Tuesday, March 29, 2011

ReadyMade; Instructions for Everyday Life

I usually write book reviews but today I would like to share a magazine that I discovered on a local news stand. ReadyMade Magazine is a magazine about people who make things, and the culture of making. The magazine covers DIY, design, home, food, crafts, style, places and  projects. The ReadyMade community appears to be quite large and the web site includes a blog, a place for readers to post projects, the magazine and an opportunity to connect on Facebook and Twitter.
The cover of the magazine features two cute table lamps made from old recycled books. I am very interested in reusing old items to create new treasures so I opened the magazine to have a look. I was delighted to see a variety of ideas for reusing and repurposing old treasures to make brand new useful items for your home and garden.

Here are a few of the creative ideas that are featured in the April/May, 2011 issue of ReadyMade Magazine;

Credit Card Earrings
Have you ever cut up an old credit card and thrown it in the trash? What about those little fake credit cards that you get in the mail? You can cut the plastic cards into unique shapes, punch tiny holes in the top and add some French wire earring hooks that are available at most crafts shops. These dangle earrings are cute and unique. 

TV Shelf
What do you do with your old TV sets? Many of these old relics from the 1980s and 1990s end up in landfills or thrift shops. One crafty lady designed a unique storage unit by taking the insides and the screens out of the TVs and bolting them together. She then filled them with books, shoes and decorative items.

Old Record Albums
I have seen quite a few crafty ideas for using old vinyl records, but this one is truly unique. Matt Glassmeyer used more than 100 vinyl records as a roof for his porch in Nashville, TN. The records were left outside in the rain, heat and snow for two years. They were still the same - no brittleness or warping. Mr. Glassmeyer explains exactly how to arrange the records on the roof for the best waterproofing effects.

This magazine has encouraged me to think outside of the box. There are so many ways to recycle, repurpose and reuse items that are no longer needed. The magazine and the web site will provide inspiration to all who are ready to get crafty and start some new projects.

I invite you to check out these resources and let me know what you think in the comments below.

7 comments:

Hajra said...

I had come across the online version a few months back and I have liked the idea behind the magazine. You just did another great review!

Roberta KISTS said...

I like the sound of the magazine. Too often we are oncelers - its broken so replace it but where do we put the old stuff. Thanks for the link. I will look for it online.

Diana Simon said...

Hi Janette, I have never heard of this magazine but they are creative. It's great when things can be re-purposed. The idea of using your old credit card to make ear-rings is really thinking out of the box!

Paula Lee Bright said...

What a great bunch of ideas. I especially loved the lamps from books idea. The blue one looked really cute.

I'm constantly amazed at what clever people can do with old "treasures." As one who isn't good with hand work, I'm astonished at the ideas in this magazine. Will definitely check it out!

Martha Giffen said...

You find the BEST things to review! I've seen this magazine before but you definitely pulled some jewels out. Love the record roof! Just read that to my husband and he was like, "really?"

Leona Martin said...

Interesting things to do with items you no longer use or want. The records sound interesting, but think I will hang onto mine a bit longer.

Janette Fuller, M.Ed. said...

I want to thank each one of you who read this review and posted a comment.
I am always looking for new books and magazines to read and review.
I appreciate each one of you!

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