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5 Reclaimed Wood Projects share

Have you been on the lookout for reclaimed wood projects? Check out these awesome ideas!

Some of the reclaimed wood projects on this list use pallet wood while other call for other unconventional sources of wood, like old bedroom doors. Of course, the list below is just the start when it comes to reclaimed wood projects! Here are a few from our archives that you might also like to try:

The important thing to keep in mind when you're planning your reclaimed wood projects is that you want to be sure your wood is truly reclaimed. If you snag a wood pallet from behind a store, for example, and the store was going to keep using it, you're not reducing waste. It's only upcycling if you're giving something a new life that would have otherwise been landfill-bound, right?

5 Reclaimed Wood Projects

This list of reclaimed wood projects doe a great job of offering you options for each project, so you can work with what you have. Check it out:

graphic via Jarrimber

Posted: | Categories: Craft Recycled, crafty reuse, crative reuse, DIY, reclaimed wood, recycled wood, reuse, upcycling

Jan

5 Upcycled Home Storage Ideas share

Need some help getting organized in the new year? Check out these DIY home storage ideas!

Sure, you can hit the big box store for shelves, bookcases, and storage boxes, but those commercial solutions come with a big carbon footprint. When you create your own home storage from reclaimed materials, you're doing double service to the environment. Not only does your DIY home storage have a lower impact than the sort produced in a factory and shipped all over the world, but you're also keeping waste out of the landfill.

5 Upcycled Home Storage Projects

Bike Frame Shelving - Did your bike bite the dust? Turn the frame into hanging shelving !
Dresser Drawer Shelves - Go vertical for efficient storage made from old dresser drawers.
Burlap Coffee Sack Box - Instead of baskets or soft boxes, turn an old coffee sack into a pretty home storage solution,
Vintage Suitcase Drawers - Did you pull the drawers out of a dresser to make shelves? Replace them with vintage suitcases! Bam!
Crutch Shelves - I love a ladder shelf, and I love this ingenious one made from an old pair of crutches even more!

Have you made any cool upcycled home storage solutions? Tell us about them in the comments!

Image Credit: Crutch Shelf photo via Mamie Jane

Posted: | Categories: Craft Recycled, crafty reuse, DIY, DIY home storage, DIY shelving, home storage, reuse, upcycling

Jan

Spotted: Vertical Storage from Old Dresser Drawers share

If you live in a small space, storage is at a premium. Vertical storage is a great solution for fitting more stuff into less space!

Just like vertical gardening, vertical storage takes advantage of height to help maximize a small area. Store-bought vertical storage solutions can be a little bit pricey, but when you make your own from reclaimed materials you save money and reduce your environmental impact! Bing, bang, boom!

I love these sweet vertical shelves that Samantha at the Douangphilas made out of salvaged dresser drawers. She ran across these empty drawers at a Habitat Restore, and it's surprisingly easy to find drawers without homes. So many folks leave old dressers out by the side of the road, and the outside gets ruined, but the drawers are sheltered and remain intact.

Keep an eye out for dilapidated old furniture, because even if you can't salvage the whole thing, this tutorial shows that you can even use parts to make something wonderful.

To make your own vertical storage from old dresser drawers, you will need:

old dresser drawers
damp rags, to clean your drawers
paint and paint brushes
sandpaper
fabric or contact paper
coat hooks and screws (optional)
long screws to mount the drawers to the wall

Ready to make your own vertical storage? Click here for the tutorial!

Posted: | Categories: Craft Recycled, crafty reuse, creative reuse, DIY, DIY decor, DIY storage, reuse, upcycling, vertical storage

Jan

5 Ways to Craft with Old Windows share

There are lots of fun ways to craft with old windows! Here are five of our favorite projects.

Whether you're replacing the windows on your own house with more efficient ones or you stumbled across an old window in your travels, there are many ways to reuse these relics than tossing them in the landfill! Check out these project to craft with old windows and keep them out of the waste stream!

1. DIY Dry Erase Board - Glass makes a perfect dry erase surface, so it's a snap to turn an old window into a message board to keep you organized.

2. Build a Greenhouse - If you're looking to craft with old windows and you have quite a few of them, you can turn them into a greenhouse and grow food all year long.

3. Window Garden Bed - Don't want a whole greenhouse? You can also use old window frames to create a raised garden bed.

4. Window Chalkboard - With just a few supplies you can turn a salvaged window into a chalkboard!

5. Picture Frame - Check out this awesome technique for using a window to frame large prints.

Do you like to craft with old windows? I'd love to hear about what you're making in the comments!

