And then I thought, “Why do I hate vinyl so much?” Because it will basically never, ever decompose back into the earth. Where, however, could such a quality ever be an asset? In the garden, that’s where! No matter what happens between spring and fall–rain, sun, heck, the apocolypse could strike at any second–I am always going to know exactly where my chives are. Here’s how you can transform your crap blinds into indestructable chives markers, too: You will need: vinyl blinds to recycle; REALLY sturdy scissors; permanent markers (you bought some Sharpies to make your #6 plastic shrinky-dinks, right?...

I’ve written before about making fiber crafting a successful experience for my two young kiddos, so you know by now that when it comes to them (and their knitting needles carved from dowels and their hand-painted little knitting spool–squee!), I’m a picky momma. 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....

Rock painting is just the beginning when it comes to choosing natural materials for your summer painting fun. Nuts, sticks – you name it – are all inspiration for some awesomely-creative summer crafts for kids! First, grab the youngins’ and go on a scavenger hunt for items that can be transformed with a few coats of paint. But before you start the hunt, decide on some inspiration. For example, look for items that sorta-kinda-maybe look like fruit, or insects or tiny monsters!...

Got an old photo frame? Spruce it up with a fresh coat of paint and some craft or scrapbook paper. You probably have some scrap paper left over from other projects that would look fabulous inside a couple old frames. Better Homes and Gardens offers some easy inspiration for creating photo mats with window style frames so you can showcase multiple photos inside one big frame. If the window frame mats aren’t your thing, try decorating old photo frames with funky buttons....

My kids and I love making window stars to decorate the windows and glass doors in our home. Light shines beautifully through the waxed kite paper, and the window stars have an added benefit of hopefully keeping birds from bopping their heads against all those expanses of clear glass. Frontier Dreams uses the same kite paper and origami folding techniques of traditional Waldorf window stars to make these themed 4th of July ones....

It has gone beyond being relegated to the novel and expanded into all other aspects of art and design, making its way into fashion as well. The style is most often characterized by the use of found and repurposed objects, open circuitry and exposed gear cogs. There is also a blog devoted to all things steampunk called The Steampunk Workshop. The mentality of do-it-yourself that is pervasive within steampunk is what helps this aesthetic cross into green culture....

This v-neck sweater was a hand-me-down from my husband, who was cleaning out his closet. It was in perfect shape, but I think I shrunk it in the wash accidentally. D’oh! Since it’s not wool, it didn’t end up felted, which means it was a bit small on him but still totally wearable. I wasn’t super keen on wearing a sweater in July, though, so I decided to convert this sucker into a preppy cardigan instead....

Balancing butterflies were hot this summer, but did you know that you can make the exact same balancing toy in a variety of forms? Just as with my balancing butterfly tutorial, we’re going to use pennies, cardboard record album covers, and hot glue, but we’re going to redraw the butterfly template and turn that sweet springtime flutterby into a creepily hovering bat. You will need: Cardboard record album cover, or any paper of similar weight, such as cereal box cardboard, or Bristol board....

And this year there were so many good ones! The list, below, of my favorites includes not only deliberately eco-friendly crafts, like botanical dyes and crafts made from recycled or repurposed materials, but also crafts that are naturally eco-friendly, like visible mending, or crafts that naturally rely on eco-friendly materials, like sewing and quilting with cotton fabrics. The start of a new year is a great time to learn a new craft or increase your skill level with a favorite old craft, so check out my favorites list and knock an item off of both your 2024 Reading Goal AND your 2024 Crafting Goal!...

