Going Green Crafters And Artists

Bottle Cap for Cards

2012-01-12T14:29:00.002-07:00

My husband recently discovered Stranger American Pale Ale Beer locally brewed by the Left Hand Brewing Company in Longmont, CO. Although I didn't have much interest in the beer itself, I was immediately intrigued by the bottle cap. I could see all kinds of crafting possibilities using this red left hand, extended as if to say "Hello".

For more details or a list of supplies used, please visit:
http://www.stampingwithbluemooncreations.com/

Turning Empty Vitamin Container into Gift Box

2011-12-19T06:27:00.002-07:00

I've been keeping aside a few empty vitamin containers for just this purpose, so here's a little gift box I made with one of them:

Visit me HERE if you want to see how I made it. :)

Merry Xmas to everybody!

Eco friendly card!

2011-12-14T05:11:00.001-07:00

Hello bloggers,

I must apologise for not being regular with posting on this superb blog... have been so busy selling cards for Japan Red Cross that I was left with virtually no time...

Here is a card I made while I was at vacation at Langkawi, Malaysia (where we stayed at an eco tourist hotel) some time ago - most of it is recycled and eco friendly. I did not have the heart to sell this creation so it is just lying on the sideboard in the dining room! It makes me happy every time I look at it.

Here is a close up...

Supplies:

Base card stock - handmade paper from India

Corrugated paper - from the toothpaste packaging

Twigs - lying around near the beach

Bark at the bottom - same as above

Jute ribbon - from my stash

Bells -made with Carla craft punch using an old Indian wedding card

Crystal - from Prima

Leaves - made with Carla craft punch on construction paper

Do tell me what you think of my creation... I have to say I was pleased with it.

Happy green crafting,

Monica

Yogurt lid art

2011-12-02T09:50:00.001-07:00

Free Plarn Pattern - Pop Tab Ring of Elegance

2011-11-26T22:16:00.001-07:00

Thank you to Teresa for another awesome plarn project!

Personally, deciding on what piece(s) of jewelry to wear is just as important as deciding on what outfit to wear. And, big jewelry pieces are definitely the fad right now. We see it all the time on tv, in the magazines as well as our own day to day social settings.

That's exactly the concept behind my newest pop/pull tab design - Pop Tab Ring of Elegance. This ring proves that recycling can be upcycled to something beautiful.

This ring can easily be crocheted in less than 30 minutes. This is pattern is perfect for all skill levels. All you need to know is how to make a chain, the single crochet and reverse single crochet.

Materials needed:

8 pop/pull tabs
Size G crochet hook
1 plastic bag of choice
Button or Pin or whatever you want to use for complimenting the pop tabs. Let your creative juices flow. Here I've used a button that I removed from an old suit jacket that was tossed in the trash. But, really anything can be used.
Craft needle

Pattern:

Ring Base - Make 2:
Round 1: Using the magic circle, make 8 single crochet stitches in the ring (close the ring not tightly, leave a big enough hole for the button hole to go through), slip stitch in first single crochet stitch to complete round.

Round 2: Chain 1 and make a single crochet in same stitch, make 2 single crochet stitches in each stitch around, slip stitch in first single crochet stitch to complete round.

Round 3: (reverse single crochet) Chain 1, now working in the opposite direction make a single crochet stitch in each stitch around and join with a slip stitch in first single crochet stitch to complete round. Fasten off and weave in both ends.

Now for the finger piece:

Row 1: Chain 3, single crochet in second chain from hook and in last chain, turn.

Row 2: Chain 1, single crochet in first stitch and in next stitch.

Repeat row 2 until desired fit.

Determine fit by placing an end on one side of finger then wrap it around ending on other side of finger. Don't put the ends together because you want a tight fit as there is some stretch with plastic yarn.

Whip stitch the ends to the right side of a ring base. Noticed I said 'right side' because the wrong side will be sewn to the back of the pop/pull tabs.

On the other ring base we'll be attaching the pop/pull tabs. Do this by stitching the right side of 4 pop/pull tabs to the wrong side like clock hands at 12, 3, 6 and 9.

Then sew the remaining 4 pop/pull tabs in the empty spaces between the existing pop/pull tabs.

Don't worry about how it looks because your stitching will be hidden with the other ring base.

Now place your button on top of the same ring base poking the stitch hole through the middle circle and stitch it to the ring base. Remember, it doesn't matter how it looks because your stitching will be hidden.

You now have 2 separate finished pieces.

To finish the ring, stitch the 2 ring bases together. The easiest stitching method I have found is first insert your needle from behind one of the pop/pull tabs of your choice through a stitch in round 2 to the front. Then insert the needle in the next stitch over through the middle and out the back of the bottom ring base. Now working on the bottom, insert the needle in next stitch over, through the middle and to the top of ring. Repeat this completely around the ring base until both ring bases are stitched together. You may need to repeat the stitching for a second round just for added security.

Viola - your ring is ready to wear!!!!

Non Pop/Pull Tab Idea:

This pattern works great for those that are not into pop/pull tabs yet. Just crochet one ring base and finish it by sewing either an oversized button or smaller button to the top. It still looks great and gives you another fun flirty upcycled jewelry piece.

I would love to see pics of rings you've made with this pattern. Send them to me at plastiquerecreations@yahoo.com or twooleydesigns@gmail.com.

Barbie-Multi Utility Holder

2011-11-26T22:10:00.001-07:00

Ananhdi emailed me with another one of her great creations. Take a peak and make sure to visit her blog for other upcycled projects too!

Idea of creating this holder had crept inside my head long ago when I saw this in one of those craftblog.I wanted to create something like that with this Barbie

I had used this doll in my navarathri as "snowhite"Since this doll had lost her one leg somewhere while packing it is normally considered to be unfit to display in navarathri.I was feeling very sad and wanted to utilise it in some otherway possible

Then it occured to me to hang her on the wall to hold rubber band ,safetypins etc.

I just added a long skirt to hold plastic covers.Because these are the things which play hide-n-seek whenever I need them.

Each member of the family kept adding one item

Now she is happy holding numerous things from safety pins to nailcutter.I am also thrilled and delighted to have her around not only during navarathri but always.I am linking this post to kalalayaand also to craftyjchallengeHappy crafting

Card embellishments using chocolate wrappers & trays

2011-11-26T11:19:00.000-07:00

Hi!

I not only love chocolates but also their packaging which I use for my cards. Making cards for men is very challenging. However, here’s one I enjoyed making using Anthon Berg liqueur chocolate wrapper for the bottle and thick plastic from the backing of a clear stamp for the glass.

Here’s another made using pieces of the Brandy Beans tray for the cross.

Here’s yet another which some of you must have seen as it was featured here early this year using chocolate wrappers for the background and the Lindt chocolate tray for the flower.

For more details you are welcome to visit my blog .LEEARTS. and the above three recycled cards HERE, HERE and HERE

Enjoy your weekend!

Refashions

2011-11-24T22:09:00.003-07:00

Making use of hand-me-downs I've created a new top, combining two old tees.

Before & After

I've finally made use of some leftover shirt sleeves from my butterfly shirt refashion, to make into a pair of toddler PJ pants...

And finally a new zipper brooch design introducing vintage lace scraps..

I'm giving all three of these away on my blog if you're interested?

Recycled Market

2011-11-06T20:44:00.004-07:00

Hi readers and contributors. I wanted to let you know of a new online marketplace which is solely dedicated to buying and selling of upcycled and recycled crafts; Recycled Market.

If any of you are looking for an online venue to sell your products made from recycled materials, this may be a site for you? It is free to register as a seller, and list your products for sale.

Recycled Market is also a great site for recycled craft inspiration.

Mini Gifts for Decorating Xmas Tree

2011-11-06T06:30:00.001-07:00

This idea was sparked by City Girl Gone Coastal - I managed to recycle some styrofoam and used Xmas wrapping paper from last year:

I'm hanging these on my tree as part of my Totally Handmade Xmas Tree Decorations Pledge for 2011. :D

You can see my little gifts original post HERE. :)

Repurposed Jam Jar

2011-11-05T10:31:00.002-06:00

I wanted something cute in which to store sweets when we do have some, so I decorated this empty glass jam jar today:

Decoupaged and decorated - it was so simple. I really love repurposing glass jars. :D

To see more, come visit me HERE. :)

Happy weekend y'all!

Upcycled Paper Flowers & The Tutorial Too

2011-10-24T23:51:00.000-06:00

Thank you Kelly for sharing such a fabulous project with us!

Kelly comes to us from sunny Florida. We can never have enough paper flower tutorials and this one is awesome! If you are in Florida make sure to visit the Creative Spirit Event while your there. They are also having an upcycle challenge. All details can be found about the event by clicking here

Here's the upcycled flower using a magazine:

Click here for the written tutorial and click here for the tutorial on YouTube.

Thanks again Kelly and have fun at Creative Spirit!

Pillowcase top

2011-10-24T05:00:00.001-06:00

Pillowcase top #2 made from thrifted pillowcase, elastic and lace

Handmade Paper From Used Christmas Wrap

2011-10-20T00:51:00.000-06:00

Thank you Rush'd Lady for a great tutorial on paper making! Christmas is around the corner so what a great way to reuse that gift wrap!

Note: I originally took a papermaking (pouring method) class at our local Conservation Department (free to Missouri residents). Check out Arnold Grummer’s website for more tips and ideas.

Supplies:
Used Christmas wrapping paper or other paper such as junk mailing paper or scraps of cardstock
Your hands or a paper shredder
Optional Inclusions: glitter, a pinch of tiny seeds [purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea); the Gray-headed Coneflower (ratibida pinnata); the Plains coreopsis (coreopsis tinctoria) and the Black-eyed Susan (rudbeckia hirta L.) for example], mica pigment powders, dried flower petals or leaves, snippets of embroidery floss, crayon shavings, etc.
Blender
3 cups of water per blender pitcher
dishtub or container to save water in
Kitchen Sponge/cotton sack toweling/felt couch sheets
Paper mold = Window-screen stapled to a wooden frame
Iron
Die-cutter/Embossing Folders

Directions:
1. To make the paper molding frames, saw a piece of 1 ½” x ½” wide wooden board into 8 (7 ½”) lengths. Nail 4 pieces into 1 rectangular frame using a hammer and 2 nails on each join, then cut out a piece of wire window screening to size and staple it to the bottom of one mold with a staple gun. (see photo). Then make another one with the remaining 4 pieces. Mark the one without the screen as the top as this piece will be removed later when your paper pulp is completely poured.

2. Prepare frames for paper making by fastening the molding frames together with two large rubberbands at each end with the screen in-between.

3. Tear used paper in small bits (about the size of the end of your thumb from the first bend to tip) or run it through a paper shredder. If the Christmas paper has metallic pieces on it, you might have to shred the paper a little finer. Throw pieces into a cereal bowl or paper cup until you have about ½ ounce of paper (weigh bowl or cup first). Tip: 1 ½ or 2 copy-weight sized sheets of scrap paper + several tiny scraps of colored cardstock = 1 sheet of colored cardstock for this size of mold.

4. Place paper into blender pitcher without compressing and pour warm water over the paper until paper is covered (approximately three cups of water). Replace lid and blend on highest setting for 30 to 60 seconds until paper becomes pulpy looking. If you have off-white or grey paper pulp and want colored paper, throw in a few scraps of colored paper or cardstock (I save my cardstock bits in sandwich-sized zip bags by color.) Keep adding and blending until you get the color you want. Remember that your paper might dry lighter, so keep adding colored paper until it’s a slightly deeper shade than you want.

5. If you wish to at this time, add your inclusions to your pulp before you pour it out. Stir with a spoon to mix thoroughly.