Image Credits: Window Greenhouse by oviddawen, Raised Garden Bed from video tutorial

Posted: | Categories: Craft Recycled, craft with old windows, crafty reuse, creative reuse, DIY, window crafts

Dec

Window Crafts: Make a DIY Dry Erase Board share

We love window crafts, and this simple DIY dry erase board is a perfect way for you to get organized for the new year!

Bonnie - one of the writers I work with at Crafting a Green World - created this sweet upcycled dry erase board using an old window that she found, and I love the simplicity of it! She used her board to write a sweet saying, but you could use yours as a to-do list or even to keep track of your groceries and reduce food waste.

The genius of this project is that a window is basically already a dry erase board! A dry erase marker will wipe off of glass almost as easily as it does off of proper a dry erase surface, so there's no need to treat the glass at all.

This Crafting a Green World window craft doesn't require sanding and painting, but if you want a more modern look you can grab some medium grit sandpaper and zero VOC paint to refresh the window that you're using. To get clean lines, use masking tape to cover the glass and remove any hardware before painting. A vibrant jewel tone or fresh coat of bright white would look great!

Once you're painted - or not! - you just need to gather the short list of supplies that Bonnie calls for and make your dry erase board! Here's what you'll need:

an old window
recycled paper
glue or tape
a dry erase marker

Got your supplies handy? Head over to Crafting a Green World to get your window crafting on!

Posted: | Categories: Craft Recycled, crafting with windows, crafty reuse, creative reuse, DIY, reuse, upcycling, window crafts, windows

Dec

Pallet Crafts: Make a Tea Light Holder share

Pallet crafts are such a fun way to keep waste out of the landfill, and this tea light holder is beautiful in its simplicity!

A lot of pallet crafts call for a lot of special materials, and what I love about this one from our friend David Quilty at The Good Human is that you really don't need special tools or woodworking skills to make this candle holder. The finished project has a rustic look, so even if you're using a hand saw, you'll end up with a very nice-looking candle holder when it's all said and done.

I know, I always talk about this when I talk about pallet crafts, but it's so important! When you're sourcing your pallet, you want to be sure that you're using one that's headed for the landfill. Don't just nab a pallet from behind the local big box store. Make sure you pop inside and ask. If they don't have any pallets that are being discarded, ask them to contact you when they do have one. You're saving them money on disposal fees, so don't be shy about asking!

This simple project only requires a few simple tools and supplies. You will need:

A wood pallet
A way to cut the pallets to size - David used a miter saw, but you can also use a hand saw if you're patient
Wood glue
Spade or hole drill bits
Wood clamps
Sand paper
Tea lights

That's it! Just a few basic tools, and you're ready to get crafty. David has detailed instructions, including plenty of images to help you along the way over at The Good Human. Click here for the full tutorial!

Posted: | Categories: Craft Recycled, crafty reuse, creative reuse, DIY, pallet craft, pallet craft project, pallet crafts, reuse, upcycling, wood pallets

Dec

E-Waste Jewelry: Creative Upcycling share

Artist Marcele Godoy creates striking jewelry from reclaimed e-waste.

E-waste is a huge environmental problem. When we toss out old electronics, they eventually decompose in ourlandfills, leaching toxins into the ground water and polluting the surrounding soil. E-waste recycling is a little bit better, but unfortunately not all discarded electronics get recycled.

Godoy makes a powerful statement about the problems with e-waste with his new upcycled jewelry line created from discarded computer cables, cords, plugs, and wires. Right now, the line is exclusively of necklaces, but he's planning to expand into other creations.

The line is simply called "elle," and the jewelry is a personal project. Godoy is a Chilean grad student studying here in the U.S., and he observes:

I am surprised by how quickly multiple objects are considered garbage and you can easily find them on the streets every day. I have collected objects many times to reuse them in projects or for personal use. This is because they are generally discarded for a better, a nicer or a newer one, and not because its useful life is over.

Rather than let those objects go to waste, he reclaims them and turns them into striking pieces of jewelry. How's that for craftivism?

You can view more photos of Godoy's jewelry on his website and check out some of his other beautiful design projects.

h/t: Moco Loco

Posted: | Categories: Clothes+Accessories, Craft Recycled, crafty reuse, creative reuse, DIY, e-waste, e-waste crafts, e-waste recycling, electronic waste, Living, upcycling

Dec

DIY Planter from a Repurposed Trash Bin share

Can you believe that this super cute DIY planter used to be a humble waste basket?

Hit the thrift store for a wire waste basket, pick yourself up some eco-friendly yarn, and you are ready to make a cute planter for your favorite house plant! This is kind of a time-consuming project. Tranae at Becoming Fabulous says it took her about 10 hours over three days to complete it, but this DIY planter is what I like to call a "couch craft." Put on some bad TV or a favorite movie, kick back, and weave.

