If you’re an avid thrifter, I’m sure you’ve run into a scenario like this: you find exactly the piece you were looking for except for one tiny problem. Maybe there’s a busted seam, or you scored a skirt that would go from dowdy to cute if it were a few inches shorter. Or maybe the perfect summer tank top is a size XL when you’re more of a medium. Don’t fret!...
Here’s how to make a mini Christmas tree from a bottle you save from the recycle bin! Over the past few weeks I’ve seen several really cute mini Christmas trees. You know, the little ones that are just for decoration, cost an arm and a leg, and are far from eco-friendly? Yeah, those. Enter: this glass bottle from my recycle bin: I knew it would have a purpose one day! I took branches– lots and lots of branches....
When I craft by myself, I tend to focus on recycled crafts like record bowls, wreaths upcycled from felted wool sweaters and home decor decoupaged with vintage wallpaper samples. However, when I craft with my two little children, it’s nature crafts that we do together. Children and nature are easily at one, and this simple pinwheel, made with a child from one of her own watercolor paintings and a twig from a favorite tree, is sweet and beautiful and will fascinate your child anew with every breath that she takes....
I have just finished making an entire stack of freakin’ AWESOME Valentines for my Valentine’s Classroom Card Exchange swap over at Craftster, and the last thing I intend to do with them is stick them into a bunch of boring, mass-market, chlorine bleached, old-growth forest envelopes. And also? I made my Valentines weird sizes. I am a crafty chick, however, and as my friend Autumn says, happiness IS recycling folded paper, so I’m going to take this atlas I found dumpster-diving, in which the Berlin Wall (Boo!...
Hand sanitizers are nice to have around, but they can contain toxic ingredients. Here’s how to make hand sanitizer with only two ingredients! Triclosan is a controversial hand sanitizer chemical linked to endocrine disruption as well as other human health and environmental issues. It’s been linked to the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and even worse, it is not effective against viruses, which are often more likely the cause of our colds and flus than bacteria in the first place....
Have you noticed link to the “Green Crafts Showcase” at the top of our site? Well, if you haven’t, I’d love to tell you all about it! Every month, Crafting a Green World will be hosting a Green Crafts Showcase, where we want you guys to submit your own eco-friendly craft projects! You can submit your project to the showcase until the 28th of each month, so you will have plenty of time to link up your project....
Wouldn’t it be nice to sew just one last sundress, here at the tail-end of summer? How about just a couple more? How about 30 more? Thirty dresses is the goal of the Homemade Dress Drive for Haiti going on right now over at Art Projects for Kids, where Project HOPE Art is looking to collect a homemade dress for every single child in one orphanage in Port Au Prince....
Finding sustainable, waterproof fabric can be tricky. Even recycled synthetics contain quite a bit of new plastic in addition to the recycled content. That’s why I was super excited to learn about a brand new waterproof fabric made from lotus flower stems. The fabric is a blend of lotus flower fibers and silk, and it’s sustainable and waterproof! The coolest part about this fabric? Not only is it beautiful and water resistant but the company that’s producing it is creating jobs for women in Cambodia to help support their families!...
There’s no reason to ever buy a package of ornament hangers at the store, not when you can make an ornament hanger from scratch in less than a minute. These ornament hangers are easy to make, they look nicer than the store-bought ones, and if you do the kinds of crafts that tend to leave any stashes of craft or floral wire lying around the house, then you already have everything that you need to make them....
Bonnie is a craft nerd at heart, a writer, and a musician. She recently graduated from college with a Bachelor’s in English and is trying to find a balance between her fun-loving spirit and the reality of bills. Just graduating also means that she’s on a tight budget. She loves taking the challenge to be thrifty and use materials she already has in order to save money and recycle! One of her recent projects on her blog, Revolutionaries is a combination of just that– she used toilet paper rolls, branches, scrap paper, and canvases to create one-of-a kind artwork....
