Fantastic Finds Fridays.
This week I discovered that a brooch might be something I want to add to my wardrobe, I need to learn how to knit (or make a wind powered machine that’ll do it for me, and oil spills are something we need to work harder to prevent.
TUTORIALS
CraftZine.com has a great tutorial on how to make a Garden Tool Caddy. It can also be used as a knee protector when you are getting down and dirty in the garden!
Holidash.com shows us how to make a flower brooch for our wonderful mom’s just in time for Mother’s Day. I think this is a perfect example of a tutorial that can easily be transformed into a creative reuse project. Just use old scraps of fabric as petals and you’ll make a wonderfully colorful brooch.
FOOD
You would fill up an apartment quickly, but planetgreen.com says there are 66 things you can grow in containers! A great deal of them are goodies to eat. Yum.
NEWS
Deepwater Horizon oil spill clean up continues. Clean up could be a matter of weeks. Robots have been sent to try and plug the leak that is causing 42,000 gallons of oil to seep into the ocean daily. And, this week it stretched all the way to the Mississippi River.
What do you think is the most polluted city in the U.S.? See if you are right HERE.
AND THE COOLEST THING!!!
A wind powered knitting machine. Who thinks of this stuff? I love them (:
Quick Tip: Popsicles in the Garden.
Popsicles in the garden sound like a fantastic afternoon snack. And, when you are finished, keep the popsicle stick!
Popsicle sticks make great labels for plants, flowers herbs, veggies and trees in your garden.
Just use a permanent marker to write the plant, etc. name and stick it in the ground close by.
How to Reuse a Silk Tie to make a Bracelet.
I had a bit of a silk tie left after using part of it as a handle for a Don’t Forget Door Hanger. I love the colors and patterns on it and thought it would make a great bracelet. Plus, I’d like to expand my knowledge of jewelry making. I had a great deal of fun with this because I love jewelry and I love buttons!
Here’s How to Reuse a Silk Tie to Make a Bracelet:
1. Measure your wrist with a flexible tape measure. Place it around your wrist the way you would like your bracelet to fit (tight vs. loose) and see how long your tie needs to be.
2. Cut your silk tie to your desired length.
3. Silk ties have guts! Cut out the fabric that is placed in the middle of the silk tie (about the top 1/4 inch).
4. Fold the edge of tie where you just removed the guts and sew your edge shut.
5. Make a button hole! I have never used my button hole maker on my sewing machine and wanted to give it a try. I love it! Much faster than sewing my own button holes!
6. Sew your buttons and whatnots on to your new bracelet!
HOW TO SEW A BUTTON:
1. Thread a needle. Tie a double or triple knot at the end.
2. Start from the back side of your fabric (the part that is less likely to be seen) and push your needle through; place needle through one of the holes in the button.
3. Cross over and place your needle through another hole in the button.
4. Repeat this process one more full cycle.
5. One the back side of you fabric thread the needle beneath some of the thread.
6. This will create a loop; thread your needle through the loop two times and then pull tight.
7. Cut off any excess thread.
See, almost as easy as eating pie. yum.
If you HAVE to have this bracelet (and I completely understand if you do) check it out in the shop HERE.
Fantastic Finds Friday!
I have been having a wonderful Earth Day Week watching wonderful promotions about taking care of the planet and awesome effort by people to make every small step they can to live more eco friendly.
My Finds:
- My dear friend Amy over at dogwood & poppy has made an amazingly detailed tutorial on How to Make an Upcycled Jewelry Display Board and has posted it on cosaverde.com’s blog.
- Home Depot has an amazing Do It Yourself section on their website. I recently discovered their Eco Options Category and found a tutorial on How to Make Eco Friendly Pillows.
- The Hostess with the Mostess has come up with some really great recycled and upcycled Mother’s Day Party decoration ideas.
- Growing food for fuel may not be the right direction, says Science Daily.
