While visiting family this week, I noticed my mom received a stack of Christmas cards from family and friends. She had a genius idea that I just had to share! Several of the cards had beautiful graphics that weren’t too “Christmasy” and were worth saving, so she decided to frame them!
Recycling Christmas Cards: Framed Art Read More 👉
I saw this fantastic pin on Pinterest on how to make a bucket list board. The idea is to write your bucket list items and hang them up on the board. Once you’ve completed an item, you put it in the bucket. It’s a great way to visualize items you would like to complete. I decided to create a New Years goal board so that I can visualize and remember all of my goals for the New Year!
New Years Goal Board Read More 👉
Need some ideas for how to reuse old jeans in your closet? We have you covered!
Want to snazz up your pine cones, AND keep them forever?
Here are three different easy methods for making your own dipped pine cones – they’re gorgeous, they may even match your wall colors, and you can keep them just about indefinitely. Even better? Pine cones are free! Just head out to your back yard or to the park with the kids and a basket and collect those natural craft supplies to your hearts’ content!
Decorative Dipped Pinecones: Three Methods Read More 👉
Store-bought wrapping paper offends me for a lot of reasons–the wasted money, the wasted resources, the energy misspent on buying ephemeral window dressing instead of focusing on family time.
And yet brown paper bags and sheets of newspaper, the go-to gift wrap for the thrifty and eco-minded, aren’t so much…well…cute.
To solve the cuteness dilemma, I spent a lot of effort decorating my first several packages with various upcycled materials and stash components. And then…
…I did something different.
Yes, I DID Wrap All of My Christmas Presents in Newspaper and Brown Paper Bags Read More 👉
Is holiday stress getting you down? Indulge in a little self care and whip up some soothing bath salts to relax your muscles and help quiet your mind.
Treat Yourself: DIY Scented Bath Salts to Bust Your Stress Read More 👉
Isn’t it hard to part with the beautiful Christmas cards that you receive from family and friends? Last year I made a New Years banner from Christmas cards and Becky has shared Seven Ways to Recycle Greeting Cards, but here are 5 more ways you can recycle all of those gorgeous cards!
Although I’m not a drinker, I was given a huge bag of wine corks to craft with! I was inspired by Sustainablog’s 8+ Ways to Upcycle Wine Corks Creatively post and decided to transform my wine corks into wall art. This project would be perfect for a wine lover’s Christmas gift– plus, it’s super easy to make!
Wine Corks to Wall Art Read More 👉
Uh oh! Did you realize that there are some folks that slipped through the cracks on your Christmas list? Don’t despair! We’ve got some simple handmade last-minute gift ideas that you can whip up for anyone on your list.
Worried that in twenty years you’ll have trouble remembering what it was that your little kid wanted more than anything else for Christmas this year?
Record their wish lists for posterity with an ornament!
Cinnamon dough is as easy to make (and as fun play with!) as play dough, and the ornaments that you can make with cinnamon dough are both sturdy and sweet-smelling.
How-to: Cinnamon Dough Ornaments that Smell Delicious and Last Forever Read More 👉
When you picture Mount Everest, you probably imagine a pristine, snow-covered peak, a lonely climber making his way to the very top, and maybe a small campfire or campsite where weary hikers take a break from the trail for the night. What you probably don’t picture is tons – literal tons – of litter.
Nepali Artists Turn Mt. Everest Trash into Art Read More 👉
This week I searched Pinterest to find a cute way to give small gifts this Christmas. I saw several projects of the traditional laced mittens and laced stockings, and thought it would be great for small items! I simply added an eco-friendly twist by using book pages. If you want to impress your co-workers with a cute gift, or dress up that gift card for a friend, this is the perfect project for you!
Recycled “Mitten” Gift Holder Read More 👉
If you follow us on Pinterest, you probably saw this idea from Alisa Burke that Becky pinned to our board. I’ve also seen these beautiful pieces of art from Creative Genius Art, too. I fell in love with the idea, so I decided to make my own version for Christmas gifts!
A Quick and Eco-Friendly Christmas Gift! Read More 👉
Got a foodie friend on your shopping list? Give the gift of homemade granola!g
My kids LOVE to make ice cream in their Play and Freeze Ice Cream Maker. But is it worth the fuss?
Depends.
Review: DIY Ice Cream with the Play and Freeze Ice Cream Maker Read More 👉
Here’s how to turn yesterday’s newspaper into a temporary toy that your kids will love using to increase their spatial reasoning abilities.
How-to: Build Newspaper Structures with Your Kids–It’s a Toy that You Can Recycle! Read More 👉
A friend of mine in Hawaii sent me a photo of these DIY beer can “ornaments,” and they were too hilarious not to share with you guys! Obviously, these are meant to be a joke decoration, but there are lots of fun ornaments that you actually can make from empty soda cans. Check out our 10 ideas.