6. Set the mold down into your dishtub and pour the blender water/pulp mixture through the screen into it, dumping the pulp as evenly as you can on the screen. I start pouring at the corners around the edges to the middle in a circular motion. Sponge bottom of screen dry and sponge top of paper until flat. Remove rubber bands from mold, lift off top frame and set it aside.

7. Supposedly, one is able to turn over the frame and peel the paper off the screen onto the couching sheet. I messed up the paper several times trying to do this and had to start over (glad I saved the water in the dishpan instead of letting it go down the sink). I found it helpful to use a kitchen spatula to lift up one end of my new paper to slowly peel it from the screen. At this point you may let the paper dry naturally on the couching sheet or carefully iron it. Be sure the iron is on the coolest setting and don’t leave it in one place too long as it may burn the paper. Do not iron botanicals

8. If the paper buckles as it dries, lightly spritz with a bit of water to relax the fibers on both sides, then press under a few heavy books or in a homemade book press.

9. To decorate: Try spritzing dried paper with inks and cut paper into shapes with a die-cutter to use as Christmas ornaments or gift tags. Punch a hole in one end and thread a strand of ribbon, gold cording or embroidery floss to paper as a hanger or tie. Or use embossed handmade paper on cards!

Cacti Wreath

2011-10-20T00:24:00.003-06:00

Thank you Anandhriajan for another great idea! Here's her post on a great wreath she made:

This wreath is especially made to hold all the cacti collection so that space can be saved since my garden has got limited area.I have no space for pots.
It can be tried with Old cooker gasket also but the advantage of this type of wreath is ,it can hold more plants and the natural bamboo will hold roots more firmly

For this project you need big thin bamboos ,floral mesh and spagnum moss.

Generous amount of moss is stuffed inside the bamboo and then tied with floral mesh

Though cactus does not need watering daily.In the initial stages watering must be done daily and kept in an shaded area till roots develop.
Hope this post inspires you.Do post your comments and if you happen to try this project please send me the photos I will be happy to view.
Thanks for stopping
Have a wonderful day!

Jagermeister Christmas Tree Ornament

2011-10-13T09:49:00.000-06:00

I love to take used glass bottles and turn them into Recycled Art!

I have always thought that the green glass of a

Jagermeister bottle was beautiful. So this year I decided to take the

beautiful Jager green glass and make ......

My new ornament for the 2011 Holiday Season

Jager Christmas Tree!

I take a used Jagermeister bottle - break it

(I use a cast iron skillet - hammer - towel) high tech Huh!

Then I place the Jager bottle broken pieces on a piece of clear scrap glass.

I heat the glass to approx. 1400 degrees for approx. 12 hours

The pieces of glass turn into one solid piece. This is called Tacking glass.

When I Tac glass I am fusing glass until it just sticks together.....each piece of glass retains its individual character.

Each ornament is unique and original!

Recycled Holiday Art!

If you have any questions.....please email me at dedastudios@yahoo.com

Debbie

DeDa Studios

Repurposed Can

2011-10-12T10:00:00.002-06:00

I thought I'd try my hand at repurposing one of the many empty cans I've been collecting under my kitchen sink lately. I think it makes really cute storage space for things like pens, or whatever else you can fit in there really. Here was the end result:

If you'd like, visit my blog for more info. :)

Zipper Brooches

2011-10-12T00:44:00.001-06:00

I managed to score a whole bag of metal tooth zippers for just $2, so I've been busy making these little zipper flower brooches...

This one is my favourite so far...

More over on my blog

T-shirt Ruffle Skirt

2011-09-23T22:26:00.003-06:00

My latest sewing project involved turning a pile of damaged and unwanted t-shirts and jersey tops from this..

into this little ruffle skirt for a 3ry old..

I used a Rings of Ruffle t-shirt skirt pattern / tutorial available through LilyGiggle.com, and I'm also running a giveaway on my blog for the chance to win 3 pack bundle of patterns / tutorials by LilyGiggle.com.

2011-09-23T06:33:00.000-06:00

Home Grown Families

is having a FUN "Green" Christmas Gift Giving Blog Hop

November 11th - 18th

if you are interested in being part of this fun event...click on the link

http://homegrownfamilies.blogspot.com/2011/09/green-christmas-gift-hop-information.html

If you are interested in joining in the hopping fun click

http://homegrownfamilies.blogspot.com/

Partly recycled card

2011-09-21T05:59:00.001-06:00

Hello lovely bloggers,

I am sorry for being rather neglectful and not posting many cards here... so here I am.

Can any one guess that the printed orange paper at the bottom has been recycled from a Starbucks take away cup?

The rose has been handmade and distressed by me.

Hope you like it.

Hugs,

Monica

Childrens book - party sweetie pouches

2011-09-17T20:21:00.003-06:00

I made these for my son's third birthday party; sweetie pouches to give to his friends to say thank you for coming! Using book pages from damaged children's books that an op shop gave to me for craft projects, otherwise they'd have been thrown in the bin, cut into circles, and machine stitched.

A mini tutorial over on my craft blog

What To Do With Old Wine Bottles

2011-09-07T06:26:00.003-06:00

(I found this on FaveCrafts and thought it was a great informational article for this blog!)
Instead of tossing those old wine bottles, use them in a variety of wine bottle craft projects. You can create lamps, decorative vases and hurricanes from old wine bottles and they make great gifts. Don’t forget to save the corks to create a homemade cork board.

To remove the labels from old wine bottles, soak in hot water with a few drops of soap for 20 minutes. Then simply scrape or peel off the label. You can also remove the wine label intact and create lovely wall art (especially with those fancy French wine labels).

Here are our top 10 ideas for wine bottle craft:

Using this amazing technique to give your old wine bottles a faux dichroic glass look. The fancy bottle can be used to store homemade oils or vinegars, or as a decorative vase.
Turn an empty wine bottle into a lamp. To do this, you need a ½ inch glass and tile drill bit or a diamond bit and a string of mini lights. Lay the clean and dry bottle on a cloth. Keeping the drill bit wet with cold water as you drill a hole about an inch from the bottom of the bottle. You don’t want the bit to get too hot and crack the glass. Once the hole is drilled, push the lights into the bottle. Use a flattened out hanger with a small hook at the end to help you bring the lights up into the bottle. Leave the last bit of cord and plug free. You can also add glass beads to the bottle for another look.
Turn wine bottles into drinking glasses. According to author of this tutorial, flat bottomed bottles of certain white wine varieties or Bordeaux wines are best for making drinking glasses. The author also adds etched monograms for that extra-classy touch.
Cut off the top and bottom of a wine bottle to create candle “hurricanes.” Use a bit of wire to create a holder for a tea light or small pillar candle.
Use wine bottles to create garden edges. Bury upside down about halfway up or further. For another garden idea, learn about the great Southern tradition of bottle trees.
Fill with layers of colored sand and set on a wind-sill to recall the beach.
After washing and removing any labels, fill with bulk dishwashing liquid and a few stems of silk flowers. This creates a decorative soap dispenser for your kitchen. Decorate the corks with small ornaments.
Use as decorative containers for flavored olive oils, such as by adding dried chilies, sun dried tomatoes, dried basil, or rosemary. You can purchase a plastic pour spout for the bottle top.
With a coat of chalkboard paint, turn old wine bottles into stylish chalk art.
Turn an old wine bottle into a wind-chime. You can use the spout or simply cut off the bottom of the wine bottle and use a shell or other weight for the chime.

Go Green Event

2011-08-28T15:40:00.000-06:00

http://www.untrainedhairmom.com/2011/07/go-green-giveaway-event.html

Go GREEN Event

October 5th - 11th, 2011.

If you are interested in being a part of the event....just click on the link.

http://www.untrainedhairmom.com/2011/07/go-green-giveaway-event.html

Please make sure to stop by and join in on the

GO GREEN EVENT Giveaway!

Each blog will have a GREEN prize worth

least $25.00!

DeDa Studios will be giving away one

GREEN Bottle Art!

Join us for the FUN!

At last I am able to share my recycled jewellery

2011-08-28T06:43:00.011-06:00

About two months ago I was home on a Saturday night listening to my favourite radio station and in a mood to do something creative. I was going through my stash and wanted to do something different to what I would normally do. I thought it was about time I started working with the images I have been saving from packaging, magazines, free postcards, brochures and other such things.When I first started saving these images I didn't know exactly what I would be doing with them but I knew I would be able to put them to use one day and thats exactly what I did on that Saturday night, I ended up making several jewellery pieces that I have to admit I am very happy with.

I had come up with the idea to make recycled jewellery sometime ago but didn't know how I was going to do it. My friend had got me into making glass tiled jewellery, the general concept is to stick patterned paper on the tiles, cut or file the paper on the edges neatly and varnish the paper used on the jewellery to finish off. I have been making this type of jewellery for a while but got bored with using the patterned paper I was using and so put my jewellery making to the side for sometime. I have now been able to incorporate my jewellery making with recycling and I am totally excited about this. I have found it very easy to even use newspaper images in my jewellery making, just as long as you have the right glue and varnish the back all is good as the varnish/sealant makes the jewellery somewhat waterproof, I still wouldn't recommend wearing this jewellery in the shower. To jazz up simple images especially that with text I add rub-ons as I have done in the first and last picture in this post. This jewellery is really quick to make and makes a lovely eco gift.

Free Pop Tab Bracelet Crochet Pattern - Lazy 'P' Pop Tab Plarn Bracelet

2011-08-24T00:25:00.001-06:00

How amazing is it that Teresa at Plastique Creation is offering a free crochet pattern for making a bracelet using plarn! Don't know what plarn is? Visit our other post here. Want to get the crochet pattern compliments of Teresa? Visit her blog here. Thanks Teresa!

Pop Tab Bracelets are one of my favorite fashion accessories so I am always thinking of new designs and techniques to create with them.

I recently completed a new plarn handbag using the traditional Puff Stitch as part of the design. Impressed by the character the stitch offered to my handbag, it has been added to my list of favorite stitches.

As I was thinking of my next pop tab bracelet design, I decided to see what a pop tab bracelet would look like using the traditional Puff Stitch. At first, it lacked the finesse I was expecting. Then I decided to make the chain 1 through the next pop tab giving the appearance the Puff Stitch was 'laying down on the job' so to speak. That was it.

That's how I came up with the name of Lazy 'P'.

Made with Dollar Tree plastic yarn aka plarn

More K-Cup Crafts From Jillian

2011-08-21T13:10:00.000-06:00

More K-Cup Crafts!

Being that I am (still) addicted to coffee, the K-cups keep coming. Today I was in the mood for a somewhat mindless instant gratification kind of craft (as opposed to dress making and such) so I pulled out my old K-Cups and created 3 new ideas! Read on to see them...

Note: if you haven't read my first post on K-Cups... Announcing K-Cup Crafts, you'll want to take a peek to figure out how to empty the cups.

K-Cup Trinket Box

This one was really fun to make. Can you believe that's a K-Cup??? Even I was surprised at how nice it came out! This could be used as a cute little place to store your small treasures, as a party favor (or wedding/baby shower favor), or fill it with soothing dried flowers (lavender, chamomile, etc) and keep it at your bedside! Here's how I made it:
I used a sweet, pink contact paper to cover the K-cup. (Templates will be posted for the K-cups SOON!) I then tied a simple cream ribbon around it and secured it in place with a dab of hot glue. Then I made the top for it- photo tutorial below ;)

1. Fold 45" wide fabric width-wise in half, then in thirds, then in half. 2. Trace a ribbon spool. 3. Cut through all layers at once. 4. Randomly fold up the circles into quarters and glue down to a cardboard disc. 5. Keep the direction of the "petals" random as you make your way around the flower. 6. Once it's full, trim any excess to creat a nice uniform look :) DONE! (PS- These fabric flower poufs are legitimately my favorite things to make. I use them for everything!)