- Gotta love those RedHeads! ban.do has a new black label and the models all have red hair! As a member of the redhead club, I just had to include it. (:
If I missed anything let me know.
Happy Earth Day week. Have a great weekend. I am off to the studio to come up with a new tutorial for Monday!
How to Make an Upcycled Bench.
I have to give all the credit for this post to my husband. This past weekend he took what looked to be scraps of stuff and made it into an adorable upcycled bench for our backyard. I am so proud of his upcycling skills!
I love it! It adds a bit of sweetness to the backyard. The plan is to read under the big tree it is set in front of.
As you can see he used two old decorative bricks as the “legs” of the bench and nailed the scrap wood together to make a seat!
I wanted to share some other awesome upcycled benches that I have found on the web.
- Charles Kaisin designed a bench made of recycled newspapers.
- Jason Iftakhar made a bench from recycled cardboard.
- I found a bench made from two office chairs on New Zealand’s Homestyle Magazine website.
- Recyclart.org has the same idea for using office chairs to make a bench.
photo from recyclart.org
- And the most CREATIVE one, a bench made from NAILS! It actually looks comfortable too! Thanks dornob.com (I can’t find the designer’s name anywhere on the site)
photo from dornob.com
What other materials can be used to make an upcyled bench? With upcycling the possibilities are endless!
HAPPY EARTH DAY! Make everyday a day to celebrate this amazing place (:
Quick Tip: Go Paperless!
A really easy way to save a bunch of trees and energy is to make all of your bills paperless. Most companies will give you the option of having an online account where you pay your bills. I like to set up automatic payments so that I know my bills will be paid on time.
Going paperless isn’t just about the individual, many companies are beginning to understand the benefits both environmentally and monetarily with going paperless. Several of my father’s employees thought he was nuts when he decided to go paperless about 5 years ago. He is in the insurance business and the old school method is to have a paper file you can flip through when someone calls you on the phone to discuss their coverage and options. Dad said, “Can’t we do the same thing on the computer?” And what you know, you can. Saving about $10,000 a year to boot.
So, practice random acts of paperlessness at home and at work!
How to Reuse an Old Tshirt to Make a Baby Bib.
I don’t have any babies yet (except my dear pups Neko), but I do know a lot of people who do. This is a really fun way to reuse and upcycle your old worn down tshirts.
Here’s How to Reuse an Old Tshirt to Make a Baby Bib:
1. Pick out a fun tshirt.
2. Iron it.
3. Cut out (starting at the collar) a bib shape. Make sure you cut both the front and the back of your tshirt.
4. Turn your shirt wrong side out.
5. Sew the sides and bottom of the bib. Leave a bit of fabric unsewn at the top of both sides (by the collar).
6. Grab the bottom of the bib through the collar (that you have not sewn yet) and turn your bib right side out.
7. Cut the back side of the tshirt away from the collar.
8. Fold the extra fabric in towards the wrong side of your fabric. Iron it to keep it folded down. Sew the top of your bib.
9. Cut your collar at the half way point. Either just tie this around your baby’s neck or attach some velcro with a hot glue gun.
There you have it. A bib that is easy to make, fun, and unique!
The next time you clean out your tshirt drawer make some upcycled baby bibs!
Fantastic Finds Friday!
I am always on the hunt for new websites, blogs, communities, projects, etc. that have to do with the upcycling phenomenom. This week our lovely Internet taught me how to reuse a stamp, help Haiti, and garden like a guerrilla!
Tutorials/Creative Reuse Ideas
- Great little quick and easy tutorial from CraftGossip.com on turning a Stamp into a Photo Holder.
- I love this little quick tutorial from CraftingAGreenerWorld.com – Painting with Natural Materials. Nice texture, less waste!
- A simple straw wrapper rose can really change a person’s day for the better!
- ZakkaLife shows us how a doodle a day (in your upcycled notebook) keeps those creative juices flowin’.
- Apparently you can make a boombox out of anything! Blankanvas shows us one from recycled candy wrappers. Cute AND it works!
