3mm thick cork coasters Heavy Duty thread (multiple bold colors) Sewing machine with decorative stitches Water-soluble fabric marker Step-by-step: title: “Tutorial Stitched Cork Coasters " ShowToc: true date: “2025-06-30” author: “Brenda Murphy” 3mm thick cork coasters Heavy Duty thread (multiple bold colors) Sewing machine with decorative stitches Water-soluble fabric marker Step-by-step:
Offering both vegan and animal friendly fibers, Folktail hand spins amazing fiber and color combinations to create lovely yarns. Folktail takes the environment pretty seriously and it is something that is considered with each yarn that is spun. You can read more about where and why Folktail sources their fiber to be spun at their Etsy shop. I appreciate why they don’t use certain types of silk and that they frequent small farms and businesses....
Admittedly, when I think of the hearty, diverse vegetable we know as corn (maize to the Native Americans who received the seeds from tribes in what is now Mexico), I don’t usually think of making sweaters and purses. Alabama-based Kollage Yarns is looking to change that food-focused perception with not one, but two 100% corn yarns. The first of their two corn-based yarns is called Corntastic (my kinda word!) : Our new Plied 100% corn yarn is an eco-friendly alternative to traditional cotton and wool yarns....
As with any new exercise, please be cautious and consult your doctor before trying anything too terribly strenuous. This week, we’re taking a look at the aches and pains that come with metal- and wood-work. All of that sawing, filing, hammering, and drilling is rough on your arms and shoulders, and you’re probably feeling pretty groggy after focusing for so long. Here are some yoga poses to help you bounce back!...
You can toss that boring bottle bottom into the recycling bin… except there are SO MANY awesome ways to upcycle even glass bottle bottoms! Check out my list of my favorite projects that just happen to do really cool things with the least likely parts of glass bottles. Find your next favorite project and empty out that recycling bin all at once! Just the Bottom Bit, Please Use these projects to give new life to just a bottle bottom, after you’ve made something amazing with the rest of the bottle!...
Green garlic is just young garlic, and it’s kind of a springtime delicacy. Farmers markets and CSAs sell green garlic in the spring, and it’s easy as pie to grow your own. It’s delicious on salads, in pickles, in stir fries, in soups, and on top of Buddha bowls. Mary at Eat Drink Better has some great green garlic cooking tips that are worth checking out, if you’re new to the wonders of green garlic....
That last one has done an excellent job ridding me of my ridiculous fleece stash! And it was for this year’s Christmas kid’s stocking that I dug through my fabric stash and pulled out the last of my stocking-sized fleece pieces, then flipped through the giant binder where I keep my patterns. I found the plastic sleeve labeled “CHRISTMAS STOCKING,” but… no paper pattern! Grr! Thus followed an hour-long scavenger hunt through all the messiest closets in my house, making discoveries all along the way–aha!...
But still. The only way I’m not giving that kid a handmade gift for Christmas is if I lose the function in my arms before then, and even if that happened, I’d learn how to sew with my feet before I acted like a normal aunt and picked her out something from a proper store. So what do we crafty people who have barred ourselves from gifting yet another quilt do for the next gift-giving holiday?...
We’ve talked some about the joys of burlap before. Burlap is made from jute, a very low-impact plant to grow. Not only that, it’s pretty easy to get second hand burlap, if you know where to look. Local coffee shops, especially ones that roast their own beans, tend to be rich with big, empty burlap sacks. If you frequent a local coffee shop, get friendly with the staff and ask nicely – I bet they’ll be happy to give you a burlap sack or two!...
This fabulous read is chock full of advice on budgeting, health, growing your own food, wealth, making meals for pennies, and making the holidays homemade and special. You’ll find ideas for going DIY, whether you are new to it or just looking for new ones to make and bake your way into a greener more frugal life. This is a great book to have on your bookshelf. From the publisher: This book is so fabulous....
Now with a copy of The World’s Best Origami by Nick Robinson on our book shelf, she has access to over a hundred new designs that she can explore and create. From the swan that has enchanted so many in restaurants to all sorts of fun shapes like animals, fish, birds, flowers and a long stemmed rose, tulips, frogs and even Santa. There are also origami designs for envelopes, french fry bags, a party hat, a holiday card and a ring....
My kiddos and I used OUR recycled snap book, acrylic paints, and chipboard to create a log book for local restaurants that we want to try, organized into categories, and including when we ate at each restaurant, what we ate there, and how we liked it. Did YOU win your own recycled snap book? Read on and let’s see! Next »
Thanks so much to everyone who entered the giveaway for fallen leaves jewelry from Starlight Woods! I loved reading your comments, and it was great to see so much support for her beautiful upcycled jewelry. We chose a winner this morning using a random number generator, and the winner is…… Amanda who said, “I love the Persimmon sparkle earrings.” We’ll connect you with Lisa, the owner of Starlight Woods, so that you can claim your gift certificate!...
Varsity letterman jackets (we called them just “letter jackets” back in the day) were traditionally made with a wool body and leather sleeves, with embroidery on the wool and patches sewed onto both body and sleeves. Both wool and leather are quite sturdy and not difficult to maintain, although if you’re just pulling your wool and leather jacket out of the closet where you dumped it thirty years ago the day before you left for college, you might not agree at first....
This is one of the simplest Christmas card crafts ever, and the result is cute and functional. Are there some holiday cards on your mantle that you can’t bear to part with? Turn them into a decorative keepsake by using them to make covered clothespins! Related Reading: Eat Your Christmas Cards, Save the Planet I always have a tough time parting with holiday cards, so every January I try to come up with Christmas card crafts to preserve at least part of my favorite ones....
Give your Christmas crafts and handmade gifts in an eco-friendly gift box! We have tons of tips and ideas for green holiday gift wrapping and enjoying an eco-friendly Christmas, so when I found myself with an empty coffee can, I thought, “An eco-friendly gift box!” I love wrapping my gifts in a certain way so that the recipient can’t figure out what it is! This “gift box” of sorts will not only help disguise my gifts, but will allow me to give my gifts in a cute way....
What Does Vegan Mean Anyway? Veganism is about more than diet. It’s about making compassionate lifestyle choices and saying no to animal cruelty. That means cutting the animal products out of your day to day, not just getting them off of your dinner plate. It’s that mindfulness that I think makes many vegan crafters also think a lot about the environment. If you care about animals enough to change your diet and lifestyle, chances are you’re taking a look at other ways your choices impact the planet....
Every year for the past five years, quilter Stacey Lee has worked to ensure that for as many foster children as possible, one of those comfort items is a handmade quilt. From now until May 16, you can be part of this effort! To participate in the donation drive, first decide if you want to sew for a big kid or a little kid. Big kid quilts are approximately 50″x50″, and little kid/baby ones are approximately 30″x40″....
Gee, it’s hard to be a craft blogger sometimes. Last week, I (and my two young, unpaid assistants, mwa-ha-ha!) did the tough, tough work of putting together two of Glee Gum’s Make Your Own Candy Kits just so that I can tell you all about them. We made chewing gum for YOU, Friends. And gummies, all for your entertainment and edification. We DO have standards, mind you. I prefer children’s DIY kits that include eco-friendly materials, are able to actually be completed by the actual children, and are educational....
Why buy handmade? The Buy Handmade Pledge answers that question in intelligent and humorous detail – worth checking out for every shopper. A global group of crafters and artists, including several in New Jersey, is hoping to change the face of gift-giving this holiday season. The message: consumers have options beyond mass-produced items made from virgin materials. This group, the Etsy Trashion street team, wants to show you the holidays can be eco-friendly and handmade....