I attached the top using a light pink grosgrain ribbon as a hinge. I covered the underside of the top and lined the K-cup with a light pink, textured card-stock. And voila! From trash to trinket box, just like that! (Please note, if you have your heart set on using this as a fragrant sachet at your bedside or in a dresser drawer, you will need to poke small holes into the cardboard top to allow the scent to permeate.)

K-Cup Bug Observatory

This one is super easy. Just let the kiddos decorate as they like! After they have collected an insect to observe, cover the top with tulle and use a rubber band to secure it! These would be super cute as favors at a bug themed party! Just include a small magnifying glass ($1 Store- usually found in eyeglass repair kits) and small plastic tweezers (kid sized toaster tongs work great! Can also be found at the $1 Store!) and you're golden!

Toadstool Pincushion

These are really fun to make. You can make them different heights, widths, colors, etc. and they all seem to look great. You'll need two fabric circles, one for the top and one for the bottom. Experiment with different sizes. I cut my circles the same size on this one, but your top can be significantly bigger than the bottom to make a "taller" mushroom. You can sew your circles together with right sides in or out depending on the effect you want. Just like the trinket box, this pincushion has storage. Lift the top and there's plenty of room for thimbles, or bobbins, or as my sister at nine years old would taunt a seven year old me -sacred gum wrappers! (PS- Nena, don't you miss the days when you made up having very secret and very important things, just to be cool? I want to go back to my seven year old self and hand her a medical bill and say, "Shhhhh... there's plenty more where this came from. I've got the hook up for you. Just give it a decade or so. Remember, if you break it, they will come!")

Hope you all had an awesome weekend!

K-Cups Krafts! Keurig Cups Recycled For Crafts.

2011-08-14T10:26:00.000-06:00

I received an email from Jillian and she does some amazing amazing crafts! She wanted to find ways to re-use the K-Cups from her Keurig coffee machine. Here's one of her ideas. Make sure to visit her website for more great crafts too! Here's a copy of her posting and a tutorial too!

I love coffee. More than the average person, I think. It all started about a year ago when Hubs came home with a Keurig. Since then I've been known to describe my day by how many cups; e.g. "Oh god, it's definitely gonna be a three-cupper." Life for me is all around better when there is coffee to be had, yet every time I pop a K-cup in the machine I feel a pang of guilt at how wasteful they are! I feel like the convenience of them isn't worth the damage and waste.
For months now I've been trying to think of ways to re-use them. I even googled "K-cup crafts" and found like 10 blogs dedicated to saving and reusing K-cups in a crafty way, but ALL of them had only one blog post saying something along the lines of "I hate the waste of K-cups and decided to start a blog showing all the crafts you can do with them." and then NOTHING! So I dug deep into my {mommy mush} brain and found quite a few ideas. The first one I did was a SMASH! The kids absolutely love it!

Sound Memory Game!

This is just like "Concentration" or "Memory" except instead of your kiddos matching images, they shake the cups and try to match the sounds. Kids are typically good at remembering where images are, but the sounds are a little bit tricky. In order for them to remember where the sound is, they have to recognize it, or at least "name" the sound. So if there are pennies in the cup and they're unable to identify the sound, they need to at least be able to catalog the sound mentally by coming up with a word to describe it. You can help them with suggestions like "Hmmm... that one sounds kind of twangy... maybe it's something metal hitting something metal." or "Ok, that one sounds smooth and soft and it sounds kind of sprinkly... maybe it's sand?" If you are going to use sand or something similar, you'll need to cover up the hole at the bottom of the K-cup before you fill it. If the sound is going to be items that won't slip through the hole, leave it! What's so cool about using the K-cups is that the hole on the bottom where the coffee filters through provides the perfect peep hole if you're not sure you have a match! If you reallllly look in there, you can see the buttons, pennies, rice, etc!
You'll Need:
8-24 used K-Cups
scissors
thin cardboard (cereal box)
paper to decorate

1. Empty the K-Cup

K-Cups can either be emptied and cleaned as you go, or saved and emptied all at once. The old coffee grounds don't usually smell too bad so waiting isn't a big deal (plus it give the grounds a chance to dry out a bit)

Note: this part is a little messy. Use your thumb nail to poke through the foil top of the K-cup. Gently peel it to the side and remove it all the way around the top.

It's ok if some foil stays on the edges.

Dump the grounds (makes a great addition to compost!)

Use one blade of your scissors to scrape out the filter. It's fused to the cup near the top so once you scrape that off the filter comes right out.

Rinse out the cup to remove any grounds and to remove the rest of the filter.

2. Pick Your Items

Since the sound pairs should match as closely as possible, make sure you make two identical piles of your sound items.
Some Sound Suggestions:
rice
sand
pennies
buttons
marbles
tooth picks
mini craft pom poms
beads (all shapes and sizes make different sounds!)

3. Close The Cups

Use the top of a K-cup to trace the tops out of cardboard. Since cardboard isn't exactly fancy, trace out some circles in some paper too. I'd use a solid color or a pattern that you can easily cut to make identical circles.

Use hot glue around the rim of the cup and place one of the cardboard circles on it.

Brush on a coat of glue (or Mod Podge) and add one of the paper circles.

I used a star shaped hole puncher to add some little stars to them.

The kids had a blast playing and I will definitely be adding some more sounds to their game. Yessss! An excuse to drink MORE coffee!

Tablecloth Dress and Potato Sack Cushions

2011-08-03T04:35:00.004-06:00

Lots of sewing going on in our household lately. My latest fashion project being a dress I made from a $2 tablecloth which seems to have gained quite a bit of interest on my blog

I've also been making cushion covers from hessian sacks and linen upholstery samples obtained from a recycle center, some of which are for our house and others for a gift

Soda Bottle Caddy Into A School Supply Caddy! The Tutorial Too!

2011-07-29T19:26:00.000-06:00

A super great idea from Fee Fie Foe Fum!

Its a Zoo in here! But it does not have to be if you upcycle a soda bottle caddy into a fun and cheerful art supply caddy. You can make your own or stop by her store and order this one already made!

Here's the DIY tutorial:

Grab your Mod Podge (I used gloss), designer scrapbook paper ( I used My Mind's Eye, Alphabet Soup Boy, "Animal Kingdom" paper and die cuts), various strands of fabric ribbon, ric rac, and your basic supplies like a straight cutter, scissors, and bone file.

Measure and cut four pieces of paper to form squares to fit all four sides of the caddy. I'm more of a guess and mark with a pencil kinda gal! No exact measurements needed here. Just lay your paper over each side and eyeball it and mark it with a pencil for length and width for each square. Do this for all sides, bottom, top handle, and any other areas that you want to cover. For the handle, once you have cut your paper lay each side, facing out in front of the handle and trace the area of the handle with a pencil and cut the handle hole out.

Get your brush and Mod Podge and apply Mod Podge on the back side of each sheet of paper and apply to your caddy.

Once your caddy is completely covered, use your bone folder to rub each side lightly to get out any air bubble and also bush away any drips or excess Mod Podge. Let dry for about a half an hour or longer.

Next, apply Mod Podge over the entire surface of the decorated box, including the inside cup/bottle areas. This helps to give it a sturdy plastic appearance and the strengthen the handle and supply holders. Plus the great thing about Mod Podge is it acts as a finishing glaze and will really brighten the colors in your paper once it drys.

Add Mod Podge to any of your cut out's or chipboard embellishments too! Let everything dry for about another hour.

Finish off by adhering your ribbon to both the front and back sides and adding your embellishments and cut-outs. I use double sided peelable tape from Stampin' up for all my ribbon on projects! It works great and does not create a sticky mess.

Now you are ready to fill up your finished caddy with school supplies, desk accessories, or take it on a picnic and stick your Ketchup and Mustard containers and plastic ware in the pockets! It is perfect on the go!

Salvaged kitchen wood wall hangings

2011-07-28T09:36:00.002-06:00

These are my recycled projects for the month of July, a bit late as I said I would share these projects on the 27th of every month, life just gets in the way sometimes. My good friend had a heap of wood blocks saved from her demolished kitchen. She was going to throw out the wood and it was only by chance that I asked her if she had any wood from her old kitchen, she very kindly brought the wood into work and I have eventually got it home and have started working on different wood block projects.

I decorated the blocks of wood with patterned paper and added the different elements to the wall hangings. The sentiments are rub-ons and I have attached a hook to the back of the pictures so that they can be hung on a wall. I am really happy that I was able to get all this wood and look forward to sharing the future projects I make from the wood. Always fantastic to make something out of things that would have otherwise been thrown away.

Reuse Paper For Hand-Made-Carnations/Roses

2011-07-26T13:02:00.003-06:00

Hello! Jennifer - here - so sorry I have been slacking on posting here at CGCAA but that's all changing TODAY! Here's my first post! Last night I started making Hand-Made Flowers...Carnations or Roses...depending on the way you look at it I suppose.

This is my first attempt so I will only get better, right? What I did is take my Scalped Punch from Martha Stewart and and punched out 8 from regular old copy paper! You can use any paper tho! I then went around the edges with with an ink pad. After that I sprayed with a little water...then scrunched or waded them up like a spit ball. After that - I carefully - loosened and flattened them out. I stacked one on the others until all 8 were in a stack. I then used my Crop-a-dile to punch a whole in the center of all 8. I put a brad in the hole. I then folded and pinched each corner and each layer towards the center where the brad was...I did that to all 8 layers. By this time - it looks like a rose bud with near everything in the center of it. I then took some Stickles and smeared it over top of the edges of the paper over the "inked" parts while still grouped in the center. After a few minutes of drying under a dryer or heat gun - altho still slightly wet - I carefully started separating and repositioning each layer...molding it like a flower, I guess you could say.

And there you have it! Again, this is only my first attempt. I think I will be addicted to making these so I will be posting more on my blog as that happens...HERE. Come and visit me!

Upcycle A Pillow Case Into An Apron (The Tutorial Too)

2011-07-09T23:57:00.000-06:00

I received an email today from Catherine over at Runcibledays and she created an apron from a pillow case. She also gave us the tutorial so get started making some but please don't steal the pillow cases from your spouse or kids! Read how to make it below and make sure to visit Catherine's Blog too!

Here's her post:

Last month I promised a tutorial for germ warfare aprons, but things have moved on since then...

Recently I found some busily-patterned old pillowcases, and was wondering what to do with them when I realised that the pillow case dimensions might be just right for a child's apron. It worked! I do like a nice upcycle, so here's the new tutorial for an apron from a pillowcase (though of course it would work with non-pillow fabrics as well).

You will need:
one pillowcase
thread
sewing machine
ruler and pencil (or washable fabric marker)
scissors
(I used a housewife pillowcase with a folded-over section - if yours doesn't have this you will also need some ribbon or other fabric for the ties and neckband).

Let's get started:

Turn your pillow case inside out...

and carefully cut away the folded-over rectangle of fabric at the open end.

First: the neck-band and apron strings

(it's good to get the fiddly bits done at the start)

On the cut-out rectangle of fabric, mark three 4cm wide strips, starting at the long hemmed edge.

Here's a close-up of the strips, marked and ready to cut.

Ready to start sewing!

The strip which already has one hemmed edge is going to be the neck band.

Fold and press a 1cm hem on the other long side, then fold and press again to form a double hem.

Stitch along the folded edge.

