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Tutorials for Recycling Books We rode bikes around our neighborhood this weekend and stopped at all the garage sales we found along the way. I love doing this because it's like exercise and shopping in one! Plus, my bike basket is perfect for holding whatever treasures I find. On this particular trip I was noticing a lot of old books for sale. Epsom Salt Luminaries: Some Winter Beauty Recently I’ve seen a few crafty ideas around the internet using epsom salts, but I wanted to come up with something different. I’ve been itching to make some new luminaries, something that would be elegant and pretty against winter’s white snow. Something that says Christmas, but isn’t limited to the holiday. Something that could be kept out all winter long. How to Recycle Magazines into Jewelry September 23rd, 2010 Email 419 users recommend Experiment with various coil sizes, and even glue coils together!

Dress Form Tutorial: Want to make an exact replica of your body for custom work? Yesterday we set out determined to make our own dress forms for the Etsy Labs and thought we'd share the love with you guys if you want to make one of your own or just laugh at our own trails with the duct tape!Materials: A large T-shirt that fits below the bum that will be cut up and destroyed in the processAnother small piece of discard able cloth (a paper towel will do)At least two 45 gram rolls of duct tapeA pair of sharp scissorsCardboard, and cardboard tubingSomething to stuff the form with (peanuts, foam, polyfil, old clothes, be creative)A helperHere's what ya gotta do:Step 1Put on large T-shirt and have your helper begin to wrap the roll of duct tape around your body. Make sure the tape is somewhat smooth and that there are no gaps in between wraps.

Using Up That Sweater So I had some leftover sweater material from the pumpkins I made. The sweater did not felt like I thought it would when I washed it because it wasn’t all wool. But it still was really soft so I thought why not a pillow. I had a bed pillow I wasn’t using so I just cut it down and used it as the insert. Then I cut the body of the sweater from armhole to armhole.

Kanzashi Fabric Folded Flower Craft Project at WomansDay.com - StumbleUpon These vintage-inspired flowers can be made and used in so many ways—as jewelry, accessories, charms. And the new book Kanzashi in Bloom by Diane Gilleland (available at Amazon.com) shows you how. Materials: Fabric GlueButtons and beads Craftaholics Anonymous™ Learn how to turn old t-shirts into pom poms! T-shirt Pom Poms are so much more durable than tissue paper ones. And I think they look loads better! Make Your Own Rock Candy A wooden skewer (you can also use a clean wooden chopstick) A clothespin 1 cup of water2-3 cups of sugarA tall narrow glass or jar Clip the wooden skewer into the clothespin so that it hangs down inside the glass and is about 1 inch (2.5 cm) from the bottom of the glass. (as shown) Remove the skewer and clothespin and put them aside for now.

Upcycling Becomes a Treasure Trove for Green Business Ideas This story first appeared in the April 2011 issue of Entrepreneur. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe. Like everything about Looptworks, the signature on CEO and co-founder Scott Hamlin's e-mail is a call to action: "Did you know that it requires more than 400 gallons of water to make one organic cotton T-shirt? Upcycle." If you're not up on the green lingo, the best way to think of upcycling is that it's like a sexier, even greener version of recycling. Make Your Own Tote Bag I had so much fun making this easy-peasy tote bag. Wanna know the best part... it glows in the dark! This bag is the perfect size for library books, a quick grocery trip or a bunch of pretty vintage dresses. Have fun creating your own quirky tote! Here's how I did it... 1.