DIY Vanilla Extract - vanilla beans and alcohol

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This is a super simple DIY for you and all your baking friends, DIY vanilla extract! Who knew it was so easy! I'm going to give some of mine away as gifts. The rum vanilla extract is going into Grandma's Rum Ball recipe. That's the extent of my baking ability. I'm a cooker, not a baker.

During Christmas 2015 I made a gingerbread recipe that looked fine to me on paper, but after I made them I realized they tasted like dog biscuits. Dad, bless him, said he liked them but it was a fib. My sister, who does bake, took a look at the recipe and noticed it called for too much flour. Well maybe this Christmas, with a recipe vetted by my sister, I can make non-dog biscuit gingerbread. Fingers crossed.

Recipe:
9-10 vanilla beans grade B - cut into pieces
2 cups 80 proof alcohol - I used vodka and rum
2 months time

Materials needed:
Booze, plonk, hooch - any cheap alcohol will do
Vanilla beans - grade B, the dry ones
Jar and lid for storing

Cut beans, place in clean jar. Pour 2 cups of alcohol over beans. Shake 1 time a day, store in a cool dry place. Ready to use after 2 months.
DIY Vanilla Extract - 2 ingredients, just vanilla beans and vodka. Great handmade holiday gift
B is for banilla



DIY Tiny Sketchbook and Easy Bookbinding

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Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOhexBb29dNc2vH4TrqrhIQ

Make this tiny sketchbook to go with your traveling watercolor tin! This project also has really easy bookbinding tricks, for a simple and cute traveling artist kit.

Materials:
Scissors: http://amzn.to/2d5k2o8
Watercolor tin
Pencil or pen
Sturdy cover material
Binder clip
Large needles: http://amzn.to/2dAGE4W
Pliers - possibly: http://amzn.to/2dPWJTi
Tiny sketchbook with easy bookbinding instructions

DIY Watercolor Palette - so tiny - easy to make and carry

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This is the cutest water color palette you will ever see. It's so easy to make and super portable. Make it out of any mint tin or thing you have around that closes nicely. And it helps to check if your watercolors will rewet after they have dried. Becuase I didn't and just got lucky. A-whoops!

Materials:
Water Color Tubes: http://amzn.to/2ck77OF
Rubbing alcohol: http://amzn.to/2cn3glc
Cloth for alcohol
Air dry clay: http://amzn.to/2ch9Spo
Mint tins

Let me know if you make one!

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Sustainable Business Spotlight: OodleBaDoodle

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Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOhexBb29dNc2vH4TrqrhIQ

OodleBaDoodle is a sustainable business that makes super cute pillows and home decor. Rebecca makes everything with reclaimed materials. She was kind enough to open her studio to me and let me ask her tons of questions.

Rebecca shared with us the ups and downs of her sustainable business and where she sources some of her materials. Check out Fab Mo in Mountain View, Ca, one of the resources she recommends.

Check out her work: https://www.etsy.com/shop/OodleBaDoodle


SaveSave

Thrifted Rehab: Water Damaged Picture Recue

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This thrifted rehab has been sitting in my To-Do pile for so long that I decided to make it into an episode. The picture had some water damage, so it needed a new back. I tried to put the picture in a new frame, but the frame was too small! Boo! But the original frame is cute, so it's not a total wash. Let me know you have any projects that have been sitting around.


Subscribe on YouTube! I'll show you cool upcycled projects!

Materials:
Thrifted picture
New frame (possibly)
Acid free backing board - I used heavy weight drawing boards from the art store
Ruler
Writing utensil
Cutting tool
Acid free tape
Pliers

You may need different supplies depending on how much is going on behind your picture once you open it up!

Did you make something from Break + Remake? Show me on Facebook or Instagram!

DIY Beauty: Shaving Cream - easy home made beauty

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This shaving cream is an easy beauty DIY, it's fun and you can do it right in your kitchen. Bonus: it's super healthy. I've used mine 2 times now, and it makes my legs feel amazing. I do need to soap my pits after using it, because it does feel super slick up in there but after I do it feels so nice.

Materials:
Castile Soap
Coconut Oil
Almond Oil
Shea Butter
Healing Clay* this is optional
Jars - use upcycled jam jars
Mixer - we are using food safe everything, so mix with what you have
Double boiler - again, we are using food safe items, so use what you have

Full recipe:
1/3 Cup Shea butter
1/3 Cup Coconut oil
2 Tablespoons sweet almond oil
2 Tablespoons Lavender liquid castile soap
1 Teaspoon Healing Clay

Heat the oils in a double boiler until all melted.
Add clay and soap and mix until dissolved.
Cool in fridge for about 20-30 minutes. We ended up cooling it for 30.
Whip it! And once it's frothy add to your little jars.