The two strips without hems will be the waist ties (the proverbial apron strings, I think).

Fold and press a 1cm hem on one short end of each.

The press both in half lengthways, fold in the long raw edges to the centre and press again.

Fold again lengthways to enclose the raw edges, and topstitch along the open edge to form the ties.

(They will still be unfinished on one end - this is where they will attach to the apron later).

Neck band and ties finished - hooray!

Cutting out the apron

Fold the pillow case in half lengthways.

Mark a point 11cm from the fold on one of the short edges - this will be the top of the apron.

Mark another point 28cm from the top edge on the side-seams of the pillowcase.

Join these two pints with a smooth curve - this is the stitching line.

Draw a cutting line 1cm outside the stitching line and cut along this through all four layers of fabric.

Cut off the top seam 1cm from the edge.

Unfold (it's starting to look like an apron...)

Attaching the ties and neck-band

Fold back the upper layer of fabric to separate the top halves of the apron - now you are looking at the right sides of the fabric on the inside of the pillowcase.

Pin the neck band in place, aligning its raw edges with the top of the apron.

(The neck band needs to be placed 1cm in from the sides to allow a seam allowance when the two layers are joined together - see the photo above).

Baste neck band to apron and pin to make sure it doesn't get caught in the seam allowances later on.

Pin the waist ties in place - raw edges against the side seams - 1cm below the edge of the fabric
(again, so they don't get caught in the seam allowances).

Sewing it all together:

Pin the two layers together, sandwiching the waist ties and neck-band inside the pillowcase, between the right sides of the fabric.

Now stitch all the way around the edges of the body of the apron, leaving a 10cm gap in the lower edge for turning.

Leave a 1cm seam allowance all the way around - even on the side seams which are already stitched. You need to sew inside the original seams in order to catch the waist ties in the new seam allowance.

When you come to sew over the waist ties and the neck-band, backstitch and sew over them again to secure them really well.

Close-up of the lower edge with pins in place to remind me to leave a gap.

(The edges look a bit uneven here so I trimmed them before stitching).

Trim the corners and clip the curves to help it all lie flat when turned.

Turn and press:

Turn through the gap in the lower edge, and press very well all the way around - it's worth doing this from both sides if you're wanting the apron to be reversible.

Press the lower edges under by 1cm at the turning gap, and pin this closed.

Now topstitch all the way around the body of the apron.

Hurrah! All done...

My apron looks as though it's posing for the camera here...

... and here's the more demure version on the reverse.

It didn't take long to make, and it's good to see old pillowcases rehabilitated and brought out from the airing cupboard!

Let me know if you make one (or two, or three...)

Cushion cover pockets

2011-07-09T22:09:00.003-06:00

I made a pair of trousers with big pockets for my son, using fabric obtained for free through a freecycler, and a cushion cover I purchased at the op shop for 50c

Using a free pattern available from

dana-made-it.com

More blogged here

Imagine these stamps could have been thrown away

2011-06-27T07:57:00.003-06:00

My mum had been collecting stamps for many years but one day she decided she was going to get rid of them, I really don't know why. The weird thing is she didn't want to give them to me and so gave it to my husband to leave at the local post office, I don't know what mum thought they were going to do with the stamps but I am sure she had good reason to do this. My husband had the good sense to tell me that my mum had given him the stamps and so I was able to salvage them. Some of these stamps must be worth alot and some of them are very historical showing the old names of countries such as Ceylon which is now Sri Lanka.

I have found stamps really easy to work with and make the most amazing decoupage backgrounds. For the bangles and the treasure box I simply overlapped the stamps at different angles and stuck them down to form the pattern, I filed the edges to give the project a neat finish and lastly varnished to seal, add shine and make the items almost waterproof.

I have started to make other jewellery pieces from these stamps which I will share next month.

Check out more of my work at Imagine.Create.Express and I also have this for sale at suzARTe Creations on madeit

Hand-Made Wildflower Seed Embedded Paper

2011-06-08T07:29:00.002-06:00

Recycle and reuse all that junk mail and paper scraps by using it to make pulp for hand-made paper!

I recently made sheets of hand-made paper with embedded wildflower seeds, then cut the paper into shapes using my Big Shot and various dies. I attached the paper to one side of a piece of card stock with planting instructions created in My Digital Studio software on the other. I put the card in a cello bag and gave them as class and Mother's Day gifts.

Not only is this a different gift idea, but one that will bring color to a summer garden.

I used my paper-making kit. But, full directions and a link on how to make paper using everyday household items can be found on my blog site:

http://www.stampingwithbluemooncreations.com/my_weblog/2011/06/hand-made-wildflower-seed-embedded-paper.html

recycled hair bow barrettes

2011-06-07T11:19:00.000-06:00

Hey!
I wanted to share with my fellow green crafters something neat to crochet up with your plarn (recycled plastic shopping bag yarn)...

Hair Bow Barrettes!

I've seen others who have crocheted hair bows with regular yarn, but not yet with plarn, so of course, I had to try it out! I am selling the few that I've made at my etsy shop & haven't made a tutorial, but feel one coming on very soon!

much love & peace to all!

-Jess / thenerdyma

Summer refashioning, The4Rs Way!

2011-06-06T05:58:00.000-06:00

Stop by my web site to see full details, but as I clean out my closets of too tight skirts, and tops, I have decided to give them new life. Especially cute is the wild print cotton gored skirt with an underskirt featuring a lace edge that adds another dimension to the style. Here are a few pics with a link to read more:
The worn out top:

The gored girly skirt to:

Girly apron!

Details found here, and please post links on my Reap What You Sew Linky party, I would love to see what you are up to! Happy June!

Upholstery Patches

2011-05-26T02:29:00.000-06:00

Last year I picked up a pack of upholstery fabric samples for $1, at a Recycle Centre.

My favourite pair of Diesel jeans, that I've had for close to ten years, have finally given at the knee. Now, I shouldn't be too bothered about this, for ripped jeans have a certain character, but during Melbourne's winter, it is just not practical to wear hole-y jeans. What better opportunity than to patch with fine furnishing samples?

*Click on image for clearer picture*

To sew on my patches, I had to unpick the side seam of my jeans, then machine stitched what I could, hand stitched the rest, and machine stitched the open seam back together again.

Never too old for patched jeans!

Also blogged here

{somewhat} recycled puppet show stage

2011-05-25T18:38:00.000-06:00

Guess what this awesome puppet show setup is made out of!?

Come find out the answer on my blog!

jessann / thenerdyma

Jam Jar Craft

2011-05-21T05:18:00.006-06:00

Hi everyone, and thanks to Monica for my big welcome to Going Green Crafters and Artists, it is an honor to be here.

I have been crafting out of recycled materials for some time, but only recently documented my creations on my craft blog Recycled Sewing.

My latest little project, completed today, is a decorative jam jar (mason jar) which I am giving to my Mother as a birthday gift. She loves collecting little white shells from our beach whenever she visits us from all the way across the other side of the world, so, with the help of my son, we collected shells.

Shell collecting

I cleaned out an empty jar..

Empty jam jar (actually, a Vegemite jar)

And decorated it using doilies I'd bought at the op shop (thrift store) sticking onto the side of the jar using Mod Podge.

Doily's and Mod Podge to glue into place

I used a small circle embroidered doily from the op shop which was just the right size to fit the jar lid, and tied a piece of craft ribbon around its neck...

I am hoping the jar arrives in one piece traveling via airmail!

Welcome Erica ~ Our Newest Contributor!

2011-05-19T21:10:00.000-06:00

Erica

Erica's blogger profile

In the years BC (Before Child) Erica founded the Australian branch of a very successful international volunteer organisation, specialising in wildlife conservation and community development. Now she is a mother, leaving her professional life behind to raise her child. She writes, creates, and leads op shopping tours once every few months (for Melbourne Op Shop Tours) She studied Business & Finance, and Interior Design. She is environmentally passionate, and believes that new style can be recreated from old. Rather than landfill our beautiful planet with fabric, she prefers to buy second hand clothing, and refashion her own outfits. Recycled outfits make fashion more sustainable, and fun.

She started to sew and create not only outfits, but other things out of recycled materials. Her second blog; Recycled Sewing, document her non-fashion related creations. She has have been nicknamed 'The Fashion McGyver' because 'She makes stuff out of.. well anything'.

Erica is also the one of the editors of a refashion collaborative blog Refashion Co-op. A group that came together around a shared love for refashioning, or making over old garments into new garments and accessories, to create a space dedicated to refashioning.

Welcome to the "green team" Erica from all of us at GGCAA!

awesome chalkboard phone clock!

2011-05-15T16:55:00.001-06:00

Yesterday, while garage sale'n, I came across this neat, old phone & had remembered seeing a rad craft on She's Crafty with Wendy Russell a while back...

...so, naturally, I had to grab it & try it out myself.

The only difference is that I added chalkboard paint to mine, but this is what I got!:

much love & peace

jessann . thenerdyma

Welcome Our Newest Contributor ~ DeDa Studios!

2011-05-11T00:56:00.000-06:00

Just wanted to send a quick note to welcome one of our newest contributors:

DeDa Studios!

Here's a little info about them taken from their website:

We're a family who lives in the country of beautiful Wisconsin. We have always made it a point to have art and crafting in our lives. We have a lot of creativity and enjoy making all items ourselves.
All fused glass items are one of a kind. No one will ever have the same piece as you. We cut by hand and fuse all glass in our studio. We heat the glass to 1400 degrees to make it a liquid, then we gradually cool it. The glass takes whatever shape and designs it wants to leaving every piece unique and different!
Smelly Jellies scent any room with fragrance without having to light a candle. They last about 3-6 months. When you see them drying out all you do is add water to the top. Safe to use around children and pets. A "GREEN" way to scent your home! I also accept empty jars with lid and refill them for a fraction of the cost!

Welcome to the "green team"!

Make sure to visit them on their Blog, Website & on Facebook!

my "new" picnic basket & blanket!

2011-05-09T11:53:00.001-06:00

I've been wanting to get a picnic basket for a while, but just haven't really looked around for one... so... I decided the other day to just try & make a little one myself!

Using a little wicker basket that I had found at the local Goodwill store, a tablecloth that I had used some of to recover my kitchen chairs, some yarn that I had, & my trusty gluegun...

... I got this!:

{close ups of basket}

Now it's time to go break it in & have a picnic with my little monster!

peace&love

Jess / thenerdyma

Wine gift bag made from a boys shirt sleeve

2011-05-07T20:38:00.000-06:00

Halle made this cute little wine gift bag from the sleeve of a boys shirt.

Great idea Halle!

Visit Halle's blog to see some other fantastic things she makes too.

Welcoming A New Green Blogger

2011-05-04T21:16:00.000-06:00

I received an email today from The Crafty Recycler. Her going green crafting blog is new and wanted to just welcome her to the blogging world and say thank you for going green with your crafts too!

Go have a visit and see all of her wonderful things she makes.

The Crafty Recycler

Here is one of her projects:

Recycling old envelopes

Can you reuse the envelope by sticking a larger label on?

If not - here are some steps to reuse that envelope
- use your craft stamps then cut out the image
- use your craft punches
- origami
- use as background for your cards
- make mini envelopes and embellish/craft stamp them and use for little gifts inside cards

Reusing security envelopes are fantastic with all the different designs

Card from wallpaper and price tag with safety pin

2011-05-03T02:49:00.000-06:00

Hello everybody,

I sell cards for charity and this is a card I made for an order... it is partly recyled. See you don't need fancy stuff to be creative...

The pink background paper with touches of blue is actually wall paper!!! I bought the whole roll from a DIY shop in the UK for all of 3 pounds and I often use it for wrapping gifts as well!

