Published on July 3rd, 2008
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We are really, really, really trying to make most of our baby’s solid food instead of buying it in tiny glass jars. But apparently you’re not supposed to make your own carrots or spinach because of some issue with nitrate levels, and he really likes carrots and spinach, so we are generating a number of jars around here.
The lids don’t fit properly once they’re opened, which is a shame, or I could use them to store the food we’re making. The necks are smaller than the jars, which makes it annoying to feed him out of them, or I could use them as dishes. (Might do that anyway, actually, since we tossed out all the plastic in the kitchen a while back thanks to reports about safety issues on our sister blog Eco Child’s Play.)
While I investigate other brands in hopes of better reusability, what the heck can I do with all these bitty jars? Read the rest of this entry »
Published on July 2nd, 2008
Mooove over acrylics, milk paint is back. In recent years, this medium has been popular for historical furniture reproduction, and even as a natural alternative to latex for interior walls, but have you considered using it for your latest DIY creation?
Found in everything from cave paintings to King Tut’s tomb, this handmade substance was a predominate component in decorative art for at least a few millenia, until the industrial revolution came along. Casein, the protein found in milk, makes an extremely durable binder for pigments to adhere to most porous surfaces. The rustic finish is not usually desirable for fine art, and it fell out of favor all together with the advent of convenient, but far more volatile, canned paint.
High demand in the home improvement market for water-based low or no VOC coatings has brought eco-friendly technology to mainstream retail stores, but I have yet to see it available in the small sizes that artists and crafters lean towards. Read the rest of this entry »
Published on June 2nd, 2008
This past week, I had the amazing opportunity to visit and enjoy Yellowstone, our nations first national park. I had never been and was completely amazed and overwhelmed by the vast mountains and wondrous landscape. I had the chance to see grizzly bears, wolves, bison, elk, otter, antelope and so much more.
Seeing such amazing wildlife just reinforced why I care so much about this planet and why we need to find a balance between people and wildlife. It solidified in my mind just how precarious that balance is and how precious clean air, water and land really is.
Like a typical tourist, I spent some time perusing gift shops at various points of interest throughout the park. I was taken aback by the amount of well, stuff, to put it politely, that I found in them. Much of the, ahem, stuff, was made from China, too. All I could think of was lead and the recalls. Ick. But I really wanted to bring back something special to the special people in my life.
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Published on May 28th, 2008
We all forget our reusable shopping totes from time to time. Instead of putting yourself on a green guilt trip, pick paper over plastic (ask your friends and relatives to also!), and upcycle those bags into some not-so-shiny seed packet business cards. Since I focus on the environmental impact of crafting, I decided any self-promotion should reflect my agenda. Plus, I’m ever enthusiastic about combining gardening with crafting. This is what I came up with, and they’ve gotten rave reviews. The process involves some unorthodox methods, but such is the way of the eco-craft ninja…
Gather your materials and ideas. Here’s what’s involved:
- An inkjet printer
- The seed packet outline template (download here in JPG or PDF file formats)
- Embellishment option 1: A graphics program such as Adobe Photoshop or GIMP (free open-source software)
- Embellishment option 2: Decorate the packet post-printing by hand
- Embellishment option 3: Do both!
- Paper grocery bags
- Iron and scrap fabric
- Scissors
- Ruler
- Pencil
- Glue stick
- Paper creaser or popsicle stick
- 1 can of wildflower seeds
- Optional: rotary cutter with dedicated blade
- Optional: stamps, stickers or other embellishments(as long as they don’t poke holes in the paper) Read the rest of this entry »
Published on May 26th, 2008
Felt is one of those materials that reminds me of my childhood. It brings me back to story time and felt boards. Oh, remember felt boards?! The boards were covered in felt and then people, trees, houses and many other things, also made of felt, were stuck to the board. They were a great prop that aided in telling of a story.
Today, felt is a cheap material that comes in many colors. Mostly used for kids crafts and plushes, not all craft felt found in big box craft stores are 100% wool. Most are made of some synthetic fiber blend such as acrylic or polyester.
So what to do when you want to use felt in your projects and not use fiber made from plastic? There are several options to green your craft project and feel good about your materials:
Read the rest of this entry »
Published on May 17th, 2008
Living in the Western world we Americans aren’t quite attuned to the disposal of used chopsticks. It simply isn’t that big of a problem, as we hurl food into our gaping maws with spiky metal shovels. Generally speaking, the only time we chop down forests in order to feed ourselves is when McDonalds expands its beef production into the Amazon. The Chinese, our brothers and sisters across the great blue expanse, have an additional problem: chopsticks. They produce approximately 45 billion pairs a year, most of which being as disposable as a Uwe Boll movie. That amounts to about 25 million trees a year.
