Published on May 5th, 2008
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Surprise, surprise the weather turned gorgeous this past weekend here in our Nations capital and I enjoyed the sun outside at a few choice locations. Usually one to bring along my own water bottle when venturing outdoors, I forgot. Inevitably I got thirsty in the hot sun and needed to quench it. So, I did the one thing that I really hate to do and bought a bottled water.
I know. I know. We actually all know the reasons not to do this. But my thirst won out and I was left with a happy sigh and an empty bottle.
To give myself a little bit of redemption, I gladly toted the empty bottle around for the rest of the day with all intentions for bringing it home, destined for the recycle bin. On my return home, I instead left it on my desk and contemplated the water bottle’s next life as a possible craft.
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Published on May 5th, 2008
Cork is just one of those materials that I never give much thought to. It just keeps my wine fresh and makes a great organizational board. Lately, however, I have seen cork popping up more and more on Etsy and discovered that it is actually a great environmentally friendly product. Here is what I learned:
Cork is harvested from the outer layer of bark of the Cork Oak tree found mostly in the Mediterranean. The bark is harvested every ten years, with each harvest producing a softer batch of cork. By keeping these trees in production, they provide homes to wildlife in about 1800 acres of cork forests and provides many jobs to the people of who harvest the cork by hand. Cork is also 100% recyclable! Of course they can be used for these cool crafts, but companies like Yemm & Hart also collect donated wine corks to make products like tile flooring. This sustainability and ability to recycle make cork an environmentally conscious crafting choice!
These images are just a few cork crafts I discovered on Etsy! Check out their shops for even more!
- Classic Chair Cork Coasters from Annacote
- Cork Beehive Brooch from Ottoman
- The UN-DIamond Cork Ring from Uncorked
Tell me about your cork crafts in a comment!
Published on April 28th, 2008
I couldn’t believe my eyes! Did I just see this recycled Capri Sun bag at Target? In amongst the pretty floral and pleather handbags, there they were, in all their green-crafted glory…recycled Capri Sun tote bags - at Target! Wow, green craft is really going mainstream. I had a vision of a young indie crafter, sitting on a mountain of money, drunk on Capri Sun, tied to her sewing machine cranking these bad-boys out. After some research though, I learned the real story and how we can help. TerraCycle, Capri Sun and Honest Kids have teamed up to help prevent the billions of juice packs that Americans drink each year from ending up in a land fill. Read the rest of this entry »
Published on April 23rd, 2008
We all have a favorite pair of jeans. The ones that look great and fit just right.
Unfortunately, well-loved jeans don’t age gracefully. The culprit: holes in the knees, pockets, or back. If your favorite jeans start to look “holier than thou,” don’t despair.
With a needle, some thread, and a little love, you can turn dying jeans into designer jeans. (DIY difficulty level: Easy)
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Published on April 21st, 2008
Earth Day is tomorrow and it is bound to be the most celebrated yet! It’s time to celebrate all of the accomplishments the green movement has made and to think about all that is left to do. This year, why not make some new Earth Day traditions to insure that the day will be fun and educational for our crafty kidlets, family and friends?
There are a lot of resources on the web to help you plan your events. Kaboose is a family centered website with a whole section dedicated to celebrating Earth Day with the family. My favorite part, of course, are the crafts. This site has detailed instructions for creative recycled material crafts you can do on Earthday or any day! Some of my favorites projects include the coffee ground fossils, recycled crayon earth ornaments, and toothbrush bracelets. Read the rest of this entry »
Published on April 18th, 2008
Wedding bells are in the air at Green Options, Deb over at our sister blog Feelgood Style is getting married next week, and recently wrote a fascinating article on greening your wedding.
I have a little longer left to plan fortunately and I’m feeling very inspired by an article I found at Portovert on making your own wedding rings, specifically making them from old silver coins. These DIY wedding bands could even be made from coins manufactured in the year of your - or each others birth, what a lovely touch.
This wikiHow article gives detailed instructions on making the rings as well as explanations of what can go wrong and why - always useful. But even if it does take a couple of attempts to perfect, at $3 a shot your hardly going to break the bank.
Published on April 11th, 2008
My fingers are like dried up sausages wrapped in sand paper and the skin on my hands is so rough, dry and cracked I look like I’d be more at home on the beach amongst the barnacles. If its true that you can tell a person’s age from their hands I must be about due for retirement.
I love my job but sewing and handling fabric all day long can be really tough on your skin so I think it might be time to try my hand at something a little more rejuvenating.
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Published on April 4th, 2008
Daffodils in the garden, people eating their lunch in the park and the odd overly optimistic choice of clothing can only mean one thing. Spring has sprung! So when I saw this image I thought it could be a great way for our old winter woollies to spend the rest of their days.
If your jumper drawer is anything like mine it will be crammed full of unwearable sweaters, some have shrunk in the wash others are a bit baggy and many just don’t go with anything else. So perhaps making your own version of this luxurious ’sweater blanket’ could be the answer.
This isn’t just a great way to recycling old jumpers, Opos who designed and manufacture this blanket are also making a statement about waste in the garment industry. Read the rest of this entry »
Published on March 31st, 2008
Wrist cuffs are fun accessories that lend an air of rock and roll to any outfit. Thrifting vinyl records is a great way to add rock and roll to your music collection. Put the two together and what do you get? Wrist cuffs made from thrifted vinyl records!
Etsy has lots of vinyl cuffs for sale, but the gold cuff pictured above by Tresijas really caught my eye. The color is amazing and the shape is wonderfully curved just so. Colored vinyl is often hard to come by, making this find even that much more special.
To make your own vinyl wrist cuff you only need a record, an oven and an xacto knife. Simply follow these instructions from the DIY Network to make your own rockin’ wrist cuff:
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Published on March 28th, 2008
When we first discussed a week dedicated to reusing plastic Easter eggs my first thoughts were “what?” So I turned to friends and family for help and inspiration but the replies were all the same: “What are they?”
The reason being that this seems to be one of the few holiday-related retail opportunities that the UK hasn’t latched onto yet - and from what I’ve learnt I really hope we don’t. Don’t get me wrong, we certainly know how to create seasonal waste - the amount of packaging for the millions of chocolate Easter eggs lining the shelves is obscene.
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