Think outside the (brand-new, laminated cardboard, single-use) gift box when it comes to ideas for eco-friendly gift packaging. Upcycled papers, stash supplies, and cardboard from the recycling bin can all be of service to create gift packaging that’s unique and fits your personality way better than anything you can buy new.
A drawstring bag is a terrific go-to when you’re thinking about sustainable gift packaging. It’s customizable, re-usable, and easy to put to a huge number of alternate uses.
Whether you’re rolling beeswax candles with kids or pouring a multi-color, multi-layer jarred candle, homemade candles give you the power to fill your home with exactly the sensory experiences you want, with no mysteries and nothing unexpected.
The solution for displaying your favorite treasures is that cardboard box hanging out in your recycling bin!
Whether you’ve got a deck of playing cards that are past their prime or just a partial deck of survivors, I’ve got plenty of ideas for upcycling them! Playing cards are one of my favorite craft supplies to alter, and once you find your perfect project among the tutorials below, I think you’re going to like altered playing card crafts just as much as I do!
Don’t let a wicker basket’s unfortunate appearance blind you to how versatile it can be for containing and organizing your clutter in an attractive way. Read on for a selection of easy tutorials that remake, remodel, and otherwise transform any ugly wicker basket into the perfect home accessory.
Fortunately, that mate-less sock doesn’t have to live the rest of its life alone in my Socks Sans Partners basket, only to eventually be tossed out, years later, when I’ve finally admitted the truth to myself. There are SO many cute ways to upcycle orphaned socks.
I love how versatile raised beds and containers are for urban gardening.
What to do with serving ware that could go great together but is mismatched and also super ugly?
Spray paint it!
Upcycled denim quilts don’t have to be boring! Use upcycled denim to sew some of your favorite quilt blocks. It will take your recycled blue jeans quilt to the next level!
You can DIY cooking equipment every bit as good from two tin cans, a cardboard box, and candlewax.
Instead of tossing it into the waste stream and feeling bad about yourself because of it, give that broken dish a second life by upcycling it into something fun, beautiful, and useful.
Whether you make your sewing table from scratch, or modify it from an existing piece of furniture, DIYing it is a great way not only to avoid buying something else new that will one day end up in the waste stream, but also to make yourself the exact custom sewing table that you need, exactly the way you want it.
It’s shiny!
It’s free!
It’s environmentally unfriendly!
What it is?
It’s a drawstring backpack!
No matter how big you want your star to be, or how many points you want it to have, you can make the pattern for it completely from scratch, and the assembly is the same no matter which type you create.
My favorite plant markers are the simplest ones you could make–they’re just wood burned sticks!
Burlap flowers look really cool!
These decoupaged cardboard trays are some of my favorite things to make.
Here are some of my favorite, free star quilt patterns online.
If you’ve got some ribbon scraps in your stash (bonus points if they’re silk), then you, too, can try out kanzashi-style ornaments!
Everybody knows that paper napkins are a wasteful use of resources, and we ought to ditch them for mealtimes. But the solution isn’t just to wipe your hands on your pants!
Corrugated cardboard is one of my favorite craft supplies, and after you check out my list of favorite corrugated cardboard projects, below, I think it’s going to be one of your favorite craft supplies, too!
Corrugated cardboard, sliced and stacked edges out, has a texture that cats adore, and they really will use them, play with them, and sharpen their claws on them!
No matter the special occasion (or even no occasion at all!), I guarantee that there is a perfect bunting for you to make for that event.
There’s not a lot that’s more charming than a sprig of flowers and greenery and ribbon worn on one’s lapel.
Do you have a go-to method for sending out creative and eco-friendly snail mail?
Latch hooking is a fabulous stash-busting project.
Here, I’m modding a steampunk snowman using the wooden gears from a child’s old DIY marble coaster kit and some wire pulled out of an analog clock.
If you think the hexagons, themselves are cute, wait until you see all the absolutely adorable things that you can make from them.
I turned the vintage BINGO board into a jewelry organizer. It was a quick and easy project and it turned out great.
One of my favorite parts of windy weather is enjoying the sound of the wind chimes singing from my front porch and back deck.
Whether you pick a project right from this list or use it to inspire you to create your very own project, you’ll find lots of wonderful ways to use dried flowers right here!
The key to this DIY slipcover project is lots and lots of upcycled denim.
