CDs get scratched, and DVDs get left in the car to melt, so I’ve always got my eye out for new ways to upcycle CDs and DVDs. Check out some of my current favorites! 1. backsplash. This will get more light into your kitchen, for sure! 2. bowl. The result IS really cool. Just make sure to ventilate well to keep your lungs safe, Friends! 3. bunting. Covered in scrapbook paper, CDs make lovely symmetrical bunting pennants....
How do you enter? All you have to do is create your own version of Burda’s Sidonie skirt pattern. “This simple A-line mini skirt is a quick project ideal for your perfect little basic skirt that has been missing in your closet. Even better, you can use it as a base for your own designs and develop it further,” says the Burda Style website. How long does the contest last?...
Currently, I’m near the end of a store-bought 18-month planner, which I do love, but it was pricey, AND I had to have it shipped to me, and I’m pretty sure that the pages originally came from somebody’s old-growth forest somewhere–in other words, not ideal. Right now I’m in the process of constructing my own dream DIY planner (more on that later!) from the ground up. It’s going to have room for my weekly schedule, dinner menus, three different kinds of to-do lists, and tear-out pages for shopping lists....
Are you ditching incandescents this year? Save those old bulbs and make yourself a cute lightbulb terrarium! Switching your home to LED lighting should be on your 2017 to-do list. LED bulbs are far more efficient than traditional incandescent or even the newer CFL bulbs, so you save money and energy, which helps everyone. Plus, as the technology advances, LED has emerged as the most versatile lighting option. But what can you do with those old incandescent bulbs?...
The Magic Yarn Project is a volunteer group of Magic Makers that crochets beanies out of extra-soft yarn, then adds the yarn hair and fancy accessories that style the wigs to look just like the coifs of some favorite Disney princesses. These wigs are then sent off to young cancer fighters, keeping their bare heads warm, aiding their imaginative play, and–most importantly–cheering them up and giving them some happy moments in the middle of their cancer treatments....
Washable pads are more eco-friendly because they produce signifcantly less waste than regular OTC pads. They’re also more sustainable because some pad companies douse their napkins in chemical scents and absorbers. If you make enough to last you through your cycle, you can avoid using any regular pads. They’re also a good way to get rid of some scrap fabric, since you don’t need a lot of fabric to make one....
Pollinators like native bees are an important part of any healthy garden. Here’s how to build a native bee habitat with wood left over from other projects! This tutorial is part of Garden Week here at Crafting a Green World. We’ve teamed up with some of our favorite DIY bloggers to talk about all things gardening! Today, I wanted to talk a little bit about pollinators and share this simple DIY native bee habitat that you can build to protect bees in your area....
We love Daisy Janie around here! She’s a sustainable fabric designer from way back, and it’s great to see an old favorite still keeping things fresh with new collections and beautiful patterns and colors. Designer Jan DiCintio – aka Daisy Janie – has been designing fabrics on organic cotton since way back in 2004, and each new collection she releases rocks my socks. Her new line – New Leaf – is no exception!...
What You Will Need: A french door Chalkboard paint 4 hooks and one drawer handle (pictured below). You can find these at your local hardware store. Drill or screwdriver Sandpaper Painter’s tape Recycled paper (like newspaper or junk mail) Chalk A homemade window cleaner A printer and eco-friendly ink to print pictures of your family and friends! Tape How To Do It: Lightly sand your door. If your door has any large nicks or scratches, make sure you sand them out....
If you can’t get enough of smash books, check out my review of Mahe Zehra Husain’s newest e-book, The Ultimate Guide to Smash Books, Smashing and Making Your Own Upcycled Smash Books, then read to the end to learn how to receive your own free copy, as well as The Ultimate Guide to Upcycling and a series of video classes on upcycling paint chips into greeting cards. Smash books are the perfect format for the eco-friendly crafter....
Etsy has lots of vinyl cuffs for sale, but the gold cuff pictured above by Tresijas really caught my eye. The color is amazing and the shape is wonderfully curved just so. Colored vinyl is often hard to come by, making this find even that much more special. To make your own vinyl wrist cuff you only need a record, an oven and an xacto knife. Simply follow these instructions to make your own rockin’ wrist cuff....
At first I wasn’t terribly certain what I would do with my sketchbook. But working beside my little girls, as they sat down to draw pictures in their books, I had to do something with my hands, so I started to make a list. It’s the best thing that ever happened to my craft work. A little sketchbook that you can carry around, and a little roll of colored pens: this is all you need to record inspiration as it happens....
It’s so much easier to preserve a puzzle than all of that. All you need is something you probably already own, if you do other DIY or crafty projects, and something that you probably wish you could use up, because it comes in an annoyingly too-large can. To preserve a puzzle absolutely perfectly, all you really need is water-based polyurethane. I mean, it makes sense, right? We use water-based polyurethane to seal all kinds of other paper projects....
10. 10 DIY Raised Beds You Can Build – Get your garden growing with a raised bed. There are lots of different ways to make one! 9. Two Dozen DIY Scrabble Tile Crafts that You Must Try! – Go out right now and thrift yourself some old Scrabble games, because you have GOT to try these DIY Scrabble tile crafts! 8. How to Replace a Coat Pocket – Check out this relatively simple way to completely replace a coat pocket, so it’s even sturdier than the original....
Security envelope papers are captivating the craft world. There are so many different security envelope patterns, and most of us get them with our bills or junk mail so they seem to be in abundant supply. There is even an ongoing project on Flickr called Security Patterns to gather and categorize security envelope patterns from around the world. I took a look through my file drawer and found more than a dozen different security envelopes and instantly began wondering what I could make with them....
If you’ve ever gone into a restaurant with a kid, then you’ve seen restaurant crayons. Those and those blessed coloring menus have saved my dinner more than once. But did you ever wonder what happens to those restaurant crayons when your meal is done? One guy did, and the answer that he got is changing lives. It turns out that restaurants were simply trashing all those unused or barely used crayons, consigning them to an eternity in a landfill somewhere....
All of the yarn found in Miss Hawklet’s shop is hand spun and hand dyed by the proprietor herself, Holly Klump. She offers a wide variety of fibers, perfect for those who like to knit with animal fibers and vegans alike. Animal fibers that make up the hand spun yarns are obtained from a wide variety of sources that you can feel good about. Wool and mohair, come from a small rescue farm in Wisconsin, sans chemicals or bleach, or from rescued “mill ends,” the waste fiber that factories throw out....
One of the things this festival reminds me of is the process that fiber goes through to become yarn. With sheep, llamas, alpacas and goats parading through, it is hard not to recall that – oh, yeah, that’s where my yarn comes from! It is a chance to speak directly to the shepherds and the spinners and gain a better understanding of how the yarn is produced. And Nature’s Palette is one such company that has a handle on the entire production of their yarns....
I have been kind of crazy for cocktails lately, and I love the way an infused drink adds an extra bit of oomph to any regular drink recipe. Check out these 10 recipes for infused drinks that you can make at home! Ever since having my baby, I’ve been getting into making fun cocktails. Before I got pregnant I was more a wine or beer gal, but now when I go out for a drink with my lady friends, I can’t resist fancy concoctions from the cocktail menu....
But fortunately, coat and jacket repair isn’t all duct tape and staples (I swear I only use staples in an emergency!). Good, aesthetically pleasing repair work gives your outerwear longevity, allowing even that fast fashion or thrifted piece a permanent place in your wardrobe. And when the end of a jacket’s useful life finally comes, there are also some pretty great ways to refashion it into a new piece of clothing....
