Yes, I am addicted to Pinterest! You can read more about how my addiction developed with my Pinterest Addiction Explained post. I think it's interesting to find out what my friends find exciting enough to pin. Here are a look at some of the boards that I've created: Upcycling Crafts - I wish I could spend more time actually creating these craft projects myself instead of just pinning them. I have started a few and you'll be able to follow some of my tutorials in the future. Upcycle Garden Ideas - While I don't exactly have a green thumb my parents are enjoying growing their own vegetables in a rather unique and small space. I love sharing some of these pins with them to give them inspiration. DIY I Love - some may be upcycling while others are just creative art projects that I admire. For the Home - Ahhh...I love these spaces and wish we could incorporate some of these ideas into our own living space. I think I'm dying for a unique swing these days. I found one I ... [ Read More ]
Cloth Diapers for Baby Dolls
Day 12 - Baby dolls need cloth diapers too! Starting last December (2009) I've been slowly growing confidence behind my sewing machine and sewing up some cute projects around the home. Lil' B has recently fallen in love with baby dolls and now has three of them. All of which have bare bums - no diapers included. I decided last night to look around online and see what I could find for doll cloth diapers. Thanks to @taprilcrosier and @mrsob1 for leading me to Etsy where I actually bought a few items that I'll share with you once they arrive. However, I'm very impatient and my super mom complex kicked in tonight so I decided to make my own baby doll cloth diapers. I actually started out making a baby doll sling so Lil' B could wear her baby doll just like I once wore her. That project took an entire 5 minutes to make (seriously it was that easy) so I found a pattern for doll cloth diapers on Skip to my Lou - a fabulous craft blog that I read almost daily. Here is how my ... [ Read More ]
Oldie But Goodie – Handmade T-Shirt Doggy Bed
Please enjoy my Oldies But Goodies while I take a break from the computer and enjoy my family and other things that I'm THANKFUL for this year. New content will return next week! I usually save these posts for Thursdays but I had to share my latest project with you today. My sewing machine has been quite busy lately but I’ve put myself on a fabric buying ban! Seems that I get a little carried away at the fabric store with all the pretty prints. If you remember my last Trash to Treasure Thursday (tie-dyed ruffle skirt) I still had parts of that the tie-dyed t-shirt in my fabric box. My sweet (mischievous) pug decided recently to attack (and destroy) his pet bed – or should I say he redecorated the house with stuffing! I decided it was time for him to have a new bed – but I refuse to buy him a new one! Afterall it will only be a matter of weeks before it’s used to redecorate the house too. For this project I measured the size of the crate to determine the dimensions of ... [ Read More ]
Oldie But Goodie – Upcycled Magazine Christmas Tree Craft
Please enjoy my Oldies But Goodies while I take a break from the computer and enjoy my family and other things that I’m THANKFUL for this year. New content will return next week! I know you want to learn how to make this cute upcycled Christmas Tree from magazines and mail catalogs…. …but you’ll have to visit The Mommy Blog for complete directions. I’m a featured guest blogger over there…thanks to the kind invitation from Cinella. Please visit and leave comments both here and there about your ideas on turning trash into useful Holiday decorations. ORIGINALLY POSTED DECEMBER 2009. ... [ Read More ]
GreenSewn – Sustainable Silk Scarfs
COUPON: Save 10% with my affiliate code GREEN-1848 when you shop at GreenSewn. Do you love fashion? Do you love scarves? Do you wonder how to green your wardrobe? It seems like the fashion industry in America becomes more disposable each year. I try to stay on top of the trends but as a mom of two I tend to stick with a few basic pieces and lots of accessories. It's easier for me to update an outfit with modern accessories than it is to purchase new clothes. I'm also a big fan of sharing - or should I say acquiring new items from my best friend. Since I have a flexible job that allows me to work at home my wardrobe has shrunk and I don't actually shop for clothes more than a few times a year. My friend on the other hand knows the ladies at Dillard's by name (or at least that's what her husband thinks)! When she cleans her closet she knows who to pass them along to - sometimes I think I should just pay her to shop for me! Anyways - the point of my story is that fashion ... [ Read More ]
