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I joined Ravelry in April, and since then, it’s my go-to place for (free!) knitting patterns and ideas. Just like Facebook or MySpace, users have a profile, make friends, and can join groups. It’s also got handy organizing features, such as a queue for projects you are working on or patterns you’d like to try, or cataloging features for your yarn stash or needle supply. It will also link to my blog and update my friends and my profile whenever I post there....

Inexpensive. Indispensable. Iconic. A basic t-shirt is the perfect blank canvas-ready for a creative crafter to cut, stitch, bedazzle, bleach, deconstruct, and personalize. Everyone has a drawerful just waiting for the creative touch. What could be a better way to broadcast an artistic manifesto? In Tease: Inspired T-shirt Transformations by Superstars of Art, Craft, & Design take the basic T from ordinary to extraordinary-and sometimes, turn it into something completely different....

For complete detailed instructions and more photos see the Sack Hack on MayaMade. Also be sure to stop by the Designs MayaMade Etsy shop for one-of-a-kind items. For another crafty green bulletin board idea try making Julie’s T-Shirt Corkboard. [Images courtesy of Maya, Maya*Made]

Expert judging has started in seven categories, one of which is “eco-friendly”, and winners in each category will get a $200 Etsy shopping spree. Check out the eco-friendly entries! More info, including a chance for you to win an Etsy shopping spree, after the jump… Among my favorites are Plum Creek Mercantile’s reusable sandwich bags, which Eat Drink Better‘s Green Diva, Megan McWilliams, highlighted last week. I’m also loving this adorable organic cotton dress knit dress from Grey Skies....

Even if you’re making your own baby wipes, chances are you end up buying wipes at the store from time to time. Don’t toss that empty wipes container in the recycle bin! Save it, and try one of these awesome ways to reuse baby wipes boxes instead. 1. Make a toddler activity box. Keep your busy toddler entertained for minutes with this little fine motor activity. 2. Store your homemade baby wipes....

Thank you to everyone who entered. We here at CAGW have been rejuvenated and inspired by all of your upcycling ideas! Don’t forget your other chances to win this beautiful book, you can find out where to enter here. I know you’ve waited with bated breath so here it is, your chance to win a copy of Sewing Green, the latest and greatest book by Betz White, author of Warm Fuzzies....

I like to rubberneck gorgeous, epic backyard creations as much as (and maybe more than!) the next person, but ultimately, there’s something a little sad, to me, about looking at photos of things that I will never in this lifetime have the ability or spend the money to make. I’d much rather rubberneck things that are cool but also POSSIBLE, you know? That’s why the playhouses that I’m going to show you are not epic, exactly....

Ditch the mix and get creative at your next cocktail party! Here are some cocktail recipes that you can craft from scratch. When you’re throwing a party or having a few friends over for drinks, it’s easy to grab a bottle of booze, a bottle of mix, and call it a day. But store-bought cocktail mixes often come in single-use plastic bottles full of artificial ingredients. Boo! Instead of relying on corn syrup-laden, artificially-colored mixes, craft your own from-scratch cocktails with the recipes below!...

So wasteful! I’ve tried hard my kid’s whole life to model thoughtful purchases and meaningful celebrations, and I’d hate to blow it now. So feel free to piggyback on all my research as I’ve sought out the perfectly handmade, perfectly eco-friendly graduation cards, gift accessories, and keepsakes. From preschool graduates to PhD candidates, maybe you’ll find YOUR next graduation craft here, too! Graduation Cards and Gift Embellishments vintage book page tassel....

It’s a big week! Our country is celebrating the 4th of July and a landmark ruling on same sex marriage. So how do we celebrate? Popsicles! And what do we do with those Popsicle sticks? Craft them into awesome flags! Materials 8 Popsicle sticks per flag Craft paints: red, white, blue, silver, orange, yellow, green, purple Blue foamboard Scissors Glue Paint brushes American Flag Directions Pride Flag Directions So what do we do with these flags?...