The buttons are from the extras that come along with clothes and the safety pin has been recycled as well.

The grey base behind the sheep is a price tag from a garment.

The ribbon is from my stash. Aren't you impressed???

Happy crafting,

Monica

Waste Not Want Not

2011-04-29T06:50:00.000-06:00

I received an email from Nicks at Nicks Artsy Stuff. She gave me a link to a post she did making some flowers. I stayed on her blog looking at things for over an hour! She made some amazing flowers using some cloth she uses to dab her inks and paints with. Here's her creations. They are wonderful.

Think I have used that title before but I am going to use it again because - well because I can and in this case I should.. I was in my craftroom today trying to get it back to some kind of normality after Matts immortal words last week. At Hugbinders Fuchsia brought along some very handy 'J cloth' type things for people to use. There were some left over which somehow :-P found their way back here in my stash. I have been using one to mop up inks and paints whilst doing some journal backgrounds and playing with my new Distress Stains. I was about to throw it away - but couldn's cos it looked too blooming lovely.

Bang goes any efforts of tidying up!

I cut it into quarters and ran it through my Wizard, using Sir Tims Flower die

Stiffened the flowers with Fabric Stiffener (what a great idea to use that LOL) and layered the flowers up - the stiffener wont stick the layers together, but they will take on each others shape as they dry.

I stuck them together with glossy accents and embellished them with brads and buttons and made some leaves with grunge paper and a piece of leather.

Pretty cool for something that was nearly thrown in the bin dont you think? Of course the colours can never be replicated, because its pot luck on how the cloth turns out, but I wont be throwing the next one away!

Make sure to visit her blog for other great creations too!

Leearts New Projects

2011-04-27T23:26:00.000-06:00

Leearts has some great new recycled items to share. Thank you!

We, as crafters can go green by following the 3 R’s and making our own embellishments. Here’s my pot shaped card made using nature’s gifts and recycled items.

The pot is recycled cardstock from my kids old project onto which I glued strips of corrugated cardboard from packaging and the sliding card, recycled cardboard from a syringe box. The embellishments are nature’s gifts-sand and shells, to decorate the pot. The flowers are stems of the coconut and leaves cut from the loose bark of the coconut tree. Both painted with acrylics and adhered with the glue gun. The sentiment is handwritten. I also added a stand behind the pot to make it stand. Sorry, forgot to picture the back of the card.

As I was in a hurry to send this card (hand delivery), I did not make a box shaped envelope but made this bag.

It was a large bag, made smaller to just fit the card in. It was painted free hand with green (because it was a green card) acrylics (pearl and regular), and added a jute string for the handles.

I sent this card to my kids former headmistress, against my husband’s wishes as it was recycled. However, she very much appreciated it and called back on her birthday itself to thank me for it. Finally. for those of you who are not familiar with the tropical coconut tree parts, here are some images to show the parts I used.

This is a mature coconut with the stem on top, once pulled out, it looks like a flower on the inner side.

This image shows the loose bark that lies beneath the palm leaves.

a different kind of lighting

2011-04-25T09:52:00.001-06:00

I wasn't digging the lamp that we had set up on our kitchen table, so I decided to just use it's shade & make extra room on the table.

This is what I came up with:

I had a plant hanger stashed away in the garage, along with a strand of rope light & thought that this little combination was pretty neat!

jessann

thenerdyma

11 Earth Day Projects

2011-04-22T09:38:00.000-06:00

Mother Earth is home to billions of people around the world. We need to help protect the environment by going "green." Show your support by crafting Earth day projects made from recycled materials. You can use anything from bottles to old clothing that would normally be thrown away. Let your creative efforts show that you care about our planet! April 22 is Earth day, so make your green craft projects count by supporting this important day.

Earth Day Projects

Earth Day Projects Using Bottles

Plastic Bottle Lid Art - Even plastic bottle lids can be recycled for fantastic art projects like this one. Turn the lids into a contemporary art canvas that's sophisticated but easy enough for kids to do!

Plastic Bottle Bird Feeder - Instead of sending more plastic to the landfill, turn a plastic bottle into a fun and functional birdfeeder crafted like a birdhouse. This is a great green craft for using the occasional plastic bottle.

Bottle Cap Crosses - Use bottle caps and family pictures to create Christian crosses full of reminders of what to be thankful for. These crosses are a great activity for Bible studies and families to make together. These crosses could also be an Easter craft.

Earth Day Projects Using Clothing

Recycled Sweater Throw Pillows - This eco-crafting idea uses recycled sweaters found at thrift stores or in the backs of closets to create cozy pillows. For the best results, look for sweaters with embellishments or great texture.

Turn Old Jeans into Pot Holders - Transform your old jeans into handy (har har har) pot holders. The jean pockets, already ready for slipping in your hands, make this sewing project a breeze.

Eco-Friendly T-Shirt - This eco-friendly T-shirt, painted with a cute leaf, instructs people to "Think Green." The message is important but still friendly.

Earth Day Projects Using Containers

Recycled Yogurt Cup Bud Vase - Turn an empty kids yogurt drink container into a bud vase, perfect for those teeny tiny wild flowers you and your child collect on long (or short) afternoon walks!

Daisy Container - Turn an old coffee container or oatmeal container into a lovely daisy container. This is great for holding anything you wish like kitchen utensils, gardening materials or even snack treats.

Oatmeal Box Pencil Holder - These containers look great, even though they are recycled materials. Match up peoples favorite hobbies, loves and likes with the pictures. Give as a gift filled with pencils or pens.

Earth Day Projects Using Cans

Recycled Tin Can Luminaries - Tin Can With a little creativity, tin cans become surprisingly elegant luminaries instead of trash.

Smashed Soda Can Animals - A smashed soda or aluminum can becomes a funny cow, pig or beer. This is fun activity and a great way to teach kids about recycling.

Article courtesy of FaveCrafts

Lettuce Make A Spring Shrug TrashNTees Tutorial

2011-04-18T15:36:00.000-06:00

I'm told it is Spring. Though I've seen the sun a few times- I'm still not yet completely convinced until its time to cut my grass. I worked up this quick and easy tutorial which will help you transform your humbum regular old long sleeve tshirt into a fun and fancy shrug/cardigan perfect to wear over a sundress for a day at the races or pair it up w/ a tank and jeans for a trip to the park. Go ahead and grab something to cut with and something to cut- and we'll get started!

I started with this medium weighted long sleeve shirt from Coldwater Creek. It was comfortable but I didn't like the length in the tummy area. (Remember I had two babies!?) I'm a firm believer in the fact that I should be able to raise my hands up above my head and not show any stretch marks.

1) Hack off the bottom of the shirt. It looks like I took off about 4 or 5 inches here... Remember theres no right or wrong way to the design, so feel free to make variations along the way.

2) Crop your sleeves to preferred length.

3) It looks tricky but I promise you its not. Fold you shirt so that its creased in the center front (and back) Tip: line up the seams! Feel free to use pins and chalk here- I tend to create on the go so I just went at it w/ the cutters. Chalkers: From the bottom you want to draw a semi circle on the font center. Heres how it looked after I cut mine:

Your shirt should look something like this after you've made your last cut.


*I went back and cur the remaining bit of neckline, which could've been taken care of in step #3

Head over to your dandy sewing machine and lay down some thread.You'll finish all of the edges with this lettuce edge. You do not need a high dollar machine, additional foot, or mad skills to pull this off. Creating a lettuce ruffle is simple! Set your machine to the narrowest zig zag setting, and feel free to experiment with width. Each machine setting will probably be different, so dont jump the gun. Practice on scrap before you go for it. (Trust me!)

To create the "lettuce" look to the edge you need to stretch your fabric. You have to use fabric that stretches. (Paat! tshirts stretch!) If your fabric doesn't have a good amount of stretch to it, forget about a lettuce edge. It isn't going to work.

Now, you need to stretch from both sides of the fabric. When I say both sides, I mean in front of the presser foot as well as behind. That means you need to use BOTH hands, no drinking coffee while sewing ruffles.You want to stretch the fabric as much as you possibly can while sewing and gently guiding the fabric through your machine.

Finished up and still have time clean. Yay. (or not)

Thanks for reading along, be sure to let me know if you have any questions or if you've tried this tutorial I'd love to know how it turned! Visit my blog @ http://trashn2tees.blogspot.com I hope you'll take some time to check out my other tutorials, as well as tutorials featured here as part of the Recycle, Reduce, Reuse, RECREATE Earth Day Event 2011.

Plates As Art & A Painted Rug

2011-04-16T11:32:00.000-06:00

Just wanted to share some things that my Niece did. She made this fabulous plate mural on her wall in her dining room. How wonderful is that to use some old dishes you have around and turn them into art.

She also painted this rug and I think it came out great, I don't know if I would want to walk on it and maybe ruin it after awhile. But that's the great thing about upcycling something old into something new.

Thanks Niece for sharing your projects! Love you!

Recycling In Your Garden

2011-04-16T00:43:00.000-06:00

Anandhi has some fabulous ideas for upcycling in your garden.

Visit her blog for other great ideas too.

Many people think gardening is a full time job requiring lot of time and care. But in reality it is not.Not when you start with only foliage plants. When I started I had only five pots of colourful foliage later on I moved on to grow flowering plants.In this post I will show you how to RECYCLE,REUSE and REDUCE in your garden. I like to use all the unwanted things which is usually thrown out can be used in the garden. be it kettle. A dead tree trunk or whatever you fancy all can be arranged creatively.Even an old flush tank is not spared here

This is a sapota tree trunk used as a hanger for hanging pots

PVC Pipes are used to hold the kettle surrounded by folliage

Along with spanish IVY ( variegated money plant) I planted "bleeding heart" vine to get an astonishing look.

This is an old flush tank with its shiny porcelain body I was reluctant to part with it.

Along with some driftwood Adenium Obessum is planted which requires lot of sunlight and a little water.I placed some floating plants.

I am linking this post to the Green Thumb Decor party going on till April at Patty's blog.

Hope you enjoyed this post

Eco Friendly Easter Egg Dye

2011-04-13T00:34:00.000-06:00

For those of us that celebrate the Easter holiday we color eggs before the holiday. Here is a great recipe for using fruits and vegetables as the dye to color your eggs. Tiffany Windsor always has some amazing ideas for almost anything you want to create. Make sure and give her a visit. Here's her recipe:

Materials:

Eggs (white eggshells preferred)
Water
Pans (for boiling eggs and for simmering dyes)
Vegetables, herbs, berries (I used beets, blueberries, onion skins, turmeric, red cabbage, alkanet)
Kitchen string, rubber bands, stickers and other materials for embellishing eggs
Easter grass, Easter basket or small clay pots for display

Instructions:

Boil eggs for 15 minutes. Let cool to room temperature or place in refrigerator overnight.
Prepare dye according to instructions by simmering your veggies, herbs or berries. Let cool and pour into dipping bowls. Remember that you will want the bowl deep enough to immerse entire egg.
Decorate eggs with string or stickers or rubber bands.
Place decorated eggs into dye baths for several hours or until desired color is achieved. Remove from dye bath and let set on paper towel. Do not rub excess dye as you may remove more color than desired. (Although a cool looking technique is to dab with paper towel or plastic wrap to create interesting textured design.)
Carefully remove decorations to reveal design. Let eggs dry completely and display in basket filled with Easter grass or tiny clay pots.
To create this layered color effect, pour a small amount of dye into the bottom of a bowl. Place egg into dye bath. Rotate egg 1/4 turn every hour to create color layers.

For a video tutorial of this project, check out How to Create Natural Dyes for Easter Eggs.

