Night-Lab is a great indie shop that caters exclusively to guys. Whether you’re looking for vintage finds, quirky home goods, or artsy t-shirts… you’ll find an eclectic assortment of items. Like their sister-shop Day-Lab, Night-Lab’s prize items are their rare vintage treats. Where else can you snag a pocketsize 70’s vintage Personal Digital Diary? Be sure to stop by before December 17th to get in on their 10% Holiday Discount!...
Hemp legalization is closer to becoming a reality for U.S. farmers! If you’ve been a reader here for a while, you probably know how I feel about hemp. Hemp makes durable, beautiful fabric from a plant that – unlike conventional cotton – uses few pesticides and little water to grow. Hemp is also not genetically modified, which means that when you use hemp fabric, you’re not putting money into Monsanto’s pockets....
I own my fair share of purchased candles (it’s by far the most expedient way to make my house smell like Sherlock’s study), but my favorites are my own homemade candles. They range from candles poured into thrifted tea cups and vintage Coca-Cola bottles, to candles dyed with soy crayons and made in molds, to the rolled beeswax candles in sizes that fit my grandmother’s brass candlesticks or my kids’ birthday cakes....
This two-ingredient, no-cook play dough isn’t quite as fluffy as cooked play dough–it turns out that whopping amount of salt makes a BIG difference!–but it’s still very nice to play with. It’s quick to make, with no steps that are unsafe for a kid. In fact, this is a terrific recipe for even a little kid to help make! Materials To make this play dough, you will need: flour. I like to use the cheapest possible flour for play dough, but yes, play dough emergencies do happen, and I have on occasion made excellent batches of play dough using organic flour (sigh!...
What you will need: Cereal box 50 sheets or so of recycled paper (old computer paper, scribble sheets, etc.) Scissors Piece of decorative paper from your stash Mod Podge Padding Compound Paint brush Binder clips Next » Begin by cutting your piece of cardboard, decorative paper, and sheets of recycled paper all the same size and shape. I cut my pieces about the size of a coaster. You then want to Mod podge your pieces of decorative paper to each side of the cardboard....
Need some sparkle? DIY body glitter takes just seconds to make, is perfectly customizable, and works even better than expensive, store-bought body glitter with freaky ingredients. And, by using the secret ingredient that you probably already have in your cupboard as the base agent, your body glitter not only won’t be freaky, but will actually be healthy for your skin. Here’s how to make it: To make your DIY body glitter, you will need:...
Last year for Christmas I made a LOT of felted wool Christmas trees out of upcycled and washing machine felted wool sweaters (check out my tutorial on how to felt wool sweaters if you don’t already know). I was sort of mindlessly cutting and stacking my felted wool Christmas trees while watching a movie, and I didn’t notice, until I’d already completely finished them, that six or seven of the trees had become a little heavy on the pink....
How many ways can the bottom of a window roller shade end up in tatters? Let’s see…two kids yanking on it, two cats batting at it, that time that my older daughter thought she could use it to help her climb out the window, Rapunzel-style. That’ll do it, all right. Fortunately, a roller shade is easy to repair. Replacing the torn section with fabric won’t hinder the shade’s performance, and considering how roller shades are about the cheapest and most crappy-looking window covering available, anyway, the repair will actually vastly improve the overall look of the entire window treatment....
As you know from How To: Spruce Up an Old Jewelry Box, I love unique jewelry storage. This week I noticed my rings were getting out of hand, so I came up with a way to keep them organized and on display! What You Will Need: A teacup. You can easily find one at a thrift store or garage sale. A spoon Hot glue/hot glue gun How To Do It: Bend your spoon like so:...
My husband and I adopted a dog this year, and we have gone from zero to dog people in the seven months that we’ve had this sweet girl! Her name is Jenna, and she is spoiled rotten. That means lots of treats and toys, that she refuses to lay down on the wood floor, and apparently that we have a dog bed for her in every room of the house....
