Category Archives:Craft Recycled

06
May

Invite Pollinators into Your Garden with a Bee Habitat

Invite Pollinators into Your Garden with a Bee Habitat

Colony collapse disorder (CCD) is a serious threat to our food future. Bees pollinate around 1/3 of the food that we see on store shelves. If we are going to continue to feed ourselves, we need to protect bees and other pollinators. This bee habitat is a great way for you to help native bees in your area!

There are a lot of factors that contribute to CCD. Habitat loss is one of them. The more land we develop, the fewer places bees have to build their homes. This bee habitat, which I first posted over at Crafting a Green World, is one way that you can make your garden a friendly place for pollinators.

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Make Your Garden a Home for Pollinators

You only need a few simple supplies to make your own bee habitat:

  • scrap wood
  • a drill
  • drill bits ranging from 3/32" to 3/8"

That's really it! How you drill your holes depends on the size of your wood. My piece was long and skinny, so I went with a 3/16" bit and tried to space my 3-4" deep holes about 1" apart. Check out this document from the Xerces Society (pdf) for how to decide how deep your holes need to be and how far apart you should space them.

Want more ideas for creating a bee-friendly garden? I've got some tips over at Crafting a Green World!

This is just one way to invite pollinators into your garden, of course! So spill it, gardenistas! How are you making your garden bee-friendly this spring?

Posted:   |   Categories: bee habitat, Bees, Craft Recycled, DIY, help save bees, Living, native bees, pollinators, Xerces Society, Yard+Garden
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24
Apr

5 Upcycled Art Ideas

5 Upcycled Art Ideas

Need to spruce up your walls a bit? Try a few of these sweet upcycled art ideas!

Let's get real, y'all: art is expensive. Big pieces of wall art in particular can really get pricey. Making your own upcycled art can save some cash without sacrificing style! Check out some of these ideas to add a little upcycled decor to your home:

1. Moss Typography Art - Typography art is on-trend, and it's so simple to make your own! Just cut your letter of choice from reclaimed cardboard and decorate away. I love the earthy look that the moss gives this piece of upcycled art.

2. Junk Mail Art - Think of this striking junk mail collage as a jumping-off point. You may not be able to create this piece at home, but I love the way that this upcycle art piece makes you look at junk mail in a new way.

rubbish rainbow

3. Rubbish Rainbows - Take a cue from this craftivism project and colorize your trash to make beautiful art. I think this technique would work well mounted in a shadowbox on the wall, don't you?

4. More Junk Mail Goodness - This is a simpler take on the junk mail wall art idea, and it includes step-by-step instructions on how to use common craft supplies to elevate junk mail to upcycled art.

5. Recycled Wood Fox Art - You can really use any stencil you like to customize this project for your own decor. I love the rustic look of the recycled wood paired with the modern fox cameo!

Posted:   |   Categories: Craft Recycled, crafty reuse, creative reuse, DIY, DIY wall art, upcycled art, upcycling, wall art
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15
Apr

Spotted: DIY Easter Basket from an Old Paper Grocery Bag

How to make a Simple DIY Easter Basket from a Paper Grocery Bag

Want an alternative to a store-bought, plastic Easter basket? Here's a simple way to make your own using an old paper grocery bag.

Lia Griffith uses a simple paper weaving technique to make an upcycled DIY Easter basket from a paper bag. Pretty much any brown craft paper will do the trick. If you order anything on Amazon, that brown packing paper that they use would also work well for this project.

Combine this cute, upcycled Easter basket with some home-grown Easter grass, and you're on the way to a low-impact Easter that saves money and natural resources!

It only takes a few simple craft supplies to make your own DIY Easter basket, and I bet you have all of them in your stash right now.

Tools & Supplies:

  • a brown paper bag or other large pieces of brown craft paper
  • pencil
  • ruler
  • scissors
  • hot glue gun
  • clothespins
  • ribbon, for embellishment (optional)

Ready to make your own paper Easter basket? Click here for the tutorial!

Posted:   |   Categories: Craft Recycled, DIY, DIY Easter basket, easter, Easter crafts, grocery bag crafts, paper crafts, upcycling
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06
Mar

5 Ideas for Upcycled Bike Parts

bike frame shelves

We love riding bikes around here, but as with anything that works hard, bike parts break and wear out. Rather than toss them in the trash, though, there are lots of fun ways that you can upcycle those old bike parts into something usable and new! Check out these ideas, and I'd love to hear about how you're reusing your bicycle parts, too!

