Want to decorate your cakes without springing for expensive organic sanding sugar or settling for the cheaper (but still expensive!) conventional sanding sugar? Fortunately, making your own colored sanding sugar takes about ten seconds, and you can use the same high-quality organic sugar and natural food coloring that you already have in your pantry. Here’s how:
How-to: Make Your Own Organic Colored Sanding Sugar Read More 👉
Read on for several recipes for liquid soaps that you can make yourself–some are very frugal, some are very fancy, and some will clean your dishes or your laundry as well as your hands.
Because I’m always looking for a way to reduce the toxic chemicals that we keep in our home, I also like to make my own cleaning and bath supplies, and beeswax has proved itself to be just as versatile, and just as useful, in recipes that keep our house and bodies clean and happy as it is in all the other ways that we use it. Here are some of the best beeswax recipes for bath, body, and cleaning supplies that you can make yourself.
Bath and Body Beeswax Recipes (and a Few Recipes to Keep Your House Honey-Sweet, Too) Read More 👉
From my antique library table to my unfinished wood kitchen countertops to my children’s many wooden toys (especially the hand-stained wooden toys), my homemade beeswax wood polish keeps them all in good condition, with all-natural ingredients and scented with essential oils.
How-to: A Recipe for Natural Beeswax Wood Polish Read More 👉
If you’re shopping at conventional stores for tablescape supplies, chances are they’re not so eco-friendly. From linens to dishware to candles and centerpieces, there are lots of ways to make a tablescape that reflects your beliefs without sacrificing beauty. Here are some tablescape ideas to get you started…
Create a Beautiful Repurposed Tablescape! Read More 👉
Of course, I could have hit up the big box store for a table runner, but where’s the fun in that? Plus, those store-bought situations tend to involve either conventional cotton or some type of polyester, and they’re made in far-off factories. Who knows what the labor practices are there, right? Instead, I hit my stash and whipped up this reclaimed table runner that’s exactly the right size for my new sideboard. Here’s how you can make a table runner of your own!
How-to: Make a Repurposed Table Runner Read More 👉
We’ve talked some about the joys of burlap before. Burlap is made from jute, a very low-impact plant to grow. Not only that, it’s pretty easy to get second hand burlap, if you know where to look. Local coffee shops, especially ones that roast their own beans, tend to be rich with big, empty burlap sacks. If you frequent a local coffee shop, get friendly with the staff and ask nicely – I bet they’ll be happy to give you a burlap sack or two!
5 Awesome Ways to Repurpose a Burlap Coffee Sack Read More 👉
One of the most beautiful things about crafting green is the end result of our labor: awesome crafts that are unique, upcycled, and built with our own two hands. Add solar power into the mix, and the project is elevated into the realm of clean, green, renewable energy – something that reduces your carbon footprint even after the project’s complete!
Want to Build a Solar Street Lamp in Your Own Backyard? Read More 👉
I’m currently working on a project to revamp our clipboards from dust-catching shelf-clutterers into something actually usable–otherwise, they’re off to Goodwill next weekend–but until then, check out with me these DIY upcycled clipboard projects from across the web. Clipboards actually ARE useful!
Upcycled Clipboard Projects: You Never Knew that an Old Clipboard Could be This Useful! Read More 👉
You know we love a good t-shirt reuse project around here, so I was pleased as punch when reader Nancy Sharp was kind enough to share her idea for reusing a sentimental t-shirt that was past its prime…
Reader Tip: T-Shirt as Art Read More 👉
When I saw that my family was clearly not going to eat through that entire 10-pound bag of navel oranges before the last ones went bad, I thought briefly about marmalade and fruit leather, but then I thought, “Nah–craft supplies!”. Read on to see how to turn leftover oranges into shelf-stable craft supplies, and how to make a garland that shows off the lovely translucency of the preserved orange slices.
