Here are the top 5 projects from the October Green Crafts Showcase! As I always say, please visit each site and shower them with sweet comments! It’s always great to receive encouraging comments on our projects, right?
Top 5 Projects from the October Green Crafts Showcase Read More 👉
As promised in last week’s Recycle a Popcorn Tin into a Trash Can post, here is what I did with the lid of the popcorn tin!
Recycle a Popcorn Tin Lid: Magnetic Memo Board Read More 👉
Got a stash of plastic bags that you can’t bear to toss? Try some of these plastic grocery bag crafts to give them a new life instead!
It’s not too late! Get inspired by one of the projects below, then pick up your carving knife (or hammer and nails, OR solar light and glass jar) and whip out the Jack-o-lantern of your dreams before Halloween night!
6 Last-Minute Jack-o-Lanterns to Make in Time for Halloween Read More 👉
It turns out that vegan sugar skulls are even easier to make than the conventional kind, since you can use the cornstarch from your cupboard instead of searching for that hard-to-find meringue powder.
Exactly HOW easy are they? If I can make these perfect sugar skulls for my kiddos to decorate on my very first attempt, then so can you!
Project Show-and-Tell: Vegan Sugar Skulls for el Dia de los Muertos Read More 👉
I am super passionate about reusing because I love taking one person’s “trash” and turning it into treasure! So many people take the easy way out and go to big box stores on items they could easily find at garage sales and thrift stores. Buying second hand reduces landfill waste and helps you skip the impact of buying new! To help inform and inspire you, I put together the top 5 items that I look for when I go to garage sales and thrift stores
Reusing is Green: Finding Second Hand Craft Supplies Read More 👉
Halloween is this coming Wednesday, so if you’re going to get some last-minute Halloween festivities going, this weekend is the time to get crafty! Need a little last-minute Halloween crafty inspiration? Here are some DIY costume and decoration ideas, including lots of things that you can whip up in a flash!
Need last-minute Halloween ideas? We can help! Read More 👉
Do you have an old popcorn tin on hand? I found one at a garage sale and decided to give it a makeover! Now it’s a fashionable trash can for my bedroom!
Recycle a Popcorn Tin into a Trash Can! Read More 👉
My husband and I are expecting our very first child, so I have baby crafts on the brain! I’ve got a couple of new mommas in my life right now, and it’s been educational hanging with them and seeing what toys their kiddos like. One toy I’d never seen but is apparently great for babies is a crinkle toy. Sure, you can buy a crinkle from the store, but with a few things from your stash, this is an easy DIY toy to whip up at home!
One fallen tree branch, one handsaw, and a couple of easy cuts are all you need to make a ton of natural craft projects.
Wood slices are hard to mess up, and they’re a very versatile craft supply. Add some paint, some wood polish, maybe a drill, and you can make for yourself any of the eleven cut tree branch craft projects listed here.
Cut a Fallen Tree Branch and Make Something: 11 Nature Crafts from Upcycled Wood Slices Read More 👉
Want to bring more nature into your art?
Crayon, colored pencil, and marker holders are easy to make from reclaimed fallen branches. They organize your art supplies, make them visible while you work, and, if you’re creating with kids, display a manageable (and easy to clean up!) number of utensils that the kiddos can access independently. Here’s how to make one for yourself.
Calling all green crafters! Have you been wanting to enter our monthly Green Crafts Showcase and haven’t gotten around to it yet? This is your friendly reminder to enter today!
Don’t Forget to Enter this Month’s Green Crafts Showcase! Read More 👉
Remember my embroidery hoop pumpkins? Well, they inspired me to make more embroidery hoop decorations for Halloween! Here’s how you can make your own embroidery hoop spider web:
Embroidery Hoop Spider Web! Read More 👉
Fall is here and the cooler weather has arrived! My favorite accessory for cool weather is a scarf. After finding tons of tutorials for scarves, I decided to put together 5 of my favorite DIY scarves!
5 DIY Scarves for Fall Read More 👉
Got some old books that need a little love? Check out 10 creative ways to upcycle old books into something new!
See how proud that kiddo looks? She and I made that witch’s hat, the exactly perfect Halloween costume accessory, out of recycled newspaper and cardboard (and a lot of tape!). Considering that everything except for the tape and paint came from our recycling bin, and that this is EXACTLY the tall, polka-dotted hat that she had wanted, I’m declaring it a Halloween win.
Now that the weather’s cooling off, you’re probably sorting through your dresser and closet, pulling out your cold-weather clothes, and stashing your lighter stuff away until spring. As you sort through, you’re bound to find a couple of old t-shirts that are past their prime. Maybe the pits are stained beyond saving or you’re just tired of wearing that particular tee. Those well-loved t-shirts are perfect for all kinds of fun t-shirt crafts!
10 Upcycled T-Shirt Crafts Read More 👉
There are plenty of luminary jar tutorials out there, but many of them use new materials rather than recycling what you already have on hand. You can make your own pumpkin luminary jars for Halloween using recycled jars and book pages! They are so simple, yet insanely adorable!
Pumpkin Luminary Jar! Read More 👉
Instead of buying a generic plastic bucket for your child’s Halloween candy, why not create your own? Not only is making your own a fun experience, but it’s way more eco-friendly!
