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.
I have a high school graduate this year (YAY!!!), and wow, have I been tempted to buy all the cute graduation-themed stuff! Tbh I had to start controlling myself last November, because all the cute New Year’s Eve stuff ALSO had my kid’s graduation year on it–so cute!
20+ Handmade and Eco-Friendly Graduation Cards and Gift Embellishments Read More 👉
I’ve been high-key obsessed with mazes and labyrinths lately. Make some with me!
Because what’s the point of a Special Interest if you can’t share it with everyone who will stand still long enough?
14 DIY Mazes and Crafty Labyrinths Read More 👉
This finger maze is a satisfying (and SILENT!) fidget toy.
And you can sew it completely from stash!
Sew a Fabric Finger Maze Fidget from Stash Read More 👉
With visible mending, your repairs will still look cute even if you barely know how to sew.
Visible Mending is a Low-Stress, High-Impact Way to Repair Your Stuff Read More 👉
FreeSewing.org has user-generated, made-to-measure patterns that might be perfect for your next sewing project.
FreeSewing.org Helped Me Sew a Dress Suit from a Trampoline Read More 👉
Here are my current favorite projects for upcycling Altoids tins, because if I can’t beat my upcycling obsession, I might as well get you to join me!
16 Ways to Upcycle Altoids Tins Read More 👉
Don’t toss that Easter trash! Keep it out of the waste stream by upcycling it into something useful or fun.
20+ Ways to Upcycle Easter Trash Read More 👉
my kids have always had a bounty of Easter eggs for backyard egg hunts and decorating and displaying and hiding tiny treats inside, because I am obsessed with DIY Easter eggs. Every year, I can’t stop myself from making a few more of my favorites, AND finding a couple more new handmade egg projects to try.
Easter Eggs Don’t Have to be Plastic! Here are 14 Eco-Friendly DIY Options Read More 👉
The best way to preserve a puzzle is not with regular Mod Podge. It’s not even the Mod Podge marketed just for preserving puzzles–you know, that Mod Podge that’s just the same as regular Mod Podge but more expensive? It’s not duct tape or sticker sheets or foam board across the back, and it’s not packing tape or glass across the front.
This is THE Strongest Way to Preserve a Puzzle Read More 👉
A DIY bookmark is a tiny project with a timespan to match. You can whip up a super cute upcycled cardboard bookmark in minutes, and even a more elaborate quilt-as-you-go stitched bookmark takes less than half an hour to sew up. Want more crafty time? Make them in bulk, because bookmarks make awesome gifts! I tuck my DIY bookmarks into care packages, Easter baskets, the books I put into my Little Free Library, and all my etsy orders.
24 DIY Bookmarks from Upcycled Materials Read More 👉
My first official decoration is this solar eclipse bunting sewn from upcycled blue jeans and stash fabric. Y’all know how much I love buntings, so this choice shouldn’t surprise you. And thanks to the easy templates I used and my sewing machine’s superpower that is the zigzag stitch, I was able to take this bunting from concept to completion in half an afternoon. Here’s how!
Sew a Solar Eclipse Bunting from Stash Fabric Read More 👉
Use up your scraps while making this cute and useful quilt as you go scrappy bookmark!
Y’all know how much I love myself a DIY bookmark!
Tutorial: Quilt As You Go Scrappy Bookmark Read More 👉
Skip the spendy sewing machine repair shop and replace your needle plate yourself. It’s easier than it looks!
Sewing Machine Repairs You Can Do Yourself: Replace the Needle Plate Read More 👉
I know printables can get a bad rap, but you really can make printables eco-friendly. And when you do, you can also save SOOO much time, effort, gas money, and product packaging by printing your own class valentines–and your kids can have exactly the valentines that they want!
Below, check out my list of my favorite printable class valentines. They’re all free to download and print, and some are even editable.
20 Cute and Clever Printable Class Valentines Read More 👉
Check out my list of my favorite eco-friendly Valentine’s Day crafts. Pick your favorite, then settle in for some soothing sensory fun with that delightfully symmetrical canonical heart shape.
Eco-Friendly Valentine’s Day Crafts Read More 👉
Instead, check out my favorite eco-friendly friendship bracelet tutorials, below. All of these tutorials are free offerings by indie artists and crafters. Using green materials like cotton embroidery floss, natural embellishments like wood or shells, and glass or porcelain beads, these tutorials result in friendship bracelets that Taylor Swift AND the planet would love!
20 Eco-Friendly Friendship Bracelets Read More 👉
I’ve heard this nifty little braiding tool called both a Kumihimo Disk and a Trollen Wheel, but I most often refer to it around the kids I work with as a Friendship Bracelet Maker.