How-to: Dehydrated Orange Garland Read More 👉
When I shared with you my round-up of clothespins embellishment projects, I left out my own personal favorite. These dyed and glittered clothespins are so saturated with color, so sparkly, and yep, so darn useful that I find myself making up a fresh batch surprisingly often. Read on to see how they’re done.
How-to: Dyed and Glittered Clothespins Read More 👉
Beeswax tealight candles are expensive, petroleum-based tealight candles are polluting and unhealthy, and yet my lovely little essential oil warmer won’t work with anything larger.
In the mornings, I MUST waft the scent of peppermint and rosemary essential oils through the air, lest I never escape the desire to just go back to bed, and so I’ve gotten into the habit of making my own rolled beeswax tealight candles. They’re quick and easy to make, inexpensive, and you can do them in any colors that you fancy. Read on to see how it’s done.
How-to: Rolled Beeswax Tealight Candles Read More 👉
Plain wooden clothespins are as versatile as they are inexpensive, but unlike their plastic cousins, plain wooden clothespins are…well, plain!
If you’d like a little more variety in your clothespin stash, check out these simple crafty projects that will show you how to decorate, embellish, paint, color, and otherwise jazz up your clothespins.
Projects to Personalize, Decorate, Embellish, and Otherwise Jazz up Your Clothespins Read More 👉
Have any ratty bath towels or blankets or other thick fabric to upcycle? Have some stash cotton to rescue from your scraps basket? Read on to find out how to turn that stash into potholders!
How-to: Sew a Nine-Patch Potholder Entirely from Stash and Upcycled Materials Read More 👉
So whether you’ll punch your pages and put them into a three-ring binder create your own multi-folio hand-bound book, I encourage you to consider crafting your own daily planner this year. If you’re still on the fence, here are some of the types of pages that I’ll be including in my own planner–if the thought of all these handy organizational tools that I’ll have at my fingertips makes you jealous, then you’re halfway to a DIY planner of your own.
Easy Organizational Pages to Include in Your Daily Planner Read More 👉
While you’ll have to wait until after the holiday season for my own favorite nine-patch potholder tutorial (there’s only so much craftiness I can do while spending Christmas ten hours away from my sewing machine), here are five more potholder tutorials that you’re going to love. Some are scrappy, some are sturdy, some are cute, and none of them even require so much as a pattern to sew–how much easier could you get?
Five No-Pattern Potholder Projects Read More 👉
If you give a lot of homemade gifts, you’re probably well aware of the versatility of the Mason jar. Perfect for everything from spice mixes to cranberry granola, party mix to cake in a jar, Mason jars get passed around between me and my crafty friends and family like the holiday version of hot potato.
The only thing about Mason jars is that..well…they look all the same. Sure, they’re lovely enough, but so uniform! Fortunately, with a little fabric, some thread, and a bit of upcycled cardboard, you can package your Mason jar gifts for the holidays, personalizing them by gift or recipient or just making them look nicely festive.
How-to: Pretty Packaged Mason Jars for Gift Giving Read More 👉
Free craft supplies that reduce landfill waste? Don’t mind if I do! Here are some wood slice craft projects I found to use up the wood slices I snagged at the local hardware store.
8 Awesome Wood Slice Craft Projects Read More 👉
You know those adorable concrete mosaic kits that they sell in all the big-box craft stores, the ones with all the stuff that you need to make one concrete mosaic, handprint optional, to put in your garden path in the spring? The ones that look really fun to make, and you’re pretty sure that the grandparents would just adore one made by your kids?
Yeah, you can make dozens and dozens of your own concrete mosaics for the same price as one of those mosaic kits, and even more cheaply, if you use found and natural objects for the mosaic tiles, and recycle plastic packaging for the concrete molds.
How-to: DIY Mosaics–No Kits, Just Concrete! Read More 👉
Yes, a dried apple wreath is amply countrified, but only if you hang it in the kitchen. If you embrace the ancient folklore that imbues the apple with meanings such as life, sexuality, or wisdom, then you can find the other rooms in your home in which a dried apple wreath holds valuable symbolism.