Jewelry Jewelry is probably the most obvious handmade item to personalize, but there are so many non-obvious ways to do it! I love how unconventional this pendant, made from wire wrapped in embroidery floss and then hardened with varnish, is. The technique, while fiddly, is fine for beginners, and perfectly suitable for tweens on up. I think it would make an especially cute group activity! Let’s say that you’re more of a friendship bracelet sort of person....
Since everything is hand-printed, every piece of fabric that she creates is one of a kind. I think she describes is well in her own words: Waterhouse works out of Sheffield, England, and she uses all GOTS-certified organic cotton. Choosing certified organic fabrics is a reliable way to know that you’re getting what you paid for. You can read more about what GOTS certification means here! Not only does she use sustainable fabrics, but her inks are kind to the planet, too....
You’re under intense pressure to find that perfect organic chocolate bunny. I could not, with a straight face, suggest that you attempt to weave baskets yourself when there exists such cute alternatives by a talented, green-minded crafter. Fisheye creates items using recycled and repurposed materials, including the Easter bag pictured above. If you are looking for some thoughtful treasures to tuck inside, check out these eco-friendly Etsy toy shops: Angela’s World – Adorable plushies and pouches....
Recently, however, a reader wrote into CAGW asking about felting a different type of wool–a wool tweed jacket, to be specific, but the question applies to all types of wool fabric, other than that which is knitted. Yes, Virginia, you CAN felt wool fabric! Wool jackets, wool suits, wool dress pants, wool long johns, wool blankets, wool mattress pads, and anything else sewn from wool fabric can all be felted....
Since a recent Valentine’s Day pillow fight cost the city of San Francisco $20,000, officials have been talking about a crackdown on flash Mobs. We think this pillow party could be transformed into a craft festival the day after, recycling the wasted feathers into magical crafty creations! Bridal feather headdresses are stunning and the ideal example of how to upcycle feathers. More ideas include: Dove wreaths that look lovely in any doorway!...
You can now quilt green, stuffyour little critters in an eco-friendly way and have bamboo pillows. Nature-Fil batting, fiberfill and pillow forms now come in bamboo options and natural fiberfill is made out of both bamboo and PLA corn materials. Nature-Fil corn products are made with fiber from poly lactic acid which is derivedfrom natural corn sugars. The Nature-Fil fiberfill is hypoallergenic, resilient and washable. Nature-Fil Bamboo batting is made with 50% bamboo and 50% organic cotton fiber and is perfect for the quilter looking for a natural, eco-friendly batting....
Let’s put this festive factoid out there right now: Native Americans who took part in the first Thanksgiving likely never saw or used a tepee. Tepees were mainly used by nomadic American Indians who lived in the Plains. With that said, I still think this idea is perfect for your Thanksgiving craft table. Not only is it super-cute, but it’s a great way to jump start a conversation (with kids and/or adults) about the different types of homes Native Americans lived in....
Oh my gosh, y’all. Thanksgiving is THIS WEEK. I’m in charge of cooking for all of the vegetarian and vegan guests this year, so that means I am going to need something for my kid to do during the not-kid-friendly parts of the cooking process. These Thanksgiving crafts for kids will occupy the littles so you can cook, set the table, and maybe even eat in peace. Gourdo Greenface – You can apply the adhesive hook and loop ahead of time for smaller kids, or let big kids do this project from start to finish....
I hate every hemline on every pair of shorts ever sold in stores. I feel like this is a universal experience that unites us all, yes? Why is the hemline on every single pair of shorts uniquely unflattering and/or impractical? I just want a length that reads masc and has room for good pockets but doesn’t make me look like a 1990s dad who bought all his vacation clothes at Old Navy....
Supplies: 12 x 12 inch recycled card stock – 1 piece Paper scraps – see suggestions above Photos of baby, parents, and grandparents Circle Cutter or scissors Pencil Glue Optional: Leaf Paper Punch, Decorative Label, Charcopaper or carbon transfer paper Step by Step: This 12″ x 12″ family tree will fit into most standard scrapbook albums. You could also purchase a 12 x 12″ scrapbook frame to hang it on your wall....