There are other natural saving creams that I want to try out, are there any beauty DIYs you want me to try? Let me know in the comments

Thank you for watching!
Diy shaving cream you can make in your kitchen
Diy Shaving Cream

DIY Cork Needle Holder using a Picture Frame

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Hand sewing is my favorite type of sewing. So it makes total sense for me to want to have my hand sewing needles out, easy to grab and in something cute. This cork needle holder will be a cute place for all your hand sewing needles to live. The corks are hearty, so just from using it with hand sewing needles I won't be putting my beading and more delicate needles into the cork.

I used a thrifted picture frame and corks from my friends. Everyone around me knows to save their corks!

Some corks felt softer and easier to cut. So if you don't have mighty fingers cut a little bit of the cork and you'll be able to feel if it's a softy. Softies were easier to jab my needles into as well.

Materials:
Corks
Picture frame
Cutting tool
Backing board
Ruler
Scissors
Glue gun
Pot to boil/steam the corks

Did you make something from Break + Remake? Show me on Facebook or Instagram!



About

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You want to do every bit you can to help the environment. But where to start? With crafts it's so easy. Start at home. Buy nothing and treat your supplies like you would a store. When you do buy craft supplies, check the second hand store or you can do like I do and tell your friends what you need. You can also barter for or get supply donations too. And if that doesn't get you what you need, purchase supplies that are either made in the USA or in another country with strict environmental laws.

Hi! Great to meet you! I'm glad you made it. I'm Joan, the host of the sustainable craft show Break + Remake. There are so many cute and easy to make recycled and upcycled crafts that we can make together. You can find all the stuff you need for these projects at you local thrift store, vintage flea or friends' place.

I went through a major crafting panic attack existential crisis when shopping at a large chain craft supply store. Where did all the stuff for sale in this store come from? Who made it? What are the people making my supplies earning? Why is this bag of beads so cheap?! I felt overwhelmed so I walked out of the store with out buying. That day I vowed to not buy anything craft related until I calmed down a bit an came up with a solid plan. What I knew: I wanted to help the environment. Break + Remake came from this feeling. 



Let me know what you want to see!

Full disclosure: There are some Amazon Affiliate links in my posts. I pick high quality goods, made in the USA when I can, made in a country that has strict environmental codes when I can't. 

Long Beach Creative Reuse is an Upcycle Shop for Everyone

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I had so much fun visiting and chatting with Lisa from The Long Beach Depot for Creative ReUse. She is not only a passionate upcycler, but a wonderful recourse for artists. She loves to connect people and projects. If you are ever in Long Beach, California check out her store. This place is an eco-artist, recyclers'/upcyclers' dream. There are bins of crayons, beads, buttons, embroidery floss. And there are things you didn't know you needed to make something out of- computer bits, sample tiles. All bunched up in this lovely store.

If you want to help the store: Call Lisa! She'll let you know when the store is ready to take more items or what they need. She sorts everything by hand, so drop offs are by appointment only.

I came away with some cool trinkets for future episodes and a cat toy made by one of her featured artists.

A big thank you to Nik from Wasting Thyme for helping out with the shooting and hand modeling.

DIY Travel Art Kit + Artist Challenge!

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This DIY was inspired by Amy Tangerine. When I saw hers I thought it would be fun to challenge myself to make an artist travel kit with only the things I have at home. I did it, and I bet you can too.

Look around for any small bags, like from gifts or unused pencil bags. Start collecting those first. Then look through your Pens That Are Too Fancy to Use container and pull those babies out. It's time they started working'.

In this episode I also issue and Artist Challenge. Make something inspiring to yourself. I picked watercolor hand lettering because I haven't worked with watercolors in a long time and I need to write some meditative affirmations. My doctor says I need to lose weight because I have a fatty liver and gallstones. The gallstones can stay, because they are not causing me pain, but I have to take care of my liver. It's been a struggle my whole life, and I get really frustrated, but my quote helps me work toward my goal.

What's your medium that you haven't picked up in a while? What are you working towards? Let me know on Facebook or on Instagram.

