How to Make Plarn & Crochet an Eco-Friendly Tote Bag The gears in my brain are constantly turning and trying to come up with ways to save discarded materials from a quick trip to a long life in a landfill by transforming said trash into something new and useful. In this week’s edition of How-Tuesday, Etsy seller Claire Baker shares one solution for extending the useful life of the commonplace plastic grocery bag. Read on for tips for making your own yarn (or “plarn”) from plastic bags and a pattern for crocheting a tote bag. Claire Baker grew up and lives in Montclair, NJ, where she creates repurposed products for her Etsy shop, Montclair Made. Combining the skills she learned as a weaving and textile design major at Rochester Institute of Technology with her desire to repurpose familiar items like cardboard packaging, grocery bags, vintage fabric, and sewing patterns, her products fuse nostalgia and sustainability in an effort to green our lives in a creative and colorful way. Supplies you’ll need: Directions: 1. 3. 5. 7. 9. 11. 13. 14.
The Time Around Scars - Poem by Michael Ondaatje A girl whom I've not spoken toor shared coffee with for several yearswrites of an old scar.On her wrist it sleeps, smooth and white,the size of a leech.I gave it to her brandishing a new Italian penknife.Look, I said turning,and blood spat onto her shirt. My wife has scars like spread raindrops on knees and ankles,she talks of broken greenhouse panesand yet, apart from imagining red feet,(a nymph out of Chagall)I bring little to that scene.We remember the time around scars,they freeze irrelevant emotionsand divide us from present friends.I remember this girl's face,the widening rise of surprise. And would she moving with lover or husbandconceal or flaunt it,or keep it at her wrista mysterious watch.And this scar I then rememberis a medallion of no emotion. I would meet you nowand I would wish this scarto have been given withall the love that never occurred between us.
Paper flower tutorial I thought some of you would enjoy a quick tutorial on how to make those little paper flowers I used as part of my table setting a couple weeks ago. The credit for these go to Martha Stewart (I saw this idea nearly 10 years ago in her magazine, but haven't been able to find it on her website). So here I go.. Step 1: Draw a spiral on a 4x4" square sheet of paper Step 2: Cut out spiral along lines you have drawn Step 3: Begin rolling up the spiral from the outside Step 4: Keep on rolling until there's no more left to roll Step 5: You're done! I used a slightly heavier weight paper for this one, but you can use normal paper as well. Note: You may use a bit of glue or double-stick tape to keep the flower from unrolling and loosening up with time.
wednes-diy: rope swirl tapestries a few of you have asked about the amazing rope swirl tapestries in our new store displays and you’re in luck because one of our display artists put together a tutorial on how to make them! it looks like such a fun rainy day project. what you need: a large piece of cardboard, black marker, scissors, rope in various sizes and colors, neon twine, pompoms. use a variety of different colors and textures to create a fun swirl – these purple and orange tassels are just another piece of string woven in with the others! once you’ve got it down, you can make a whole bunch in different sizes and colors, to create a whole wall tapestry just like the ones in our stores :) i can’t wait to try this! Be sure to check out our new DIY Projects category for more DIY Inspiration! Trending on FP.com: Floral dresses, high waisted bikinis, bralettes, off the shoulder tops, party dresses, gladiator sandals, lace dresses
Bean Bags Now before you go dismissing this DIY project because it’s a bean bag, let us quell your fears: having things for people to sit on the floor, even in a modern house, is totally a good idea. Whether you have kids or not is irrelevant. Sometimes you have a party and don’t have enough chairs for folks, or sometimes you host a board game night or movie night at your house. And of course, because this is DIY, you have complete customization. Confess! Images: Missy via So You Think You’re Crafty
Plastic Bag Crafts We all know how bad plastic grocery bags are for the environment. Research suggests that 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags are consumed worldwide each year. The city of San Francisco will be first city in the U.S. to take a stand and ban plastic bags in large markets and pharmacies. HOW-TO – Make Plastic Bag Yarn Helle of Gooseflesh who makes amazing crochet sea creatures has a tutorial up on how to make your own yarn from plastic bags. – Link. Plastic Grocery Bags into Knit 1950′s Outfit Cathy Kasdan of Clevland, OH and I were emailing back and forth a bit yesterday afternoon regarding my post on the knitting machines. Knit Plastic Tote BagMagKnits has a pattern by Katherine Vaughan showing you how to knit up this handy tote. Knit Plastic Bag By cutting up strips of plastic, MelGiggles on Craftster knit up this handy tote bag that’s perfect for the beach or pool. Plastic Bag DressMade by mleak on Flickr the dress was fused together to form fabric and then sewn together.- Link.
