Earth Day DIY Round-Up: Rethink, Repurpose, Recraft!

April 21, 2010June 5, 2013

Earth Day DIY Round-Up: Rethink, Repurpose, Recraft!

We can do more than just Reduce, Reuse, Recycle—we can help the environment and ourselves by “upcycling” things we can no longer reuse. Plastic grocery bags with too many holes become crinkly stuffing for cat toys. A sad, old pillow is transformed into a pet bed. A funky, old candy dish on a pedestal becomes a fancy, raised water bowl. Try using your imagination before you go out to buy new things for your pets. You might already have something around the house that will work as well or better than something new. Save money, help save the planet!

Some of my favorite DIY projects that Rethink, Repurpose, Recraft!

Beds & Furniture:

Clothing:

Poop:

Old trashcan becomes waste digester like Doggie Dooley or Staywell EcoClean
Turn a plastic bin into awesome litter box

January 24, 2010

Neko Chigura–Cat beds From Rice Straw

I like a lot of the Japanese aesthetic and I’m really liking these cat beds called neko chigura. (via moderncat) Too bad neko chigura are not available in the US. They’re one of the traditional crafts from Niigata Prefecture.

There are more refined woven cat beds like this one at Design Within Reach, which is available in the US, and this bed at Ikea. I prefer the chunky neko chigura though. Besides the look, I like that they’re made from a renewable resource. I wonder how they hold up to scratching—my cats would love it for that.

Check out the video to see how they’re made.

January 19, 2010June 5, 2013

We Like: Suitcase Bed With Clawfeet

I love this version of a pet bed made from a suitcase! The fun, green claw feet are inspired. And you can get two beds out of one suitcase. Don’t miss the tutorial for the Suitcase Pet Bed in the DIY Pet Bed Round-Up.

These are from Vintage Renaissance on Etsy. They don’t have any in stock right now, but it looks like they have them fairly often. Here are some of my favorites:

March 13, 2009

Friday Fun: Dobby & Cookie In The Negotiation

A new bed and a difference of opinion as to whose it is. I give you Dobby the French Bulldog and Cookie the Boston Terrier.

January 12, 2009June 5, 2013

DIY: Crocheted & Felted Pet Bed

For those of you who crochet, here’s a pattern for a pet bed (scroll down) called Kitty Cuddles. It’s crocheted & felted and is based on the KittyPi Bed (which is knitted & felted.)

The bed is shaped like a flat-bottomed bowl. It’s soft and comfy, but has some structure due to the felting. The bed looks very different before felting.

You’ll need to use a natural fiber yarn to get it to felt. Here are a few tutorials on felting: this one covers both hand & machine felting, here is a printable one on machine felting, and another on hand felting.