Beeswax Food Wrap DIY

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Making waxed food cover was easier than I though. I'm gonna start there so you are empowered by that knowledge. Make them, I've been using mine non-stop to cover my tofu and vegan cheese slices. I want to make sandwich and snack pockets too, but I keep leaving my pinking shears at work. Pinking shears are kinda optional. If you have them use them, if not you can cut to the size you want and wax right away. You know what, I'll make some without pinking shears and show you on IG.

Track down a non stick pan like the one in the episode. Get some bees wax pellets from the farmers market, a friend, the hippy grocery store or the internet. Make sure it's food grade. Having to grate the wax was bullcrap. If you need a character building exercise then, or know someone who does, then voluntold them for this project. Voluntold is when you when you tell people to do things, out of the goodness of their heart. 

A note on fabric sizes and shapes. We just used the size of the pan to guide our choices. If you want to make them large and square, like 12"x12", that's a good place to start. Make sure to pre wash, you don't want any factory/store gunk on you foodstuffs.

Does anybody else find the smell of bees wax weird, but good? 

Materials:
Non-stick pan
Fabric
Oven @  185*F
*and a box grater if you are using blocks of wax - don't do it.

Big thank you to Natalie from The Sunshine Grove for co-hosting and bringing this project! Yay!

Me n Natalie from The Sunshine Grove


How to Shop and Find Vintage Clothes

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This is a handy guide for you learn how to quickly spot vintage garments. Victoria is an expert guide and will walk us through 4 easy ways to find our needles in a hay stack.

Clue #1: Shape or silhouette
The shape is the first main clue. Does the garment have a nipped in waist and a big skirt? It could be from the 50s. Does it have boxy shoulders and a bold print? It could be from the 80s.

Clue #2: Closures
If the garment has a metal zipper chances are it's a gem. If it's a side metal zipper, it could be from the 60s or earlier. The 70s saw zippers move to the center back of garments. The only thing that's tricky is if the garment has had it's zipper replaced.

Clue #3: Clothing label
If the garment has a label, then you can sleuth out clues from that as well. Does the garment have a label made of woven fabric? Does it say who designed? Then you could have a garment that is from the 60s and earlier. Does the tag have washing instructions? Then it could be from the late 60s/70s on.

Clue #4: Print and colors
The print of the garment can really help you figure out when a garment was made. If the print is tiny and repeats it's probably from the 40s. In the 50s patterns get bigger and there is an ethnic influence. If you are really into finding vintage prints, do a little research so you can spot cool prints.

I hope you enjoyed this episode!

Let me know if you make this project over on the Break + Remake FB group!

I'm on IG as @BreaknRemake

Let me know if there are any upcycled craft projects you want me to try out, comment below!

Hand Painted Sundae Cups with Rachel from The Crafted Life

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Painting sundae cups is super easy! They would make a super fun wedding gift, or add delight to an enchanted tea party. Enamel paint is available at most craft stores, or see if your friends have some. You don't need much paint. Now that I have some, I think I'll see if my friends want to come over to decorate some glass for themselves.


Rachel from The Crafted Life is our super gracious co-host today! She is one of the first people I talked to about Break + Remake outside of my friend group. She was super supportive and helped me see how super do-able my idea was. Thank you so much for being the fairy godmother of Break + Remake Rachel! I realize now how nervous I was during the filming, poor Rachel did get to talk hardly at all. I promise if you are on the show again Rachel, I'll let you talk for reals!

Materials:
Paint palette: I used the paper that comes inside of hosiery as our quick portable palette
Paint brushes: the kind you would use for acrylic paint
Sundae cups: These were thrifted from 2 different stores, I also got champagne flutes to try too!
Enamel paint: It was a little tricky to find made in the USA paint, but I did!
Rubbing alcohol: Use this to remove finger prints, oils, and goo before painting cups
Rag: for the alcohol

Let me know if you make this project over on the Break + Remake FB group!

I'm on IG as @BreaknRemake

Let me know if there are any upcycled craft projects you want me to try out, comment below!

Long Beach Vintage Flea + HAUL + shopping tips

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My lady friends and I took at shopping day at the Long Beach Vintage Market in Long Beach CA. It was so hot that day. This particular vintage flea is great for clothes, shoes, and furniture, especially mid century modern, shabby chic, and industrial.

I'm always on the look out for spice racks, sewing notions and cool textiles. When you have an idea of what you are looking for the flea becomes less overwhelming. It's what I call the Magical Unicorn. Focus on one or two items. And definitely go with buddies, ask what each other's Magical Unicorn is and help each other find it. Take food/hydration breaks, every 2 hours. This may seem like what my sister calls Baby Stuff, but shopping out of doors in the hot sun is Srs Bzns. I forgot my parasol, and burned my legs. Even with 70 SPF. (I'm better suited to the in-of-doors than the out-of-doors) I was running late and forgot to grab sunscreen, but a kind person let me have some on the way to the entrance. I think her name was Susan.

