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I am not into doom-and-gloom environmental literature for children. I know that kids have to learn about endangered animals, global warming, deforestation, and sustainability, but I think it’s important to their little hearts and minds to focus on the positive, and too much juvenile literature tries to teach children about the environment by focusing on the negative. How it could possibly be considered helpful and appropriate to make children fear living on a collapsing planet, I do not know....

Recycle This is an amazing blog about how to reuse and recycle anything. Just ask the question. Recently, a question about marbles came up and I had to tune in. Some of the reader ideas and creative suggestions included: gathering them up for a backyard project by placing them for stepping stones outside for a colorful zen garden. using a huge washing-up bowl with loads of marbles, filling it with hot water, essential oils and soaking your feet for a footsie massage by rolling them over the marbles....

This and That From Japan is a Southern Japanese crafter who is donating 15% of sales in her fabric shop to Japan earthquake relief. Pinecone Camp is donating 50% of their March sales to the Red Cross for Japan Earthquake relief. Ahpeele is donating 100% of the profit from a special edition Japanese Disaster Relief shirt to the Japanese Red Cross. Loop Loft is donating 100% of the sale price of her printed fabric embroidery hoop to Red Cross International...

Making old crayons new again is easy. All you need to start off is a collection of old, broken crayons without their wrappers. Put them into piles by color (all the blues together), by complimentary (purples and yellows, reds and greens, blues and oranges), or by whichever looks best. Break them down into smaller peices, which will make it easier to put into the molds. Speaking of the mold, the best ones to use are silicone....

1. Ruffled Headband Kilduff Kolleen showed us how to turn scrap fabric and vintage buttons into a cute, ruffled headband. If you don’t have a full quarter yard of fabric in your stash, you can always quilt together smaller pieces to create one. The mix of patterns and color will make this unique hairpiece pop! 2. T-Shirt Necklace A bold, upcycled t-shirt necklace is a perfect statement piece to add a bit of color and pizazz to your outfit....

I had no problem with my little kiddo dressed in her clown costume and yarn wig, collecting candy from other people’s houses- one of the life lessons that I try to teach is that everyone does things differently, and that it’s okay to join in. But as for ourselves, we’re a candy-free house, and I also wanted to model that you can be festive without giving in. A lot of what I tried to give out at first, however, really wasn’t any more healthy overall than the usual sugary treats....

A few weeks ago I decided to check out a craft fair just a few blocks from my house. It was a last minute decision, but I was curious. I’d never been to an evening craft fair in Old Town Alexandria (a super-cute city about 2 minutes from Washington, D.C.) So I stopped by my neighborhood Thai place, ordered some food and headed over to the craft fair. I had 15 minutes to burn before my Veggie Pad Thai would be ready, and I figured that was plenty of time to do a loop....

The office is a great place to pick up a few craft supplies. No, I’m not suggesting you sneak out a box or two of paper clips! I’m talking about all the stuff that ends up in the recycle bin…or worse – the trash! From used folders to K-Cups, it’s easy (and cheap) to reuse office supplies in your craft stash. Paper Clips Most office managers order paper clips by the thousands....

My current obsession is mini quilt blocks, and I’m loving one specific type of log cabin quilt block, the square in a square subset, for highlighting a fussy cut center piece. The pieces around it, while constructed in the traditional log cabin way, make a series of frames that further highlight that piece, similar to the concept of highlighting the red “hearth” piece in the center of a traditional log cabin quilt block....

It’s probably because I just completed a studio makeover, but I’m obsessed with finding little DIY ways to make my sewing room that much cooler. Whether we’re talking about wrangling those pesky pins or organizing fabric, there are lots of ways to use our crafty skills to make our sewing rooms even more functional. Sure, you can opt for store-bought alternatives, but where’s the fun in that, right? Plus, when we make things ourselves, we’ve got total control over the tools and supplies we use....

My biggest accomplishments were wrapping a box in the comics page from the newspaper (I know–how original) or in a brown paper bag turned inside out to hide the logo. If I was feeling extra-inspired, perhaps I’d have my girls draw decorations on the brown paper bag or newspaper, but that was about it. This year, however, I’m feeling inspired to make my gifts’ wrappings as beautiful as the gifts themselves....

The Yarrow Etttrick and Selkirk Arts Festival in the UK had a lot of pretty great stuff. There was a poetry contest. There were several art exhibitions. There was dance. There was photography. And festival attendees were treated to numerous examples of guerilla knitting, with yarn-bombed pieces to be found all over the area. These pieces, ranging from the whimsical to the more whimsical to the very, very, VERY whimsical, were completed by several street artists, including someone’s 104-year-old great-grandma....

These are what you’re going to use for gift tags this year, and for menu cards, and for labels for your potluck dishes, and for party favors. They’re wood slice chalkboards, and they’re freakin’ genius. Check out the tutorial to make these wood slice chalkboards from Little House Blog, although with the only materials required being tree stumps or branches, a chainsaw, a sander, and chalkboard paint, the project couldn’t be easier....

My inspiration as a quilter is definitely NOT this contemporary (and commercial) take on the craft. Instead, I think more toward the origins of quilting, when women sewed their beautiful quilts out of what they had on hand. I, too, sew my quilts with what I have on hand to spare, primarily denim and T-shirts. I never buy batting, I don’t buy fabric just to quilt with, and to back and bind my quilts, I use blankets from my linen closet....

I’d have ponied up the cash anyway if my guy actually wore neckties to work, but he doesn’t. He had to go and dig through his closet to come up with a dress shirt to wear to model the necktie in this photo, and when he finally found a dress shirt it didn’t even fit well anymore, it had been so long since he’d worn it. And so when Christmas came along this year, and I looked at my little D....

What You Will Need: An oatmeal container or another container with a lid Sheet music or other recycled paper Red scrapbook paper. Scrapbook paper isn’t the greenest craft supply, so try to use an eco-friendly option like the Green Stack collection or recycled Kraft paper. Glue or tape. If you can, use eco glue! Scissors A black permanent marker or crayon How To Do It: Cut your sheet music to the size of your oatmeal container....

If you like the idea of dyeing Easter eggs, but find the reality of the process a little… I don’t know, basic?… then you’re going to LOVE pysanky. Pysanky is like Egg Dyeing: Master Level, except that it’s actually quite accessible–my eight-year-old did it, and my ten-year-old, and my husband, and fumble-fingered ME! Pysanky does take a few specialized supplies, however, and a lot more time than conventional egg dyeing, so it’s definitely not an activity to try to cram in the day before Easter....

I have a little longer left to plan fortunately and I’m feeling very inspired by an article I found at Portovert on making your own wedding rings, specifically making them from old silver coins. These DIY wedding bands could even be made from coins manufactured in the year of your – or each others birth, what a lovely touch. This wikiHow article gives detailed instructions on making the rings as well as explanations of what can go wrong and why – always useful....

Leather crafts are super hip right now, and as a vegan crafter, that bums me out. I’m probably going to take some flack for speaking up about leather, but the poor animals who suffer because of the leather industry can’t speak for themselves. Caveat: If you do leather crafts, I want you to know that I don’t think that you’re a horrible, evil person. I have plenty of friends who wear leather and eat meat....

The yarn is spun from the remnants of the production of silk saris in Nepal. Darn Good Yarn only works with co-ops in Nepal that offer fair trade pricing for the spinning of the yarn. From their website: Their recycled silk sari yarn is quite beautiful. The yarn is very reasonably priced and comes already balled, so you can get to knitting right away. For the more “adventurous” yarn-a-holics, there is the blender....