For headache or stress relief, or just a nice, long nap, an eye pillow weighted with natural buckwheat and sewn from soft fabric is just the thing you need to help you really relax. You can fill your eye pillow with your favorite herbs, sew it from silk or organic cotton, store it in the freezer to keep it soothingly chilly, and make a few extras to give as gifts later on.
How-to: Sew a Soothing Scented Buckwheat Eye Pillow Read More 👉
Well, tomorrow is June 1st and you know what that means– Father’s Day is right around the corner! Is your dad just too hard to shop for? Most of the time, we get my dad a gift card because we’re just not sure what to get him. I know that sounds boring, but gift cards don’t have to be boring! I saw this paper tool box pin on pinterest this week and thought, “I bet I could make one of those to hold a gift card!” Dress up your gift card with this adorable eco-friendly tool box gift card holder!
DIY Father’s Day Gift Idea: Eco-Friendly Tool Box Gift Card Holder 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.
Former CAGW writer Karen Lee and green beauty pro Mary Kearns have teamed up on a brand new endeavor: Herban Crafts. The duo is creating eco-friendly craft kits for folks who want to make their own beauty supplies but don’t know where to get started. Herban Crafts was kind enough to send me a kit to try out, so earlier this week I tried my hand at making my own lip balm.
DIY Beauty: Homemade Lip Balm with Herban Crafts Read More 👉
In a few weeks I’m moving into a rental home with two other roommates. We’re all musicians, so it’s a no-brainer that we’re going to have lots of musical items/instruments to decorate. My head is spinning with ideas, so I decided to finally work on some wall art for our music space!
How To: Music Wall Art Read More 👉
When I was younger (and even now) I loved to collect shells on the beach when my family went on vacation. When we got home, though, we had a ton of shells with no real purpose. Instead of storing them or throwing them away, try making these amazing craft projects!
Isn’t washi tape just beautiful? Japanese paper tape comes in all sorts of colors and patterns, but unfortunately it’s pretty expensive and it’s not the most eco-frienly craft supply, either. Don’t fret, though, green crafty peeps! With a little patience and just a few materials you can create your very own washi tape!
How-to: DIY Washi Tape from Reclaimed Paper Read More 👉
There are a ton of crafty uses for mint, ways to add it into your bath and beauty routine, and medicinal aspects to it, so much that once the cupboard and freezer are full, you still have plenty to do with all that hardy mint growing in your garden all summer.
Crafty Uses for the Mint from Your Garden Read More 👉
Read on to learn how to make as much of your own mint extract as you could ever want with our nearly effortless method!
How to Make Homemade Mint Extract Read More 👉
Graduation time is here! Cards are so expensive to buy and are such a waste because most people throw them away. Instead, make your own from materials you already have!
How-to: Handmade Graduation Card Read More 👉
Have you been looking at your wardrobe and thinking, “I have nothing to wear for summer!” After reading Julie’s post about how to upcycle a t-shirt into a tank-top, I was inspired to find more refashioning ideas. Instead of buying new clothes and shoes, upcycle some of your old ones! Here are 5 amazing tutorials to get you started.
A couple days’ worth of newspapers (stored somewhere sanitary) is plenty to make enough paper popcorn cones for everybody at your party, and if you’re feeling especially mitchy-matchy, the finished cones are easy to dye in your preferred colors.
How-to: Make Upcycled Newspaper Popcorn Holders Read More 👉
An upcycled tank top is a quick and easy sewing project to make from any old T-shirt.
How-to: An Upcycled T-Shirt Tank Top Tutorial Read More 👉
Let’s face it, Mother’s Day is two days away and even though I’ve warned you, you still haven’t made anything for your mom. Well, no fear my friends, I’ve put together a list of fabulous eco-friendly and last minute gifts for Mother’s Day!
First and foremost, it is important to avoid using plastic water bottles if at all possible. You can recycle them, but as Becky wrote in the Ten Projects for Plastic Bottles post, all of that recycling requires energy and not all bottles can be recycled. In that same post, Becky shared the idea of using a plastic bottle as a votive holder. I had a plastic bottle after hiking this week and decided to make my own version of a water bottle candle holder!
How To: Water Bottle Candle Holder Read More 👉
If you’ve every cooked with turmeric, you know that it stains fabric like gangbusters. Heck, it even stains your hands, if you handle it too much. The property that calls for caution in the kitchen is your ally if you’re looking to dye fabric a cheery shade of yellow! Here’s how to make a batch of fabric dye from turmeric, water, and just one other ingredient that’s most likely already in your kitchen!
How-to: Make Natural Fabric Dye from Turmeric Read More 👉
Natural materials make fabulous art supplies. Even when it’s raining outside, you can make good use of the weather by creating a watercolor painting project in which the rain is the most important ingredient.
How-to: Make a Rainwater Watercolor Painting Read More 👉
When thinking about more Mother’s Day ideas, I thought about how my mom prefers to receive a plant rather than flowers. Then, I remembered that Becky shared 5 awesome ideas for DIY plant markers last week. I’ve seen little plant markers before at hospitals where they say “It’s a boy” or “Get well soon,” so I decided to make a plant “flag” that says, “Happy Mother’s Day!”
