ReFab: Winter project roundup

Wow. How did it get to be January 8, 2014?? A post from me is WAY overdue ... my apologies. My year got off to a streptococcal kind of start. Horrible. But, here I am and I've got several fun bits and pieces to share with you.

1. I grabbed both the wood-base lamp and the bamboo table from a neighbor's discard pile a few months ago. Both needed attention: the lamp needed a shade. The table ... needed some help (see below). I'm really happy with the lampshade - not telling you yet what it's made of... watch this space for a tutorial! 

2. I've been wanting to try soap making for a long time and this holiday season, I finally did it. It really is stunningly easy. I followed this Running with Glitter tutorial and my "mould" was the plastic from bulk battery packaging (two perfectly sized rectangles). A lot of people got soap for Xmas. And instead of bringing in birthday baking for my office (my birthday is Jan 3), I made "clean" treats for everyone. :) 

3. I love repurposed vinyl. I made myself the little orange clock last year (tutorial here) but haven't invested in the tools I'd need to cut vinyl and create a starburst like this one. Then... I happened upon this lovely thing on clearance at Urban Outfitters (was $69, marked down to $19.99). See the warping... that's why they priced it to go. I snapped it up ... treated it with hairdryer heat for about 5 mins and voila - fixed and perfect!!  :) 

4. And finally, a little makeover with mod podge and wrapping paper (inspired by this tutorial). Again, this was a neighbor's discard. I love the bamboo and it's actually some sort of draftsman table - the whole top slides forward to reveal a hollow storage space. The linoleum top is perplexing ... perhaps a replacement of an original surface? It doesn't, in any way, go with the bamboo or the artfully angled legs. Anyway, I splurged on beautiful paper... patiently applied mod podge and then went back over it with extra gold paint to hide some of the "dried glue" imperfections.