How-to: An Upcycled T-Shirt Tank Top Tutorial
An upcycled tank top is a quick and easy sewing project to make from any old T-shirt.
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Reader Question: Vegan Wood Waxes?
One of my personal missions as a crafts writer is to make vegan crafting and green crafting accessible to everyone. A big part of doing that is helping folks find cruelty-free, eco-conscious alternatives to animal products. Sometimes, though, I get a question that totally stumps me, and when that happens I feel very lucky to have an awesome community of eco-crafters to turn to!
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10 Last Minute Gift Ideas for Mother’s Day
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!
How To: Water Bottle Candle Holder
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!
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How-to: Make Natural Fabric Dye from Turmeric
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!
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7 Art Supplies Made Directly from Nature
You don’t have to be satisfied with art supplies that are simply “non-toxic.” Art supplies that come directly from nature, with minimal processing, are healthier, more environmentally friendly, and can still be of excellent quality, often allowing you to create effects that it’s difficult to obtain with their artificial counterparts.
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How-to: Make a Rainwater Watercolor Painting
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.
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Applications are Open for BUST’s New Eco/Vegan Craft Market
If you’re into craft shows, chances are you’re familiar with the BUST Craftacular. Well, the ladies at BUST magazine are launching another market: The Bust Vegan Craftacular! The show is on June 16-17th at The Seed–a vegan event in New York City.
Applications are Open for BUST’s New Eco/Vegan Craft Market Read More 👉
Top 10 Projects from the April Green Crafts Showcase!
Wow! You guys absolutely amazed me this month! There were so many great ideas– it was hard to narrow it down to just 10. After a lot of deliberation, here are the top 10 projects from the April Green Crafts Showcase!
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How To: Mother’s Day Plant “Flag”
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!”
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My 10 Favorite Recycled Art Pieces from the First Annual RARE Expo [PHOTOS]
Hi folks…I normally write for Planetsave.com, and occasionally for Ecolocalizer and CleanTechnica. However, following my three day coverage of the first annual Recycling Arts and Resource Expo, this past Earth Day weekend in Bellingham, Washington, Becky Striepe has flattered me with an invite to post here.
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Making Your Own Waldorf Dolls: Tips and Tutorials
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.
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How-to: Sew an Upcycled Petticoat from a Recycled Prom Dress
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.
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5 Simple DIY Plant Markers
Sure, you can buy plant markers at the store, but isn’t it more fun (and more eco-friendly!) to make your own? Here are some DIY plant markers to get you going.
How To: Recycled Paper Mother’s Day Brooch
Make Mother’s Day even more special by making your mom a recycled paper brooch!
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Buy Handmade: Jewelry Ideas for Mother’s Day!
Mother’s day is only a few weeks away on May 13– are you ready for it? To give you plenty of time to plan, I wanted to introduce you to five incredible Etsy shops that you can buy jewelry from for Mother’s Day. Not only are they unique and creative shops, but they use recycled materials when making their products! Oh, and did I mention that all of the items I’m sharing today are under $40? Instead of buying from a big box store this Mother’s Day, consider buying handmade from shops like these!
How-to: DIY Hanging Herb Planter from a Mesh Produce Bag
We shared a post on growing potatoes in a barrel from our pals at Green Upgrader over on our Facebook page not too long ago, and lots of you piped up to tell us about your gardening adventures! I love a good DIY garden hack, too, and since it turns out we have lots of crafty gardenistas out there, I thought I’d share my latest gardening experiment with you.
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Review: The PotMaker Makes Plant Pots from Recycled Newspaper
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?
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5 DIY Pots for Plants and Seedlings Using Natural or Recycled Materials
If you’re a gardener, then chances are you’re probably already pretty crafty. You could buy pots the right size to start any plants or seedlings from any gardening center, but none of them, even the ones made from natural or recycled materials, are as good as simply bypassing the consumer market altogether and making your own DIY pots.
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Reminder: One Week Left to Enter this Month’s Green Crafts Showcase
Can you believe how quickly April is flying by? The deadline to enter this month’s showcase is April 28th, so head on over to the Showcase page to enter today!
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How To: Paint Chip Magnets
Instead of throwing away those ugly free magnets you receive from companies, transform them with paint chips!
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10 Earth Day Ideas for Children!
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!
5 Simple Ways to Green Your Crafty Business
Whether you just made the leap recently into selling your crafts or have been a crafty pro for years, there are lots of easy little ways that you can make sure that your DIY business is as good for the planet as it is for your soul.
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How-to: Sew Your Own Steam Mop Pads
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.
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Announcing the Winners of the Knit Picks Full Circle Yarn Giveaway
Knit Picks is giving away three skeins of Full Circle yarn to TWO lucky winners! Are you one?
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CAGW Writer Quoted in a New Book
Even for the greenest crafter, it’s hard to keep plastic out of our processes, isn’t it? You can do your best to cut back or choose recycled plastic materials, but at the end of the day it’s really tough to create craft projects without using plastic.
That struggle is why I’m super excited about Plastic Free, a new book from Beth Terry of My Plastic Free Life. The book is all about kicking the plastic habit in all aspects of your life, and crafting is no exception. We’re all about finding ways to get plastic out of our lives here at Crafting a Green World, so we’re super proud that one of our former writers–Karen Lee–is quoted in the book.
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5 DIY Recycled Notebooks
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!
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How To: Picture Frame Memo Board
An old or thrifted picture frame + cork board + cute button thumb tacks = an adorable picture frame memo board!
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5 Projects To Recycle Plastic Easter Eggs!
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!
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Giveaway: Win Three Skeins of Knit Picks Full Circle Yarn–There Will be TWO Winners!
Did you read my review of Knit Picks Full Circle yarn yesterday? Do you want to check out some of this 100% reclaimed wool yarn for yourself?
You’re in luck! Knit Picks is giving away three skeins of their Full Circle yarn to two (count them, TWO) lucky winners! Read on to discover all the ways that you can enter this giveaway.
Giveaway: Win Three Skeins of Knit Picks Full Circle Yarn–There Will be TWO Winners! Read More 👉
How to Make a Notepad out of Junk Mail
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.
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Announcement: The Winner of the Earth Paints for Children Set
Did you enter the giveaway for your own set of Earth Paints for Children, an organic, eco–friendly, mineral-based painting kit from Earth Paint?
If you did, then today may be your lucky day! Read on to see who our winner is
Announcement: The Winner of the Earth Paints for Children Set Read More 👉
Review: Knit Picks Full Circle Yarn
I want the yarn that my children craft with to be made of natural fibers, to be easy for fumbling little fingers to work with, and to be comfortable on their delicate skin. I would like their yarn to also be both texturally and visually interesting, to hold their attention while they build their muscle memory and practice their fine motor skills.
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10 DIY Gifts for Dogs: Spoil Your Best Friend
Want to spoil your pup? We’ve got lots DIY gifts for dogs, and they’re all made from recycled materials!
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Top 10 Projects from the March Green Crafts Showcase!
I absolutely loved going through all of the wonderful projects that were linked up to our Green Crafts Showcase this month! Remember, we will be hosting the Green Crafts Showcase every month, so be sure to link up your projects! With all of that said, here are the top 10 projects we’ve chosen for the month of March!
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How To: Sponge Holder from a Shampoo Bottle
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.
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