How To: Mother’s Day Plant “Flag” Read More 👉
Although making your own Waldorf doll is a complicated and time-consuming craft, it is not especially difficult, especially with all the generous tutorials and thoughtful patterns available to walk you through the process. Here are all the resources that I’ve been using as I create Waldorf dolls for my own children.
Making Your Own Waldorf Dolls: Tips and Tutorials Read More 👉
Even if you regularly sew lovely dresses, it can be easy to forget that you must also often sew the correct foundation garments for those dresses. Here’s how to sew a full petticoat using parts from an upcycled formal gown.
How-to: Sew an Upcycled Petticoat from a Recycled Prom Dress Read More 👉
Make Mother’s Day even more special by making your mom a recycled paper brooch!
How To: Recycled Paper Mother’s Day Brooch Read More 👉
Using the PotMaker, you can make plant pots from recycled newspaper with just a little folding and a few twists of the wrist. Is that any better than using the origami method to make newspaper pots?
Review: The PotMaker Makes Plant Pots from Recycled Newspaper Read More 👉
Instead of throwing away those ugly free magnets you receive from companies, transform them with paint chips!
How To: Paint Chip Magnets Read More 👉
Did you know that Earth Day is this Sunday, April 22? Well, it is! I think it’s important to inform children why it’s so important to take care of the Earth– they are the future generation and if we don’t teach them, who will? Here are some fun projects to do together on Earth Day to give you an opportunity to talk with your children about how to be even more green!
I made myself an entire stash of re-usable steam mop pads. I recycled old towels for the project, creating mop pads that are easy to wash and sanitize, quick to sew, and offer customizable thicknesses, so that I can blast my stone-tiled kitchen floor but not trash the wax on my wood living room floor.
How-to: Sew Your Own Steam Mop Pads Read More 👉
The problem with many store-bought notebooks is that they’re often made from virgin paper, which means you’re cutting down new trees for that grocery list or to write down your latest craft project inspiration. Store bought notebooks also just plain lack character, don’t they? Instead of hitting the big box store, why not whip up your very own notebook from recycled materials? Here are a few projects to get you started!
5 DIY Recycled Notebooks Read More 👉
An old or thrifted picture frame + cork board + cute button thumb tacks = an adorable picture frame memo board!
How To: Picture Frame Memo Board Read More 👉
Now that Easter is over and your children have eaten all of the candy in sight, what do you do with all of those plastic Easter eggs? Of course, one option is to store them in a safe place until next year (that way you don’t have to continue to buy the eggs). If you want to get crafty, though, try out these awesome recycled Easter egg projects!
5 Projects To Recycle Plastic Easter Eggs! Read More 👉
If you can’t stop the flow of junk mail, at least you can craft with it! Collect yourself some security envelopes, and you can make a sweet, miniature notepad to jot down ideas, phone numbers, and anything else that strikes you while you’re on the go.
How to Make a Notepad out of Junk Mail Read More 👉
At my house we have a missing sponge issue– you know, when the sponge gets lost among the huge pile of dishes. My roommate and I went to the store hoping to find a solution, but all we found were overpriced sponge holders. I realize $10-$20 is not a lot for some people, but when you’re on a tight budget, it’s too much for a silly sponge holder!
I decided I would make our own holder. I had an empty shampoo bottle, so I went on Pinterest for some inspiration. When I found Make It and Love It’s Holder for Charging a Cell Phone that was made from a lotion bottle, I thought, “I could hang my sponge from the faucet of the sink!” Here’s how you can make your own.
How To: Sponge Holder from a Shampoo Bottle Read More 👉
The thing about dog treats is…well…they are gross. Like, super gross. My husband and I quickly got sick of our pockets smelling like dog treats, so I whipped us up a couple of simple drawstring bags to hold them instead. Dave somehow lost his bag, though, and when I was getting ready to make a replacement, he asked for one that would hook onto his belt loop. I have to say, that was a brilliant idea!
How-to: Dog Treat Bag from Fabric Scraps Read More 👉
We love glass jars around here! They’re durable (unless you drop them), versatile, and with a little bit of love, you can turn them into all sorts of fun things.
10 Crafty Ways to Reuse Glass Jars and Bottles Read More 👉
I love having fresh flowers around the house to bring color and life to a room. This week I decided to create a vase out of recycled materials to hold all of those gorgeous flowers! With a medicine bottle and toilet paper rolls, I created a beautiful vase to bring the outside, in!
How-To: Medicine Bottle Vase Read More 👉
All of this beauty inspires me to create my own slice of spring in my yard. This week I found 5 upcycled and unique projects garden ideas for spring to get us started!
Garden Ideas for Spring: 5 Upcycled Spring Garden Projects Read More 👉
Is that perfect glass jar a little bit stinky from whatever it used to hold? Are you having trouble getting the label off? Don’t despair! We’ve got you covered.
How-to: Prep Reclaimed Glass Jars for Crafting Read More 👉
