Want to bring more nature into your art?
Crayon, colored pencil, and marker holders are easy to make from reclaimed fallen branches. They organize your art supplies, make them visible while you work, and, if you’re creating with kids, display a manageable (and easy to clean up!) number of utensils that the kiddos can access independently. Here’s how to make one for yourself.
See how proud that kiddo looks? She and I made that witch’s hat, the exactly perfect Halloween costume accessory, out of recycled newspaper and cardboard (and a lot of tape!). Considering that everything except for the tape and paint came from our recycling bin, and that this is EXACTLY the tall, polka-dotted hat that she had wanted, I’m declaring it a Halloween win.
Now that the weather’s cooling off, you’re probably sorting through your dresser and closet, pulling out your cold-weather clothes, and stashing your lighter stuff away until spring. As you sort through, you’re bound to find a couple of old t-shirts that are past their prime. Maybe the pits are stained beyond saving or you’re just tired of wearing that particular tee. Those well-loved t-shirts are perfect for all kinds of fun t-shirt crafts!
10 Upcycled T-Shirt Crafts Read More 👉
Are you ready to see the features from the September Green Crafts Showcase? I know they will inspire you just like they inspired me!
Top 5 Projects from the September Green Crafts Showcase Read More 👉
Kid going on a field trip? Generally gotta have a name tag.
Instead of buying disposable name tags, my kiddos and I make reusable name tags. These name tags can be made almost entirely by a kid with just a little adult help, and can be used until any of the information changes–if a kid made one of these in kindergarten, and used it until she headed off for middle school, that’s probably worth an entire package of disposable name tag stickers right there, and if the whole class did it, that’s a good effort towards helping a school go green.
How-to: Make a Reusable (Not Disposable!) Kid’s Name Tag for School Field Trips Read More 👉
Q. Do you need another reason to drink beer?
A. Bottle cap magnets recycle beer bottle caps.
You’re welcome.
While you can make bottle cap magnets with a strong, clear crafter’s glue, I prefer the clear, hard gloss that you get from epoxy. Epoxy is simpler to use than you think, though, and the easy-mix, low-scent epoxy that I use is simple enough that my eight-year-old can use it.
How-to: Upcycled Bottle Cap Magnets Made with Epoxy Read More 👉
Liquid watercolors are a versatile art supply that kids, especially, love to create with. If you’ve got a stash of dried-out markers lying around, you can make your own liquid watercolors for free, in the process breaking down those plastic markers for recycling and upcycling one of their most wasteful components.
How-to: DIY Liquid Watercolors from Upcycled Dried-Out Markers Read More 👉
Below are five ways to reuse markers and pens instead of tossing them.
5 Clever Ways to Reuse Markers and Pens Read More 👉
For our upcoming trip to Walt Disney World, I sewed my two daughters matching dresses from one vintage Snow White-themed flat bed sheet.
Craft Project Show-and-Tell: Matching Dresses from One Vintage Snow White Flat Bed Sheet Read More 👉
I saw these adorable page corner bookmarks from Oh Crafts and had to make some of my own. I thought they would be perfect for children who are back in school or even college students. Grab your junk mail envelopes and make some of your own eco-friendly bookmarks!
How To: Junk Mail Bookmarks Read More 👉
Using an old crock pot or a DIY stovetop bain-marie, a hand-dipped candle becomes an easy, kid-friendly craft project, one that can stock an entire season of candlelit dinners in a single afternoon.
How-to: Hand-Dipped Wax Candles Read More 👉
Toys are fun for any kid, but half the fun of unfinished wooden toys is, I discovered, letting my kiddos paint and finish them all by themselves.
Although this method of resizing a fitted sheet to fit a smaller bed is a little more complicated than my quick-and-dirty tutorial for turning a flat sheet into a fitted sheet for the same bed size, it’s still a simple process that allows you to save money by using what you own instead of buying new.
How-to: Resize a Fitted Sheet to Fit a Smaller Bed Read More 👉
Cardboard is a terrific material to reuse for kids’ crafts because it’s so sturdy, and it’s amenable to a wide variety of media, from duct tape to spray paint.
Reader Question Answered: Reusing Cardboard for Kid-Friendly Crafts Read More 👉
We love a good upcycled craft project around here, so when Michael Welsh wanted to send me a review copy of his book, How to Make Crafts using Recycled Materials, I took him up on the offer.
Book Review: How to Make Crafts Using Recycled Materials Read More 👉
I know I say this every month, but all of your projects really do amaze me! There are so many projects that I wish I would have come up with myself. Without further adieu, here are the incredible top 5 projects from the July Green Crafts Showcase!
Top 5 Projects from the July Green Crafts Showcase Read More 👉
On Wednesday, we shared a video tutorial on how to make your own fingerpaint, but let’s be honest here: you are busy. Sometimes, you just don’t want to do everything from scratch, and that’s nothing to be ashamed of! I did a little digging and found a few companies that make fingerpaints that are much healthier and more eco-friendly than the conventional ones you’d find on store shelves.
