Posted by Mandy Stos on July 26, 2011 56 Comments
We asked YOU, our followers to help us get to 1000 facebook fans and you listened. In return we have a special treat for you today!!! We are giving away over $100 in merchandise to celebrate.
We are giving away three prize packages.
Package 1)
Includes an upcycled coffee bean bag tote and a recycled rock block journal.
{ $62.95 Retail }
Upcycled Coffee Bean Bag Tote
Connie Francis Recycled Rock Block
Package 2)
Includes an upcycled crocheted wrap t-shirt necklace and an upcycled material cuff bracelet.
{ $49.00 Retail }
Upcycled Crocheted T-shirt Wrap Necklace
Upcycled Material Cuff Bracelet
Package 3)
Includes an upcycled crocheted ipod/iphone case and a pair of upcycled tape measure earrings.
{ $23.50 Retail }
Upcycled Crocheted T-shirt ipod/iphone Case
Upcycled Tape Measure Earrings
Now on to the important stuff...how to enter to win the one of our three packages!
You can get one entry for each of the following, BUT you must post a separate comment for EACH entry to count.
1) Leave a comment below and tell us your favorite upcycled item that we make.
2) Like iamthemandy on Facebook { because we're awesome! }. If you already do, leave a comment saying so.
3) Subscribe to our newsletter { we only send them 1 time per month at MAX } If you already do, leave a comment saying so.
4) Follow us on Twitter. If you already do, leave a comment saying so.
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Posted by Mandy Stos on July 19, 2011 1 Comment
If you own an old t-shirt, the possibilities of upcycling it are endless. I wanted to make a matching headband to accompany my red, white and blue USA inspired vintage shirt I bought last week. It's super comfy to wear yet, classy looking to wear.
What you will need:
T-shirt
Scissor
Thread
Needle
Tape Measure or Ruler
Step One:
Find a t-shirt.
Step Two:
Measure your noggin! That's right. Take your tape measure and measure the circumference of your head. Now take that number and subtract 2" from it. This will allow it to fit your head snugly without sliding off your head. Mine was 19" so the final size is 17". You want your strip to be 1.5" in width.
You also want to cut 2 additional strips this same size to use later for making flowers.
Step Three:
Fold the strip in half. Pin it in place.
Step Four:
Turn your machine on and stitch along the edge of the strip. Fold the headband right side out.
Step Five:
You now need to prepare your thread and needle for stitching your flowers. Try to make it match if you like. Then we are going to grab the two extra strips we cut earlier and make rolled t-shirt flowers to cover the seam and add some funk. Take one of the strips and twist it up.
Step Six:
Once you twisted one of the strips, begin to roll it up with your fingers. Hold it tightly or it will come undone.
Step Seven:
While still holding the rolled up flower, grab your needle and begin to stitch it together. It does NOT Have to look pretty. No one will see it. I used grey thread so you could see what I did exactly. I made two flowers. You can make one large one or two small ones.
Step Eight:
Lay your rolled flowers on the seam of the headband. Stitch them on. Again, doesn't have to be pretty!
There it is! Hope you enjoyed this and please post your photos on our facebook page to share your creation.
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Posted by Mandy Stos on July 11, 2011 5 Comments
With the 105 degree Kansas heat blazing down outdoors, I thought my little buddy, Mister Hyde, needed a few more things to keep him occupied while indoors during the day. This handmade toy is awesome for playing tug of war or even just for gnawing on. It's super easy to make and it will make one happy boy or girl.
What you will need:
old t-shirts - we used 5 of them for an assortment of color
scissor
Step 1:
Take your t-shirt and begin cutting 12- 1" strips from your t-shirt. Mister Hyde is a 20 pound Jack Russell, so we made our strips 17" long. Depending on your dog's size, longer stands might be needed.
Step 2:
Tie a knot at one end. Include all 12 strips.
Step 3: Next, divide the 12 strands into 3 groups, and begin to braid down from the top of the knot. (just like grade school ya'll)
Step 4:
Tie it off!
Step 5:
Trim the ends and begin playing!
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Posted by Mandy Stos on June 09, 2011 0 Comments
A little over a month ago, I entered into Slow Fashioned's contest to win a book by Sass Brown titled "Eco Fashion". It expresses the strongest trend in ecological, social, and community consciousness. A wide range of stores now offer well designed clothing and accessories, closing the gap between traditional craft and high fashion. The book features a large number of designers who are making a difference around the globe.
The author Sass Brown is a full time professor at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York. She has her own collection of women's sportswear and specialized in ethical design practices.
There were so many amazing designers featured in this book but I selected three of them to share with you.
ECO Fashion by Sass Brown :::
Liliana Andrade, Marcela Manrique and Eleonora Parachini of Demano :::
Angela Johnson :::
Edson Raupp :::
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Posted by Mandy Stos on May 20, 2011 5 Comments
In spirit of Father's Day coming up, I thought I would share a few upcycled neck tie designs. They are pretty simple and are totally rad looking. Let me know your favorite one and I will share a how-to-tutorial next week on it!