TerraCycle’s Garbage Moguls Returns Saturday 8/21/10 to National Geographic
In honor of Trash to Treasure Thursday, this week I'm super excited to bring you the latest and greatest news from TERRACYCLE! In April, TerraCycle debuted Garbage Moguls on the National Geograpic Channel - a series of television shows that documented the zany antics of the TerraCycle crew as they develop new products from our garbage. This Saturday, National Geographic will be airing the pilot along with three brand new episodes! Set your DVR's - plan a night in with friends - but don't forget to watch Garbage Moguls this Saturday night. The fun begins at 7pm ET as they replay the original pilot episode, followed at 8pm's Pet Project, 9pm's Fishy Business, and at 10pm pull an All-Nighter with the TerraCycle crew. Below is a clip from the 9pm Fishy Business episode where they Tom and Alby visit a plant in Ohio that turns 500 chip bags into a brand new trash can and pitch the idea to the Home Depot team in Atlanta. Be sure to join the TerraCycle preview party LIVE on ... [ Read More ]
Trash to Treasure Thursday with Generation T
Giveaway alert! Two lucky readers will win one of the Generation T books by Megan Nicolay - details at the end of this post. ECO-ngratulations Alanna & Shirtee. As you know I've been better and better at actually completing eco-crafty projects each week for you. This week is the jackpot of all Trash to Treasure Thursdays with a collection of projects and a giveaway! I've been infatuated with finding ways to reuse or upcycle old t-shirts - I scour the blogosphere, YouTube, Etsy, and other crafty websites looking for innovative ways to use t-shirts. In one of my searches I came across Generation T and Megan Nicolay. Who is Megan Nicolay? Much like myself Megan has had the crafty bug since she was a child - always looking for the next great project. We also share a common statement - "I could so do that!" My friends and family are always telling me - "You could do that!" when they see anything. Megan began her website www.Generation-T.com back in 2005 and by 2006 she published ... [ Read More ]
Trash to Treasure – T-shirt Scarf
I have been sewing lots lately and decided to use the fabrics that I have on hand instead of going back to the store to buy brand new, fancy fabrics. Most of my on-hand fabrics are old, retired t-shirts. I've seen many different varieties of a t-shirt scarf and here is my own version. Supplies: 2 adult t-shirts, a sewing machine, pins, needle, thread, and scissors Directions: -Decide how wide you want your scarf to be. I used a scarf I had on hand as a guide. -Cut strips from your shirts. I cut about 8" wide strips starting from the bottom of the shirt (cute through both sides). Remove arms and neck pieces. -After I cut the width strips I cut those strips into 12" lengths (approx. size only - all sizes can vary). -Decide on a pattern and color scheme by laying the strips out the way you would like them on your scarf. -Pin the front sides of two (2) pieces - continue this process all the way down the length of your scarf. My length was about five (5) pieces - well ... [ Read More ]
More Eco-Gift Wrapping Ideas & Directions
This is the first year that I've actually tried not to buy new gift wrap, ribbons, and tags for our holiday gift wrapping. We still have several rolls of wrapping paper (I doubt we will ever run out!) but I really wanted to make some of our wrappings a little more eco-friendly in nature. One of our gifts to wrap was a cute little tutu (3 actually) for some of Big B's girlfriends. How on earth do you wrap a tutu anyways? I decided to take use some old t-shirts for the wrapping and tie them with tulle that was left over from the tutus (yes, I made the tutus as well). For the tags I cut out shapes from food boxes that were in our recycling box and tied them on. I'm sure if I had taken my time I could have made them even prettier but those who know me know that my time is limited these days! Here is the final product...not too bad! And remember all those magazinesI told you I received in the mail? I decided to make some upcycled ribbons from them. I found a simple tutorial ... [ Read More ]
How to Make Upcycled Magazine Christmas Trees
I know you want to learn how to make this cute upcycled Christmas Tree from magazines and mail catalogs.... ...but you'll have to visit The Mommy Blogfor complete directions. I'm a featured guest blogger over there...thanks to the kind invitation from Cinella. Please visit and leave comments both here and there about your ideas on turning trash into useful Holiday decorations. I'll be featuring more trash to treasure ideas here in the next few days so be sure to subscribe or follow The Eco Chic blog so you don't miss a single post! ... [ Read More ]