That’s because whatever you call it, this braiding wheel makes the BEST friendship bracelets!
This DIY Braiding Wheel Makes the Best Friendship Bracelets Read More 👉
These are my favorite eco-friendly craft books from 2023!
Crafting is one of my Special Interests, so I like to read all the new craft books that are published every year. Every year, as well, along with all the sewing, decorating, seasonal, and other craft books on the market, I’m especially interested in reading all the new eco-friendly craft books.
The Best Eco-Friendly Craft Books of 2023 (According to Me!) Read More 👉
Cinnamon dough smells amazing. It’s as easy to make and use as play dough. It dries to near-permanence with just a couple of hours in the oven. It’s been my favorite winter activity to do with my kids ever since they were tiny, and now I’m sharing it with YOU!
Cinnamon Dough is THE Most Delightful Winter Craft Read More 👉
These dried citrus slices are easy to make during a cozy half-day at home, and easy to string to make ornaments, garlands, and other holiday decorations. Here’s how!
How to Make Dried Citrus Slices for Garlands and Ornaments Read More 👉
Simply choose a project from this list of my favorite Christmas stocking tutorials below, print out any pattern pieces you need (they’re all free!), and get that stocking DONE!!!
10 DIY Christmas Stockings for a Handmade Holiday Read More 👉
DIY Advent calendars are a great way to keep my personal commitment to handmade while still having fun indulging in those daily little treats and novelties that I love so well.
20 DIY Advent Calendars and Holiday Countdowns Read More 👉
Thanksgiving printables make last-minute holiday decorating easier, while still keeping everything eco-friendly!
40 Free Thanksgiving Printables for Easy Holiday Decoration Read More 👉
Thanksgiving food crafts let you get crafty for the holiday without adding a ton of junk to the waste stream.
There is so much going on, food-wise, for Thanksgiving that adding a whole other component of holiday decorating–much less the crafting required to make those decorations!–can sometimes just be too much.
Two Dozen Thanksgiving Food Crafts Read More 👉
Cardboard is a magical material. It’s free from your recycling bin, it’s easily modified and embellished, and it’s eminently recyclable when you’re done with it. It’s one of my personal favorite crafting materials, and it’s my absolute favorite material to give to young people to craft with.
30 Upcycled Cardboard Things to Build and Play With Read More 👉
Halloween printables, printed in an eco-friendly manner, are an easy way to upscale your holiday!
20 Free Halloween Printables for an Eco-Friendly Holiday Read More 👉
Whether you want to go ham just for October, or you keep your dark academic decor out all year, there are so many fun and festive Halloween quilts to sew!
Three Dozen Free Halloween Quilt Patterns Read More 👉
So whether you’re obsessed with soothing symmetry like me, or you like to make your stitching free-form or representative, you can stitch the design of your dreams onto these embroidered cardboard ornaments. Here’s how!
DIY Embroidered Cardboard Ornaments Read More 👉
This upcycled cardboard building set is a terrific open-ended toy that won’t cost you a cent!
Here’s the Best DIY Upcycled Cardboard Building Set Read More 👉
This Tower of Hanoi is NOT made from plastic! Instead, it’s made from that likely-looking piece of corrugated cardboard hanging out there in your recycling bin. Cut it up, add some decorations, and you’ll have yourself a brand-new version of a 140-year-old logic game.
DIY Corrugated Cardboard Tower of Hanoi Read More 👉
You don’t need another set of plastic game pieces kicking around your home, though. Instead, here’s how to make any set of polyominoes that you want from sturdy, upcycled, recyclable cardboard.
DIY Upcycled Cardboard Polyominoes Read More 👉
Do you, too, have too many plants and seemingly too little space? I can fix that!
18 DIY Plant Hangers That You Can Make at Home Read More 👉
This easy macrame plant hanger makes a comfy home for all your favorite plants!
Here’s How to Make an Easy Macrame Plant Hanger Read More 👉
These upcycled books are super handy, because you can make them in whatever size, style, and thickness you prefer.
15 DIY Journals, Sketch Pads, and Other Upcycled Books Read More 👉
I modified my go-to DIY journal with a cover made from upcycled cardboard, and filled it with coloring pages downloaded from the interwebs. It’s exactly what I wanted, and here’s how you can make one, too!
DIY Coloring Book with an Upcycled Cover Read More 👉
. I love turning these old photos that I never look at into all-new decorations and utilitarian items, giving them new lives and incorporating those happy memories into even more parts of my home.
One Dozen Ways to Upcycle Photographs Read More 👉