We are DEEP into Girl Scout cookie season here in Indiana, my Friends. As the troop leader to several little girls who are very invested in their business goals, I can really only speak to you intelligently about Girl Scout cookies this month–my brain has no room for anything else. To that end, while helping the girls decorate their cookie booth (cookie booth decoration is a crucial component of the cookie selling business, as I’m sure you know), I came up with this quick and easy bunting that makes use of the empty cookie boxes of Girl Scout cookies already devoured....
I’m not saying that your home is smelly. But… it could smell nicer, couldn’t it? Sachets are one of the easiest ways to add a nice scent to a little pocket of your home, whether it’s in your underwear drawer or your coat closet or your nightstand. They’re useful, too, since a sachet filled with cedar chips will keep moths out of your sweaters, while one with a lavender scent will help you fall asleep....
Modeling beeswax is a lot of fun, and your kids can learn quite a bit from helping you make a batch. Here’s how to make modeling beeswax from all natural ingredients! Most of our homeschooling happens through hands-on activities. Baking bread involves the math of the measurements, the science of the yeast, the history of growing wheat, the geography of different types of loaves. Watercolor painting involves the art of the color wheel, the biographies of other artists who have painted in watercolor, the science of color mixing and how not to make one’s colors look like mud....
Time to tell the truth: I DO love myself a good cement project. I love making mosaic stepping stones with broken dishes as the tesserae, and concrete planters using old plastic cups as molds, and this week my teenager and I are in the process of making cement pumpkins, tying them up in some more of her sister’s torn tights. I tell myself that cement is a natural product, which it is....
I suggested to my girls that we make paper chains one chilly afternoon purely as a time-killer, but frankly, we’re now addicted. The trick to making beautiful paper chains that can function as a whimsical party decoration or a surprisingly sophisticated element of home decor, is the choice of paper. DON’T use your kids’ crap construction paper for these. DO drag out your stash scrapbook paper, or cut up some old books or catalogs, or use anything else you can find, as long as it is awesome....
Got some old t-shirts that you don’t wear anymore? Don’t toss them! Check out some of our ideas for fun t-shirt crafts instead. Now that the weather’s cooling off, you’re probably sorting through your dresser and closet, pulling out your cold-weather clothes, and stashing your lighter stuff away until spring. As you sort through, you’re bound to find a couple of old t-shirts that are past their prime. Maybe the pits are stained beyond saving or you’re just tired of wearing that particular tee....
Schoolchildren have been trying to get a Crayola marker recycling program. I also griped years ago about how difficult it is to recycle Crayola markers, too, because, you know, let’s make this about me. And we have it! Rather, schoolchildren in North America have it, because Crayola’s new marker recycling program, ColorCycle, is currently only available through schools in the United States and parts of Canada. The program is free, however, including shipping, and even better–the program doesn’t recycle only Crayola markers, but rather ALL markers, including dry-erase markers and highlighters....
Next» Repurposed Book as Sketchbook by Livividli Lifestyle Blog If you want to be featured in next month’s Green Crafts Showcase, enter here. [Photo via Refab Diaries, used with permission]
As you may already know, April is Use What You Have Month in the craft-o-sphere. Started by crafter Toni at her blog Simple Sparrow in 2006, this challenge asks crafters of all types to take 31 days and rediscover the treasures in their stashes instead of heading to the store. (Yes, your stash. The one over there. Don’t bother closing the closet door or standing in front of it, we still know it’s there....
Halloween Trick-or-Treat Candy Alternatives Can you imagine a Halloween without candy? For most kids that truly is a scary thought. But guess what…that’s exactly what I’m suggesting. Well, sort of. If your kids are hitting the neighborhood this Halloween, then they’ll definitely get their candy fix. But maybe you can be the shining example on your street and give something else (dare I say healthier) to trick-or-treaters. Don’t worry. I’m not suggesting you hand out pennies or raisins or granola bars....
