Are you the type of person who likes to save everything “just in case”? Or do you find yourself buying interesting doodads at a second-hand shop or garage sale that you know will work swimmingly in a project, although at … Read More ...
Maker Faire Swap-O-Rama-Rama
The renowned Maker Faire Oct. 20-21 in Austin is offering plenty of crafty and geeky demos along with hands-on make-it-take-projects. What may be a highlight for those interested in recycled goods is the free Swap-O-Rama-Rama. The Maker Faire site describes … Read More ...
Recycled Greeting
Micol (pronounced “Michael” and rhymes with “recycle” ) Day of recyclemicol offers a great tutorial on transforming greeting cards (or cardstock you have on hand) into pillow gift boxes that would make Martha proud. Be sure to check out her … Read More ...
Dr. Seuss Purse
Magazine Coasters
By using coasters, coffee or water rings on your favorite magazine covers are a thing of the past — or are they? These adorable recycled coasters, complete with rope trim, are made entirely from used magazine pages. The San … Read More ...
Truly Feminine Notebook
No post-consumer cardboard packaging is off limits for Ivy Lane Designs, home of “crafty-licious, one-of-a-kind, insta-collectibles,” which offers a boat-load of nicely crafted notebooks and journals made from discarded boxes. Most of the notebook covers are made from cereal … Read More ...
Crispina’s Ragamuffins
Thanks to sender-inner Janet, I have discovered the wonderful world of Crispina, a studio that transforms old sweaters and cotton pieces into stylish garments, sweaters, rugs, iPod pouches and other home accessories. I’ve been a stuffed animal lover … Read More ...
Annie’s Sweatshop
Finally, a sweatshop you can feel good about buying from. Annie’s Sweatshop offers a fine sampling of handmade stylish doggy accessories, including super-soft collars made from old silk ties (shown), sustainable pet beds made from recycled plastic and harnesses repurposed … Read More ...
Vintage Tin Figures
Janet Cooper is a recycled artist who incorporates interesting used goods that aren’t found in any ordinary garbage bin. Her funky mixed-media quilts, dolls, assemblage ladies and — my favorite — tin can figurines use vintage labels and packaging, antique … Read More ...
Sweet Stuff at SweetyPrize
Catherine of SweetyPrize is one versatile gal. If she’s not crocheting, she’s decoupaging. If she’s not decoupaging, she’s paper-crafting. And if she’s not paper-crafting, she’s beading.
A good portion of her items she sells on Etsy are made from recycled … Read More ...
Rekindle Me
Sharon from Rekindle Me puts her folk-arty flair on flea market finds, including used furniture and home accent pieces, and sells the one-of-a-kind works at craft shows, at a local store and on her website, www.rekindleme.com. Her Autumn’s Falling … Read More ...
Tin Can Jewelry
Jennifer from Made From the Heart at Etsy does a smashing (yuk, yuk) job of transforming used tin cans into stylish jewelry. I’m particularly fond of her sun-shaped Coke pendant ($7), shown.
Jenn shared with me how she started making … Read More ...
Sports Jersey Tote
Sorry if I seem to be on a totebag kick — there are just so many good ideas out there. This fine tote tutorial comes from the imagination of Tiffany of RePlayGround. Perhaps the best built-in feature of this … Read More ...
Recycled Denim — Martha-Style
This has to be the most elegant recycled denim tote I’ve seen. Then again, I wouldn’t expect anything less from a project that appears on Martha’s website. Dimensional floral brooches take this project over the top. The same article … Read More ...
T-Shirt Tote
One can never have too many totes, especially when attempting to avoid using those evil plastic grocery bags. Craftbits member Tiffscraft shows us how she sewed up a simple little T-shirt handbag. What a great way to use up … Read More ...
