Party planning can be as fun as the party itself, but those store-bought decorations are often far from eco-friendly. When you shop at the big box store for bunting, streamers, and table decorations, chances are you’re getting products made in a far off factory from questionable materials. No, thank you! Here are five ideas for upcycled, handmade party decorations that can keep your next shindig as eco-friendly without giving up any of the fun!...
Last week Craftzine linked to an awesome tutorial for deconstructing cans over at Adaptive ReUse. Since then, I’ve been sort of obsessing with craft ideas to reuse the metal that would normally hit our recycling bin. Some of these projects involve taking the tins apart, while others use the entire thing to create something fun and new. There are project ideas for a bunch of different skill levels, so don’t fret if you’ve never done any metal crafting before!...
Have you ever wondered, “Is wool vegan?” Here’s why animal rights activists don’t wear or craft with wool. Back in 2011, I ran a mini series of posts called Vegan Crafting Made Easy. Here’s the p0st that started it all. A vegan lifestyle means more than just not eating animal products. Vegan crafters avoid animal products as much as we can in our day to day. As a vegan, I don’t believe that we need to exploit animals in any way, whether it’s drinking their milk, wearing their skin, or crafting with their fur....
Well, someone on etsy would like to sell you blue lipstick. Or green. Or black. Or purple. Like everything else handmade, handmade makeup is the way to go when you want something just a little different from what everybody else has. Next »
When Autumn Wiggins finally decided that it was time to end Strange Folk, a popular indie craft fair that she created and ran for almost a decade, the city of O’Fallon, Illinois, apparently decided that since she wasn’t going to be using her intellectual property, they’d just steal it from her and use it themselves. Friends, that’s not how we treat our artists, crafters, and other creative folks. To read the full report, from Wiggins’ perspective, of the O’Fallon, Illinois Parks Department’s attempt to steal Strange Folk, to sneak their version of the festival into being without her noticing, and then to bully her into submission, check out her official statement on her Strange Folk site....
February 25, 2009 Dear Mrs. Finn, [I specifically signed my name as “Ms.”–harumph) Thank you for contacting me to share your views on the implementation of H.R. 4040, the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008. I appreciate you taking the time to share your concerns with me. On August 14, 2008, H.R. 4040 (PL 110-314) was signed into law. The bill provides authorization for the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to perform more agency functions in order to better protect consumers – especially children....
Handmade, high-quality, and constructed of completely natural components, the Waldorf doll is the gold standard of a child’s creative toy. but if you’ve ever thought about bestowing one upon your own children, you know that they are priced to match that standard. It’s money well spent, certainly, but there’s no reason that a reasonably crafty individual such as yourself has to shell out for a Waldorf doll. In Making Waldorf Dolls, author Maricristin Sealey lays out step-by-step instructions for sewing several types of Waldorf dolls....
Crafts for a Cause started as an effort to raise money for the relief efforts in earthquake-devastated Haiti. The genius behind Craftsforacause.tumblr.com asked “a bunch of artists to contribute custom-made artwork — t-shirts, tote bags and other personalized items — for the Crafts For A Cause auction.” Now they are raising funds like crazy! Click here to view the auction website. Amazing! All auction proceeds will go to Artists for Peace and Justice, a spectacular charitable organization....
Save your money for gifts this year. Don’t spend a small fortune on fancy gift bags, boxes, wrapping paper, tags, and cards- make your own out of what you have. Almost anything can be transformed in something holiday wrap worthy with a little effort- cardboard boxes, paper bags, and baskets. Even that stack of paint sample cards can be used for something crafty. See paint samples can be turned into gift tags....
I know you guys love crafting with mason jars as much as I do, so when I saw this mason jar label design contest, I had to share it! Worldlabel is running the contest, and it’s easy as pie to enter! Here’s how: That’s it! The contest runs until May 12, 2014. If any of you decide t enter, I hope you’ll share you mason jar label designs with us, too!...
