How to Reuse Brown Packing Paper
The paper that companies use to cushion packages is so handy! Here’s how to reuse brown packing paper, whether you need it to look fancy or just functional.
Tools + Supplies
Crafting for Good: Touching Little Lives
Do you love to knit, crochet, or sew?
Do you love babies?
If so, you should be making something small and adorable to donate to Touching Little Lives!
11 Upcycled Mandalas from CDs, DVDs, and Vinyl Record Albums
CDs, DVDs, and old vinyl records are a great base for constructing mandalas on top of, because they’re already perfectly round, and so sturdy that you can display your finished, upcycled mandala anywhere you’d like.
Make a Lightbulb Terrarium
Are you ditching incandescents this year? Save those old bulbs and make yourself a cute lightbulb terrarium!
10 Nature Crafts for Hanukkah
If it’s important to you to have a green Hanukkah, then check out these Hanukkah crafts that you can make from natural materials!
Handmade Review: The We are Knitters Crosby Scarf
Knitters are always on the lookout for the next pattern.
21 Eco-Friendly Ways to Fill Clear Ornaments
With all of the cute ideas for decorating clear ornaments out there, though, it can sometimes be tricky to choose only the ones that are eco-friendly.
Craft Book Review: Even More Toilet Paper Tube Crafts!
Y’all know we LOVE our toilet paper tube crafts here at CAGW!
How to Reuse a Canvas
Here’s how to reuse a canvas, whether you want to completely start over or make a piece of found art your own.
Crafty Call-to-Arms: Knit Finger Puppets for Kids at IWK Health Centre
Do you love to knit and have lots of little pieces of surplus yarn to show for it?
12 Ways to Reuse an Album Cover
So you’ve found a favorite project to upcycle that unplayable vinyl record. You still need ways to reuse that album cover, right? What should you do?
How to Make a Solar Lantern from an Old Chandelier
Turn an old chandelier into a modern light fixture. Here’s how to make a solar lantern out of a thrifted or found chandelier.
Craft Knife Safety, or, How I Cut Part of My Fingertip Off
Keep your fingers BEHIND the cutting edge, my Friends. BEHIND the cutting edge.
How to Replace a Drawstring
ell whoever pulled it out in the first place to be more careful next time, because that’s five minutes of your life that you aren’t going to get back!
26 Projects to Make with Plarn
Check out all of the awesome stuff that you can make with plarn, including how to make plastic yarn in the first place.
Reader Questions Answered: Can You Waterproof Liquid Watercolor Wood Stain?
You can stain or paint your children’s toys so that they’re bright and vibrant, but then you’re going to need to seal that wood stain or paint using a clear polyurethane sealant.
One Dozen Ways to Embellish Wood
Want to bring your wood crafts up to the next level?
Make a DIY Bird Feeder from a Fallen Branch
Have summer storms done a number on the big trees where you live? Grab a large, fallen branch, and turn it into a cool DIY bird feeder!
36 Ways to Reuse Egg Cartons
There are LOTS of really cool ways to reuse egg cartons! Here are 36 amazing reasons to save empty egg cartons instead of throwing them away.
Should You Craft with American Flags?
Should you craft with American flags? Let’s take a look at the Flag Code and how it applies to upcycling. Crafting becomes a tricky issue when you’re dealing with a national icon.
How to Upcycle CDs: 25 Projects
CDs get scratched, and DVDs get left in the car to melt, so I’ve always got my eye out for new ways to upcycle CDs and DVDs.
9 Upcycled Marker Crafts
Don’t know what to do with that dried-out marker or pen? Try some of these awesome upcycled marker crafts!
How to Make Upcycled Marker Beads
Upcycled marker beads are easy to make, if a little messy.
How to Reuse a Peanut Butter Jar
That empty peanut butter jar is a miracle of modern upcycling.
DIY Kid Art Table from an Old Cabinet
Wondering what to do with your old bathroom cabinet or vanity? Turn it into a pint-sized DIY kid art table!
How to Make Custom Homemade Envelopes
Here’s how to draft a template that is exactly right for every card, and how to assemble it so that it keeps your card safe in the mail.
How to Make a DIY Photo Card
I promise that these DIY photo cards are even quicker and easier than driving to the store, looking at every single Hallmark greeting card on the rack, choosing one, paying for it, and driving home.
Get Your Kid a Giant Box
I think that giant boxes are one of the most important things for a kid to have as a plaything.
15 DIY Puzzles to Make and Play
DIY puzzles are extra fun, since not only do you get the pleasure of solving them, but you also get the pleasure of making them!
Create Sand Art in Vintage Bottles
One of my children’s favorite projects to do with these vintage bottles is the age-old craft of sand art.
15 Awesome Sea Glass Crafts for Your Beach Vacation
Sea glass is especially intriguing because it’s a product of both nature and recycling, a rare, almost impossible scenario in which nature turns litter into something beautiful.
7 Cool Ways to Reuse Styrofoam Coolers
Did you somehow end up with one of those disposable coolers in your house? Here are seven great ways to reuse Styrofoam coolers.
Handmade Review: Gardening on a Shoestring
Gardening can actually be kind of expensive, considering that you’re supposed to be saving money on grocery stores and florists by growing your own organic produce and flowers.
Crafty Review: The Singer 2277 Sewing Machine
You know that kind of sewing machine that I’m talking about. Maybe it’s got a ton of fancy stitch settings. Maybe you just press a button and boom, it hems your skirt. Maybe it does some cute embroidery while it’s at it.
And yeah, maybe it costs a thousand bucks.
Sew Much Better: Reducing Your Fabric Water Footprint
Cotton is a thirsty and chemical-intensive crop. Here’s how to choose fabric for your next project that reduce your fabric water footprint.