How-to: Make a Dried Apple Wreath Read More 👉
Headboards make such a lovely focal point for the bedroom, but they’re often pretty pricey. Even mass-produced headboards from the big box store can get expensive, and those don’t have the best environmental footprint, either. Luckily, with some fabric from your scrap bin, some recycled felt, and our handy templates, you can whip up your very own upcycled faux headboard!
How To: Make an Upcycled Faux Headboard Read More 👉
As long as recycled cardstock or cardboard fits my color scheme (and painting counts!), I like to upcycle it into temporary holiday garlands to decorate those last bits of uncluttered surface in my house. Read on to see that my red Valentine heart garlands (made from Target photo processing envelopes) and my yellow and green autumn leaf garlands (made from Crayola boxes) are easy to make, and would look pretty great in your house, too.
Make an Upcycled Cardboard Leaf Garland for Autumn Read More 👉
A light and airy mobile, whether it’s hung over the dining room table or the kitchen sink, is a wonderful way to show off the colorful autumn leaves that you’ve preserved, and it’s a fall decoration that easily works all the way through Thanksgiving.
How-to: Autumn Leaf Mobile Read More 👉
Preserving autumn leaves allows you to use their beautiful colors in fall crafts all year long.
Even if you already have a go-to method for preserving leaves, check out these other options–you might discover a way that will work even better for a particular project, or you might find a new favorite preservation method altogether.
Fall Crafts: 4 Ways to Preserve Autumn Leaves 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 👉
As a children’s toy, a holiday decoration, or a wonderful present (a child’s name? A couple’s first monogram? How fun!), stuffed fabric letters are a way to show your personality and use up just about any kind of fabric in your stash. Neatly sewing up those letters with holes in them can be very tricky, however, but let me show you how, and you’ll be off and running.
How-to: Sew a Stuffed Fabric Alphabet from Upcycled, Recycled, or Natural Fabrics Read More 👉
Board games are a fun way to spend time with your friends or family, but what can you do when they’ve outlived their usefulness?
Board Game Crafts: Five Projects You Can Make to Upcycle Old Games Read More 👉
Paper napkins are a huge waste of resources. Not only does it take energy and trees to produce all of those disposable napkins, but once the meal is through, you have to toss them in the trash, since you can’t recycle that food-soaked paper. Cloth napkins might feel like a fancy-dinner-party-only sort of thing, but that doesn’t have to be true at all! It’s easy as pie to whip up a batch of cloth napkins, and you can make yourself a bunch, so you have some for every day use and a set for special occasions, if you like.
How-to: Make Cloth Napkins Read More 👉
Not only were these little cork ships simple and fun to make, they put a nice dent in my hefty stash of wine corks!
Yesterday, we made some upcycled pinwheel party decorations, and there are lots of other ways to deck out your soiree without all of the waste.
Upcycled Party Decorations Roundup Read More 👉
Yesterday, we made a table runner from scrap fabric, but what are some other ways to use what you have to add a little DIY flair to your home?
My father-in-law’s birthday was a couple of weeks ago, and on the day of the party I decided that our tablescape would be a billion times cuter is I had a cheery quilted table runner as a centerpiece. A quick dip into my fabric stash, and a few hours later I had a runner all ready to rock. Here’s how!
DIY Home: Make a Table Runner from Scrap Fabric Read More 👉
Keep summer boredom at bay with these five recipes and easy outdoor projects that use natural and recycled ingredients.
Five Crafty Recipes and Easy Tutorials for Summer Fun with Your Kids Read More 👉
Turn disposable bar coasters into customized, reusable coasters in just a few simple steps!
Turn Disposable Coasters into Forever Coasters Read More 👉
D.I.Y. chalkboard blocks are easy to paint, but the real thrill is in how many creative ways your kids will find to use them.
How-to: Upcycled Chalkboard Blocks out of Regular Building Blocks Read More 👉