5 Ideas for Upcycled Bike Parts

1. Bike Frame Shelving - Hit your local bike shop for old frame pieces that aren't usable anymore for biking and turn them into an awesome shelving solution!

2. Bike Chain Bracelet - Check out the video above for a tutorial to turn an old bike chain into a statement jewelry piece.

Bicycle Parts Hunting Trophy

3. Hunting Trophies - How cool are these faux hunting trophies made from old bike seats and handles?

4. Bike Tire Headband - Turn an old bike tire into a cute hair accessory!

5. Coffee Sleeve - Got a busted tube? Turn it into a cozy to keep your coffee warm with less waste. These are also great on reusable ceramic mugs to add a little extra insulation.

Posted:   |   Categories: bike crafts, bike part crafts, Bikes, Craft Recycled, cycling, DIY, upcycled bike parts
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28
Feb

5 DIY Home Decor Ideas Straight from Nature

5 DIY Home Decor Ideas Straight from Nature

Are you dreaming of spring like I am? Bring a little bit of the outdoors in with these simple home decor ideas made from natural materials.

Spring weather has been teasing us here in Atlanta. We've been oscillating between cold and gray and straight up shorts weather. If the weather can't make up its mind, at least we can bring a little bit of spring indoors with these DIY home decor ideas!

1. Flower Wall Garland

Collect some lovely wildflowers and string them up to dry. I love that this wall art changes over time from a fresh flower display to a dried flower wall hanging.

2. Driftwood Candelabra

Head to the river and collect a few pieces of driftwood for this simple, natural home decor piece.

driftwood candelabra

3. Tree Branch Lamp

Have winter storms downed some tree branches in your neighborhood? Grab a nice sturdy one and create rustic DIY lighting.

4. Branch and Birds Decor

Those longer, more delicate fallen branches are perfect for this branch and bird decor. This is almost an altar to spring, isn't it?

5. Tree Stump Card Holder

Display cards or photos using found wood with this simple tutorial.

Image Credits: photos by Bonnie Getchell & PS I Made This

Posted:   |   Categories: Craft Recycled, DIY, DIY home, home decor, home decor ideas, Home+Decor, Living, natural home decor
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28
Feb

5 DIY Home Decor Ideas Straight from Nature

5 DIY Home Decor Ideas Straight from Nature

Are you dreaming of spring like I am? Bring a little bit of the outdoors in with these simple home decor ideas made from natural materials.

Spring weather has been teasing us here in Atlanta. We've been oscillating between cold and gray and straight up shorts weather. If the weather can't make up its mind, at least we can bring a little bit of spring indoors with these DIY home decor ideas!

1. Flower Wall Garland

Collect some lovely wildflowers and string them up to dry. I love that this wall art changes over time from a fresh flower display to a dried flower wall hanging.

2. Driftwood Candelabra

Head to the river and collect a few pieces of driftwood for this simple, natural home decor piece.

driftwood candelabra

3. Tree Branch Lamp

Have winter storms downed some tree branches in your neighborhood? Grab a nice sturdy one and create rustic DIY lighting.

4. Branch and Birds Decor

Those longer, more delicate fallen branches are perfect for this branch and bird decor. This is almost an altar to spring, isn't it?

5. Tree Stump Card Holder

Display cards or photos using found wood with this simple tutorial.

Image Credits: photos by Bonnie Getchell & PS I Made This

Posted:   |   Categories: Craft Recycled, DIY, DIY home, home decor, home decor ideas, Home+Decor, Living, natural home decor
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19
Feb

Spotted: Hidden Storage from Wood Pallets

Hidden Storage Pallets

Isn't hidden storage the best? You can have the appearance of tidiness while drawers, doors, and boxes hide the clutter that maybe you just haven't had a chance to get to yet.

I'm a big fan of those storage boxes that fit snugly into a bookshelf. We use them to store things that just don't look pretty, like board games, video game controllers, and workout gear. I'm also a fan of reclaimed pallet crafts, so you know I did a double-take for these sweet storage boxes made from old pallets.