Necktie Necklace
Necktie Luggage Tag
Necktie Ottoman
Necktie Glasses Case
Necktie Wine Bottle Accent
Necktie Pouch
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Posted by Mandy Stos on May 04, 2011 1 Comment
For those of you who made it by to check out our upcycled indie jewelry booth at Art in the Park this past Sunday, had a chance to enter for $40 worth of product from yours truly, iamthemandy.com. We had tons of visitors and many entries so we used random.org to help us keep it straight.
So without further a due, CONGRATULATIONS to Emily Laughlin. Emily, you will be contacted this evening with information reguarding your win.
If you haven't already, please like us on facebook and follow us on twitter!
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Posted by Mandy Stos on April 05, 2011 0 Comments
Over the past few months, we at iamthemandy, have been relocating from Lawrence, Kansas to Overland Park, Kansas and calling it our new "home". It took us a good week + to unbox, organize and get our groove back. We hope you will continue to follow our Green efforts and share iamthemandy with the ones you love.
Now, the good stuff. Check out our new studio space!
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Posted by Mandy Stos on April 30, 2011 1 Comment
I am a huge fan of Madame Scodioli!
I first fell in love with her bizarro packaging, which features herself as a bearded wonder. If you are looking for a scent from her huge collection, take my advise, try the Carousel - Penny Candy Perfume. It brings me back to my childhood of the snow cones, ski ball, ballon pop and cotton candy. I would've mentioned a few rides in there, buy it is one thing I cannot hack. Hacking is actually what I would be doing if I was riding the flying swings or tilt-a-whirl. It isn't a pretty site.
I recently purchased on of the Madame's, finely screen printed tagless tee. I must say it has offered me much comfort and the printing is superb. Usually there is a small overlay of ink which can be felt by touching. However, the Madame's is smooth, comfy and flawless. With a brush of your hand over the printing, you cannot even notice a hint of any ink.
We, at iamthemandy, did a blind touch test. 2 out of 2 tested couldn't point out where the ink had been applied. A big Whoop, Whoop to you Madame.
I will leave you beauties with this, buy from the Madame and satisfy the carny in you!
Tees are available in:
100% Cotton
Women: S - M - L
Men: S - M - L - XL
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Posted by Mandy Stos on March 10, 2011 3 Comments
We are all about reusing, repurposing and reinventing things from discards and we especially love t-shirts. Everyone owns at least a few. No matter what your style is, you can make almost anything from a t-shirt. We thought we would share how to make an apron, since we all eat, I assume we all make messes too, or maybe that is just me?
Either way, here is all that you will need:
1- t-shirt (As
a rule, the larger the shirt, the better. But-if you find the perfect
shirt in a smaller size-no problem! Just use a coordinating knit from
your closet or donation pile for the straps.)
1
.
Cut the front design out in a large rectangle from sleeve inseam to
sleeve inseam, and from under the neck to the bottom of the shirt. The hem of the t-shirt says.
2. Fold the bottom of the shirt up until it's right under the design,
then fold the hem down for a more finished look. Sew into four even
sections, with the end section sewn into two for spoon slots.
3. Using the back of your shirt, cut 6 strips, 2.5" x 24":
4. Then sew three strips together into one, and repeat for the other three.
You should have two long straps like this. Put them on
top of each other with wrong sides facing and seams matched, pin, and
stitch aall the way around to make your apron waistband/ties.
6. Then pin your apron skirt to the back in the center, and sew on!
ALL DONE!
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Posted by Mandy Stos on March 03, 2011 4 Comments
All you need is a push pin or needle and no excuses to rock this this how-to hand poked poster! I ran across a hand punched tin wall hanging while browsing in a local antique store. After staring in dis belief of how this scrap of tin was valued at $37, I decided it was my turn to bring this technique into the modern world.
What you will need:
1 small needle or push pin
1 large needle or push pin
graph paper/paper towel
1 sheet of cover stock paper
masking tape
cork bulletin board
printer
I will say, it was surprisingly easy and that is why I decided to share my little creation with you all. First find a pattern, design, shape or letter that you want to create. I decided to make an "m" design, of course for my name "mandy". I printed it out at 400pt in size and made sure the lines had a thick outlined stroke to them. (no solid fill color needed) Print that baby out! Next cut out the inside of your shape. Do the best you can, simple shapes and letters are of course going to be easier.
I then used an isometric graph paper from my stash box filled with random papers and played around with a few different patterns and paper towels before settling with this one. You now will need masking tape to tape your stencil to the graph paper. (you can use other tapes but be sure it won't mess up your poster board of your final design! This will help it from moving on you and messing up the pattern.
Next you will need a something soft to lay your poster onto so you can "hand poke" the design into it. I used a cork bulletin board as my base. Now get out your small and large needles to begin your design. You want two different sizes so your pattern can have small and large holes and look aesthetically pleasing. Keep in mind, you need to keep the pattern tight/dense so your design is easily recognizable. Make sure the outline is not to "holey" either or you won't be able to tell what it is. We don't want that now.
Walla! Once 
you are done punching away you have your final design. Not only can you make posters but you could make invites and much much more. Upload your design to our facebook account to share your crafting skills!
We’re down with the whole social
media thing! Follow us on facebook, twitter and linkedIn!
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