Recycled Crafts

Creative DIY Projects That Turn Trash Into Treasure

Book Review and WIN a copy of Eco Books: Inventive Projects from the Recycling Bin

by

I love this book! As someone who can look at virtually any bit of this or that and find value (or at least an attribute that would make it a good crafting material) Eco Books: Inventive Projects from the Recycling Bin is packed full of innovative designs and interesting construction methods for all sorts of books. There are a bunch of great tutorials showing how to incorporate traditional stitching and binding techniques with wild and crazy-cool ideas for using them with unconventional materials. I point out the egg carton book featured on the cover! Lark Books, the fabulous publisher of this book has offered you readers of Recycled Craft Gossip the chance to WIN a copy of  Eco Books: Inventive Projects from the Recycling Bin. Just leave a comment in today’s post by Midnight ET Wednesday November 10th and you are in the running!

And if you want to see a project I made inspired by the book pop on over here for a mini notebook petal bracelet tutorial.

More about the book from Lark Books:

Eco Books: Inventive Projects from the Recycling Bin

by

Terry Taylor

“Here are projects for the “pages”: 40 innovative book-making ideas using recycled and green materials! More than just earth-friendly, they’re also beautiful, clever, and witty, stitched with traditional binding techniques.  Egg cartons, wood, beer cans, and cassette tapes morph into covers, while brown bags, coffee filters, and discarded newspapers are transformed into pages. Create a boxed set of cereal box books, an exposed stitch sketchbook out of cardboard and remnants, and even a faux leather journal made from teabags.

In addition to how-to drawings, close-up detail photographs, and simple stitch diagrams, a gallery of eco-books from an international roster of artists provides inspiration.”

Related Posts:

Comments

  5. Wow! I could have never thought of using the egg cartons!. I can imagine using many other materials as well, but have no clue on how to bind them together…yet! I definitely need to read Terry´s book 😀

  17. What an awesome book! I’m always looking for great crafts using handy materials!

    Thank you for the opportunity to win!

  22. I am making a journal for my aunt and am always looking for a way to make it more unique. This book would really put me on the correct path for that. Thanks for another awesome giveaway.

  23. This book would help me so much, we could even use it with our kids crafting group to make them more aware of what they are trowing away 😉 I hope more people are going to write about recycling our garbage

  30. Looks like an awesome book and I would love to win it. Your die cut leaf bracelet is a great way to use the extras and to have handy that bit of paper you need to jot something down on.

  32. I would love to win! I’m trying to be more eco-friendly and this would really help. It might also give me some ideas to use with my students.

  33. This book looks great. I created an art book in college and I really miss the creativity of it.

  39. I always enjoy learning new crafts. This sounds like it would be a fun and interesting craft to learn. Really neat book!

  40. I LOVE THE BOOK WITH THE CASSETTE COVERS!! As a “hoarder” (to quote my husband) I am sure that I would have plenty of bits lying around the house to help me create some fantastic recycled books. If I’m not lucky enough to be a winner, I am hoping that Father Christmas will take notice that this book will be at the top of my Christmas list.
    Thanks for the opportunity to win such a fantastic prize.

  41. Oh yes please, drop my name in the draw hat! What a fun sounding book lol
    Thankyou for the chance to enter too!

  46. This book looks like lots of fun! We are very heavy do it yourself recyclers at our house but I haven’t done much in the way of making books.

  49. In this day and age the way prices are this book is a great thing it will save so much money and also help save so many things going to the landfills. Thank You

Have you read?

Time Flies — And Sometimes It Has Wings Made of Vintage Paper and Buttons

Have you ever been to the cuckoo clock shop at Tamborine Mountain? It’s like stepping into another world — a charming, ticking wonderland filled with thousands (yes, literally thousands) of clocks. Some are grand and ornate, others tiny and tucked away like secrets waiting to be discovered. I remember walking through the shop with my kids, completely enchanted by the whirring gears, dancing figurines, and the joyful chorus of chimes. It was one of those places where time feels like it both stops and flies.

That same feeling came flooding back when I stumbled across this adorable craft project from Teawagon Tales called Time Flies. In true vintage style, it’s a whimsical little DIY that combines scraps of fabric, old paper, buttons, and clock faces into sweet butterfly-like creations — a beautiful mashup of memory, imagination, and just plain cuteness.

It reminded me that crafting is a little like walking through that clock shop. Each piece holds a story, a tick of nostalgia, and the joy of noticing small details. You don’t need much — just some leftover fabric, maybe an old book page or two, and a few bits from your button tin. And suddenly you’re creating something that feels like it fluttered out of a fairytale.

So if you’ve got a stash of pretty paper or vintage bits and bobs you’ve been saving for “something special,” this might be the perfect project to give them new life.

Take a look at the full tutorial and soak up some serious inspiration:
Time Flies – Teawagon Tales

And if you ever find yourself near Tamborine Mountain, do yourself a favour — pop into that cuckoo clock shop. It’s pure magic for anyone who knows that time isn’t just measured in minutes, but in memories.