ReadyMade Readers Renew Broken Umbrellas

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ReadyMade Readers Renew Broken UmbrellasWhen was the last time you cleaned out your attic? How about your basement? Are there still boxes sitting around from when you first moved in years ago?

Under all that dust and clutter, I bet there are some pretty random things lying around your home – you know, in those far reaches that rarely, if ever, see the light of day or the end of a Swiffer.

From VHS tapes and phone books to empty pens and packing peanuts, the readers of ReadyMade Magazine have found new uses for once useless items via the MacGyver Challenge.

In each issue, the editors choose a specific item for readers to find new uses for. The winning project from a previous issue is also featured, along with directions on how to make it yourself. In the current issue (#33), two ladies from Wisconsin won the broken umbrella challenge by making a magazine rack. Runner-up projects are now featured online; this item’s secondary ideas include two dog outfits and a gym-style parachute (now that’s a flashback, huh?).

Searching the magazine’s archives will net you another 20-plus contest winners, all of which have their patterns and steps provided. Want to take part in the next MacGuyver Challenge? Here are the details:

LUGGAGE
{Deadline: March 17, 2008}

Among the woes of modern travel is the problem of luggage—the stuff we use only to schlep other stuff. Buy the cheapest valise you can find and it breaks after two or three trips; shell out for a pricier model and risk being stood up at baggage claim. What can we do with the conked-out carryalls? Deliver big ideas to win a subscription and a ReadyMade T-shirt.

Send photos or projects to: MacGyver Challenge, 817 Bancroft Way, Berkeley, CA 94710 or articles@readymademag.com.

Good luck and happy crafting from CAGW!

[Image from ReadyMade]

Written by Victoria Everman

I think of myself as a creatively versatile eco-powerhouse. Freelance writer, life-long model, on-camera personality, public speaker, official U.S. spokesperson for Twice Shy Clothing - I'm a classic Renaissance woman and mistress-of-all-trades.

Though my days of growing up in the corn fields of central Indiana are behind me, forgetting where I came from is not an option. I lost my father unexpectedly in March of 2006, months before moving from NYC to San Francisco, which helped to amplify my zest for life and thirst to help change the world.

Perpetually looking for fresh ways to share my unquenchable green knowledge, I blog about everything eco on my own website, as well as for All Green Magazine and select others. Additionally, I am the editor/head writer of Crafting a Green World (part of the Green Options blog network) and a writer/web editor for Building Green TV. My diverse articles have been published in variety of reputable magazines, such as: Yoga Journal, Venus, CRAFT, Yogi Times, Recovery Solutions, M+F, and Office Solutions.

In my spare time, you can find me knitting, reading, singing, taking pictures, practicing yoga, taking long walks, and working on my first non-fiction book. Other random facts about me: I'm a Buddhist, latex fan, have four tattoos, and an attempting locavore.

MOVING TO PORTLAND, OREGON IN JUNE 2008

6 Comments

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  2. Ok, so I’ve spent half an hour trying to find the directions for the umbrella magazine holder. Please give directions so other people can reuse them, instead of tossing them in the trash.

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