This is a super simple rainy day activity that you can set up on the fly using items that you probably already have in your kitchen. Get 15 more free toddler activities here! A couple of weeks ago, I woke up with zero voice. None. It was my husband’s first day back at work after two weeks of vacation, and my son’s day care was closed. That meant it was me and a toddler stuck inside all day....
Under all that dust and clutter, I bet there are some pretty random things lying around your home – you know, in those far reaches that rarely, if ever, see the light of day or the end of a Swiffer. From VHS tapes and phone books to empty pens and packing peanuts, the readers of ReadyMade Magazine have found new uses for once useless items via the MacGyver Challenge. In each issue, the editors choose a specific item for readers to find new uses for....
I am inspired by this creative way to upcycle felt with these little tabletop cup cozies. Their goals for showcasing craft designs are admirable and charming: Their online and onsite galleries are just as unusual and unique as the gifts and artistic crafts they offer. All of our designers have backgrounds in assemblage, illustration, painting, photography, and graphic design. Together with our involvement in the Bay Area arts scene, these skills have made Rose and Radish a great success with San Francisco galleries, arts organizations, and clients with a keen eye for design....
10 Solar-Powered Crafts 1. chemical-free sun printed fabric. If you want to try sun printing without using the special cyanotype chemicals, try this easy technique that requires only cotton fabric and watered-down acrylic paint. 2. dehydrator. This takes some woodworking skills to accomplish, but if you want to have authentic homemade sun-dried tomatoes… well, you have to have a way to dry them! 3. Mason jar solar lantern. I wouldn’t buy new solar light stakes for this project, but I bet that you can Freecycle some....
With a few creative techniques and a few specific materials, you can DIY the witch’s hat of your dreams without having to sew a stitch. With some of the hats in this round-up, you won’t even believe that they’re not sewn! So check out the following list, and figure out your next favorite no-sew Halloween accessory: Straw Witch Hat This is SUCH a clever way to make such a cute witchy hat!...
The Base Project partners with the Himba and Herero tribes to grow sustainable, artisan businesses in the region and to generate income for community development projects focused on health care, clean water and sanitation, and education. The Base Project works with local artisans to create beautiful fair trade bracelets made from upcycled water pipes. The bracelets come in 14 hand-carved designs that reflect the natural and living world of the tribes....
And I’m sorry, friends–I just cannot wash these things out and reuse them. Ever since I was pregnant with Willow, my gag reflex has just been on a hair trigger. Know what I can do, though? Heat them up, make them pretty, and throw them on the Christmas tree. It’s like this fusing plastic bags project, only with glitter! Don’t believe me? Watch and see. You will need: used but clean-ish sandwich bag, pretties to put inside it (thin and flat, please!...
If you like to knit or crochet but don’t feel like you ever have the time to make a finished piece, so how can you possibly craft for charity, then I have the perfect organization for you: Warm Up America! Warm Up America! distributes knitted and crocheted items to non-profits and needy individuals all over the country, but their real claim to fame is their afghan project. Instead of knitting or crocheting an entire afghan, all you really have to do is knit or crochet one 7″x 9″ rectangle (here’s one pattern, although you’re welcome to use your own)....
Frog Tree, another one of those great companies like Be Sweet and Conserve, supplies wonderful hand spun alpaca yarns. Their mission is “to supply meaningful and continuous work to various artisans and non-profit groups.” Their alpaca yarn is made by a non-profit cooperative based in Bolivia, who also trains women to make hand knit items made from the yarn. Their yarn has become so popular that they needed to expand their cooperative to Peru....
Are your pillows painfully boring? Here are 10 DIY projects to help you revamp them! Now that spring has arrived, I’m ready to update my decor with fun DIY projects! One thing I have on my list: update my boring pillows! Below is a post that I wrote for our sister site, Feel Good Style, on how you can revamp those plain pillows into awesome ones! [Photo credit: Gray Sofa Decorated with Bright Cushion via Shutterstock; text added]
If you didn’t have time to whip up a traditional 25 day advent calendar, you’re in luck! This is a crafty 12 Days of Christmas Advent Calendar that’s easy to put together, and it’s one that you can keep from year to year. And maybe next year you can craft-up the other 13 days! Here’s what you need: 12 recycled containers spray primer spray paint (whatever colors you like) number stickers Container suggestions: hair or beauty product containers mint tins candy containers margarine tubs (the square ones, like Earth Balance) baby food jars When picking out a container, think about the surprises that you’ll be putting into them....
