This Tower of Hanoi is NOT made from plastic! Instead, it’s made from that likely-looking piece of corrugated cardboard hanging out there in your recycling bin. Cut it up, add some decorations, and you’ll have yourself a brand-new version of a 140-year-old logic game.
You don’t need another set of plastic game pieces kicking around your home, though. Instead, here’s how to make any set of polyominoes that you want from sturdy, upcycled, recyclable cardboard.
Do you, too, have too many plants and seemingly too little space? I can fix that!
These upcycled books are super handy, because you can make them in whatever size, style, and thickness you prefer.
I modified my go-to DIY journal with a cover made from upcycled cardboard, and filled it with coloring pages downloaded from the interwebs. It’s exactly what I wanted, and here’s how you can make one, too!
. I love turning these old photos that I never look at into all-new decorations and utilitarian items, giving them new lives and incorporating those happy memories into even more parts of my home.
Loose Ends makes sure that handmade projects get to their intended recipients when their creators can no longer finish them.
Magnets are a fun and easy way to show off your tiniest art, upcycle your favorite photographs, or display comic book panels, sweet love notes, or pretty papers of all kinds.
Here are three easy methods for upcycling print photos (and book pages, wrapping paper… just about any paper works for this!) into stickers, along with the pros and cons of each method.
You can DIY quite a lot of storage solutions using stash or scrap fabric as a base. You can make drawstring bags and floppy baskets, sure, but also boxes, bins, cubbies, and all sorts of other handy ways to organize and neatly store your stuff.
hese nesting fabric baskets give you a lot of storage options. Sew a set in the same colorway from the same fabrics, and they’ll all match each other and your decor. Since they nest, they don’t take up a lot of storage space, but when you need them, you’ve got four whole baskets’ worth of storage!
These fabric baskets are purposefully a bit on the droopy side, because I don’t like to sew with artificial materials like interfacing. A little interfacing or even cereal box cardboard would firm them up, though, if you prefer that look.
Because it’s so versatile and can take on so many looks, a log cabin quilt block is a great choice for a ton of fun projects. Here are some of my favorites!
I roasted while I sewed all that denim and flannel in the smack middle of June, but I’ll be so comfy this winter!
I’ve had this log cabin quilt sewn from upcycled denim in my mind’s eye for a few years, but it’s the embarrassing state of my fabric stash that finally prodded me into action.
Want to resize a hoodie or reclaim an awesome graphic? Refashion your hoodie by swapping its graphic for something different!
Outerwear can feel like some of the more complicated garments to sew. So many structural elements! So much hardware! So much interfacing and lining and piping and casings!
This week, we’re focusing on entire ensembles that you can sew–all the dresses, all the jumpsuits, all the pajama sets, all the rompers. And ALL from the free patterns offered by indie pattern companies.
Everything on this list is from one of my favorite indie pattern companies. The patterns I’m pointing you to are free, but I’ve also included plenty of suggestions for other patterns you can purchase from these companies. It’s important to show these indie companies some love!
Here are some of my favorite free patterns from those indie companies! We’re starting big with tops and bottoms, ranging from easy basics to add to your wardrobe to fancier styles to dress you up nicely.
Animal rescues need YOU to do some crafting for good this summer!
Looking for something to make that will also make a difference?
Here are some handmade items that you can make and donate to your favorite animal rescue!
Wildlife rescues use fleece pouches to contain small and baby animals in a way that keeps them feeling safe and comfortable. It mimics the type of pouch that a marsupial animal will be familiar with, and recreates the feeling of a nest for other animals.
Cat enrichment is so important to the physical and emotional well-being of your cats. Don’t let your tiny hunters suffer from boredom; instead, check out this list of my favorite cat enrichment items below, and make your best friend their new favorite toy!
This upcycled cardboard cat scratcher is a great way to use up all your corrugated cardboard boxes. Cats love it, and it’s a useful donation to your local animal shelter.
Today, instead of feeling like you have to go out and purchase new decorations and baskets and toys and treats, choose something from my list of my favorite eco-friendly Easter crafts. Make something that you’ll love to reuse, and save yourself from adding new items to the global waste stream.
Homemade games add an extra-fun element to any indoor play. You can customize your homemade games to perfectly suit the interests and current abilities of your kids, and older kids can even help with their creation.
On the spectrum of weird American holidays, St. Patrick’s Day feels like one of the weirdest, so let’s lean into the weirdness together with this list of my favorite easy and eco-friendly St. Patrick’s Day crafts!
This is a great way to use up small scraps from your recent projects, and especially other projects that you’ve sewn for these same kids.
My go-to process for cleaning wax out of jar candles used to be tedious and time-consuming. But now I’ve successfully used the Power of Science to come up with THE quickest and easiest go-to process.
We love outdoor games, and we also love indoor games that get us off our butts for a bit. Here’s my list of my favorite outdoor and active games to DIY. All use eco-friendly materials and methods, and all include free tutorials so you can have them in your backyard, too!
This mini heart bunting is a low-key gift, since it’s nice and small. Big hearts are corny, but small hearts are cute!
This Valentine’s Day, I’m giving my teenagers each this little gift created with their two favorite things in mind: sugar cereal and tiny notebooks!
Here’s how to make your own tiny heart-shaped notebooks with cereal box covers and upcycled papers!
In the past year we’ve been blessed with lots of new kid-craft books that use eco-friendly methods and materials, and have the explicit intention of encouraging children and their caregivers to live green lifestyles. Here are my favorites!
I’m always on the lookout and reserve a special place in my heart for those craft books that truly do use eco-friendly methods and/or materials.
Here, then, are my favorite eco-friendly craft books published in 2022!
If you have a phrase in mind that’s speaking your name right now, here are some fun, eco-friendly, DIY and NON-CHEEZY ways to get that word art out there into the universe
