Crafting a Green World

Cork is a great jewelry material. It is 100% recycled and recyclable, flexible, and water repellent.

Each piece is individually cut from a single block used for storage and display. Will fit men and women.

Sold by STUDIO 1 a.m. for $48

Designed & Made by Donna Piacenza

At the heart of the green crafting movement are artists using bizarre materials to make their crafts. I absolutely love making and wearing jewelry made out of unexpected materials. When has a gold heart necklace from the mall ever sparked a conversation in the way that a necklace made out of used car parts or broken plates has? You are sure to start some interesting dialog when wearing something from these three artists.

This ring is hand carved from a used number 11 pool ball…yes, a pool ball! How cool! Eleanor Salazar of PoolBallRings is an artist from Maine who can hand carve any color or number ball you like, in your size, and have it to you in two weeks. She even makes earrings. What a great gift for the pool shark in your life!

The 2ReVert shop asks, “Where has your Jewelry Been?” Being that these earring are made from used skateboards, one never knows what kind of trouble they got into in their last life. That is the best part about jewelry made from repurposed objects, the back-story (or perceived back-story) adds so much interest and personality to a piece. Read the rest of this entry »

Via shopping blog Great Green Goods, I found these cute necklaces made from reused bottle caps.

Syncopation Company was founded by two women who found that staying at home with their kids meant reevaluating their consumption patterns. The challenge of balancing budgets led to the realization that often, things we would otherwise throw away could become the raw materials for creativity.

In addition to the bottlecap necklaces, Syncopation has jewelry made from watch faces, watch gears, spoons, mah jong tiles, hardware, rulers, bottle openers, rain gutters, vintage tape measures, marbles, phone buttons, and much, much more.

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Valentine’s Day has become more of a headache then heartfelt for most. Poor men are inundated with commercials claiming that if they don’t go to a mall jewelry store, their lover’s family and friends will be completely disappointed in them. That little jewelry box must also be accompanied by chocolates, flowers and a card. And, don’t forget the reservations, guys! No wonder men are not much into this dreaded day. Is this really what women want? Here’s a suggestion for this year: avoid the commercialized, boring routine and have a green Valentine’s Day!

No worries if you don’t know the first thing about making gifts - it is easier then ever to find cool, recycled, handmade gifts online. Online boutique Zanisa is a great place to find all sorts of recycled, organic and sustainable gifts like this necklace from designer Liana Kabel, made from recycled Tupperware! And of course, Etsy is the fantastic place to find original handmade gifts. Check out the daily Valentine’s Showcase for ideas.

Even if you are not a crafter, this recycled heart project from A Little Hut, is totally achievable. All you need is a paper egg carton, some red paint, background card-stock and a box frame to create something that your lover won’t soon forget. Read the rest of this entry »

So, the kidlets are home from school today, bugging you for something to do, and you are hiding on the computer, catching up on blogs? Why not turn the computer off (after reading this, of course) and work on a junk mail craft together?

Paper bead making is a great craft for your little fashionista and is pretty simple to do. Using only junk mail, a toothpick and glue, this project is an easy way to get in a casual lesson on green living.

First, scour your junk mail pile and old magazines for colorful shiny paper to create your beads. The shiny varnished paper is pretty strong, brightly colored, and somewhat water proof. It is also more expensive to recycle, making it perfect for a project like this. Once your paper is selected, simply follow the following easy steps from HGTV: Read the rest of this entry »

According to The Environmental Literacy Council, plastics make up 25% of all waste in landfills when buried. It is a good thing that crafters are finding ways to appropriate this versitale and plentiful material into their creations.

Take, for example, these adorable bird coin purses from Etsy seller Bird Versus Bird which are made from vinyl scraps from a sign shop. Imagine how many vinyl banners from State Fair corndog stands are filling up landfills? Yuck. This seller also uses repurposed and recyclable materials for packaging in order to reduce waste.

This “Beer-merang” necklace earned its name from the boomerang shape and the fact that it was made using the plastic rings from a 6 pack of PBR beer. Saving critters lives, recycling, and looking cool, that is what it is all about! Check out Muse Glass for more styles.

If you have ever visited the record section of a thrift store, you will know that they have more discarded vinyl there then anyone knows what to do with. How many Kenny Rogers records does one store need? Nature Vs. Machine brings us this stunning vinyl record and sterling silver lotus necklace. Kenny Rogers never looked so good!

We all have some records laying around, don’t we? Instead of adding to a landfill or the thrift store collection, why not make some funky chip bowls like this one? Check out these instructions from Instructables to find out just how easy it is. (Just make sure that your record is not valuable collector’s first!) I think I know what to do with my old Alvin and the Chipmunks album!

There are so many ways to use recycled plastics in crafting - I could go on all day! Feel free to share your plastic crafts in a comment!

Etsy is a great shopping resource, especially for crafting supplies. When you’re looking to make your own jewelry and want one-of-a-kind beads or findings, vintage is the way to go. Making use of vintage supplies is also great for the environment because you’re recycling! Browse these great shops for rare vintage beads, metal findings, and other supplies.

If you love super colorful and quirky beads and trinkets then Atomic Veggie is the shop for you. This shop has a huge stockpile of candy-colored vintage plastic beads, retro metal findings, and adorable novelty charms. You can grab some pretty large batches of supplies at really affordable prices here.

Love, Gemma is one of two Etsy shops from artist Brooke Medlin. Brooke is well known for her beautiful, handmade jewelry using vintage beads and hand fabricating metal, and she is now sharing some of her jewelry-making stash with us. Check out her shop for a great selection of vintage lucite beads, and metal findings.

Zivile is another great shop that carries large quanities of really colorful beads, the most popular being floral inspired. Besides beads, you will also find vintage home goods, figurines, and even handmade jewelry.