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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St. Louis City Museum Turns Architectural Salvage into an Urban Playground

The City Museum is formed primarily from the detritus of the city of St. Louis, using salvaged tiles to cover the walls and floors in mosaics, salvaged gargoyles to spray water into the two-storey indoor fountain, and two salvaged airplanes that are part of the outdoor jungle gym created with steel springs, iron walkways, an old trolley, and a giant ball pit.

And yes, you get to climb all over it.

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Pirates, Princesses, and Mouse Ears: Upcycled Disney Crafts

Before our trip to Disney World this fall, my kiddos and I have been spending the summer crafting our own Disney souvenirs, primarily from upcycled and recycled materials. The stuff that we’re making is cute, it’s Disney-themed, and it will hopefully at least cool down the consumerist frenzy for Disney stuff that we can’t help but be bombarded with in Orlando this fall.

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Soap Carving

Summer Craft: Soap Carving for Kids

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.

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How-to: Another Way to Remove Labels from Glass Jars

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.

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Sew Two Pairs of Shorts from One Upcycled T-Shirt, Tute #2: Capri Shorts from the T-Shirt’s Body

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.

Sew Two Pairs of Shorts from One Upcycled T-Shirt, Tute #2: Capri Shorts from the T-Shirt’s Body Read More 👉

Sew Two Pairs of Shorts from One T-Shirt, Tute #1: Comfy Shorts from Upcycled T-Shirt Sleeves

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.

Sew Two Pairs of Shorts from One T-Shirt, Tute #1: Comfy Shorts from Upcycled T-Shirt Sleeves Read More 👉

Make Upcycled Pots for Seedlings

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.

5 DIY Pots for Plants and Seedlings Using Natural or Recycled Materials Read More 👉

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 👉

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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Review: Earth Paint Eco-Friendly Paint for Children (and a Giveaway!)

My kiddos do a LOT of painting, with all different kinds of paints. They’ve done tempera and acrylics, oils and watercolors–heck, they even spray paint!–but I can say for a fact that they have never before used completely natural, completely toxin-free, completely artificial chemical-free paint (other than mud, of course) until they painted with Earth Paint.

Review: Earth Paint Eco-Friendly Paint for Children (and a Giveaway!) Read More 👉

Review: The Make Your Own Gummies Kit from Glee Gum (Spoiler Alert: It’s Vegan!), and a Giveaway

I know it’s a spoiler alert, since I want you to read my entire review, but I have to tell you that my girls and I LOVED this Make Your Own Gummies Kit from Glee Gum. It’s easy enough for the kids to do with adult supervision, it incorporates lessons in science and geography, it’s eco-friendly and encourages a sustainable global marketplace, and–something that you will appreciate if you don’t choose to eat gelatin that is processed from animal bones–it’s vegan.

But I know what you’re really wondering: Did I manage to give myself second-degree burns by pouring boiling sugar syrup all over my foot like I did with the Make Your Own Gum kit? Well, I guess I should leave some surprises for my actual review…

Review: The Make Your Own Gummies Kit from Glee Gum (Spoiler Alert: It’s Vegan!), and a Giveaway Read More 👉

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