Spotted: Beer Can “Ornaments” in Hawaii (+ 10 soda can ornament ideas!) Read More 👉
Seriously, you guys have incredible eco-friendly craft ideas every month! Here are my 5 favorite projects from November’s Green Crafts Showcase:
Top 5 Projects from the November Green Crafts Showcase Read More 👉
I really miss all of the homemade ornaments that I would put on our Christmas tree when I was growing up. I loved the stories they brought each year as we put them on the tree. In order to start my own “stories,” I’ve been trying to make my own Christmas ornaments. Last year I made these fabulous recycled magazine ornaments and this year I was inspired by Craftapalooza’s button wreath!
Button Wreath Ornament Read More 👉
There’s something so sweet about little origami puffy hearts!
If you’re fond of making rolled beeswax candles (it’s an easy, fun, kid-friendly craft, and beeswax candles are much healthier than store-bought, petroleum-based candles), then you’ve had to answer the following question:
Where on earth do you BUY those honeycomb beeswax sheets?!?
Honeycomb beeswax sheets are rarely found at local, indie crafts stores (although you can request that they be stocked), rarely found at big-box crafts stores, rarely found at the honey farm booth at your neighborhood farmer’s marker.
I buy my honeycomb beeswax sheets online from Knorr Beeswax, and here’s what I think of them.
Review: Rolled Beeswax Honeycomb Sheets from Knorr Beeswax Read More 👉
A roller shade is easy to repair. Replacing the torn section with fabric won’t hinder the shade’s performance, and considering how roller shades are about the cheapest and most crappy-looking window covering available, anyway, the repair will actually vastly improve the overall look of the entire window treatment.
Here’s how to repair a torn roller shade with fabric that you already own, making it look even better than it did when you first bought it.
How-to: Repair a Roller Shade with Fabric Read More 👉
We love recycled felt around here! It comes in a rainbow of colors, diverts plastic waste from the landfill, and is just a joy to cut, glue, and sew. Do you need some craft ideas for your stash of recycled felt? We’ve got you covered with these 10 projects!
Got someone on your list who has sort of a black thumb? Gift them with a plush cactus that is impossible to kill!
Handamde Holidays: Plush Cactus from Recycled Felt Read More 👉
Eco-friendly containers, made either from natural or recycled materials, make great indoor planters. They’re cheap, they’re customizable for whatever spot you want to put them in, and in May, when I’m raring to get back into my outdoor gardens, they can go right back into the recycling or compost bins.
Read on for ideas to create your own eco-friendly indoor planters.
Wool sweaters, cotton sweaters, and even acrylic sweaters–there’s a place for all of these in a crafty Christmas!
Happy belated Thanksgiving, crafty guys and gals! Now that you’ve stuffed yourselves on potatoes and pie, we wanted to quickly remind you that there’s still time to enter this month’s Green Crafts Showcase!
Reminder: Don’t Forget to Enter the Showcase! Read More 👉
I’ve been saving (or hoarding) several glass bottles for craft projects. This week, I looked at the bottles and admired their shape– their round middle reminded me of Santa Claus! I decided to transform one into a “subtle Santa” for decoration. Here’s how you can make your own!
Glass Bottle Santa Claus! Read More 👉
I have an over abundance of mason jars, so I’m always looking for different ways to repurpose them. From canning to crafts, they have so many uses. Here’s just one of the many ideas I came up with for this season– a snowman mason jar!
Food gifts are such a great way to go handmade and please almost anyone on your list. This chai recipe makes enough mix for four of the folks on your gift list!
DIY Chai Recipe for your Handmade Holiday Read More 👉
Happy Wednesday, and a big thanks to everyone who entered our Green Kid Crafts giveaway. Green Kid Crafts is a monthly subscription service. When you sign up, they deliver a box of eco-friendly, kid-friendly craft projects to your door each month.
We used a random number generator to choose a winner this morning, and it chose…..
Green Kid Crafts Winner! Read More 👉
You lucky ducks who’ve had feet upon feet of snow already probably don’t care, but I’ve been desperately staving off the whining for snow in my house with tons of snowflake crafts. If you, too, feel the need to get your DIY snowflake craft on, here are several crafty tutorials to get you started.
And, because a snowflake that harms the environment is a pretty darned poor snowflake, all of the crafty snowflakes below are made from primarily eco-friendly ingredients.
Snow that Won’t Melt: DIY Snowflakes Crafted from Eco-Friendly Materials Read More 👉
You want to make a Christmas tree ornament out of natural materials? Check out my epic round-up below–from pine cones to beeswax, popcorn to acorns, if it’s been hung on a Christmas tree, then it’s here!
Christmas Tree Ornaments Crafted from Natural Materials: The Epic Round-up Read More 👉
Somewhere in the last few weeks, my baby bump popped right out, and suddenly none of my bottoms fit anymore! Getting dressed was starting to be a challenge, so I whipped up a maternity skirt to flesh out my wardrobe a little bit. That project went swimmingly, but one skirt does not a new wardrobe make. Instead of making another skirt from scratch, I decided to turn a pair of old denim shorts into a maternity skirt.
Tutorial Mashup: Turn a pair of shorts into a maternity skirt Read More 👉
Don’t you just love when the wrapping is just as cute as the gift your giving? An Altoids tin is the perfect way to give your small gifts this year like jewelry or gift cards!
