You could head to the big box store for your planter-y needs, but why buy something produced in a factory and shipped thousands of miles when you can whip up cute, DIY planters from reclaimed materials instead? Here are some ideas to get you going!
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 👉
As simplicity goes, this tin can planter is really as easy as it gets! If you’re not into planting succulents, you can also use other small space plants like herbs or flowers. You could even cluster together a bunch of tin can pots with herbs in them to create a miniature indoor herb garden! Who says you need a back yard to grow your own food?
How-to: Tin Can Planter 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 👉
Sara Lee Parker Textiles is an Athens, GA-based company that creates hand screen-printed organic textiles.
She was also featured in the Georgia edition of Southern Living Magazine this June, so if you live in Georgia, check it out! Parker runs her textile company with her husband, and she was kind enough to do a little Q&A with us about what she does, why she does it, and what working so closely with your husband is like.
Fab Fabrics: Hemp/Organic Cotton Prints from Sara Lee Parker Textiles 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!
Each month, we Crafting a Green World hosts the Green Crafts Showcase, where you guys can submit your eco-friendly craft projects! At the end of the month, we choose our faves and share them right here. Here’s how to enter!
Reminder: Enter the Green Crafts Showcase Read More 👉
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 👉
The Lil Blue Boo Recycled T-Shirt Sienna Dress is written to be used with upcycled T-shirts, and because of this, it has some real advantages over conventional sewing patterns.
Review: The Lil Blue Boo Recycled T-Shirt Sienna Dress Pattern Read More 👉
If you had told me that I’d be talking passionately about the 2012 Farm Bill on a crafting website, I would have never believed it, but a recent proposed amendment to the monster bill could have a big impact for green crafters by making it legal to grow hemp in the U.S. But will it pass?
Could the Farm Bill Legalize Growing Hemp in the U.S.? 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!
Father’s Day is just around the corner. Now that you’ve found that perfect gift for dad, let’s wrap it up! I love upcycling newspaper and brown bags for gift wraps because they’re so readily available around the house. For this Father’s Day, instead of putting a bow on your upcycled gift wrap, let’s spice it up for dad with things he loves.
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 👉
I talked on Wednesday about more of the trouble with conventional cotton, but don’t fret, my fellow seamsters! There are plenty of organic cotton resources out there to help you sew cute without any green guilt.
Clean Cotton: 16 Organic Cotton Resources 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.
We’ve talked about the dirty side of cotton here before. Conventional cotton is an issue that’s really close to my heart, so when I read the latest battle between big ag and Indian farmers, I thought I’d share it here.
Dirty Cotton: Indian Cotton Farmers Devastated Read More 👉
You CAN recycle most of a Crayola marker. It’s messy work, and it’s time-consuming, but it’s also a great lesson for kids (and for us!) about the obligations of responsible consumerism.
How-to: Recycle Crayola Markers Read More 👉
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 👉
Need some crafty washi tape inspiration? We’ve got you covered!
5 Washi Tape Craft Projects 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 👉
Fellow Atlantans, are you ready? The Indie Craft Experience is this very weekend!
This Weekend: Atlanta’s Indie Craft Experience 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 👉
