Why not divert all that plastic from the waste stream entirely by turning those old bottles into something new? Here are ten plastic bottle craft ideas to get you going! So I’m pretty confident that you guys have done some plastic bottle crafting of your own. What sorts of things have you made with your empties? Image Credits: So Much For Recycling. Creative Commons photo by mookies Two Votives, Different Motifs....
I have a solution for you- make a wine bottle time capsule. It’s easy to do- you just need a clean, dry wine bottle, a cork or something else to seal the top and some small items to place inside the bottle such as photos, a piece of paper with something memorable written on it, ticket stubs, a napkin, a small piece of jewelry, a pebble, some sand, anything that reminds you of a certain special day or a time in your life....
A DIY dry erase menu board is super helpful, no matter what kind of mealtimes your family enjoys. Some families like to post their weekly menu, so that everyone knows what to expect, which day they’re going out to eat, and what to whine about on which day. I’m forgetful and not much of a cook, so our dry-erase menu is a little different–I like to post all possible meal options, based on the groceries that we have in the house....
What You Will Need: An old lamp. You can find these at thrift stores, garage sales, and even antique stores! Try not to focus on the color or style of the lamp, but rather the shape! Painter’s tape Low VOC spray paint (Optional) Spray Polycrylic How To Do It: Clean your lamp with a rag and an all purpose cleaner. Mine had layers of dust! Tape off all of the areas of the lamp that you don’t want to paint....
What You Will Need: An old cigar box or another recycled box (like a shoe box) A map. I didn’t have one on hand, so I printed one that I found through a quick Google search. It would be more eco-friendly to use a vintage map, though. Scissors Glue, or you can use Mod Podge. How To Do It: Clean your cigar box with a rag. Mine had a lot of vintage goodness on it (aka dust)....
When the weather gets hot, the hot get crafty! We’ve rounded up a few video tutorials on how to turn clothing castaways into sassy summer gear. We have been seeing some serious temperatures here in Atlanta! Highs have been in the 90s pretty consistently, even when we’re lucky enough to get some rain. It sounds like a lot of you are dealing with scorching temperatures, too. Whether you’ve just cleaned out your closet or are planning a visit to the thrift store, t-shirts and those oversized men’s tops seem to be pretty common....
Stay at home mom Nikki Shipard creates beautiful, food-inspired block prints on organic fabrics. Being a mom has brought back Shipard’s creative drive from her childhood. Since having children, she was suddenly re-inspired to create, and BIRCHseed is the outlet for that creative energy. On top of her organic fabrics, Shipard creates block print housewares and kids’ clothing. She says there are a few reasons that using eco-friendly materials is important to her: All of BIRCHseed’s fabrics are 100% organic and printed using Permaset Aqua inks, “an Australian product which is non-toxic and water-based....
A certified LEED-AP, she was taken aback by the waste associated with the design world. So many pieces of quality scraps head straight to the bin once their life as a sample is over. Emily wanted to change that, so she launched Sample Scrap on Etsy in June of 2008. Sample Scrap carries all manner of reclaimed materials, from beautiful upholstery fabrics like tweed and damask to carpet samples. Talk about fabulous!...
Every good father deserves a “World’s Best Dad” mug for Father’s Day. And instead of picking one up at the nearest big box store, it’s always better to craft one up yourself. And guess where I believe you should seek out inspiration? Thrift stores! They’re cheap. There’s always a hidden gem to be found. And you can take your finds and personalize them with very little effort. For this Father’s Day craft project you only need two things – a mug and a sharpie....
The sites may not be focused on being a green crafter, but if you’re creative enough you can take the ideas they offer and substitute your own green craft supplies instead of using what they suggest. The first site is Artbeads.com. They sell beads and beading supplies but they also have a learning center filled with instructional videos, tutorials and lots of ideas for jewelry and other crafts that use beads....
Acorns are terrifically fun to find when you’re out hiking, and they also make terrific craft supplies, amenable to a variety of methods, a component of a nearly infinite number of projects. Crafting with acorns is also special because you’ll always know that you collected them yourself–who would pay money for acorns!?!–and I bet that if you’re anything like me, whenever you look at the projects that you created with them, you’ll think back to your happiest autumn memories from that year....
Spring is here, and we couldn’t be happier! Next week we’re going to celebrate with Garden Week with some of our favorite DIY bloggers, and you’re invited to join us! We had so much fun with Spring Cleaning Week that we are doing another themed week this month: Garden Week. We’ve got lots of gardening goodness planned, from some container gardening DIY goodness to encouraging beneficial insects in your spring garden....
Need a fun Halloween craft? Make these upcycled glass jar mummy lanterns! I have a short walkway in front of my house with solar lamps along the path. Still, I worry that they are not bright enough when little kids come trick-or-treating in costume on Halloween. This Halloween craft was just the thing to fix my problem! So this year, I decided to upcycle some glass jars to make mummified lanterns to provide a little more light while setting the mood....
Didn’t quite get around to carving that Jack-o-lantern? Us, either! What with all the costume creating, haunted house visiting, mummy dog baking, and spooky party attending, we just ran out of time! Fortunately, there are still TONS of fun Thanksgiving pumpkin crafts that will pacify a carve-happy kid and work for Thanksgiving decorating, helping you avoid Halloween waste. Because you know it’s time to start decorating for Thanksgiving, right? Right!...
Most antibacterial soap is bad news, but you can whip up homemade antibacterial hand soap that’s safer and gets your hands just as clean. The problem with many antibacterials soaps is that they use an ingredient called triclosan that’s terrible for you and for the planet. Studies have shown that triclosan may impair muscle function, contaminates our soil, and it’s part of what’s causing the rice of resistant bacteria. The latter is a huge public health problem....
How boring the ubiquitous cotton leotard is! If you or your kid regularly participates in an activity in which the uniform is a cotton leotard, then you have no doubt long grown sick of it. Cuter leotards can be obtained, but they’re pricey, and how much money can you really justify spending on such a small scrap of fabric? Learn how to make a leotard from an old tee that’s cuter than the ones at the store....
Got a homemade chalkboard that needs cleaning? Here’s how to make an eraser that hangs from the board for easy wiping and storage! We love chalkboard paint crafts around here, but once that DIY chalkboard is done, you’re going to want to change up what’s written on there from time to time. At home, I’d been using a rag to wipe off my kitchen chalkboard whenever I needed to change it out, but a rag is…well…unsightly!...
Don’t you love the look of a rosette? These simple fabric flowers are very cute, and they’re actually simple to make with just an old t-shirt from your stash. Here’s how to make rosettes and use them in your crafting. Whenever I think about rosettes, I think of Angela from the 2006 season of Project Runway. Remember how she used to cover everything in those suckers? Too much of a good thing, girl!...
Fortunately, this easiest of all easy macrame plant hangers takes a little less than one episode of Welcome to Night Vale to make, so by the time my college kid and I caught up on all the episodes she missed during her study-abroad semester, I had made myself an entire fleet of plant hangers to get all my dangly inch plant vines and bushy spider plant babies off of my counters and out of my way....
I wanted a new rug for my home office space. I already had a simple rug that did its job well, but didn’t “inspire joy” in my heart, as organizational guru Marie Kondo would say. It was a good quality, sturdy, 3 x 5 inch rug that fit the space perfectly and had plenty of life left in it, so there was no way I was going to get rid of it....
