Upcylcing old magazines into envelopes

Research Question: What can I do with all those damned magazines and catalogues that I just can't throw away.

Hypothesis: Three options:

1. Shred them and use them in the litter box
2. Use them to line a bird cage
3. Make envelopes out the pages

Well, since I have neither a bird nor a shredder, I decided on option number 3.

Previous Research: I had stumbled across the Art by Ren Adams blog, which inspired the latter option. 

Materials: 

• A magazine
• Scissors
• Rubber Cement (or glue stick, but I'll explain my choice later)
• An old envelope

The best part is you probably have all these items just sitting around your house RIGHT NOW!

Methods:

Find those old envelopes you have sitting around, from birthday cards, bills etc. I used a couple different sized so that I had options depending on the size and orientation of the magazine page I was using.

Carefully pull apart the envelope at the seams. Make sure to not tear the paper, and there you have your very own envelope template!

I traced it onto a thick page from one of the magazines, you know, one of those obnoxious ads making the magazine difficult to thumb through? The thickness will help the template act like more of a stencil.

Find the page you'd like to use as an envelope.

Some advise: I prefer the ads with not a lot of text and I try to center or creatively off center the main picture. Remember to test the stencil on the page before tracing it. That girl's head could easily end up on the top flap, making your envelope look like it has a headless model on it. Then again, if you are going for that look, by all means...

Trace the envelope on the back side of the page, so the pen markings don't show up on your final product.

Carefully (when would someone say 'uncarefully'?) cut out your envelope.

Fold in the sides and fold the back flap. Make sure to do this before putting on the glue, makes things more difficult if you don't.

Put glue on the side flaps and press the back flap onto them. You can remove any excess glue by rubbing your finger over it. No need to go out and buy a rubber cement remover!

Note: I prefer rubber cement because I have observed that over time glue sticks do not work well on magazines. Rubber cement it cheap and easy to use!! But glue sticks work fine if you prefer them.

Fold over the top flap and voilà! You have yourself an envelope. Now you can cut out small squares for the address info, use sticky labels or just write it on the envelope with a Sharpie.

Results:

Discussion: I realized that most magazine pages are quite thin and make for delicate envelopes that might not make it through the postal service very well. I think I shall find some fancy paper and make a lining with it, so you see it when you open the envelope. :-)

Further Research: Now what to do with all those vintage LIFEs and Purple Parrots (Northwestern's magazine) I got from my grandmother...

Reupolstering the lawn furniture

Hypothesis: I bought a couple chairs off Craigslist cause they were cheap and small enough to fit on my skinny balcony. They were rusty and worn, but too cute to pass up! I figured I could reupholster them.

Materials: 
*Remember, this is what I used, but not what would have been best. Always check my results and discussion for any addendum to this list.*

• Two beat up, rusty porch chairs
• 1.25 yds of upholstery Fabric. I went for kitschy chic.
• 1/4" upholstery nails
• 1" thick chair foam padding
• A Hammer
• Permanent Marker, though Tailor's chalk is probably a wiser choice.
• Good fabric scissors
• A clear plastic dressmakers/quilters ruler

Methods:This is what I had to work with!

First things, first: Time to strip... the chairs of course!

One of the chairs, it seems, had been previously reupholstered a couple times. I found a lovely yellow vinyl under that white, and a horribly 70s (read: tacky) red floral vinyl under that.

The fabrics has been staple gunned onto the wood and has some incredibly rotted padding. After I removed the various layers, I was left with the trapezoid-shaped wood seat.

Luckily, though they were weather-worn, they were in workable condition. I did not strip the wood BEFORE buying my supplies of course, so this came as a relief. I would not need to buy and figure out how to cut the wood piece.


With the wood piece bare, I used it to trace the shape onto the cushion and the fabric. Now, the fabric needed to have a couple extra inches in each of the sides to wrap underneath the wood.

I added 2" to the sides, but I did not get enough fabric to add 2" to the front and back. However, there was about an inch which was enough to keep going. Whew.

I just used scissors to cut the padding. A good pair of sharp fabric scissors will cut through it like butter.

I used the 1/4" upholstery nails and nailed down the front and back sides first. The tiny nails were quite difficult to hammer in sometimes. I got the smallest ones because I didn't want the nails poking through the wood and fabric but they were quite a bother sometimes with the thick fabric. But in the end, they worked.

This is what it looked like on the bottom with all the sides nailed down. Not too shabby for my first attempt at reupholstering if-I-don't-say-so-myself.











And the top side.








Now all I has to do was put the cushion back on the chair and... wow! What a difference!

Results: Et voilà!

Discussion: I thought the chairs turned out quite well! But here are some things I would fix/do differently:

• I would use larger upholstery nails next time. At least a 1/2" since between the thick fabric, wood and cushion, my fears of the nail poking through proved to be unfounded.
• I would get 1 1/2 yds of the fabric so I could have 2" extra all around. Though if I measured the chair BEFORE purchasing the fabric, I would have not had this issue...
• Next time, or later on, I might add a ribbon to hide the exposed fabric edge on the underside. Hmm... maybe with a glue gun.

Further Research: Now onto painting the rest of the chair!

If you have any suggestions or ideas, let me know in the comments!!!

Oh, btw, this is view of Downtown Phoenix I get to enjoy when I sit in my fancy new chairs.