It took me a few days to process the unhappy accident. But once my distress had some time to settle, I realized that the situation really wasn’t as bad as I’d first thought. The stain was small, and should be easy to patch. And the fabric to patch it with? Why, the hoodie’s hood is double-layered! And you rarely see the inside of a hood! If I cut some fabric from the inside layer of the hood, I could use that to patch the stain....
If you’re running a crafts business, then you’ve got to have business cards. And lots of them! Aaaaand you probably don’t want to pay a lot. With upcycling, it’s easy to make perfectly unique, eco-friendly business cards that advertise the style of your business while costing absolutely nothing. These particular business cards are made from paper scraps, waste cardboard, and a DIY business card stamp set. They reduce the footprint of your business by removing scrap paper from the waste stream, cost nothing beyond a few minutes of your time, and are eminently customizable....
But I hate to see things go to waste, especially things that can easily be reused, remade or upcycled into something else. So here’s my green crafting Christmas day plea: when you’re cleaning up after the holidays be sure to tuck away scraps of wrapping paper, ribbons, bows and old Christmas cards and save them for next year. I have a big box that I store all my Christmas wrapping stuff in....
With beachy vacations on the horizon and a rock tumbler tumbling away out in the garage (did you know that you can make tumbled “sea” glass in a rock tumbler? More on that another time!), my mind has lately turned to sea glass crafts. Sea glass is especially intriguing because it’s a product of both nature and recycling, a rare, almost impossible scenario in which nature turns litter into something beautiful....
I’ll be honest with you guys: I am the worst at sewing machine maintenance. Basically, I work my machine until something breaks, then I have to take it in for repair. It’s not the best way to treat my favorite crafting tool, and it’s time to quit it. The Coletterie has a beautiful guide to sewing machine maintenance that breaks things down into categories. She tells you what you need to do daily (use the cover), before starting a project, after big projects, and annually....
Maybe it’s the sweltering summer heat, but we’ve got bottles on the brain. We’ve talked about repurposing plastic bottles in your crafting before, but those suckers are just so versatile, it felt like time to see what other ideas we could come up with! [Image Credit: Creative Commons photo by max_sang]
For something that’s supposed to get you back to nature, you can actually buy a butt-load of new crap just for camping. You don’t need most of that crap, of course, but hey. Sixteen-person party tents and inflatable air beds and cast iron novelty cookware–what else are you going to put on your wedding registry? You can still have lots of little gimmicky gadgets to make camping more fun and convenient without buying them from Eddie Bauer, though....
What I’ve noticed with nearly every new pattern I attempt or create is that a patchwork alphabet is pretty much impossible to make without using half-square triangles! They are the workhorse block for making diagonal lines, and even curves become less unwieldy with two or three half-square triangles thrown in. The half-square triangle is suitable for the adventurous or confident advanced beginner, but not because it’s tricky, because it’s not tricky!...
When you move, moving takes all your money. You don’t have a bunch left to spare for cute furnishings. But you don’t want that mass-produced, consumer-culture nonsense all over your house, anyway, not when there are so many unique projects that you can undertake, all utilizing upcycled or recycled materials. Handmade components give your house more personality, and your ability to score much of the supplies for these projects free or on the cheap make them massively more budget-friendly than even a trip to IKEA....
These books inspired me. When I found them I felt like I was home. It was like- OK this is what you were meant to do. Altered art encompasses a whole range of ideas and mediums. Pretty much anything that is altered uses different medias combined to create a work of art. It’s like collage, though often done as three dimensional art. The books I checked out are awesome. Altered Art: Techniques for Creating Altered Books, Boxes, Cards & More is my favorite because it is very visually inspiring....
Count the number of button-down shirts that you have, and multiply that number by two. Is that the number of panels that you’d like your skirt to have? If so, great! If not, just note that each shirt will make two panels for your skirt–add or subtract accordingly. Now figure out what sort of seam finish you want to use on your side seams. I’m fondest of a French seam for skirts, but if you’re a newbie seamster, for instance, a pinked seam is just fine....
Try as you might, you very likely have a disposable coffee cup somewhere in your past, complete with cardboard coffee sleeve. Such a waste, right? Rest assured that your plight is understood. Geniuses all over the world have taken upon themselves the task of helping you upcycle, not recycle, this disposable cardboard coffee sleeve. So before you toss that coffee sleeve in the recycling bin, check out the following list of awesome tutorials, and turn that piece of trash into your next incredible creation....
But now when I need these products I can’t find them. I recently went to several of my local do it yourself home renovation stores looking for eco-friendly paint and I couldn’t find any eco products. Not one option. Not even something slightly eco. Oh the paint guy said the Martha Stewart Living paints are considered low VOC but that was it. I wanted Freshaire, the no VOC paint that is eco-friendly in other ways as well....
There was really only one thing that didn’t happen: the buying. There was looking, mind you, from the fewer than normal customers who attended the craft fair. There was admiring. There even was buying, of some of my items in the $1-$5 range. Overall, though, it was slow, slow, slow. It was a pretty conventional craft fair, with a few fair trade craft or indie craft vendors like myself. And it left me wondering–is this whole craft fair season going to suck?...
And yet brown paper bags and sheets of newspaper, the go-to gift wrap for the thrifty and eco-minded, aren’t so much…well…cute. And what will my relatives think of me, when I hand them a gift that was clearly wrapped with paper taken straight from my recycling bin? To solve the cuteness dilemma, I spent a lot of effort decorating my first several packages with various upcycled materials and stash components....
Craft show season is getting close, and that means all of you green crafty biz owners are probably working overtime to get merch ready for the upcoming fall shows! Any sort of repetitive action is tough on your body, and crafting is no different. Rather than pop an over the counter pain medication, why not take some time to relax and stretch the soreness away with some yoga poses targeted at the places that take the most abuse?...
Do you know what IS going to find that lost tooth? The vacuum, ten days later. Or the washing machine. Or the cat. Or the kid herself, and boom–there goes her belief in magic, and it’s all your fault. Help the Tooth Fairy do her job by making your kid a sweet little homemade Tooth Fairy pillow or Tooth Fairy pocket. These projects are brilliant ways to put that lost tooth somewhere specific–and accessible–so that the Tooth Fairy doesn’t have to find herself up at 3 am, a flashlight held in her teeth, standing on her tippy-toes while she rifles through the top bunk of a kid’s bed....
Do you need some eco-friendly inspiration for Easter baskets this year? Before you’re tempted to buy one from the store, consider these options. From milk jugs to old sweaters, we have what it takes to get you inspired! 1. Repurposed Milk Jug Easter Baskets by Repurpose Relove Brandy from Repurpose Relove transformed average milk jugs into adorable Easter baskets! They are so simple to make and are easy to decorate....
I’m sure you all can tell that I am ready for fall! Through Pinterest, I found these 5 fabulous fall decor projects to get you inspired! 1. Canning Lid Pumpkin by Simply Klassic Home Do you have any extra canning lids at home? Perhaps you’ve found some at a thrift store or garage sale before. If so, make this adorable canning lid pumpkin from Simply Klassic Home. It has that rustic and vintage look that I love!...
If you know someone like me then check out some of the best eco-craft books available and consider sticking some of these crafty green books in their stockings or under the tree. Green Guide for Artists: Nontoxic Recipes, Green Art Ideas, & Resources for the Eco-Conscious Artist by Karen Michel is the book green crafters and artists should have. It lists craft and art supplies that are green and eco-friendly, less toxic, as well as gives recipes to make your own green supplies like natural paints and glues....
