Crafting a Green World

Recycling or reusing old materials is one of the best (and cheapest) ways to get eco with your crafting. There are loads of ways to do this but it’s solutions like these that really grab my attention. What I love about these new uses for old neckties is that the objects they have been made into are far more beautiful than what they were originally.

Based in London, Barley Massey creates numerous products from recycled materials. The top of my wish list, though, are her shirt and tie cushions. These are such a fun use of old materials and would provide a great talking point for guests.

I recently came across relatively new etsy shop prix-prix via design sponge, In addition to making some very sweet notebooks from recycled soda boxes designer, Laura Skelton also produces these one-of-a kind card cases and wallets from vintage neckties, further fueling my vintage tie obsession.

Perhaps my infatuation with ties stems from this lovely tie rose made for me by a close friend, adorning a little felt box on my desk. It always reminds me that there can be some extremely beautiful yet staggeringly simple ways to use our discarded items.

There’s got to be thousands of old neckties languishing in charity shops and this is just about all the inspiration I need to go and rescue every one of them.

Pop corn, corn on the cob, creamed corn, corn chips, corn flakes … and yarn?

Admittedly, when I think of the hearty, diverse vegetable we know as corn (maize to the Native Americans who received the seeds from tribes in what is now Mexico), I don’t usually think of making sweaters and purses.

Alabama-based Kollage Yarns is looking to change that food-focused perception with not one, but two 100% corn yarns.

The first of their two corn-based yarns is called Corntastic (my kinda word!) Read the rest of this entry »

Wedding season is always in season but a lot of couples get married in spring and summer. As a bride I looked high and low to find a modern hairpiece instead of a traditional veil.

Foundling’s shop on Etsy features a recycled silk pin with glass beads that can double as a hair piece. Each layer is cut and singed by hand. Sizes range from about 3.5 to 4 inches in diameter.

This is, admittedly, not my favorite time of year. Here in St. Louis, we get teased with a day or two of sunny, balmy weather, only to be blasted by some arctic front of snow, ice and bone chilling wind mere hours later.

I’m brought nearly to my wits end with the absence of green foliage, prominence of sniffles, and slim pickings at the farmers market. Certainly, I am in need of a little pick-me-up… a handmade remnant of summers past perhaps. Read the rest of this entry »

The Crafting A Green World Q&A series returns for its second installment – this time fueled by one of our long-time readers, Tamara.

Q: Help! I am looking for a place that will show me how to basket weave plastic bags that does not require me to know how to knit or crochet. – Tamara

A: Oh, how I love a challenge! Crocheting is the most common way that I have seen when it comes to using plastic bag “yarn”, but knitting comes in at a close second. Using plastic bags with a traditional weaving technique is just about as easy as using fiber yarns. With a little digging and some ingenious internet searches, I’ve found a few online resources that give step-by-step instructions for weaving plastic bags – sans knitting needles and crochet hooks. Read the rest of this entry »

My new favorite word is “upcycle. “A German chemist Michael Braungart and architect William McDonough coined the term in their 2002 book, ‘Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things.’ To upcycle simply means to use waste products to make useful things.

Upcycling is what Tsia Carson, one of the brains behind SuperNaturale, is all about. In case you have not seen it yet, SuperNaturale is a fantastic site dedicated to all things DIY with an online magazine, bulletin boards and blogs. Carson’s book ‘Craftivity: 40 Projects for the DIY Lifestyle,‘ is based on her website and features 40 projects to turn your trash into treasure. As Anda from Etsy Storque says, “After only a few pages, you should be itching to visit a local thrift store, the back of your closet, or the dumpster behind your apartment for interesting (and free) supplies.” Read the rest of this entry »

I’m an Earl Grey fan myself, and the best kinds, bar-none, are in loose form. Having tried just about every reusable gadget out there for steeping, I have yet to find anything superior to the paper bag filter. Mesh balls are cute, but I like my peanut butter chunky, not my tea. What is the eco-crafty beverage enthusiast to do?

I’m going to create my own reusable muslin tea bag, thanks to this excellent tutorial over at Craft Leftovers! How brilliantly simple. I might add a few glass beads from my stash to the tie strings. Oh, but let’s not stop there…

Read the rest of this entry »

Before you have visions of joint-smoking hippies in itchy clothing fill your mind, let us clear the air about hemp first. It is a common misconception that hemp and marijuana are the same thing – they are not. Though they come from the same species of plant, Cannabis sativa L., they are polar opposite varieties.

Marijuana provides smokers with that oh-so-enduring feeling of utter freedom thanks to a chemical called THC. “Hemp, also referred to as industrial hemp, are low-THC varieties of Cannabis that are grown for their seeds and fiber. Hemp is grown legally in just about every industrialized country except the USA,” says the Vote Hemp website.

Grown as a chief agricultural crop for thousands of years, industrial hemp is also one of the fibers the United States was founded upon:

• Thomas Jefferson made most of his money from farming hemp.
• The first sheets of paper and first pair of Levi’s jeans were made from hemp.
• In Early America, you could pay your taxes with hemp.
• The first American flag, made by Betsy Ross, was 100% hemp (and still survives to this day).

Knitwear made from hemp “will be soft and have an outstanding drape and incredible longevity,” says the Lanaknits website. Read the rest of this entry »

Let me guess, you have a ream of 100% recycled, Rain Forest Alliance Certified paper conveniently stacked next to the printer. You earn additional eco-brownie points for printing on both sides of each sheet. Good for you! Now, don’t take off running for the recycle bin. Your humble memo may be destined for a higher purpose before meeting it’s maker.

We are all familiar with tiny paper cranes and jumping frogs in the world of origami.These popular characters often require a specialized paper that is thin and square. However, if you think outside the box, then you can make a box, along with many other useful items.

The following video shows you how to create an amazing flower shaped CD holder by tracing around the disc. You will need something a bit bigger than copy paper. Expired wall calenders or old posters might enjoy this fate. These materials would even be good for making super-sized versions of the 8.5″x 11″ sheet projects linked below. Read the rest of this entry »

It is amazing to think of all the traffics signs that have been crashed into or worn out. At least we can have peace of mind that they can now be on our table serving as snazzy eco coasters. These coasters are made by Boris Bally, a metalsmith whose work is in the permanent collections of the Museum of Art and Design, New York, New York; The Victoria and Albert Museum, London, England; the Mint Museum, Charlotte, and North Carolina to name a few.

These great pieces would make a fun gift for a man or woman. They are made from re-used metal traffic signs which are hand-pressed, formed and finished. Each set is different. Eco-Artware.com is a great site for finding recycled, reused, and natural gifts.