For the Greater Good
- Ruby Sprengle is reusing plastic bags to help the homeless in Haiti.
The Environment
- I can never seem to get enough of Guerrilla Gardening. Found out from Webecoist.com that there is a vending machine that spits out seeds now that has been added to the cause.
Art
- WOW! A rug made out of cigarettes? Sounds gross, but looks amazing. Nicely done Jesús “Bubu” Negrón.
Food
- FarmGal seems to be the place to be for any tips and guides for canning fruits and vegetables.
News
I know there is so much more out there that was left undiscovered, but there is only so much time a girl can spend on the web.
Add any finds from this week that I missed and you think I would like.
Thanks!
Environmental News: Store bought detergents and shampoos causes water contamination.
According to an article posted on Science Daily on April 8th, some shampoos and detergents might be linked to a water contaminant called NDMA.
The article states shampoos and detergents…
…may be a source of precursor materials for formation of a suspected cancer-causing contaminant in water supplies that receive water from sewage treatment plants.
To read the full article, click HERE.
A great solution to this problem is to make your own shampoos and detergents from all natural ingredients. I have been searching throughout the vastness that is the Internet and have found my favorite recipes.
Homemade shampoo’s main ingredient is liquid castile soap. You can buy it in bulk online. One example is made by Dessert Essence.
- scoochmaroo of Instructables.com has put together a great 10 recipe guide and gives tips for all types of hair.
- I love this super easy recipe from PlantGreen.com
Herbal Homemade Shampoo
1/4 cup of your favorite herbal tea, strongly brewed
8 oz liquid castile soap
**Add soap to tea. Stir over low heat until well blended. Store in a capped bottle.**
And here’s another recipe from hubpages.com
Herbal Shampoo for Dandruff Relief
Ingredients
* 2 Tbsp fresh rosemary
* 2 Tbsp fresh thyme
* 2 Tbsp coconut flakes
* 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
* 1 cup water
* 2 Tbsp of liquid Castile soap
* 1 tsp light vegetable oil
Instructions:
Bring water to a boil. Steep herbs and coconut flakes in boiling water for 20 minutes. Let cool to room temperature and strain solids from water. Add other ingredients and mix until well combined. Store in an airtight container at room temperature. Apply amply to wet hair and massage into scalp before rinsing well with cool water.
photo courtesy of tipnut.com
And, now on the the detergent:
Here is one of ten recipes found on TipNut.com
Ingredients:
1 cup Vinegar (white)
1 cup Baking Soda
1 cup Washing Soda
1/4 cup liquid castile soap
1. Mix well and store in sealed container.
2. I find it easiest to pour the liquid soap into the bowl first, stir in the washing soda, then baking soda, then added the vinegar in small batches at a time (the recipe foams up at first). The mixture is a thick paste at first that will break down into a heavy powdered detergent, just keep stirring. There may be some hard lumps, try to break them down when stirring (it really helps to make sure the baking soda isn’t clumpy when first adding). I used 1/2 cup per full load with great results
For an awesome photo enriched tutorial, check out DIYnatural.com.
Using three simple ingredients you can buy at your local grocery store, you can make detergent that will cost you 0.05 a load!
There you have it. A small collection of nice and cozy links to wonderlands of homemade shampoo and detergent.
Happy homemaking and earth helping.
If you have any favorite shampoo or detergent recipes, share!
Quick Tip: Reuse your Egg Carton in your Garden.
Spring time in my house means garden time for my husband. Although the weather has been a bit weird on our neck of the woods lately we still have hope of having a great spring veggie season.
If you are the midst of planting, save one of your egg cartons and use them for the seedlings that can’t be planted directly into the ground. The cool part is that when it comes to planting your tiny plant in your garden you can just cut the single egg compartment out from the egg crate and plant it directly into the ground! It will decompose and your plant with flourish.
For a quick tutorial on how to reuse an egg carton in your garden check out www.instructables.com
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