great baby shower project!

Handmade baby blocks is far from an original idea (someone named Martha Stewart has a tutorial for it), but it's a goodie.  It's fun, creative, and easy to personalize.  It would make a great activity at a baby shower, because no baby can ever have too many blocks (ok, let's get real here for a second - decorative baby blocks are for the parents, not the babies), and it's an easy, fun and quick project.

I made these for my new (3 days old!)nephew, whose name is Otto, but whom my son refers to as Babyotto.  When my sister-in-law was here in November, Gus could not figure out why Babyotto could not come out and play.  He's going to be a hell of an older cousin.

I repurposed two books - an old Richard Scarry and a new Eric Carle that I scored from the Twist goodie bag.  My only regret about this project is that I started cutting up the books while Gus was still awake.  Not so good when I spend a great deal of time explaining that books are precious and not to be destroyed.  He doesn't quite get that the exception to the "cutting up books is bad" rule is when you are repurposing the books in such a cool way.  He'll learn.

I didn't have a theme in mind, but once I started reading the Eric Carle, the seasons became an obvious one, especially because there are 4 seasons and 4 letters in Otto's name.  Brilliant, right?  

We'd love to bring this fun project to the next baby shower you host (assuming you live within driving distance from our Happy Valley).  Shoot us an email!

you have to look closely to see the 

letters o t t o overlaid on the beautiful

Eric Carle drawings 

awesome Richard Scarry drawings that 

nicely reflect the 4 seasons

and here is Eric Carle's take on 

the seasons - I couldn't have planned this

if I tried!

two personalized sides:  Otto's birthday is on the

winter block, and on summer is a baseball field 

and some stats about his parents' 

beloved Cincinnati Reds

holiday crafting!

Happy New Year!  Now seemed like a good time to show off some holiday crafting goodies.  It was a mellow crafting holiday, after the big Twist push in November.  But still, a few super fun, quick and well-received presents were created - check them out!

reclaimed from the bees:  

hand-rolled beeswax candles

(all 8 days, now that's a lot of rolling)

snapped up these bags, 

made to hold jammies, at the

Pine Cone Hill tent sale, and 

upcycled them as reusable wrapping

can't get enough of the salvaged clothespins,

this time making themselves of use as 

napkin holders

another gorgeous jammie bag, this time

repurposed as a cover for a garage-sale tray

two layers of poly (over two layers of Mod Podge)

and voila, a waterproof tray!

Now that the holidays are over, and our nephew Otto (or BabyOtto, as Gus calls him), is on his way, stay tuned for some awesome reclaimed baby presents!

a very reclaimed Thanksgiving table

Such a lovely Thanksgiving filled with friends, family, laughter, bowling (yes, bowling, my husband is from the midwest, need I say more), great food and spirits. 

I love the way the table turned out this year.  Lots of neutrals and fall colors with splashes of blue and green from the runner.  Check it out:

love how perfectly the fabric matches the burlap

check out the burlap napkin rings, made with leftover scraps

shorty candlesticks from balusters 

salvaged from a farmhouse in the Valley

my favorite bud vase:  vintage clear bottles 

and beautiful croquet sticks with yellow paint on the edge

create your holiday gifts this year!

Now that Thanksgiving weekend is winding down and the leftovers are almost gone, my thoughts are turning towards holiday gifts.  I love the idea of giving homemade gifts that are actually practical, usable items.  In fact, that's part of what inspired Reclaimed Crafts.  Every year I'd host Craft Day (or the Longest Day of the Year, as my husband called it), and friends would drop by and create stuff to give.  Every year I was reminded of how much I love to craft, and it's even better when you're crafting for someone else.  This year, come craft with us.  We'll provide all of the materials, instruction, and fun vibe in a great location.  You'll leave with beautiful, handmade gifts, and feeling like you've worked your creative muscles.  In a good way.

bud vases from recycled and reclaimed bottles and vintage croquet mallets on December 6th at Sticks and Bricks

table runners and napkin rings from upcycled burlap coffee bags, vintage fabrics and recycled buttons on December 11th at the Arts Industry Building

coasters from upcycled ceramic tiles and vintage fabrics on December 14th at Sticks and Bricks

greeting cards from recycled maps, books, magazines; vintage fabrics and rubber stamps on December 17th at the Arts and Industry Building

trays and picture frames with recycled maps, books, magazines; vintage fabrics and rubber stamps on December 17th at the Arts and Industry Building

Email jendieringer@gmail.com for more information and to register!

register for a december class today!

December classes are starting to fill up!  Check out the schedule above and email jendieringer@gmail.com to sign up.  Give yourself the gift of creativity.  Decide who gets your creation later!