’d spray painted anything.

Whatever the case, my final coat of paint resulted in a strange crackled texture that I found to be appalling initially. But the longer I looked at it, the more I liked it! It kind of gave an antiqued textured look to the spice rack, which was rather serendipitous in my opinion. I had originally planned to apply some sort of filigreed rub-on transfer to the shelves as a decoration, but I think I actually like this sort of shabby chic look better.

I have no idea how you can replicate this look yourself (ha!), but at any rate, I do think a coat of spray paint in the color of your choice will dress up an old spice rack (you can find them at thrift stores and yard sales all the time) to store your own essential oils (or any other small bottle that needs storage, like nail polish… or spices).

Think essential oils are out of your price range? Think again! Read how I afford essential oils here.