This short film is relevant to everyone, but I thought especially to us crafters. Not only do we consume, but we also produce and distribute “stuff”. With the new year commencing in a couple of days, let’s really take these things to heart, spread the news to all of our friends and family, and actually do something about it. What is The Story of Stuff? [Image courtesy of The Story of Stuff]

Prefer a natural fabric? Wool felt has a wonderful hand and dyes easily into a rainbow of colors. Prefer a non-animal fabric? Eco-fi felt is widely available, and is made from 100% post-consumer recycled plastic. Prefer a recycled fabric? Thrifted wool sweaters felt into a thick, dense, sturdy fabric that’s different from anything you can buy new. Felt is excellent for children and beginners because it doesn’t fray. It can be hand-sewn or machine sewn, and while it has zero drape, it has a ton of structure that allows you to skip the starch and interfacing....

You’ve got free toy-building supplies for kids right there in your bathroom! Kids love to make their own toys, and you’ll not find any crafting supply that’s cheaper, more plentiful, or more versatile than the lowly toilet paper tube. So start your collection, add in a few more basic materials, and invite your kid to create something on this long master list. It’ll be like her own little Santa’s Workshop!...

Here are the top 5 projects from the October Green Crafts Showcase! As I always say, please visit each site and shower them with sweet comments! It’s always great to receive encouraging comments on our projects, right? 1. Necktie iPhone or iPod Pouch by Bespangled Jewelry Do you have any old ties lying around? Perhaps you’ve found some pretty ones at a garage sale or thrift store? Now you can turn those unused ties into a cool phone or iPod pouch!...

Welcome to Earth Day, crafters! Today, in honor of our one and only home, I’m taking a break from the Fabulous Fabrics series to address a serious dilemma. If you’re like me, you have a decent sized fabric stash sitting around. In my case, it’s quilting cotton. Yards and yards and yards of it. If you’re like me, you also spend a lot of time thinking about how you can help avert ecological crisis....

Are you ready to see who won the super sweet prize pack from Trashy Crafter? Here’s a little recap, though, before I announce the winner: Kim from Trashy Crafter creates paper bead jewelry, book paper flowers, fabric pennant banners, art work, and much more– all made from recycled materials. She sells this recycled awesomeness in her etsy shop, but you can find her on the Trashy Crafter website and Facebook, too!...

No, I could not stand to simply toss it away, even after it spit something like a half-gallon of hot tomato soup onto the counter before I figured out it was broken. Instead, I did what I do with every single even vaguely container-shaped piece of junk that needs a second life around here–I turned it into a planter! The process is so easy that yes, you, too, should be turning every single even vaguely container-shaped piece of junk into a planter....

Eco-friendly AND upcycled? That’s a Crafting a Green World double win! Burlap is a pretty easy choice for home dec projects like storage baskets, wall hangings, and wreaths, but one of my favorite uses for it is also, I think, one of the less obvious: Burlap flowers look really cool! You can fold and sew burlap into flowers the same way you would, say, cotton, but burlap’s relatively loose weave means you can also choose to pick out threads to get results that are actually quite delicate-looking and very unusual compared to the look of most fabric flowers....

Turning trash into treasure is at the heart of Crafting a Green World. A green crafter sees beauty in scrap heaps, recycle bins, and objects on the side of the road. Julie talked just yesterday about making sure you know exactly what you’re working with before you start your project. Even after you’re sure you aren’t about to take a blowtorch to a rare piece of vintage vinyl or antique Colonial silver, sometimes you still need a little inspiration....

Anyway, not every pen works well on the rough, porous surface of these natural materials. Sharpies bleed, and their their soft nibs quickly degrade. Microns simply don’t work, and neither do gel pens. Faber-Castell Pitt pens, however, work aMAZingly well. When you’re done, that rock won’t even remember how it used to look when it was plain! I decorated the rock above as a paperweight for my partner for our anniversary (he did not appreciate last year’s anniversary present nearly enough, so this year he gets a rock)....

Happy Earth Day everyone! It’s week three into the April Stash Bust and the last day to enter the the Stash Bust Challenge. Have you entered your project yet? There are so many great entries. You need to check out this dinosaur tote bag made from canvas and freezer paper stencils. How cute is that? I’m also loving this paper mat, woven from magazines and paper bags. The colors are beautiful....