We’ve done several projects before with book pages, but what about the entire book? My degree is in English so I’m obsessed with books– especially vintage/antique books that have tons of character. They’re such a beautiful and simple way to decorate! Of course, you won’t want to sacrifice a book just for the sake of a project, so choose books that can no longer be read. With that said, here are 5 ways you can give an old book new life!...

1. Tyvek Wallet If you’ll happen upon some air mail envelopes in the upcoming weeks, whip up a simple wallet from this durable material. You can easily personalize the wallet to suit the taste of the recipient by drawing or printing the wallet with permanent markers and paints. 2. Journal A journal is an excellent gift to give any sort of creative person. Writers, artists, doodlers, or thinkers will never run out of uses for blank sheets of paper....

Ready to be inspired? Check out these eco-friendly Easter crafts below, and then add some new memories to your Easter celebration: Upcycled Easter wreath. When you’re shredding old book pages or newspaper to make your own grass for Easter baskets, set some aside to make this upcycled wreath, perfect for welcoming guests to Sunday brunch. Crocheted Easter basket. A crocheted Easter basket is the perfect place to put lots of homemade-with-love Easter gifts!...

The Bamboo Bike Project is a project by Scientists and Engineers at The Earth Institute, Columbia University, and aims to examine the feasibility of implementing cargo bikes made of bamboo as a sustainable form of transportation in Africa. What? American Craft Council Salon Series: Craft’s Contribution to a Sustainable World – Bamboo Bicycles Where? American Craft Council Library (6th Floor) 72 Spring Street, New York, New York When? This upcoming Wednesday, August 12, 6:30-7:30 p....

Today, 100 bag monsters, 50,000 plastic bags and upwards of 10 local organizations will rally in support of a Calfornian ban on plastic bags that will take place in San Francisco’s Ghirardelli Square. This art and upcycled rally is in support of the state-wide ban of plastic bags that will be voted on in the coming days by the California State Senate. Each citizen bag monster will be sporting 500 plastic bags, each which represents the number of plastic bags a typical individual uses in one year....

My girls love the tactile art experience that is sculpture–or, rather, they love goofing around with modeling clay and play dough of all kinds. Sometimes they’re really interested in creating a specific piece, and sometimes they simply enjoy feeling their hands moving through the material, I think, but for whatever reason they, like most kids, go through a lot of modeling material. I tend to choose to make our modeling materials for a few reasons....

Instead of tossing your old, frayed brushes, try this simple technique for cleaning paint brushes without harsh chemicals solvents. This post is part of a series that we’re working on about how to repair your tools and supplies rather than replacing them. If you have tips on how you keep your own crafty tools in tip top shape, I hope you’ll share them with us! Drop a link in the comments or shoot us an email through the site contact page....

The ubiquitous art of coloring Easter eggs has gotten weird, as every year marketers try to make your kids want to buy something ever more elaborate, just to dye Easter eggs. That’s just… not necessary. Mind you, I’m not the grumpy neighbor who stops shouting “Get off my lawn!” around Easter just so that I can start shouting, “Stop decorating your eggs all weird!” I am ALL ABOUT doing weird stuff, whether it’s coloring Easter eggs, crafting with cardboard, hacking Crayola markers, or whatever else you try to hand me....

Now keep your thinking caps on because you’ll need your amazing eco-consciousness to help you with this next contest. In celebration of Earth Day, Modish and Cosa Verde have teamed up to giveaway an amazing prize pack of eco-goodness for the occasion. I am simply in awe of the amount of goodies in this giveaway. This swoon-worthy prize pack is worth $1375. Now, that’s what I call an Earth Day celebration....

Mason jars aren’t just for canning! But perhaps you knew that already? Perhaps you, too, drink frosty beverages out of your Mason jars, or fill them with water and wildflowers and plop them in the center of your table? Perhaps you decorate their lids and store buttons in them? Perhaps you sometimes get a little crafty with them, hmm? Whether you’re a novice Mason jar crafter or you have be-ribboned Mason jar pincushions and potpourri holders everywhere you turn, author Lauren Elise Donaldson brings 30 more Mason jar crafts to the table with her book, Mason Jar Crafts....