I love how Tranae used a mix of bold colors for her bin, and you could really play a lot with your colors to get different effects. She's got a lot of contrast, but I think you could get a cool ombre effect by using a few yarns that are different shades of the same color. You could also have fun with art yarn or even play around with mixing in some plarn or newspaper yarn to add extra texture.

This DIY planter tutorial uses a waste basket from a big box store, but you can make this a green craft by hitting the thrift store for your waste basket instead. It might take a little bit longer to find, but you'll save money on materials and you'll be upcycling, so it's totally worth the extra leg work!

All that you need to make your own DIY planter are:

a reclaimed trash bin
plenty of yarn
tape
scissors
a plant in a pot that's slightly narrower and slightly shorter than your basket

Got your materials together? Head over to Becoming Fabulous for the complete DIY planter tutorial!

Posted: | Categories: Craft Recycled, crafty reuse, creative reuse, DIY, DIY decor, DIY planter, green decor, planter, reuse

Nov

Spotted: DIY Vase from a Glass Bottle share

How sweet is this hanging vase made from a reclaimed glass bottle?

You know that we're all about indoor plants, even if you're dealing with a small space. This hanging glass vase is a great way to get a little bit more plant life into your life without sacrificing an inch of valuable shelf or floor space.

You can't stick just any plant into this hanging vase. It's specifically for air plants. As someone who is a frequent killer-of-plants, I will say this for air plants: they are beautiful and delightfully hard to kill. You really just need to mist them with water occasionally to keep them happy. Air plants also don't need a lot of light to thrive. They're a perfect low-maintenance house plant!

This tutorial uses a vintage bottle, but you could also use a reclaimed glass bottle to make this hanging vase. Fancy ginger ales come in some very beautiful bottles, for example. They'd work great for this project!

Caitlin of The Merrythought shared this awesome hanging vase tutorial over at Poppytalk, and I am in love with it! You only need a few simple materials for this project. I'm going to list them here along with one small substitution to make this project even greener!

Ceramic/Glass Drill Bit (I used a 3/16")
Spray bottle with water
Vintage Bottle
Jute
Leather Lace - leather isn't the most eco-conscious material, and you really don't need this to do the project. This is really just for looks, so you can use more jute, some reclaimed ribbon, or hemp twine instead.
Hot Glue Gun

Easy peasy, right? I bet that you have most of these materials in your stash right now. Head on over to Poppytalk to get the complete step-by-step!

I'd love to hear from you guys, too. Have you created any fun DIY vases or other upcycled planters? Tell me about what you're making in the comments!

Posted: | Categories: bottle crafts, Craft Recycled, crafty reuse, creative reuse, DIY, DIY vase, reuse, upcycling, vase

Nov

5 Thanksgiving Crafts from Recycled Materials share

Looking for some Thanksgiving crafts to get you into the holiday spirit? We've got you covered!

I think we sometimes lose sight of what Thanksgiving is really about. We get so stressed out planning our menu, making travel plans, and getting ready for house guests that we forget to slow down and give thanks for all of the wonderful things in our lives. I hope that these Thanksgiving crafts will be the handbrake you need to relax with friends or family, get your craft on, and share a little good, old-fashioned gratitude.

5 Thanksgiving Crafts

1. Create Simple Gratitude Decor

This is a project that you and the kids can work on together. Grab some stencils, upcycled paper, and a thrift store picture frame to create some sweet, Thanksgiving crafts to decorate your walls.

2. Hand Print Turkey Shirt

Older kids can help out with this wearable craft project, and they can learn about reverse applique while they do!

3. Grateful Bunting

Got some old jeans that are past their wear? Like, four pairs of old jeans? Use the back pockets to create some very sweet bunting to show you holiday gratitude.

4. Pine Cones of Gratitude

Head to the park with your kids to collect pine cones for this upcycled craft project. You can also use reclaimed paper, like security envelopes, in place of construction paper for more upcycled goodness!

5. Bottle Place Card Holders

Do you have a Frappuccino addiction? Dig those empties out of the recycle bin and turn them into beautiful place cards that double as keepsakes! I think this projcet would also look lovely if you used half-pint Mason jars or even an eclectic mix of glass jars from the recycle bin, don't you?

Do you have any fun Thanksgiving crafts in the works? I'd love to hear about what you're making in the comments!

Image Credit: photo by Bonnie Getchell

Posted: | Categories: Craft Recycled, crafting with kids, crafts for kids, DIY, holiday crafts, Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving craft projects, Thanksgiving crafts, upcycling

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