Recycled Paper Bowls

2011-04-11T14:47:00.000-06:00

Get your awesome, 1-of-a-kind, recycled paper bowl @ nerdy ma's {indecisive} etsy shop!

These bowls are surprisingly sturdy enough to store whatever knick-knacks & what-not you wish! Just keep dry, & it's all good!
Make sure to follow on facebook for new items & awesome deals!

Recycling Vintage Linens into Hanging Guest Towels

2011-04-02T17:52:00.000-06:00

Love the new look of this blog background! Reminds me spring is on it's way!
My new bathroom was in need of some guest towels, so I put together a little tutorial on my blog with the steps. Also included are pics of repainting a black wrought iron garage sale find to match the oiled brass fixtures.
I collect vintage linens, soiled, stained, ripped whatever! I dig through these for what will inspire me to create.

This piece of cutwork was possibly from a curtain topper, the stain was off putting, but not for long!

I married it to a long linen towel that had a nice crocheted ege at the bottom

I pressed the pieces, and cut out a modified triangle out of the cutwork.

I applied interfacing to the back of the topper's lining (blue calico here)

I used warm and natural to add some body to the piece

I gathered the top of the linen towel

Adjusted gathers to fit across the bottom of the triangle topper..

stitched the triangle to the top of the towel, right sides together

apply a fabric loop that you make by stitching a rectangle right sides together and turned, and pressed right side

place the lining and batting right sides together (loop was waiting here, but is already sandwiched in at top)

applied the lining, right sides together, and stitched around 3 sides, catching the hanging loop in the top

Grade all seams, turn triangle right side out, and hand stitch invisibly across bottom.

I applied velcro by stitching it at top of triangle, on topper and on backside of the loop, and hand stitched a button to finish it off.

You can view a little more detail on the post link below.

I am hosting a craft book giveaway in honor of my almost 10,000th visitor! Will you be the one? Giveaway ends on Sunday night April 3rd at 6:00pm EST. Stop by and visit!

http://the4rsramblings.blogspot.com/2011/03/designing-and-dreaming-of-spring.html

Repurposed Milo Can

2011-04-02T03:04:00.000-06:00

I've been keeping some empty cans around the house and wanting to do something with them for a while now, so I finally decided to decorate one! I used an empty Milo can and just decoupaged it with scrapbook paper and some embellishments - easy as pie! Here's how it turned out:

I love it and can't wait to make more of 'em! :)

You can see my original post HERE if you like.

Have a lovely weekend!

11 Cardboard Tube Crafts for Easter

2011-04-01T23:38:00.002-06:00

Amanda at Crafts By Amanda has a great project for kids using the cardboard tubes from paper towels.
Visit the link above to read more and see all the tutorials.

Thanks Amanda!

Welcome Our Newest Contributor!

2011-04-01T13:00:00.000-06:00

Welcome Jennifer to The Green Team!

I asked Jennifer to write a little something about herself, here's what she said:

I'm so excited to be a part of the Going Green Crafts Blog and Team! I have been memory keeping since I was a toddler and started officially scrapbooking 'the correct way' in 1999. By correct I mean with the scrapbooking-safe supplies! As many of you know there isn't a right or wrong way to scrapbook! Then a few years later I started making cards and shortly after that with the hybrid and altered items. Now I just tell people I enjoy Paper Crafting! It's easier! But the best part of paper crafting - other than meeting fellow crafters -of course - is that it fits my personality! I'm a pack rat, you see, and being a pack rat I come across TONS of items that I hang on to and use later! This also works hand-in-hand with recycling and reusing items in crafts! I try and reuse a lot of card board from cereal boxes or just about anything else! I have been doing the same thing with tins and boxes, too! I really think it makes it even more fun but at the same time you are helping the environment, too! I'm always up for that and anything else I can do to make this world a greener place! In addition, I'm a vegetarian and have been for over 17 years! I'm looking forward to this new Design Team adventure with the Going Green Crafts Blog & Team and would LOVE for you to visit my blog at Blissful Place

Welcome aboard from all of us at GGCAA!

Recycled Plastic Bags by Crafty Kathi

2011-04-01T10:26:00.000-06:00

Kathi makes some amazing bags using bags!

Here's a little bit about her and how she got started:

"Ahh, the plastic bag. Where once it was a choice at the grocery store has now become the way we carry home our groceries. Can you count how many you have used? 100's maybe 1,000's of plastic bags? You can reuse some of them by lining the trash can, picking up after the dog, lunch bag, and to carry misc. items but what about the other 100-1,000's of bags? Do you recycle them at your local grocery store? If so, where do they go? DO they get recycled? I read (at reusablebags.com) that 1-3% of the bags get recycled. Many of the bags from recycling bins do not get recycled. SOOO...what to do?

One summer my grandmother (who lives in FL) came to NH to visit our family. She had learned a new craft and wanted to share it with us. We each received a large bag. She had gathered about 73 plastic bags, cut them, strung them together and crocheted them into a reusable bag. I BEGGED her to show me and I have been crocheting plastic bags ever since. Friends and family save their plastic bags AND I go to the local grocery stores (there are 6 of them) and gather plastic bags there as well. I have crocheted about 70+ bags and counting. They are quite strong and sturdy. I have carried home fruit and veggies in mine from the store. Every time I use one large bag I am reusing about 73 plastic bags!"

Make sure to visit her blog and her Etsy store for all of her great creations!

New Blog Buttons!

2011-04-01T09:56:00.000-06:00

Just a quick note that we have created new buttons to place on your blog or website.

So if you want to support us, have been featured by us or are a contributor, then grab a new button!

You can find the HTML codes for all of them on the sidebar.

New "support us" button

New "I was featured" button

New contributor button

Thanks! Monica

Craft Storage

2011-03-29T09:42:00.007-06:00

Wanted to share a great video focusing on reuse of household items for craft storage! These
DIY Dish ladies share some wonderful ideas and inspiration for a "greener" craft space! Just click on the DIY Dish and it will lead you to link for video! Hope you enjoy!

Blessings to you,
Vicki
Bountiful Blessings

Shadow Box Ornament

2011-03-28T22:57:00.001-06:00

I know Christmas has come and gone but it will be here before you know it! There was an earlier post with a tutorial on making a box out of your old ribbon spools. One of our fabulous followers on Facebook submitted a great idea she had. She made a shadow box ornament using ribbon spools. It's wonderful! Make sure to visit her blog to see all of her great work!

Thanks Cynthia for sharing!

Here's a copy of her posting:

This is a little shadowbox ornament that I made. I’ve used a combination of Lumiere paints, Tim Holtz Crackle Paint, mica flakes, Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist in Snow Queen, Adirondack alcohol inks, a small scrap of copper, an image, a couple of buttons, some rhinestones, a pop dot, Glossy Accents, some ribbon, a bell, and some fishing line to hang it up with. Did you guess what the base for the shadowbox is?

Yep. It’s a ribbon roll. Once I run out of ribbon, I’ve been saving the empty rolls to use for something and this is the first project I’ve made out of them. The roll is basically a cardboard center with a piece of cardboard glued to the top and bottom of it. All you have to do is carefully peel off the top piece of cardboard and you are left with an opening perfect for a shadowbox. The one I used was from a really small roll of ribbon that came in a sampler pack and it had no hole in the middle as most of them do but if you use one with a hole in it, you just need to put a little scrap of cardboard inside of it to cover that and you’re all set to embellish!

Upcycled Camouflage Key Chain

2011-03-28T22:44:00.000-06:00

Wanted to share a cute little key chain that Holly Craft made.

This key chain is handmade with upcycled camouflage fabric from a pair of pants. It has a cute little flower made from fabrics left over from larger projects. Measures approximately 4 inches.

Visit her Facebook page to see all of her other great work she does.

Vintage Music

2011-03-28T06:00:00.002-06:00

I love this new music set Paulette has made over at TLC Creations. I got it this morning and had to make something as soon as I got home. The set is called Music Speaks, and is perfect for me! I started piano lessons when I was 4, as my mom was a piano teacher, and I have been playing ever since! This is such a sweet vintage set and I love how it turned out. Take a close-up look:

I got some Prima flowers on my shopping trip yesterday and I used the card they came on for the pale yellow "half-layer" in the left corner. The flowers on the card went so well with my new Sweet Fairy designer paper - also by Prima. It had this nice cut out edge already, and I thought it was neat to reuse something.

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great day!

Ribbon Spool Boxes Tutorial

2011-03-27T10:41:00.000-06:00

Jill and Kelly make custom party favors and decorations, mostly out of paper. They are beginning to add upcycled gifts and home decor items to their shop. Jill loves to Mod Podge everything and often decorate old containers, boxes, tins, etc. Jill also has a degree in interior design and she also upcycles old furniture and sells it locally.

They were kind enough to share a tutorial with us on making the cutest boxes out of your empty ribbon spools. But before you download the tutorial, visit their Etsy Store where you can purchase your own and see all of the great things they make too!

Here's a link to their store where they have so many wonderful items!

Faire une Fete

Here's where you can download the tutorial:

Ribbon Spool Tutorial

Thank you Kelly & Jill we are happy you shared this with us and look forward to seeing more of your fabulous work!

Card out of my little one's sticker...

2011-03-27T02:57:00.001-06:00

Hello everyone,

My younger one - three years plus had played so much with this Minnie Mouse sticker that it was ready to be trashed.

I decided to stick it on a card... and you will not believe that such kind of cards sell like hot cakes at my charity sales. Wish the picture quality was better, though. Sorry about that!

So here is my card... the flower on the top left is home made and the rest of them are from my stash.
I re-glued the sticker with a glue stick and stuck it on metallic blue-green embossed paper.

At the bottom is my famous Fiskar's border punch which just doesn't let me get my hands off it.

Hope you like it.

Hugs and happy recycling,

Monica

Easy Paper Flower Tutorial Using Old Dictionary Pages

2011-03-22T16:27:00.001-06:00

I had made this card for the design team I'm on and wanted to share a tutorial for the flower I made per your request! Thank you for all the wonderful comments on my other post with the card. It's so easy!

I've seen many of these flowers made using a brad in the middle to hold it together. I wanted to do something different with ribbon so here's what I came up with:

You will need some old dictionary pages or pages from an old book. I use pages from a huge dictionary I bought at a thrift store. It has the thinner, lighter pages than an ordinary book. I like the weight of those pages because they are easier to crimp and crinkle. You also need some ribbon, a stapler and a scallop punch.

Punch out six scallop circles.

Stack your scallops together and lay your ribbon across them in the middle. Staple the ribbon to the scallops.

Tie a knot in the ribbon, the staple holds it in place.

Trim the edges of your ribbon.

Crinkle and fluff up each scallop until it's as fluffy as you like.
Enjoy!
Visit my website for other tutorials too!

Martha Stewart Packaging Upcycle

2011-03-20T07:27:00.001-06:00

Chelsea made a wonderful gift box by upcycling the packaging that her Martha Stewart punches came in. It's fabulous! Here's her project and take a peek at her blog for other fun stuff!

I'm excited to share this project with you today...
Do you recognize the shape of this box? Well, it's the packaging from Martha Stewart craft punch.
The box was too pretty to toss away, so I've altered it into a pretty little gift box.

This is what I did to the back of the box...it's just perfect for a square topper.
This adorable Tilda was colored with Prisma pencils then with Distress Ink for shadowing.
I've used papers from Prima and DCWV...so gorgeous!

and here is the side view of the gift box...

Inside...some lovely spring blooms for a dear friend.

I enjoyed making this altered projects...hope you will give this a try.
Don't throw those packaging away! :)
This is what the original packaging looks like before the alteration...

