How-to: Pretty Packaged Mason Jars for Gift Giving

If you give a lot of homemade gifts, you’re probably well aware of the versatility of the Mason jar. Perfect for everything from spice mixes to cranberry granola, party mix to cake in a jar, Mason jars get passed around between me and my crafty friends and family like the holiday version of hot potato.

The only thing about Mason jars is that..well…they look all the same. Sure, they’re lovely enough, but so uniform! Fortunately, with a little fabric, some thread, and a bit of upcycled cardboard, you can package your Mason jar gifts for the holidays, personalizing them by gift or recipient or just making them look nicely festive.

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How-to: Painted Popcorn Garland

Popcorn garlands are a kid-friendly, easy, and fun holiday craft that the whole family can make together. Edible, natural popcorn is a great environmental choice, especially since you can simply take it outside to compost or leave for the birds and squirrels to enjoy after the holiday, and if you’re looking for a food craft to do, then popcorn is also a great choice for everyone’s tummies, since you won’t have to worry about all that candy, meant for gingerbread houses or sugar cookies, that somehow ends up in your mouth!

Of course, since I’m from the South, a plain white popcorn garland isn’t nearly gaudy enough for me, so read on and I’ll show you not only how to easily make a great popcorn garland, but also how to easily paint it to match (or NOT match!) your holiday decor.

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5 Ways to Upcycle Cookie Tins

I always love getting cookies or homemade candy in a cute Christmas cookie tin! After all the goodies are gone, though, what should you do with the cookie tin? Save your cookie tins and give them a new purpose this season! Here are 5 awesome tutorials that will show you how to revamp your cookie tins.

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diy paper christmas bulbs

How To: Toilet Paper Roll “Christmas Lights”

Christmas decorations can be very wasteful, so why not recycle items you already have around your home? I mentioned in my How To: Transform Christmas “Candles” post that I am addicted to using toilet paper rolls in craft projects. Well, my love for them has not changed– especially after this project! I decided to take my love for toilet paper rolls and combine it with my love for Christmas decorations. It made a beautiful combination–toilet paper “Christmas Lights.”

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Talking Waste, Consumerism, and Reuse with Reuse First

As always, I couldn’t resist scouring this year’s Indie Craft Experience for new green crafters on the scene, and the folks at Reuse First really stood out to me. Jeremiah and Michelle’s mix of sweet and cheeky paper goods totally caught my eye, and they were kind enough to answer some questions about what they do and why they do it! Their insights into waste, reuse, and consumerism are really refreshing.

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5 Christmas Tree Projects From Recycled Materials

As you could tell from my How To: Make a Mini Christmas Tree post, I love making little Christmas trees to decorate around the house. The bad thing about other DIY mini Christmas tree projects is that they aren’t necessarily eco-friendly! However, I found five incredible eco-friendly projects that would be perfect around the house, on the Christmas dinner table, or even to give as a gift at a holiday party! Take a peek at these awesome tutorials and be inspired!

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Buy Handmade: 5 Eco-Friendly Giftwrap Options

With the craziness of the season, though, sometimes we don’t have time to create our own gift wrap, or, we just don’t have the materials on hand. So, with all of the terrible excuses aside, I wanted to provide you all with another option– buying eco-friendly gift wrap. Buying these items allows you to support eco-friendly shops from Etsy instead of buying far-from-eco-friendly products at the big box stores. The following are five gift wrapping ideas that are beautiful for under your tree and the environment.

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How To: Laundry Cup Wall Art

An amazing reader asked if we had any ideas for the cups/lids that come with laundry detergent. This question got my crafting wheels turning! With laundry cups/lids, magazines and magazine ads left over from the Black Friday madness, I made some cool wall art! This project is the perfect way to save those pointless and wasteful magazines and turn them into something worth looking at!

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Five Upcycled Crayon Crafts

Ah, crayons…such versatile, waxy, brightly pigmented goodness! My little girls have a couple of nice boxes of unbroken, new-ish crayons reserved for schoolwork and special art projects, and a giant bin of broken, half-wrapped, stubby, old crayons, gathered here and there and everywhere, that we use for everything else.

Old crayons may seem like a nuisance to have underfoot, but they are incredible art supplies, and you can make some surprisingly sophisticated creations with them. Here are five projects, from canvas art to kid crafts, to get you started

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Buy Handmade: Journals from Recycled Materials

At the most random moments you can find me writing in a journal. I carry one with me wherever I go (most of the time it stays tucked in my purse). Why? Well, I never know when I’m going to be inspired. As a writer, and as a crafter, ideas pop in my head constantly. There are too many times where I’ve thought, “Oh, I need to remember that idea!” but then I quickly forget it. The solution– an awesome journal!

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How-to: DIY Mosaics–No Kits, Just Concrete!

You know those adorable concrete mosaic kits that they sell in all the big-box craft stores, the ones with all the stuff that you need to make one concrete mosaic, handprint optional, to put in your garden path in the spring? The ones that look really fun to make, and you’re pretty sure that the grandparents would just adore one made by your kids?

Yeah, you can make dozens and dozens of your own concrete mosaics for the same price as one of those mosaic kits, and even more cheaply, if you use found and natural objects for the mosaic tiles, and recycle plastic packaging for the concrete molds.

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How-to: Newspaper Art

I have a habit of hoarding things like shoe boxes, newspapers, scrap paper, etc., because I know they can be recycled into a project. An incredible blog called Spunky Junk shared this project on how to use shoe box lids as wall art. Shoe box lids are less expensive than canvas and it’s a great way to recycle! So, I took my shoe box lid, newspaper, and scrap paper and combined it into my own personal wall art!

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Best of Crafting Green

How-to: Transform Classic Christmas “Candles”

I always thought these faux Christmas “candles” were somewhat creepy—especially the ones with red bulbs. Even so, they are definitely a symbol of Christmas! I wanted to make a cover for the candles to make them pretty, but still keep them festive. Something you all should know about me is that I am slightly addicted to using toilet paper rolls in my craft projects. Naturally, I used them in this project as well!

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How-to: Infinity Scarf from a Shrunken Sweater

D’oh! It seems that I sent one of my sweaters through the dryer, and it shrunk beyond the point where I can salvage it. Technically, what’s happened here is that I accidentally felted my sweater. Yep! Felting a wool sweater is so easy that you can do it without even meaning to. My closet’s loss is my accessory stash’s gain, though, because I turned that shrunken sweater into a super cozy infinity scarf.

Do you have a shrunken sweater that needs a little love? Here’s how you can make your very own infinity scarf.

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How To: Make an Upcycled Faux Headboard

Headboards make such a lovely focal point for the bedroom, but they’re often pretty pricey. Even mass-produced headboards from the big box store can get expensive, and those don’t have the best environmental footprint, either. Luckily, with some fabric from your scrap bin, some recycled felt, and our handy templates, you can whip up your very own upcycled faux headboard!

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