Crafting a Green World

The Salvage Studio: Sustainable Home Comforts to Organize, Entertain, and Inspire is the perfect book to get you in the mood for Spring cleaning, creative organization and inspiration, and some very inspired eco-craftiness.

This book even made me head out to the local antique mall and resale shops to see if I could find some amazing stuff to get my creativity flowing. Unfortunately my trip was a bust but the book is still a must.

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Confession time: I am sort of a journal fiend. I feel incomplete leaving the house without some sort of notebook for jotting down ideas. It’s fun to buy a journal, but my inner crafter sometimes wishes I’d get it together to make my very own recycled notebook. Here’s some book-binding inspiration to get you going if you’re feeling the same way!
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Crafts for a Cause started as an effort to raise money for the relief efforts in earthquake-devastated Haiti. The genius behind Craftsforacause.tumblr.com asked “a bunch of artists to contribute custom-made artwork — t-shirts, tote bags and other personalized items — for the Crafts For A Cause auction.” Now they are raising funds like crazy! Click here to view the auction website. Amazing!
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Fab Fabrics took a little hiatus, but we’re back and ready to get the ball rolling again with lovely, sustainable fabric choices! This week, I’m drooling over Spin Spin proprietress Susan Fitzgerald’s sweet screen printed designs.

Fitzgerald prints on all natural fabrics, like hemp/organic cotton blends and uses water-based, eco-friendly inks on all of her hand-printed fabrics. The Melbourne, Australia designer says being kind to the planet is important to her and to her business because:
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Easter is right around the corner ready to hop into your homes.

Are you ready? Have you considered having an Eco- Easter?

Forget the throwaway baskets, the terrible un-eco plastic grass, and cheap little plastic toys that are broken and trashed before the day is over. This year consider being green and offering your children fun, quality toys and products that are eco-friendly and that can be enjoyed for much longer that a day or two.

Stubby Pencil Studio (www.stubbypencilstudio.com) is a one stop shop for eco-friendly arts and crafts supplies for kids. They also have games and small toys; all made with ethical and eco materials.

They have offered to give away a wonderful Eco-Easter Basket to one lucky winner. Read the rest of this entry »

Handmade Home: Simple Ways to Repurpose Old Materials into New Family Treasures by Amanda Blake Soule is the green craft book for those of you who love the shabby chic type of decor that not only feels comfortable but is almost necessary when you have small children.

The book is full of wonderful ways to use everyday discarded items and make them into heartfelt treasures, shabby chic decor, and fun family memories. Read the rest of this entry »

Last week, Punxsutawney Phil predicted six more weeks of winter. Brr! Another month and a half of frigid temperatures means more of us running our heat. Here are some fun ways to warm yourself from the inside out and maybe keep your hands off of that thermostat!
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Canadian duo Nathalie Butterfield and Terra Kushner launched their fabric line when they were frustrated with the limited selection of sustainable fabrics.

Nathalie talks about how their company evolved:
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Since I craft through an eco-minded ethic, I have a habit of reading regular craft books through a green perspective, looking for the following characteristics: how friendly are the projects to being performed with eco-friendly practices, how mindful are the projects to a sustainable worldview, how well do the projects work in opposition to a consumerist, commercial culture?

Although Jeffrey Yamaguchi’s 52 Projects, based on his 52 Projects blog, is a little light on the how-to, step-by-step, hands-on tutorial component of your typical crafty book, 52 Projects works through a premise that we have the responsibility to bring meaning to our own lives through our own work, and this is a very green and crafty mindset. Read the rest of this entry »

This amazing video tutorial is a lesson in more than just sewing. Annika Sanders of UK clothing shop Junky Styling shows that green crafting is all about your mindset.
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