We love upcycling a glass bottle around here, and one glass bottle craft that a lot of crafters find a bit daunting is glass cutting. When you cut a glass bottle, you basically score the glass to weaken it and then use hot water to stress that fracture so the bottle breaks. A thorough sanding, and you’re ready to use an old wine or beer bottle as a tumbler, a vase, or anything you can dream up....
To make your own set of sweet window hearts in any color you want, here’s what you’ll need: Materials kite paper. Kite paper, a translucent, light origami paper, is a bit of a niche supply, but you can often find it in art supply stores or education supply stores. It’s also SO worth it for this project, as it folds so crisply and allows light to shine through so prettily....
You might not think of sewing as a way to change the world, but when you use your skills to make cloth napkins, dish towels, and rags, your impact is huge. Set the table for supper, slide a napkin under each place setting. Make a mess, grab a paper towel to soak it up. We go through these motions several times a day, and the impact of all of that paper is astounding....
Need a gift bag, or a box of exactly a certain size? Check out my personal collection of my favorite templates and patterns for DIY bags and boxes of all shapes and sizes, along with my suggestions for what recycled or scrap materials would be best to make each from. It’s just that easy to craft packaging materials that are big on personality and way, way low (free is low, right?...
I know, I know. Every kid in America is having a Minecraft birthday party this year. And if you’re having a Minecraft birthday party, then I’ll just tell you right now that you HAVE to have a Creeper pinata as part of your Minecraft party games. If you don’t understand why a Creeper makes for a perfect pinata, go ask a kid what happens when you get too close to a Creeper....
We’ve launched a new feature here at Important Media that encourages our readers to share their personal sustainability story. You can send in your story to have it featured on one of our sites by filling out the form here. We look forward to hearing from you! Tell us about your company No Serial Number is a quarterly magazine (print and digital) about eco-friendly and heritage crafts. We tell stories of crafters and artists around the world with particular attention to the techniques and materials they use....
Halloween is enough of a sugar rush as it is–no need to put even more candy, much less artificial food coloring, in your homemade treats and party food. Try some of these non-candy Halloween treats instead. They’re just as fun without the crazy amounts of added sugar. 18 Non-Candy Halloween Treats 1. apple mummies. This is a good portion size for a school lunch–just don’t forget to spritz them with lemon juice or dunk them into orange juice to keep them from browning....
According to Recycled Bride, Weddings in 2011 are going to be all about simple elegance, creative DIY projects, and attire and decorations that can be used again after the big day. I personally am loving the DIY aspect of that. “A sustainable wedding is one that includes elements which have a positive social and environmental impact. It’s incredibly exciting to be at the forefront of sustainable wedding trends and to observe how couples all over the world are making beautiful, ethical choices for their celebrations,” says Tracy DiNunzio, founder and CEO of Recycled Bride....
Making clothes for your Waldorf dolls is a cinch with the right patterns. Doll clothing is small, so it’s a great way to use up your scrap bin or remake a kid’s favorite outgrown clothing into something cute. Check out my review of Dalai Mama Patterns, and stay tuned for a Waldorf doll clothing pattern giveaway! If I’m going to like a Waldorf doll clothing pattern, it has to be: Are these Dalai Mama Waldorf doll clothing patterns easy?...
Got a great idea for an upcycled design? Want $500 and an UncommonGoods vendor contract? Check out the UncommonGoods 2013 Upcycle Design Challenge! To play, you’ll need the following: A Great Idea for a Great Upcycled Product. Your design can consist of anything under the sun, but it must be an expressive, compelling, individual work. The Proper Materials. Be unique, be upcycled, and don’t include leather, lead, pearls, or feathers....
Of course, I tried rethreading the top thread. Then I tried taking the bobbin out and putting it back in. I changed needles. I tested every possible thread tension. I was just about at my wit’s end, unhappily contemplating having to take it to the local repair shop where 1) the employees are high-key mean to me, 2) it takes MONTHS to get my sewing machine so much as assessed, much less repaired, and 3) it costs sooooo much money to fix anything that I might as well buy another cheap sewing machine instead, grr....
If you’re crafting with the environment in mind, more than likely your materials are water based. These spills can be quickly and easily swiped up with water and a rag. If wondering hands happen to get crayon or pencil marks on the wall, a little baking soda and water should do the trick. For oil based spills, a little more scrubbing power is called for. First you want to wipe up the spill as soon as possible....
The Thanksgiving countdown is on! Are you planning your Thanksgiving tablescape and menu yet? Here are some Thanksgiving crafts to help you out! We have a couple of weeks until Thanksgiving, so if you want to cook from scratch and create a some DIY pieces for your tablescape, now is the time to start planning. Thanksgiving Crafts for a DIY Tablescape Get your place cards, centerpieces, and napkin ring ideas here!...
Actually, don’t picture it. It sucked enough to live through it the first time. Just recall with me the broad brush strokes of a global pandemic. There was a national shutdown. The president spewed a bunch of racist garbage while being of absolutely zero practical help whatsoever. And most of us huddled in our homes trying to figure out Zoom while some of us risked our lives in hospitals and grocery stores and nursing homes and warehouses....
What I love about sewing with vintage neckties is choosing fun patterns and mixing them up together. We’ve got a project here that uses just one tie, one that calls for several, and there’s even a video tutorial on how to whip up your very own necktie from scratch. Happy repurposing! Next » Make a Necktie Garland [Image Credit: Creative Commons photo by CoCreatr]
Quilt Block Patterns paper-pieced coffin block. The precision of paper-piecing allows you to make some amazing quilt blocks. I love these coffins in a rainbow of colorways! paper-pieced skull. This is NOT a beginner’s paper-piecing pattern, but if you’ve got the skills, you can have this skull! strip-pieced skull. This skull quilt block isn’t as complicated as paper-piecing, but it’s still quite precise. I misread the tutorial the first time around and ended up having to seam-rip soooo many pieces to change them from a half-inch seam to a quarter-inch seam, grr....
The natural materials that I’ve been using for my spring painting aren’t the kind of sustainably-harvested wood-handled, organic human hair bristle paintbrushes that you might think (and that I can’t afford). Instead, my kiddos and I have been doing our painting (and getting some really great results) with brushes that we pick from our yard or trim from our bushes and trees. Dandelions, violets, daffodils, evergreen branches, and leaf buds can all be wielded with professional-quality paint on a professional-quality surface, to produce some professional-quality effects....
This is such an inspiring use of mismatched, vintage, and collected buttons. I love how she uses one color, but varies the button size and even overlaps the buttons to create the perfect letter. Beyond monograms, Peggy also makes various button silhouettes of birds, butterflies, even a Scottie dog. [Images courtesy Peggy Mapes for Letter Perfect Designs]
I bet there are a lot of Mother’s Day bouquets out there that are starting to look a little wilted. From expensive roses to those sweet wildflowers your kids picked – all flowers have a shelf life. But you can actually keep them around longer than you think. Consider doing something crafty with your flowers! Here are three ways to repurpose your bouquet from Mother’s Day. (Or your anniversary. Or Valentines....
High-quality photos are definitely key. Set your camera on the highest resolution and take a bunch of photos, so you can choose the very best one! If you’re new to photographing your work, late afternoon sunlight is a great trick for flawless lighting. You don’t want a lot of glare like you would get at the brightest part of the day, but you don’t want things too dark, either. You’ve got just under a week to mess around with photos, so experiment a bit!...