St. Patrick’s Day is more than just a holiday for wearing green and getting drunk. Seriously, Friends, you’re better than that. As our first holiday of the year with spring-like weather, St. Patrick’s Day is for sure worth celebrating. Check out these eco-friendly treats, decorations, and fun activities that will make your St. Patrick’s Day great! 1. bell pepper shamrock stamp. Look what a perfect shamrock stamp a bell pepper makes!...
Make a mason jar cookie kit and then put it in a graduation cap mason jar Create a personalized coffee mug Homemade face scrub DIY recycled jewelry projects DIY lip balm or a lip scrub Make a t-shirt quilt Upcycle an old chocolate box into a money holder Homemade foot scrub Make their own customized perfume Personalize a glass with glass etching DIY scented bath salts Create DIY decor with chalkboard paint (perfect for their new dorm or apartment!...
Worth the effort to make something like that, wouldn’t you say? Don’t be afraid to think outside the box when you’re planning a baby quilt. An unconventional pattern can be made to look more baby-themed with the change of a color palette. Go for pastels, or go for bold and unusual–and remember, babies LOVE black and white! For more inspiration, check out these free baby quilt patterns and tutorials that I’ve collected for you....
The other day, I actually Googled, “What is Fortnite?” so that I could understand the words that my teenager was saying to me. You might think that if it’s tough to buy stuff for a teen that they’ll like, then it’s got to be even tougher to make something for a teen that they’ll like. However, I think handmade gifts for teens are WAY more likely to be a hit, and here’s why: Handmade gifts are so easy to customize!...
I’m personally more of a backpack person, but my partner is a messenger bag kind of guy, and I fully admit that when we’re both out and about, he looks like much more of an adult than I do. Do you, too, want to carry a ton of stuff while looking somewhat adult-ish? Then check out my list, below, of my favorite free messenger bag patterns and tutorials. I LOVE the variety of styles represented in these tutorials, and I love even more the variety of materials called for!...
Could you use conventional, not-recycled felt to make these projects? Of course! If that’s what’s in your stash, it’s much more environmentally responsible to use it than to toss it in the trash. But when your stash is run out, I highly recommend picking up recycled felt to replace it. It’s just as durable, affordable, and versatile as conventional synthetic felt, but you get to feel good about diverting waste from the landfill....
Beeswax is such a versatile material. My girls and I make crayons and modeling wax out of it for their creative play, candles to light our dinner table, honey-scented ornaments for our Christmas tree, wax-coated paper and other craft supplies–the uses are endless! Because I’m always looking for a way to reduce the toxic chemicals that we keep in our home, I also like to make my own cleaning and bath supplies, and beeswax has proved itself to be just as versatile, and just as useful, in recipes that keep our house and bodies clean and happy as it is in all the other ways that we use it....
We shouldn’t use plastic bottles at all, but plastic bottle caps are on milk cartons, orange cartons, and even yogurt drinks. We can’t escape them, even if we don’t drink bottled water. So what do we do with all those non-recyclable plastic bottle caps? Collect them and make these cool functional bottle cap crafts! I posted about an artist who uses PET plastic bottles to make bowls yesterday and it made me think about what to do with all those UN-recyclable bottle caps so that they don’t end up in the landfill....
The Textile Products Identification Act, enforced by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), governs the labeling of fibers, yarns, fabrics, and the clothes and household items made from them. It regulates what manufacturers must include on labels and written advertisements. But what is and what isn’t required may be misleading to some. Knowing the requirements of the Textile Products Identification Act may help you as a consumer to better understand labels and the fiber content of the products you buy....
