My roommates and I decided that we needed one of those dishwasher magnets that tells you whether the dishes are clean or dirty. Instead of buying a plastic one from the store, I decided to make one! Here’s how you can make your own!
How To: DIY Dishwasher Magnet 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 👉
One of the awesome ideas from Becky’s 10 Ways to Upcycle an Old Calendar post was to frame a picture from a calendar. A few weeks ago, I was in a thrift store with my mom and she came across a Van Gogh Calendar from 2000. She encouraged me to buy the calendar and I’m so glad I listened! Now, I have a beautiful piece of art framed in my room for a lot less!
How To: Upcycle an Old Calendar into Art Read More 👉
This week on Pinterest, I came across a really adorable scrap book paper tree from Two Girls Being Crafty (via Everyday Mom Ideas). I loved the concept, so I decided to turn it into a completely upcycled project by using reclaimed sheet music instead of scrap book paper!
How To: Sheet Music Tree Read More 👉
Picking up fallen sticks around the yard is less of a hassle when you have something more fun to do with them than just tossing them in the ubiquitous brush pile by the street.
Nature Crafts to Make Using the Sticks from Your Yard 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 👉
As I mentioned last week, my roommate – Crystal – is a musician. Specifically, though, her main instrument is drums. We decided to showcase our love for music right in our living room by upcycling old drums into side tables!
How To: Upcycle an Old Drum into a Side Table Read More 👉
Instead of buying your next dog bed at the store, you can sew your own using an old sheet set or one you find at the thrift store!
How-to: Make a Dog Bed from Reclaimed Bedding Read More 👉
One of our awesome readers, Abby, asked if we had any projects for old computer parts. In response to her question, we put together a round-up of 5 cool crafts with old computer parts! Grab your keyboards, circuit boards, etc, and get crafty!
Reader Question: Cool Crafts with Old Computer Parts Read More 👉
My roommate, Crystal, had a blank wall in her room that desperately needed to be filled. She’s a musician, so naturally, we pulled out some records and upcycled them into really cool wall art!
How To: Upcycled Vinyl Records Into Wall Art 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 👉
I absolutely love collecting old buttons because I feel like each one tells a story. If you like collecting buttons as much as I do, consider making these beautiful button projects! They’re a great way to showcase your button collection and add a bit of color to your life!
Last weekend my roommates and I found an adorable china cabinet at a garage sale for $25. Besides a few pretty dishes, though, we didn’t have a lot to put in the china cabinet. I dug through my craft stash and found three tin cans– perfect for something decorative!
How To: Upycled Decorative Cans Read More 👉
A message in a bottle makes a fun invitation for a pirate- or ocean-themed party. You can make this invitation almost entirely out of upcycled materials, and yes–you can mail it!
How-to: Make a Message in a Bottle Party Invitation out of Upcycled Materials Read More 👉
Coffee staining is an easy way to give an antique look to paper. Here’s how to antique paper with a simple coffee staining technique.
How To Antique Paper Using Coffee Staining Read More 👉
No matter what your craft, chances are your space could use a little more organizational oomph, but organizers from the big box store come with a big impact. They’re often made with plastic and shipped all over the world. Boo on that! We craft green, and we want our spaces to be green too, right? Instead of heading to the store, check out these upcycled organizers for your craft room instead!
Often times you can find random drawers at thrift stores or garage sales– instead of passing them by, you repurpose one into a handy organizer!
Repurposed Organizer from a Desk Drawer 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!
If you have a baby gift of your own that needs to be crafted, whether it’s Doctor Who themed or not, check out the ideas below. They’re all made using recycled and upcycled materials, so not only are they crafty, but they’re also eco-friendly (and way cheaper than a store-bought gift!).
Handmade Gifts for the New Baby Made from Upcycled and Recycled Materials Read More 👉
Have you come across the adorable picture frame wreaths on Pinterest like this one from A Glimpse Inside? I think they are so creative and colorful compared to the average wreath! I decided to make my own eco-friendly version of a picture frame wreath using recycled materials. Grab an empty picture frame and some recycled paper to make your own!
How To: Eco-Friendly Picture Frame Wreath Read More 👉
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 👉
Read on for six projects designed to make perfect use of a single upcycled flat sheet.
Six Crafty Green Ways to Upcycle Flat Bed Sheets Read More 👉
As my roommate went through her old clothes this week, she could not let go of one particular shirt. She loved the graphic, but she had outgrown the shirt. A previous post, Reader Tip: T-Shirt as Art, came to mind and I made this adorable wall art for her! If you have old t-shirts that you can no longer wear, but want to keep, this is the perfect project for you!
How To: T-Shirt Wall Art 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 👉
Which of these DIY non-toxic paints and wood sealants would YOU use on a child’s toy?
Reader Question: Non-Toxic Paint for Wooden Toys Read More 👉
Do you remember my Upcycled Candle Holder into a Mini Easter Basket post? Well, I decided to give my candle holders another makeover so that I could use them daily, instead of once a year. Grab your candle holders, candle jars, or any small jar that you may have, and transform them into colorful organizers!
How To: Upcycle Candle Holders into Colorful Organizers! Read More 👉
Do you have any mismatched silverware at home? Perhaps you’ve found some beautiful silverware at a thrift store before. Put all that beautiful silverware to good use with these amazing and unique projects!
You think you don’t have time to do a good job to get all the paper and all the glue completely off of your glass jars, but you really do. My method for removing the sticky labels from glass jars takes about twenty minutes, but you can do it with as many glass jars as you have, all at the same time. Gather up a big collection of jars that need to have their labels removed, and you can do the job in far less time than it would take to peel the labels off by hand.
How-to: Another Way to Remove Labels from Glass Jars Read More 👉
Have you seen this Fourth of July post from Martha Stewart? I absolutely loved the red, white, and blue pom-poms she used to decorate the buffet table for the Fourth of July, so I decided to make my own eco-friendly version!
How To: Eco-Friendly “Sparklers” Read More 👉
We’ve done several projects before with book pages, but what about the entire book? My degree is in English so I’m obsessed with books– especially vintage/antique books that have tons of character. They’re such a beautiful and simple way to decorate! Here are 5 ways you can give an old book new life!
These sewn business cards, which utilize two layers of scrap fabric, a recycled paper base, and your complete business information, are a little more work than your ordinary business card, but they’re beautiful, eco-friendly, quite thrifty, and they’ll certainly stand out in a crowd. Here’s how to make them:
How-to: Recycled Paper and Scrap Fabric Business Cards Read More 👉
Even though it’s a little more work to create these particular business cards, made from colorful paper and stamped and embellished, they offer a lot more impact than your ordinary card. And since these business cards are made entirely from recycled paper and cardstock, they’re also eco-friendly and absolutely free.
How-to: Make Recycled Paper Business Cards Using Your Sewing Machine Read More 👉
Last week on Pinterest, I came across an adorable Tie Pot from Make It and Love It. I thought I would make my own eco-friendly version using an empty coffee can and newspaper. This tie pot has so many possibilities and is the perfect gift for any dad! Let’s get started!
How To: Eco-Friendly Father’s Day Tie Pot Read More 👉
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.