Recycled Trick-or-Treat Bucket Read More 👉
Fancy up a thrift store t-shirt with an oversized bow!
One of the things I love about thrifting is not just finding that cool vintage dress but when I run across something that’s screaming to be something else. It only took about an hour and change to add this bow detail to my thrifted tee, and I love how it turned out! Here’s how you can make your own.
How-to: Add a bow collar to a plain t-shirt Read More 👉
With the right bit, you can use a Dremel to drill through just about any material, natural or recycled, that you can think of. From bottle caps to rocks, here are my tips on the best bits and the proper technique to make your work perfect and keep your fingers safe.
Like the look (and smell!) of those cute hanging car air fresheners? You can make your own all-natural car air freshener, one that has no toxic ingredients, that can be any shape and color that you want, and that emits your absolute favorite scent for your driving pleasure.
How to Make a Car Air Freshener from Felt and Essential Oils Read More 👉
Check out how I repaired my old mannequin to give it a brand new life with just a few simple supplies!
Are you ready to see the features from the September Green Crafts Showcase? I know they will inspire you just like they inspired me!
Top 5 Projects from the September Green Crafts Showcase Read More 👉
A few days ago I came across these precious pumpkin rings from Wild Olive. The concept inspired me– the ring she created reminded me of a napkin ring holder! If you’re hosting a Halloween dinner party, or even Thanksgiving dinner, give your event a special touch with your own pumpkin napkin ring holders!
Pumpkin Napkin Ring Holder Read More 👉
What do you need to reuse?If you’re a regular visitor here, chances are you’ve checked out our resource page with ideas on how to reuse certain items that would otherwise be headed to the recycle bin or the landfill. We started that resources page to help you guys quickly find what you need, but I have to confess that I have done a terrible job maintaining it. I’m planning to go through and see what seems to be missing, but I’d also like to know what you would like to see on that page!
What do You Need to Reuse or Upcycle? Read More 👉
Kid going on a field trip? Generally gotta have a name tag.
Instead of buying disposable name tags, my kiddos and I make reusable name tags. These name tags can be made almost entirely by a kid with just a little adult help, and can be used until any of the information changes–if a kid made one of these in kindergarten, and used it until she headed off for middle school, that’s probably worth an entire package of disposable name tag stickers right there, and if the whole class did it, that’s a good effort towards helping a school go green.
How-to: Make a Reusable (Not Disposable!) Kid’s Name Tag for School Field Trips Read More 👉
Want a re-usable cloth bag that’s branded with what YOU like, sized and shaped like a conventional plastic bag but stretchy, so that you can fill it even fuller?
Okay, and do you want to make it WITHOUT sewing?
You won’t have to sew a stitch to make these grocery bags out of your favorite old T-shirts.
How-to: No-Sew Upcycled T-Shirt Grocery Bag (with Beads and Bells and Fringe!) Read More 👉
We’re super-excited to share this reclaimed cardboard box project from Monica T. Blas! Her play city is so cute and looks like a lot of fun. Monica has a new ebook of upcycled crafts that’s coming out soon, and you can check out deets on that below!
Create a Play City from Upcycled Boxes Read More 👉
Can you believe that next Monday is October 1st? In preparation, I was browsing Pinterest for unique pumpkin ideas. I came across this awesome tutorial from Two Paper Divas and knew I had to try it! Instead of using scrapbook paper, though, I decided to make this project even more eco-friendly by using book pages!
Recycled Paper Pumpkins! Read More 👉
Remember my first Music Wall Art idea? Well, here’s part 2! My roommates and I had a large blank space over our couch that was driving me insane! I didn’t want to buy any artwork from a big box store, so I decided to create my own. I’ve seen several projects on Pinterest that have lyrical artwork and they inspired me to make my own “It is Well” wall art. You can adapt this with your own favorite quote or lyric too! Here’s how to do it!
Music Wall Art, Part 2 Read More 👉
We have lots of projects for crafting with soda cans, but what about those humble little tabs? If you’ve been saving your tabs for the right project, this upcycled soda tab bracelet might just be the one!
How-to: Make a Soda Tab Bracelet Read More 👉
Need a gift bag, or a box of exactly a certain size?
Check out my personal collection of my favorite templates and patterns for DIY bags and boxes of all shapes and sizes, along with my suggestions for what recycled or scrap materials would be best to make each from.
Bags and Boxes that You Can Build out of Recycled Materials Read More 👉
Q. Do you need another reason to drink beer?
A. Bottle cap magnets recycle beer bottle caps.
You’re welcome.
While you can make bottle cap magnets with a strong, clear crafter’s glue, I prefer the clear, hard gloss that you get from epoxy. Epoxy is simpler to use than you think, though, and the easy-mix, low-scent epoxy that I use is simple enough that my eight-year-old can use it.
How-to: Upcycled Bottle Cap Magnets Made with Epoxy Read More 👉
Don’t you just love crafting with old maps? They add a beautiful sense of place and nostalgia to paper craft projects! Got some old maps handy but not sure what to do with them? We’ve got you covered with a few fun map craft projects!