Three Companies that Make Eco-Friendly Fingerpaints Read More 👉
What kiddo doesn’t love to fingerpaint, right? The thing about commercial fingerpaints is they are often full of not-so-natural ingredients, including petroleum products, and the packaging is none to green, either. Rather than deal with plastic packaging and questionable ingredients, you can make your own finger paint with ingredients that you probably have in the kitchen right now!
How-to: Make Your Own Fingerpaint with Kitchen Ingredients [video] Read More 👉
Making clothes for your Waldorf dolls is a cinch with the right patterns. Doll clothing is small, so it’s a great way to use up your scrap bin or remake a kid’s favorite outgrown clothing into something cute. Check out my review of Dalai Mama Patterns, and stay tuned for a Waldorf doll clothing pattern giveaway!
Review of Dalai Mama Patterns Waldorf Doll Clothing Patterns–and a Giveaway! Read More 👉
Where I live, school starts on August 6th, which is a mere 3 weeks away! Have you started thinking about school supplies for your children yet? Instead of spending money at big box stores on products that are far from eco-friendly, consider making some of your own school supplies! Here are 5 projects to get you started!
Before our trip to Disney World this fall, my kiddos and I have been spending the summer crafting our own Disney souvenirs, primarily from upcycled and recycled materials. The stuff that we’re making is cute, it’s Disney-themed, and it will hopefully at least cool down the consumerist frenzy for Disney stuff that we can’t help but be bombarded with in Orlando this fall.
Pirates, Princesses, and Mouse Ears: Upcycled Disney Crafts Read More 👉
The Fourth of July is just a few days away! If you’re hosting a get-together at your home and want to make some eco-friendly decorations, or if you just want to create some crafts with your kiddos, you need to check out these awesome tutorials!
5 Eco-Friendly Craft Ideas for the Fourth of July! Read More 👉
A bar of soap is easy to carve even with simple, blunt, household tools, which makes it an extremely satisfying activity for a kid, who probably doesn’t get a lot of chances to carve something these days. If you make or buy organic, natural-ingredients soap, soap carving is also a wholesome activity, and it won’t add anything to the waste stream.
Summer Craft: Soap Carving for Kids Read More 👉
The Lil Blue Boo Recycled T-Shirt Sienna Dress is written to be used with upcycled T-shirts, and because of this, it has some real advantages over conventional sewing patterns.
Review: The Lil Blue Boo Recycled T-Shirt Sienna Dress Pattern Read More 👉
Father’s Day is just around the corner. Now that you’ve found that perfect gift for dad, let’s wrap it up! I love upcycling newspaper and brown bags for gift wraps because they’re so readily available around the house. For this Father’s Day, instead of putting a bow on your upcycled gift wrap, let’s spice it up for dad with things he loves.
Father’s Day is right around the corner on June 17! Instead of spending money at big box stores, make your gift extra special by making it yourself! Here are 5 adorable ideas to get you started.
You CAN recycle most of a Crayola marker. It’s messy work, and it’s time-consuming, but it’s also a great lesson for kids (and for us!) about the obligations of responsible consumerism.
How-to: Recycle Crayola Markers Read More 👉
In my first tutorial, I showed you how to sew a quick-and-dirty pair of kid shorts from the sleeves and shoulders of an upcycled T-shirt. This tutorial requires a little more sewing, but the shorts are also a lot cuter and, depending on your kiddo’s height, they could be made to be as long as capri length.
Using one XL T-shirt, you can sew two pairs of shorts for any size up to your average early-elementary kid. Your kiddo will be so comfy in her soft jersey-knit shorts, she’ll love the awesome appliques taken from the T-shirt’s front, and you will have clothed her quickly and cheaply for the win.
Read on for the first tutorial in this two-part series: how to sew your first pair of shorts using the sleeves from your upcycled T-shirt.
Spring is such an inspiring season to get outside, get active, and get creative! Here are some Spring crafts for kids that you can create together.
5 Eco-Friendly Spring Crafts for Kids Read More 👉
Take the ephemeral beauty of autumn leaves and make it last forever when you preserve leaves with the one simple, natural ingredient that is pure beeswax.
How-to: Preserve Autumn Leaves with Melted Beeswax Read More 👉
Make a kid-friendly, plastic-free suncatcher using kite paper, stick it onto any sunny window, and watch it glow.
How-to: Make a Waldorf Window Star Read More 👉
Let the birthday kid help you create an absolutely perfect piñata with nothing more than a balloon, white flour, and plenty of newspapers. Your piñata will be free, which means that you can spend all your money on candy!
How to Make a Fabulous Piñata with Upcycled Newspapers and Natural Glue Read More 👉
Check out MakeItRuby.com an eco craft site made just for girls.
Make It Ruby: A Crafty Site Just for Girls Read More 👉
Ever wondered exactly how to make a newspaper hat? Here’s a variation on the classic newspaper hat tutorial that can use any paper you like.
The Classic Newspaper Hat Tutorial, Now with Your Choice of Paper! Read More 👉
