Author name: Julie Finn

I'm a writer, crafter, Zombie Preparedness Planner, and homeschooling momma of two kids who will hopefully someday transition into using their genius for good, not the evil machinations and mess-making in which they currently indulge. I'm interested in recycling and nature crafts, food security, STEM education, and the DIY lifestyle, however it's manifested--making myself some underwear out of T-shirts? Done it. Teaching myself guitar? Doing it right now. Visit my blog Craft Knife for a peek at our very weird handmade homeschool life, and my etsy shop Pumpkin+Bear for a truly odd number of rainbow-themed beeswax pretties.

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Holiday Crafts

Yes, I DID Wrap All of My Christmas Presents in Newspaper and Brown Paper Bags

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 👉

Review: Rolled Beeswax Honeycomb Sheets from Knorr Beeswax

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 👉

Roller Shade Repaired with Fabric

How-to: Repair a Roller Shade with Fabric

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.

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7 Eco-Friendly Indoor Planters

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.

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Snow that Won’t Melt: DIY Snowflakes Crafted from Eco-Friendly Materials

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 👉

Project Show-and-Tell: Interior Door Decoupaged with Vintage Papers

What do you do with a ratty old interior door, one that sports at least three different layers of peeling paint but that is otherwise a solid ole’ boy, one that you would like to look a lot less crappy but that you do NOT want to spend a weekend taking off its hinges, dragging outside, sanding, repainting, dragging back inside, and screwing back on its hinges?

Slap yet another layer of paint on it, that’s what! Oh, and cover the center panels with a decoupage consisting of vintage wallpaper samples, stash scrapbook paper, and nautical-themed sheet music. Yes, it’s a little more on the “shabby chic” side than I usually walk, but the point is that my solid-yet-ugly bathroom door now looks a whole lot nicer, and instead of a long weekend and some muscle power to make it happen, it only took a couple of hours, some stash supplies, and plenty of Mod Podge.

Project Show-and-Tell: Interior Door Decoupaged with Vintage Papers Read More 👉

DIY Sailors Valentine: A Beach Vacation Souvenir

A sailors valentine is a traditional form of shell craft, and they’re not just for mid-February!

They were most popular back in the 1800s, when they made a pretty darn good souvenir for sailors to bring back to their loved ones from those exotic islands that they voyaged to. Today, they’re mostly the provenance of nautical-themed museums and certain fine artisans…and me!

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15 DIY Building Block Sets to Build or Embellish

Cut a Fallen Tree Branch and Make Something: 11 Nature Crafts from Upcycled Wood Slices

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 👉

Easy DIY Gifts

How-to: DIY Wooden Crayon Holder (or Marker Holder, OR Colored Pencil Holder) from a Fallen Tree Branch

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.

How-to: DIY Wooden Crayon Holder (or Marker Holder, OR Colored Pencil Holder) from a Fallen Tree Branch Read More 👉

30 DIY Halloween Party Ideas

Project Show and Tell: A DIY Child’s Witch Hat Made from Recycled Newspaper and Cardboard

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.

Project Show and Tell: A DIY Child’s Witch Hat Made from Recycled Newspaper and Cardboard Read More 👉

Drill It with a Dremel: How to Drill through Just about Any Natural or Recycled Material Using a High-Speed Rotary Tool

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.

Drill It with a Dremel: How to Drill through Just about Any Natural or Recycled Material Using a High-Speed Rotary Tool Read More 👉

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How-to: Make a Reusable (Not Disposable!) Kid’s Name Tag for School Field Trips

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 👉

DIY Magnets

How-to: Upcycled Bottle Cap Magnets Made with Epoxy

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 👉

Upcycled Marker Crafts

DIY Alcohol Ink Made from Upcycled Markers

Alcohol ink is the perfect pigment for painting on non-porous surfaces like plastic or metal, but it’s also crazy expensive. Make DIY alcohol ink instead!

Fortunately, you can make your own DIY alcohol ink using the rubbing alcohol in your medicine cabinet and that stash of dried-out markers cluttering your art supplies cabinet. The DIY alcohol ink works great, costs basically nothing, and helps recycle those resource-wasteful markers.

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How-to: Save and Store Melted Wax for Future Craft Projects

So you made candles, or preserved autumn leaves, or cooked up furniture polish, or crafted modeling wax for the kiddos, and now you’re left with a crock pot or bain-marie half-full of melted beeswax (or its vegan wax substitutes).

Here’s the easy way that I store my leftover wax, measured into known amounts so that future projects are easier to put together, and pretty enough that the wax can be stored right out in the open, leaving more storage space for my fabric stash.

How-to: Save and Store Melted Wax for Future Craft Projects Read More 👉

Poured Wax Canldes

How-to: Poured Wax Candles in Repurposed Glass Containers

Poured candles are even simpler to make than hand-dipped candles or rolled candles–all they require are wicking, melted wax, and a heat-proof repurposed container.

You can also have just as much variety with your homemade poured candles as you can with fancy, store-bought container candles, since you can vary the shape of your jar, change the color of your wax, and even add essential oils for a healthy scent.

How-to: Poured Wax Candles in Repurposed Glass Containers Read More 👉

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