Are you someone who loves making tons of handmade presents for holiday presents? If you use recycled materials, you can enter Dabbled’s Holiday Contest! This year, the theme is recycled items, so grab that bag of old sweater pieces and get to crafting! You enter by posting your finished item into their Flickr Pool and then watch and wait – there’s already some amazing projects in the group!

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The perfect gift for the crafter in your life, this mystery book combines “trash” novels (who can resist a title like Crewel World?!) and a space to store all your secrets. The Crafty Chica has all the details for making a book your favorite bibliophile will adore!

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Most of us have at least three cardigans hanging in our closets we no longer wear. And while we could simply let them sit there unworn and unloved, another option would be to alter them into something gorgeous and unique that we would wear all the time!

Enter Bonnin Designs, and this fabulous tutorial for remaking a cardigan into something unique and fabulous! Scroll down to November 2nd to check out all the well-written tutorial details!

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Holy cow people. If you aren’t already reading this blog, then you can join in on my “how did I miss this space?” club! Amy is a mama and a crafter, and her blog explores her life in pictures – phenomenal pictures – and great words about her life. She e-mailed me to let me know about her thrifty ways, using tons of recycled materials in her crafts, and I’ve just spent over an hour perusing her blog, her photos, and wishing my life could be so gorgeous!

Most recently, she posted several pictures to her blog about garlands she’s making for the holiday season – each one using materials she’s got on hand around her house. I love the mittens garland so much!!!

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Looking for some unique presents for your friends this holiday season? Why not whip up some decoupaged bangles for them? You can bust through some of your paper stash while giving your friends unique gifts. (source)

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I love all the e-mails all the Craft Gossip readers send me, sharing their great recycled and repurposed ideas. Now there’s a new book looking for just these submssions! 1000 Ideas For Creative Reuse is looking for submissions, due January 9, 2009, for their new book. Check out the pdf for all the information!

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Looking for a way to recycle everyday home items for storing your office essentials? Simply grab an old toilet paper or paper towel roll, a binder clip and a nail, and add a few of these great storage solutions to your office wall! (source)

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Giving the gift of bottled wine is perfect for attending holiday parties or for keeping on hand for last-minute gifts. But you can personalize the gift just a little bit more with a recycled sweater cozy. Simply felt a sweater and use the tutorial over at Apartment Therapy to fit the sleeve of the sweater perfectly to your wine bottle.

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Have you heard of Lou’s Upcycles, over at Etsy? If not, you should definitely head there immediately! Everything in the shop is made from plastic trash that has been cleaned and then either fusted together and collaged or used as yarn! From wallets to bags to market sacks and more, you can pick up a variety of items in the shop.

And if you’re interested in learning how to make your own items using recycled plastic, you can head to the Upcycles Blog!

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I love the idea of using old boxes to wrap new packages - and this Flickr tutorial shows you just how to do it one step at a time with notes for those who are better with words than with pictures.

I’m planning on using this for wrapping holiday presents this year!

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