Herbal Vinegar Cleaner This is the month where spring officially arrives! Whether you live in a warm climate that has been experiencing spring for weeks or you are still incased with snow, as a lover of plants I know most of us are brimming with excitement for the upcoming growing season. When I think of spring I think of hyacinths, violets, red-winged blackbirds, apple blossoms and cleaning. Yes cleaning. I know that cleaning doesn’t hold the same excitement as pink hyacinth flowers, but the ritual of spring cleaning may be as old as spring itself. Opening the windows, cleaning under the bed and letting freshness sweep out the staleness of winter just feels good. In our efforts to bring freshness into our homes it would be silly to attempt to accomplish this while using harsh chemical cleaning agents. Even “natural” cleaners you buy at the grocery store can include not-so-natural chemicals as well as cost a pretty penny. Before we get to the recipe let’s learn more about our ingredients. Vinegar Thyme Lavender
25 DIY Handmade Gift Tutorials Part 2 I love handmade gifts! I love to give them, I love to receive them, I love to make them. In our home May is a crazy month! We have Mother’s Day, our Anniversary and not just one but 2 birthdays. Gifts are in my mind! …It took me a few weeks however to put this list of handmade gifts together The reason why is because I wanted to give you 25 amazing, cute, affordable and easy gifts. Things that you would really want and love to give. Things that your friends, family and neighbors would love to receive. I hope you like them as much as I do! Mama mía! I love these DIY bracelets! I mean capital LOVE! tutorial by Blog A La Cart DIY Wooden Necklace Modern, easy, fun, colorful… I want one! tutorial by agirlwhomakes.com Oh goodness! Give this to the chef of your home! tutorial by beeinmybonnetco.blogspot.com Bottle Cap Flower Magnets What a cute idea! This would make a wonderful Mother’s Day gift. tutorial by Positively Splendid DIY Multi-Strand Scarf Be still my heart! tutorial by Rabbit Food for My Bunny Teeth source
DIY Champagne Flutes For NYE! I love New Year’s Eve. I have definitely had some years when I didn’t feel that way, but now, it’s a great excuse to celebrate with your favorite people and just let loose and have a good time. I love thinking back on the past year and all that has happened, and I especially love the feeling of a whole new year stretched out before you like a blank piece of paper waiting to be filled with stories and adventures. I love toasting to that moment when the clock strikes midnight, whether it’s with a glass of champagne or sparkling cider when I was younger, so for today’s DIY I wanted to experiment with some DIY customized champagne flutes! If you’re having a party these would be so much fun to make for your guests – they could even take them home at the end of the night as a memento. Or, hang on to them and use them for special occasions throughout the year! Glitter Dipped Champagne Flutes What you need: Elmer’s glue, glitter, paint brush, and champagne flute(s). Gold Stencil Champagne Flutes
Recycle Halloween Candy Wrappers into Colorful Eco-Jewelry Share on Tumblr Email Now that Halloween is over and you’ve filled up on sugary sweets , a ghoulish pile of non-recyclable candy wrappers remains to haunt you. Here’s a trick for bringing your dearly departed treats back from the dead: Turn the discarded plastic packaging into wearable gems. Clean candy wrappers Toothpick Scissors Clear tape Non-permanent marker Bead template Jewelry findings 1. : If you’re candy wrappers are too short for the template, you can always tape them together to make them longer. 2. 3. 4. Looking for other things to do with your candy wrappers?
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