Recap:
-Know your Magical Unicorn
-Know your friends' Magical Unicorn
-Stay fed and hydrated
-Wear sunscreen and bring a parasol if you are shopping outside

My shopping buddies included Eloisa from Liberita Collective and Megan the costume designer and lover of all things Scottie Dog. (And and camera shy Noriko, who was the sometimes cam-op) Thank you ladies for a fun shopping day!

Where do you guys like to get
your vintage or thrifting on?

If you like this vid, or know someone who would enjoy it pass it along!

Check out Break + Remake's Sustainable Craft Group.

Thank you so much for watching!

Mostly Organic White Chocolate Orange Body Butter

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Yum! In this episode I'll show you how to make body butter. It's easier than I thought. The only tricky thing is being patient while amazon delivers the harder to find items.




The amazing food blog Hot for Food shared this recipe, and it looked simple. All it calls for is coconut oil, shea and cocoa butters, vitamin E, and orange essential oil (it's usually abbreviated to EO, and that's what I use in the episode).

Orange is what the recipe calls for, however I think you can use anything that smells good with chocolate. The shea has an earthy smell that is eliminated with the cocoa butter and EO.

I kept the little pots my other body butters came in, just gave them a quick wash before refilling them. And I have enough supplies to make this same recipe for the next year.

Upcycled Dog Toy

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*With a little help from Jenelle Montilone and her book The Upcycled T-shirt.




Ok cute overload. Stewie, my furry nephew, is my cohost for this episode. We take a look at Jenelle Montilone's book The Upcycled T-shirt. Jenelle does a great job on exploring multiple projects using t-shirts. Which are readily available everywhere and make a source of upcycling fodder. For more projects focused on sustainability and to sign up for her newsletter go here!

Materials:
One cute dog
Old t-shirt or other raggedy clothes
Fabric cutting tools- I used a rollie-cutter and scissors
Cutting mat - for the rollie-cutter
Clear grid ruler
The book: The Upcycled T-shirt

I used my old pajama pants that had holes. In fact when I held them up I could see perfectly through them. Whoops. Jenelle's book and a viewer request had me making a fun toy for Stewie. He's a total show dog, he was so mellow during the shoot and played to the camera. Such a sweet boy.

And for those of you who know about Zelda, my cat, don't worry I'll make her the cat toy from The Upcycled T-shirt. She's just not as cooperative and would never hold still for the camera like Stewie.


Do you have any sustinable or eco-crafts you want me to try? Let me know in the Break + Remake Facebook group or on Break + Remake's IG. In fact, head over to IG right now (if you are reading this between Sunday April 3rd and Monday April 11th of 2016).

Music composed for Break + Remake by Janet Overfield

Brown Sugar and Honey Scrub

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How do you get your face buffed up and fresh for spring? Use this delightful honey and brown sugar scrub. Honey is great because it has antibacterial and healing qualities, and brown sugar has a nice grit. Both together smell like sunshine and cookies. If you have sensitive skin only put a little brown sugar, so there is less grit rubbing on you. Mix this up then jump straight into the shower to use.



When I used this I massaged it gently onto my face and my arms. Then I realized my terrible mistake. The water for the shower wasn't on yet. A-whoops. The scrub moves better with a little water mixed in. I bet it would work great on feet as well, but most of the time my feet get forgotten. Poor little work horses. 

Let me know any other home beauty tips that you use on the Facebook group page or in the comments below. Follow me on instagram and like the show on Facebook.

Thanks for watching!

Embroidered Power Cuff

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Hi everyone! We are in for a real treat today because the wonderfully talented Lisa from The Makery Craft Co is here as a guest host. If you haven't heard of The Makery and live in the Greater Los Angeles area swing by and take a class.



Making this Embroidered Power cuff is a cute way to make your intentions tangible and cute. Especially now that the adrenaline of our resolutions is now 3 months behind us. What I like about this project is you can make it as simple or as detailed as you like. If you don't want to embroider you can always write the intention with marker or paint.


Materials
Scrap fabric
Buttons
Pins
Chalk pencil
Embroidery floss
Scissors
Cord elastic
Permanent Markers

Optional Fun things:
Paint, paint brushes

Let me see what you make! Show me on the Facebook group, or tag me on instagram!