Discovery bottles are fun for all kinds of kids. Babies and toddlers love to explore them, and for big kids, they can demonstrate interesting scientific concepts, or be used as learning manipulatives, or even serve as a tool for helping them calm their big feelings. Fortunately, all kinds of discovery bottles are also easy to make from upcycled plastic jars or bottles and mostly household ingredients. Here are some that you can probably make without any extra trips to the store: 1....
How sweet is this DIY photo frame made with a transfer on to recycled pallet wood? We are constantly needing new picture frames in my house. I just made a mini picture frame from an old mason jar lid, and already I have new photos that need framing up. So you can imagine how jazzed I was to run across this clever DIY photo frame idea on Southern Revivals! To make your own DIY photo frame from reclaimed wood, you will need:...
Remember my embroidery hoop pumpkins? Well, they inspired me to make more embroidery hoop decorations for Halloween! Here’s how you can make your own embroidery hoop spider web: What You Will Need: Embroidery hoop Twine. To make this project even more eco-friendly, consider using hemp twine. Bottle cap Toilet paper roll or other thin cardboard Hot glue/hot glue gun Scissors Black permanent marker Junk mail envelope or other white recycled paper How To Do It: Wrap your twine around the inside hoop of your embroidery hoop....
Did you dig her Family Cottage collection? Get ready to fall for Betz White’s new Indian Summer line of eco fabrics! The beautiful designs in warm colors are printed on 100% organic cotton 4.5 oz sateen. As with all of her fabric, the Indian Summer line is I’m particularly in love with the Mulberry Sprig design: Betz describes her inspiration for the new collection: You can really get a feel for the vibrant palette in designs like this sweet floral: Aren’t these just lovely?...
The current line of fabrics includes 28 fabrics in a variety of solids and prints in sateen, twill, denim, interlock, and even a couple of flannels for those cozy sewing projects. There’s a clearance section for flawed fabrics which may work for smaller scale projects. You can also check out the upcoming new fabrics on a page of their web site that is just as creative as the fabrics themselves....
If you know any kiddos who enjoy painting, and you’d like to provide them with some special materials–say, an organic, eco-friendly, earth- and mineral-based paint set–then you’re in luck! Read on to enter a giveaway for one set of Earth Paints for Children: Earth Paints for Children is a natural, artificial chemical-free paint set. It’s good for kiddos’ skin, healthy for the environment, and (I say this because I’m a homeschool nerd and I look for the educational in everything), since it mimics the materials that our distant ancestors used to paint on cave walls thousands of years ago, it’s a fabulous hands-on history project....
In Sioux Falls, SD, you will find Michelle Wilson of Recycled Fabric searching antique and thrift stores for materials to create her unique accessories. When her and her husband were living in Minneapolis, MN they sold their car and biked for a year. In doing so, she discovered “the things we take for granted really plant your feet on the ground, but the amazing changes our lives take when we put our environment first, is life altering....
What You Will Need: A green bottle. If you don’t have a green bottle, you could paint a glass bottle or jar. Instead of using acrylic paint, though, consider using Blick’s eco-friendly tempera paint. A black permanent marker Recycled cardboard Hot glue/hot glue gun How To Do It: Clean your bottle or jar and remove any of the labels. If your label won’t budge, check out this tutorial on how to easily remove labels from glass jars....
Pack it to go – Grab one of your tote bags and start adding all your crafting accessories needed for your current project. For my knitting projects, I keep a small zippered pouch stocked with small scissors, a tape measure, darning needle and stitch marker. I throw that in along with my yarn, needles and my pattern. In the air – Knitting needles, small scissors under 4 inches, and sewing needles are permitted in carry on luggage....
You can buy a bat house to mount in your yard, but why would you want to buy one when you could make it? In one afternoon and one trip to the hardware store, even if you had a little helper like I did, you can make a mansion, beautifully decorated and all, for our favorite little flying mammals. Read on for links to the best (and easiest!) tutorials and tips for making your bat house suitable for occupation: To build our bat house, my daughter and I used the bat house plans from Carlsbad Caverns National Park....