Magnolia Stamp: Tilda with Heart Lace
Coloring Medium: Prisma Pencils & Distress Inks
Paper: Prima &DCWV

Greentopia Festival this September in New York!

2011-03-20T01:32:00.001-06:00

If you are going to be in the Rochester, NY area in September please visit the Greentopia Festival or read more on their website on how you can participate!

The Greentopia Festival is Rochester’s and the Finger Lakes’ celebration of the green movement sweeping around the globe. The two-day, interactive fest in historic High Falls will reveal what the region is doing to help the environment – and envision a greener Rochester of the future.
Think of Greentopia as a walk-through of a totally sustainable Rochester. We’ve already begun this walk by exploring healthier ways of living, as individuals and as a community. In social, economic and environmental ways, we’ve made the decision to go green.
Businesses and organizations will showcase products and programs that help restore the planet, promote green living – even save consumers some money. Greentopia is a festival of ideas that empowers everybody to create positive change on the planet we call home.
Join us at Rochester’s sustainability celebration to explore green living, Rochester style. It’s a two-day “World’s Fair” of inspiration through art, music, ideas and activism. You’ll hear visionary speakers and meet well-known authors. Through how-to workshops and cutting-edge films, you’ll learn about big green ideas and how to apply them creatively in everyday life. There will be unusual family activities, community recycled art installations, mouthwatering organic and local food and beverages, and all kinds of live music.
At Greentopia, expect to have a lot of fun, learn a few things and become inspired to make changes that really make a difference in the environment. (You might be surprised how going green helps your wallet, too.)

The Greentopia Festival, at a glance:

It’s the first large-scale green festival ever held in Greater Rochester.
Every exhibitor will be screened for a commitment to sustainable business practices using green business standards developed by Green America and our local steering committee.
Greentopia will provide incentives for participants using greener modes of transportation.
Everything that can be recycled at the festival will be recycled. Every plate, fork, spoon, knife, cup, bowl, napkin, coffee stirrer and sample cup will be 100% compostable. And all food scraps will be collected and composted.
All Greentopia collateral will be made with recycled and/or earth-friendly materials.
Every event sign will be designed with reuse in mind. Each piece will be made from environmentally friendly materials.

Paper Jewelry: Faux Metal Pendant Project

2011-03-15T22:28:00.000-06:00

I found a terrific project on Eco Green Crafts and wanted to share it with you:

Paper can be a versatile and fun medium for making jewelry. Lightweight, inexpensive, and easy to manipulate, paper can be altered into faux metal and other beautiful finishes.

I use EGC’s recycled chipboard die cuts for my base pieces.There are eleven different sets, offering a good selection of shapes and sizes. The faux metal is achieved using EGC’s metallic Acrylic Paints, and Glass Glintz put the finishing touch on this fabulous project.

To help you get started making your own paper jewelry creations, download directions for this Faux Metal Pendant Project. I’ve also put together some basic tips, as well as a handy how-to of my favorite paper finishes.

Click here for PDF Directions for Faux Metal Pendant Project

Click here for PDF Basic Tips for Paper Jewelry

Click here for PDF of Julia’s Favorite Finishes

Out of scraps lying on my table

2011-03-12T09:53:00.000-07:00

This is a card I made with literally scraps lying around on my table.

Even the three black spiral roses were made by me from paper sitting on my table.

A very simple and easy card but creating it brought me lots of joy.

I have stuck hand torn silver tissue paper on to a rich red, metallic card stock.

The black polka dotted ribbon was on my table as well.

The spiral roses were created in minutes and their stems have been cut from kitchen foil as I could not thing of anything else to match for the stems.

The three gems on the left came with a Prima stamp.

The sentiment is handwritten.

Continue having a nice weekend...

Hugs,

Monica

Nature inspired, eco friendly garment designs for you

2011-03-11T23:42:00.000-07:00

Meet Jill! Her Etsy Shop is awesome! Here's a little bit about her and what she does. Take a peek at some of her fabulous clothing and stop by her shop. Here's a bit about her:

Reconstructed garments made from recycled garments by a repurposed cubicle sitter! I left the corporate world for the handmade community. I hope you enjoy what I come up with in the solace of my studio overlooking the beauty of southern Wisconsin.

Thrifty Photo Frame Re-do

2011-03-11T23:21:00.000-07:00

Andrea at "Keepin It Thrifty" has some fabulous thrifty ways to do extraordinary things with ordinary items. She rescues items form thrift stores and makes some awesome stuff! Here's one of her projects and make sure to visit her website for more!

For Thrifty Thursday I wanted to show all of you something I made bout 3 months ago....

Its quick simple and cheap

{photo frame re-do}

All I did was buy this photo frame @ goodwill

Scrabble board game @goodwill

$.50

Made these felt rosettes

click here to learn how

The black background is a felt sheet I cut

hot glue your scrabble letters to it

add your felt flowers too!

{Felt Rosettes}

ENJOY!!

;)

Stone paper weight/pencil holder

2011-03-11T23:12:00.000-07:00

Anandhi came up with a fabulous way to preserve those wonderful magazine photos and such. She decoupaged them and put them on a rock with a place to hold your pencil and tada! A paper weight and pencil holder. Visit her blog for more great things too!

We all must be coming across some beautiful pictures or paintings in magazines Which we always wanted to preserve. I found this is the better way of preserving it. Kindly scroll thru the page.

That's it friends You all have guessed it right. It is Mseal!

Hope You all like this.

Happy crafting

Make A Box With CD Cases

2011-03-10T12:59:00.001-07:00

Meet Stephanie. She has some awesome upcycling ideas on her website. I've translated this article into English but you will get the idea on how to make this awesome project. Make sure to give her website a visit too!

My stock of tricks could be used not discarded because "there are cases" CD "...
it's weird anyway, they were born and the CDs they already seem outdated ... (And me, I still have a radio cassette in my car!)
In short, back to the topic of the day, this box:

To achieve it, just get 4 cases:

Remove the black part inside

Cut a piece of cardboard 14 cm by 16 cm (for background)

Cut 4 pieces of paper by 13.8 cm by 11.8 cm (I think that all enclosures, regardless of brand, are the same size ...?)

And decorate them: according to his desires and the future role of the box: photos, recipes ...

For me, it will be deco Recycling with remnants of wrapping paper!

my trusty pen white ...

Then cover the box (bottom):

Glue the boxes together, then the cardboard base (A regular hot glue gun was used)

and here is the finished box, it is big enough and can easily contain a new scarf drive for example!

Reuse old frames & embroidery hoops in a crafty way!

2011-03-07T13:51:00.001-07:00

Hey! Come check out how I got crafty with old picture frames & embroidery hoops on my blog!

Here's a sneak peek:

{P.S. I don't mind new followers! ;)}

Recycled Tee Adult Belt

2011-03-02T09:36:00.000-07:00

I wanted to introduce Bertie. She's new to blogging and to twitter so take a peek at her pages and follow her. She has some great upcyled ideas. Click here to visit her blog and click here to follow her on twitter. Here's one of her creations:

Supplies: 2 Large Adult Tees
1 Buckle

Begin by turning your tee inside out and cutting off the hem. Then carefully angle cut into the tee, starting at the bottom, up to about 2 inches. Continue spiral cutting your 2 inch strip around the tee ending at an even spiral as far as you can. You will need 4 strings about 3 to 4 times your waist measurement.

Loop each string onto the middle line of your buckle. Begin tying square knots using 3 strings for each knot, alternating the strings. Continue until long enough to go around you. Trim off hanging strings to about 1 inch. Then weave in the remaining ends.

Dog Food Die Cuts

2011-03-01T01:21:00.006-07:00

Hello Everyone!

I can imagine what you are thinking when you see this title! No, I haven't die cut dog food as yet, but I did get really close!! Hope you will enjoy this labor of love I made for a dear friend!

I was asked to babysit my BFF's dogs while she and her husband were away. It was not a problem as my three dogs and their two get along beautifully. The real blessing for me is that they all eat the SAME dog food! Feeding five dogs at once could become a real nightmare if they all had different food!

While getting the "herd" fed one night, I noticed the bag of dog food was really pretty. I know, I have no life..lol! The colors of the bag were some of my friend's favorites! So, I was inspired to make a card for their upcoming anniversary using this bag as my paper! It was a little "out of the bag" to try, but I knew she would get a real kick knowing our dog food bag was the highlight of their card! Please check out all the details for this project on my blog post at Bountiful Blessings!

As crafters, we never know where our next idea or inspiration will come from! If we take time to look around us, there is no limit to the resources available to us! So, next time you feed your dog, make dinner, take a shower or look through that junk mail, be sure to really look at the products and the "waste" from those products! You never know, you might just surprise a great friend with a one of a kind treat that even her dogs could love!

Thanks so much for stopping by today! I hope you enjoyed your visit here as well as your visit to Bountiful Blessings! Hope you all have an awesome week and I leave you with...

Blessings to you,
Vicki

About Us

2011-02-28T13:55:00.002-07:00

Someone asked me the other day why I started this website. Here's my answer for you!

I started Going Green Crafters & Artists in July 2009. But I just didn't say hey, that's a great idea for a blog. No, it was something else. I was sitting in my craft studio making a card with a new stamp set I had bought. I opened the stamp set and was throwing away the packaging when I said to myself, I throw away a lot of stuff! So I picked up the packaging and made a card using the plastic from the packaging as a window on a shaker card. From that time on I looked at crafting a bit differently.

Crafting has always been what I enjoy the most so I do a lot of it. I now hate to look back and think of all the packaging, scraps, ribbon, yarn, Cd's; (the list can go on and on) that I threw away that I could have incorporated into my crafting. Since my daily life focuses mainly on crafting then that's where I needed to make the biggest change.

I knew there were other artists and crafters out there that felt the same way so that's when I formed GGCAA. I wanted it to be a place where others could share their love of arts and crafts the "green" way. I have met many bloggers in my time as a craft blogger so I contacted them and asked them to join me on this journey. It started out with just three of us and now it's grown to many contributors. The contributors aren't just paper crafters, some are artists, some are writers and they span all across the world. The contributors are the key people that make this site what it is today.

We aren't here to change the world, we just want people to be aware. Recycling is more than waiting for your recyclables to be picked up from your curb, it's about making changes in all your daily life. If a persons daily life includes paper crafting or some other art medium, then we want to help with ideas that have inspired us. To share those ideas with others can maybe just make one person think before they throw something away. To have people think about how they can use something before throwing it away and creating something beautiful is all that we strive for.

When I receive an email that a contributor has posted something on GGCAA I immediately go to the site to see what great idea they have come up with. It's amazing what people can do when they have to think outside of the box. It's really easy to go buy paper, glue, or buy a picture frame. But why do that when you can make your own with what you probably have in your house already? It's a great journey to be on and the ride has only begun. Our mission statement on our front page says it all I think. "A community of crafters, artists and writers coming together to share Eco friendly ideas and artistry in an effort to help the environment".

If you would like to be a contributor or have something you would like published send me an email.

Thanks!
Monica

Don't throw away your 'Lindt' chocolate packaging.......use them on a greeting card!

2011-02-23T17:44:00.000-07:00

Leanne has a wonderful idea for using a part of the 'Lindt' chocolates packaging on her card. Better get eating that chocolate and make some birthday cards. Visit her blog for other great ideas too!

Today, I’m here to wish my sis on her 60^th birthday. Now, don’t think we’re close in age. She’s the second and I’m the fourth, last and years….apart. This reminds me of a doctor I worked with, teasing me as ‘the last drop’ lol. So, here’s my card. Take a look and try to guess what it’s made of before you proceed.

