What else can your kid do with her old, outgrown building blocks? She can draw with them! Well, not WITH them, with them (although she can create wood block prints with them), but old building blocks, specifically the cubes, easily become the base material in a really fun drawing game that my kids and I play together a lot. Here’s how to make your own art dice, and how to play with them:...
DIY pet projects are a great way to show your pet some love! Get crafty and make a fabric bow for your pet’s collar. After yesterday’s post on 35 incredible DIY pet projects, I was inspired to make my own project for my pup, Venti! Like I shared yesterday, there are a lot of products on the market that are not good for my pup or the environment. Instead of buying products from big box pet stores, opt to make your own!...
This time, though, things are going to be different, because this time I’ve got reusable, DIY Swiffer pads made from scraps! How to Make DIY Swiffer Pads To complete this project, you will need: a piece of paper that’s bigger than a Swiffer pad a pen, a t-shirt that has seen better days a sweater or yarn blanket that’s past its prime a sewing machine or serger a pair of paper scissors a pair of fabric scissors...
Persimmons predict the winter. This is what we always said when I was a kid in Arkansas. Every autumn, my Pappaw would pick a few persimmons from the next-door-neighbor’s tree and cut them open. He’d take out the seeds, slice them in half, and then we’d all take turns studying the seed bisection and deciding what it resembled. A knife? A spoon? A fork? Each one meant a different type of winter....
That’s funny, you thought DIY meant do-it-yourself. Psh… amateurs. For college students, this acronym is simple. DIY = Dorm is Yours! Try these simple, cute, DIY dorm decorating ideas! A dorm room is nothing less than a new home, and it is all yours! DIY projects may be the easiest way to personalize without breaking the bank. Check out these three simple DIY dorm decor projects that I put together for my dorm room!...
Okay, hear me out: paper chains are AWESOME. Yes, you did them in preschool. Yes, you made them out of construction paper. I don’t blame you, then, if the phrase “paper chain” unlocks a core memory of that hokey long-ago classroom with its corny, lopsided, faded construction paper chains. And you can still do those kinds of paper chains, if 1950s Sunday school classroom is your decoration aesthetic. You can hang it above your large-scale bulletin board with the scalloped edging and a laminated, hand-drawn Noah’s Ark set....
And I did. Like the drinking glasses by bottlehood on Etsy. Bottlehood offers juice glasses, tumblers, trays, bowls, plates, and vases all made from wine bottles, beer bottles, soda bottles and other glass bottles that get to skip the recycling process and go straight to being upcycled into a kitschy, fun, and purposeful item.
You all know that I love creating “wreaths” from picture frames, so why not apply the same concept to a Valentine’s Day wreath? What you will need: An empty picture frame Book pages or other recycled paper Scissors A pink crayon Tape Twine. If you can, use hemp twine. How To Do It: Using your recycled paper, cut out triangles to form the “love” bunting. I cut mine exactly how I cut mine in the Happy New Year Banner post....
Australian artist Thea Samios prints fabrics featuring bright, cheery designs using Earth-friendly inks. She offers some prints on organic cotton and others on organic hemp/cotton blends. Conventional cotton production contributes to 25% of the world’s pesticides. Switching to organic is better for workers, better for the planet, and better for your health! We talked just last week about the benefits of hemp. It’s sustainable, durable, and uses far fewer chemicals than conventional fabrics....
Sam and Ellie’s designs are influenced by family, nature, art and the environment around them. They aim to design and create things that capture the imagination and I believe they do. They are based out of Brisbane, Australia. Their commitment to the environment extends to their product line and fabric printing processes. Red Seed Studio limited edition fabric panels are hand screen printed, by Ellie and Sam. They use only environmentally friendly, solvent free inks....
Penguins aren’t all that Wildrose Farm Organics has to offer, though. They have a range of fabrics available in either blanket form or by the yard, since their primary business is making clothing and rugs from organic and sustainable textiles. Their color grown organic cottons come in solids and patterns in cream, tan, and a dusky green found in nature. Their organic cotton canvas comes in black, medium grey, periwinkle, and denim for only $9 per yard, which is a pretty good deal....
That is, until it becomes “the thing” to find their relics in thrift stores, and use them to make something really cool we haven’t even thought of yet. This isn’t to say that high quality, environmentally friendly silk and natural varieties don’t exist, but generally you will only be able to find them through a florist. So, how do we fight our way out of the indoor polyester jungle? We should join forces to form a Fake Plastic Flower Death Squad....
Transform an old, hoaky wreath into a sweet upcycled fall wreath using materials from your stash and your recycle bin! If you don’t have an old Christmas or fall wreath stashed away, you can easily find one that needs a little love. Hit the thrift or scour some yard sales this weekend. I bet that you’ll even have more than one old wreath to choose from. Bonnie Getchell shared this great tutorial for how to make a fall wreath over at our sister site Feelgood Style....
Everyone knows about stenciling cute things onto new shirts or just-created sewing projects, but not everyone remembers that freezer paper stenciling? It can also liven up something boring and old! I have an unwritten rule for my kids that whenever I mend something for them, I also add something new to make that thing a little cuter. Remember the toy horse whose leg I repaired with a pin? That horsey also got a new sewn saddlepad!...
We have an exciting day tomorrow here in Atlanta: the Indie Craft Experience (ICE) is this Saturday from 11a-6pm at Ambient + Photo Studio. It’s my favorite local craft show, so you can imagine how exciting it was to learn about what organizers Christy Petterson and Shannon Mulkey were doing to make it greener! Full disclosure here: I am one of the vendors at the holiday show this weekend. For last year’s Holiday show, they teamed up with SustainGroup, who provided recycling bins during the event and hauled away the recyclables at the end of the day....
At CAGW, we embrace the DIY mindset in all its forms, from sewing your own underwear to starting your own indie craft fair to publishing your own DIY handbook. Sure, we love DIY books from big authors and major publishing houses, too, but in my opinion there’s nothing better than a crafty crafter discovering some brand-new methods to work with the same old materials, and getting the world out all by herself by publishing her very own e-book....
One of your kid’s T-shirts (at least!) has a mystery stain that nothing will remove. Here’s an easy way to make that gross shirt look brand-new, completely concealing that ugly stain while adding an adorable festive motif! All you need are fabric paints, vintage buttons, and a creative kid to do the art. Prepare your shirt. Lay the shirt completely flat on a tabletop, ironing it if it’s wrinkled. Place a few layers of newspaper flat inside the shirt, so that your painting on the shirt’s front won’t bleed onto the back....
The reasons that I do so are aesthetic, of course- I like handmade gifts better than I like store-bought ones. I also consider the thoughtful construction of a gift to suit each loved one to be a philosophical rebuttal to mass-market consumer culture, and the fact that my loving friends and family are inevitably thrilled to receive my creations doesn’t hurt, either. When you get down to it, though, I also craft homemade Christmas gifts for one very, very practical reason: they’re cheaper!...
My kitchen used to be a 1970s nightmare. Ugly brown and yellow floral paneling in the dining area. The paneling was ugly, uneven in some areas and completely outdated. It was hideous. But when it was time to remodel we didn’t have the time or budget to tear it out and drywall everything. What could I do to update the walls without spending a fortune? I decided on texture painting with a faux finish....
Next »