The page doesn't provide a tutorial, but building boxes is pretty simple. I am betting that you could just add a side and scale down this raised garden bed tutorial to make your box. If so, here's all you need:

  • reclaimed wood pallet
  • drill
  • screws and drill bit for pre-drilling that screw size
  • rope or drawer pulls of your choice

To make your box:

1. Measure your space.

2. Use this tutorial to figure out the wood sizes that you'll need, then cut them.

3. Screw them together.

4. Add the hardware. If you want to do rope, just drill two holes, string the rope through, and tie knots on the inside, so they don't pull out.

Posted:   |   Categories: Craft Recycled, DIY, hidden storage, Home+Decor, how to make storage boxes, Living, pallet crafts, storage boxes
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13
Feb

Spotted: Upcycled Milk Jug Rings

Upcycled Milk Jug Rings

Do you buy milk or juice in a plastic jug? Instead of tossing the empty bottle in the recycle bin, clean it out and make these sweet upcycled milk jug rings instead!

Leslie at Pink Stripey Socks shares a fun tutorial for how to make upcycled milk jug rings. Her rings are based on a couple of other similar projects: one used reclaimed cardboard to make the rings and another used shrinky dinks. Leslie's project is an upcycled take that has a similar look to the shrinky dink version without using any new plastic. BOOM.

These rings are simple to make and a fun addition to your kid's dress-up box or your own costume jewelry stash!

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You only need a few simple tools and supplies to make your own cute plastic rings:

  • scissors
  • Exacto knife
  • scrap paper
  • pen or pencil
  • permanent marker
  • plastic milk or juice jug
  • cutting Mat
  • tape
  • Q-tip and nail polish remover (optional)

Got your supplies ready? Let's make some rings! Click here to see Leslie's complete tutorial.

Posted:   |   Categories: Craft Recycled, crafty reuse, creative reuse, DIY, milk jug crafts, upcycled milk jug
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11
Feb

Cork Crafts: The Wino Cork Board

Cork Crafts: Wine Cork Board

If you're a wine drinker, cork crafts are a great way to use those leftover stoppers instead of tossing them into the trash! This clever project uses hundreds of salvaged corks to make an awesome 3D cork board.

Allison at Reduce, Reuse, Redecorate shares how she made this epic wino cork board. It's almost a massively scaled-up version of our mini wine cork board, and I love the rustic look and practical functionality of this project! Allison did an awesome job making a sturdy board. She also lined up the corks to give her board a finished look.

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To make your own giant wino corkboard, you'll need:

  • wine corks - I tried to estimate how many corks Allison used. It took at least 400 corks, so ask your friends, family, and maybe a local bar to save up for you!
  • particle board or other reclaimed wood - Go with whatever you have on hand or can salvage.
  • hot glue or wood glue - Allison used hot glue, but I might opt for wood glue instead. That's what I used for that mini cork board, and it's still going strong four years later.

Ready to get crafty? Get the tutorial here!

Posted:   |   Categories: cork board, cork crafts, Craft Recycled, crafty reuse, creative reuse, DIY, wine cork crafts
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30
Jan

Upcycled Denim Basket

Upcycled Denim Basket

An upcycled denim project that helps you organize your shelves? Yes, please!

I love using little bowls and baskets around the house to kind of wrangle some of the tiny clutter that seems to sneakily pile up on every surface. We have a bowl in our foyer to keep keys and sunglasses and baskets on our shelves to organize our kid's toys, video game controllers, and my craft supplies. This upcycled denim basket would be the perfect addition to my ecclectic organizational system!

The Renegade Seamstress created this tutorial to use as an Easter basket, but I could see it working well for my son's little sets of blocks or in an entryway to collect keys, wallets, and other random pocket items in a more organized way.

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Her tutorial is over at eHow, and you only need a few simple supplies:

  • upcycled denim - Old jeans work best for this project
  • fabric scissors - Cutting denim with dull scissors is no fun, and it's hard to cut a straight line without nice, sharp shears.
  • hot glue gun - A crafter's best friend!
  • ruler or tape measure

Got your supplies in order? Click here for the upcycled denim basket tutorial!

Posted:   |   Categories: Craft Recycled, denim crafts, DIY, Easter basket, Easter crafts, upcycled denim
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