Not guessed yet?? I mentioned about chocolates…

I used four chocolate wrappers for the base of the card. We had these sometime ago. They were Malaysian made, with an awful taste, but, a beautiful wrapper. I meant to conceal the line joining the papers with the black ribbon, but, this morning I realized I didn’t do so. That’s the result of not completing it in daylight and wearing my old glasses which have a lower power as I find them more comfortable. I hope you don’t find the fault.

Anyway it’s only for my sis.

The flower petals were individually cut out from a ‘Lindt’ chocolate pralines tray. I mounted eight petals on foam tape for the first layer, eight for the second, then, four for the third and fourth. In all 24 petals and reduced in size for each layer. A red rhinestone was used for the centre. The flourishes, leaves and ‘60’ were drawn and cut out from gold paper. The flourish appears very much like the letter ‘L’ and incidentally my sister’s name is Loretta.

My source of inspiration for this card (flower) is my mother. Mum’s been teaching flower making for the past six decades, and always had the habit of collecting and making flowers with all sorts of stuff. I don’t think she’d made one from a chocolate tray, so I’m very happy I made a flower embellishment she’d not done before.

Faux Metal Frames From Toilet Paper Rolls!

2011-02-22T10:33:00.000-07:00

Suzy from Suzy's Artsy Sitcom makes this beautiful faux metal from toilet paper rolls. I had to share her tutorial on how she does it. Here's her post from her blog:

My youngest daughter got married last month and I now have a new son-in-law. And I thought it would be nice to put together a hand-made frame for some of her nicer photos of the two of them together. So naturally, my mind went to toilet paper. What? Oh wait, I'm getting ahead of myself. You see, since the Faux Metal Wall Art project, I have been inundated with toilet paper tubes. At least several times a week, a family member, friend or vague aquaintance will hand me a bag full of toilet paper tubes. Everyone wants me to come up with a sequel to that project. What have I done to myself? Well, the lengths I will go to in the name of artsy-craftiness.

So the idea of a Faux Metal Filigree Frame was born. For this project I used:

(4 ea.) Dollar Store Frames (4 x 6")

About 20 Toilet Paper Tubes

Aleene's Tacky Glue

(2 ea.) 3/8" wide dowels about 36" long each (Purchased from my local craft store)

Hot Glue

White Gloss Spray paint

A ton of patience

The first step was to take the frames apart, separating the glass and cardboard backing from the actual frame. Then lay the frames out upside down, lining up the tops of the two top frames and separating them by 3" from each other and the two frames below them.

Once they are laid out the way you want them, cut the dowels to hot glue on the backs of the frames. This is for basic support. I didn't want to use too many dowels as I wanted the filigree effect, so I used just enough to support the project while all the cardboard filligree is added. I cut four dowels and glued them down across the tops and bottoms of all four frames, and then two longer dowels to overlap lenthwise over the inside edges of the frames. This created a center square. (Be sure not to cover up the frame area so that you can put the photos in).

Carefully turn your piece over. It will be fragile at this moment, but as you add the filligree, it will become much stronger.

Now cut the toilet paper tubes once length-wise, then mark 1/4" lines along the width of the tube so that your strips will have a curl. I went ahead and cut up all my toilet paper tubes, creating a pile of paper curls to work with. Set aside one toilet paper tube to cut in 1/4" strips lengthwise to use for occasional straight pieces.

The pattern for my frame was made up as I went. I started with the centerpiece, creating a flower. I created the petals by coiling strips around the end of a paintbrush, glueing it with tacky glue and then pinching each end. The center of the flower was coiled around the end of the paintbrush and then just glued. The outer petals were created by pinching the center of the curl and gluing the ends in place. Glue the flower together and allow it to dry.

Since the dowels raised the frames about a 1/4" above the table, I added a circle of paper curls in the center section to help support the center flower. I then glued the flower on top, centering it within the center square.

The filligree pattern that holds the frames together was made up as I went. Once a pattern was established on one side, I recreated the pattern on the opposite side.

The simplest way to do this is to curl your paper to match a finished section, then flip it over to place on the opposite side. This makes for a relatively even pattern.

Be sure to glue to the frames as you go. Once the project is complete, it is amazingly sturdy.

A final touch for the center flower to give it a little 3-D effect, was to add center petals. Cut one of the coils in an angled fashion as shown. Curl it with your fingers and glue into the center edges of the flower.

The final step was paint. My daughter and I could not agree on color. I wanted to use white to bring out the details of the center flower. She was thinking black- like the wall art that I did before. We decided to go with white and if she absolutely hated it, I would repaint it. I used white gloss spray paint and coated the frames and filligree thoroughly.

The daughter loved the finished product!

So there you go. A sequel to my Faux Metal Wall Art. And the toilet paper tubes are still being left at my doorstep. Guess I'll have to come up with some more ideas!

If you enjoyed this tutorial, you might also enjoy some of my other Faux tutorials such as Faux Stained Glass, and my Faux Wood Inlay. Both projects take simple items and turn them into unusual pieces of art.

Coca Cola Brooch

2011-02-21T22:03:00.000-07:00

Lorraine created this cute Coke brooch by upcycling a soda can.

So easy to do, you think it would be sharp but it is not I cut the shape out on the Sizzix with a daisy die. A brad was added to the middle to keep it together, I attached a brooch pin to the back with glue I think mine will be going on a bag. Have a go and recycle.

Give a fallen branch new life as drink coasters

2011-02-21T01:01:00.000-07:00

I found this great article on Country Living's website. One of our contributors (Anne) is a Stampin' Up! demonstrator so you can find the stamps to make this project by clicking on the stampin' up! link in the post.

To make these rustic drink perches, you'll need a tree limb that's roughly three inches in diameter. (Save-on-crafts.com sells birch logs for $12.29 a foot.) Saw the branch into slices about ¾ inch thick--or have a hardware store do it for you--and lightly sand each wood disk. Create the leaf motifs shown by pressing an inked stamp (stamps, $23.28 a set; green ink pad, $6.61; stampinup.com) onto each coaster. Let dry for five minutes, then coat the stamped side with a protective matte finishing spray (Krylon Make It Last Clear Sealer, $3.63; misterart.com). Allow 15 minutes of drying time before using.

Article courtesy of Country Living

Greeting Cards Made With Magazines, Inserts And Advertisements, OH MY!

2011-02-20T22:37:00.001-07:00

Susan has some great ideas for making Birthday cards using things you already have laying around. Thanks Susan for the inspiration! Here's her post that shows it all! Make sure and visit Susan too!

As I needed some birthday cards I thought I would finally use this image which as been laying around for over a year. I created it from a picture in a magazine, covered with packing tape and then immersed in water to softer the paper and transfer the image to the sticky back of the tape. The image is from a tourism advert for the East Coast of Tasmania, and the image of the land inside the bottle (it's wine country) appealed to me. I backed this onto some puce card and then onto a commercial yellow blank. The pearl flourish was laid over the top and the quote layered onto the bottom of the card. Inside has another suitable quote:

Here's how you make the image with the packing tape:

It really is quite simple. I learned to do it from a craft magazine. You find a suitable image, such as a picture in an everyday magazine. I have done it with a picture out of the newspaper, but it is a very thin, translucent image that you are left with – fine if that is all that is required. This technique can be limited by the width of your packing tape (sticky tape) –which of course should be the clear (see through) one. I have tried to overlap tape to use on a wider image but the water managed to get the tape and it didn’t work. Haven’t tried it since but nothing to say if you are careful it cannot work.

Try to get a paper that is not too thick and glossy, and not too thin either. I smooth out the tape over the image with the back of a spoon or a bone folder, to get out all the little air bubbles, and then put the whole image into a container of water (usually the sink!) – and usually it is lukewarm (NOT hot) so my fingers don’t drop of with the cold water when I begin to gently rub off the paper backing. You do this gently and persistently until only the image is left transferred onto the tape. You may have to soak it a while to get the paper wet through. Then let it dry off – the back will still be slightly sticky and you can apply it directly onto your card base then, but I usually use double sided tape to make sure it does not come off again.

Be careful that you don’t use an image such as a line drawing without acknowledging the creator of the image. There was no indication on the ad I used in the latest card as to who had taken the initial photo and photo shopped the image into the bottle shape, so could not acknowledge it, but I did let people know it was not my original work.

The inside

Then I started to see what else I could remove from the pile of "this might be useful sometime in the future" that has been gradually getting bigger and bigger on my desk. I found two '$20 notes' which are in fact applications to enter some competition. They arrived in the paper or a magazine sometime last year. I know I have a strange sense of humour so I don't know if others will see this as amusing or not - here it is and the inside sentiment, which is also computer generated. (The candle image is taken from an old birthday card, and the text circle is made with scraps, the black back is from the pearl flourish used in the last card. Waste not, want not!)

We Got A Makeover!

2011-02-18T16:19:00.003-07:00

We got a website makeover!
Simple and easy to read.

Stop by and visit.

Don't forget to email me if you would like to contribute or have something published.

Thanks!
Monica

You Rock! Using Old Jeans On Greeting Cards.

2011-02-17T21:47:00.000-07:00

Here's a great card made by Donelda. The star is cut from an old pair of jeans. What a wonderful way to recycle old clothing. You can read her post below and be sure to visit her blog too!

I Love this stamp set from Stampendous. It is called Rock Out and perfect for a mom of a guitar player. In fact, this is exactly what my sons guitar looks like. I stamped the image onto the white cardstock and then colored the black portion using my black Copic marker. I added some silver with my silver Sukura pen and then covered the main part of the guitar with glossy accents. It looks so cool in real life (sadly doesn't really show the shine in this photo).

I stamped the rest of the white panel with some stamps from t!m holtz's Bitty Grunge (Stampers Anonymous) set and the stars are from the addition set to Out on a Limb (Papertrey Ink). I added a bit of silver dry embossed metal (actually it is a piece of coke can, cut, cleaned, and then run through my Cuttlebug with the Distressed Stripes folder). As well, I added the star that I hand cut from a pair of old jeans and then sewed around the edges with my sewing machine. The whole lot got adhered to a Kraft card base.

I think it rocks!! Can't wait to give this to my wonderful son ... a card to let him know how much I think of him!!

Have a great day!
Donelda

kool-aid playdough

2011-02-09T21:49:00.001-07:00

jessann: kool-aid playdough:

I stumbled across this blog, simple as that, today & absolutely loved her post on how to make kool-aid playdough. Of course, I instantly made some for my lil man! Check out the post & make some of your own! : friday craft day : valentine's playdough

ottoman/storage for blankets

2011-02-07T16:57:00.000-07:00

Come check out my ottoman I made using a large tupperware moving/storage box, a blanket, old pillows (for the cotton), & my trusty glue gun!

{I'd love to have new followers & new blogs to read!}

-Peace

JessAnn

thenerdyma.com

Pincushions! No Sew Made from Recycled Cat Food Cans

2011-02-02T07:37:00.005-07:00

I love pincushions! I wouldn't say I have a collector-type personality, but if I did, I would collect pincushions! They make me smile.

This is an easy, no sew project made using a recycled cat food can. Other ideas: Use a baby food jar, tea cup, mason or other wide-mouthed jar. This is also a good way to use up fabric scraps.
What a great way to recycle and reuse!

For full instructions, please visit my page by clicking HERE

Recycled CD album

2011-02-02T01:45:00.000-07:00

I made this album out of old CD's & a used file folder. I punched the holes w/my cropadile. Just stuck the file folder cut in circles w/good double stick tape. The title is a transparency. This is just a few of the pages is has about 10 in all.

Thanks for looking! Pocket Full of Posies