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Published on May 16th, 2008
If you’ve ever cruised the Internet & local boutiques for eco friendly lingerie you know right away that these tiny little intimates cost an entire day’s work (and then some). But the thought of turning back to slave made big box skivvies just does not feel sexy! To fuel my *ehem* addiction to having new earth lovin’ panties I had to learn how to upcycle my own. Here is how to make yourself some luscious green lingerie for less $ then a gallon of gasoline, using one old scarf for fabric.
You Will Need:
- One large thrifted or kidnapped scarf
- Wide ribbon
- Stretch lace/Elastic (optional)
- Scissors
- Thread (that either matches your ribbon or is a fun contrasting color)
- Sewing machine or Olympic hand sewing skills
Step One: Choosing- Find, beg, thrift, or steal a scarf that has a pattern you want to flaunt and is made of a comfortable fabric. Avoid overly crunchy polyester fabrics that feel like your 1984 taffeta holiday dress, and lean more towards soft cottons and silk. I found my scarf for $1 at a local thrift shop that supports ending domestic violence. The organic satin ribbon was already waiting in my craft box.
Step Two: Cutting- In order to get the sizing perfect without having fret over a pattern that may not fit, I use a pair of panties & bra (or) bikini I already have to outline the shape I need. Bikini’s are great for sizing since they usually have side ties and can be taken apart and laid flat for measuring. Remember when cutting that you will be sewing a seam line, so cut a tad wider then the exact outline of your previous lingerie. Note: You can make your new lingerie set have more coverage by cutting the triangle shapes wider, or less coverage by thinning them out even smaller. Read the rest of this entry »
Published on May 14th, 2008
Let’s face it, we are perhaps the most wasteful society the world has ever seen. Earlier civilizations would look at our heaping, rotting, contaminating piles of rubbish and salivate at the vast wealth contained ever so compactly beneath the ground. We live in a nation so embedded with wealth that we crumple and toss everything from still usable essentials (food, clothing, furniture) to items which would be priceless in earlier eras (or in some countries).
We’ve created, through the ingenuity of our greatest scientists, a concoction of chemicals so stable that they will never bio-degrade. This material is a nearly ever-lasting and extremely flexible substance yet it’s been turned into one of the most disposable items our society so carelessly casts aside. Plastic has become so abundantly worthless that we’ve thrown away enough to create an ever growing island twice the size of Texas out of it; floating, as it is, in the middle of the Pacific ocean.
Give yourself pause; that Coke bottle you dropped at the zoo five years ago is part of a new garbage continent. Those trash bags you toss out every single time you’ve gone grocery shopping for the past decade or two have amassed in such a great number as to create a peninsula rivaling that of the two Koreas.
Before we start claiming territory (although if it comes to that I call dibs on candy wrapper mountain and the surrounding plastic toy valleys) perhaps we should take a better look at all of the so-called garbage we take to the dumpster/curb every week. Within it we can find not only a way to stave off ecological apocalypse but useful, fun, rewarding, and interesting items and projects to gives ourselves and our families something to do. God knows we could all use some productive activities; One Tree Hill, American Idol, and Grand Theft Auto IV do not a complete man or woman make.
With that in mind I’ll be doing abit of experimenting to find out ways you can turn your refuse into a pile of worthless gold. In coming blogs I’ll be tearing through my apartment looking for ways to keep my trash can empty. Perhaps, through my research, I will arrive at discoveries which will forever eradicate the very need for such a receptacle! Garbage men cower, for your job may soon be as obsolete as books in the White House library.
Photos courtesy of (in order of appearance): David Wolk
Published on May 12th, 2008
On top of all my various journals, I own way too many tote bags. Accumulation can happen fast. One too many conferences and craft fairs and bam! you have a closet over-flowing with totes.
It’s a good thing really, enabling you to BYOB (bring your own bag) on any numerous shopping excursions.
On one such recent shopping excursion to everyone’s favorite big box store, Target, I found another green offering to the tote world. Made of 100% organic materials, the cute market tote is available with sassy slogans like “Kiss me I’m Organic” and “I don’t do Plastic.”
While not hand made, it is refreshing to see organics and other eco-friendly materials and products making it to the mainstream. And with any of the Fabulous Fabrics, the totes could easily be recreated. Try using either of these projects. Just add your own eco slogan.
“DIY or Die!” anyone?
[Image courtesy of Target.com]
Published on May 5th, 2008
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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