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Fun In The Making
Looking for lots of crafts made from recycled materials? You’ve come to the right place. I go beyond soup can pencil holders here. It is all about greening up your crafting and moving toward a more sustainable way of living. This site is full of eco-friendly crafts for children and adults. Making use (re-use really) of otherwise unwanted materials is good for the pocketbook and good for the environment.
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Categories
- chickens
- children's activities (recycled materials)
- children's crafts (recycled materials)
- crafts (recycled materials)
- eco-friendly living ideas
- furniture, redo/ upcycle
- garden (gardening info and eco-friendly project ideas)
- gift wrapping, eco-friendly
- gifts from recycled materials
- give aways
- holiday crafts/activities: April Fool's Day
- holiday crafts: 4th of July (recycled stuff)
- holiday crafts: Christmas (recycled stuff)
- holiday crafts: Halloween (recycled stuff)
- holiday crafts: New Year's Eve (recycled stuff)
- holiday crafts: Peace Day (recycled stuff)
- holiday crafts: St. Patricks Day
- holiday crafts: Valentine's Day (recycled stuff)
- home décor (recycle and upcycle)
- home school
- imaginative play
- links
- local environmentalism (doing our part)
- Nature: plant and animal identification
- organize
- party décor (recycle and upcycle)
- party favors
- party: Circus
- party: robot
- recipes
- reuse containers, ice cream
- reuse straws, plastic drinking
- reuse "trash"
- reuse appliances, broken
- reuse bag, plastic mesh produce
- reuse bags, brown paper
- reuse beads salvaged/ vintage
- reuse berry basket, plastic/ paper
- reuse blankets: old or damaged
- reuse books
- reuse bottles, plastic
- reuse boxes
- reuse buttons
- reuse calendars
- reuse can, paint (plastic)
- reuse cans
- reuse chopsticks
- reuse clementine box
- reuse cups, tea
- reuse dinnerware
- reuse door, wooden garage
- reuse down from jackets
- reuse egg shells
- reuse elastic bands
- reuse electronics
- reuse fabric from drapes or other
- reuse fabric items
- reuse fishing pole
- reuse fishing wire
- reuse flatware
- reuse frames, picture
- reuse game pieces
- reuse glass bottles/ jars
- reuse glasses/ sunglasses, vintage/ old
- reuse handkerchiefs
- reuse hangers, coat
- reuse jars, spice
- reuse jeans
- reuse lamp or other lighting
- reuse license plate
- reuse magazines
- reuse magnets, promotional flat flexible
- reuse milk carton
- reuse panty hose/ tights
- reuse paper
- reuse paper printed material
- reuse pen, broken
- reuse pie pan, aluminum
- reuse plastic/ metal bottle caps
- reuse pot, coffee
- reuse sheets, bed sheets
- reuse skis
- reuse straws: drinking straws
- reuse stuffing, from pillows etc.
- reuse sweaters
- reuse sweaters, wool
- reuse thread spools
- reuse toilet paper or paper towel rolls
- reuse toys, small junk
- reuse twist ties
- reuse wood/ lumber
- reuse x-rays
- seasonal: fall
- seasonal: spring
- seasonal: summer
- seasonal: winter
- sewing
- Uncategorized
- use for dryer lint
- use for fabric scraps
- use for natural stuff: vines, sticks…
- use for vegetable scraps
- use for wire scraps
- use for yarn scraps
- vintage
Halloween Party Favor Gift Boxes
Posted Oct 28, 09 -Filed Under crafts (recycled materials), gift wrapping, eco-friendly, holiday crafts: Halloween (recycled stuff), reuse books, reuse paper | Leave a Comment
Make your own unique gift boxes for your Halloween party. You’re sure to get complements on these clever boxes made from vintage text books and encyclopedias.
How to:
Search for old school text books. Look for interesting vintage books that only use a few colors like the one used in the photo above. Books that are entirely done in black and white would also be great. You should be able to find some really cheap.
Find the sections on the skeletal system, the nervous system, the human heart and anything else that has to do with bones, blood and innards or any kind.
To fold the boxes, see my post: How To Fold Origami Gift Boxes: Easy To Follow Photo Instructions
Eco- gift Wrapping; Ribbon Made From Shirts
Posted Aug 14, 09 -Filed Under eco-friendly living ideas, gift wrapping, eco-friendly, gifts from recycled materials, reuse bags, brown paper, reuse fabric items | Leave a Comment
I do a lot of projects with salvaged clothing. I like finding ways to reuse second-hand clothing (or my own cast-offs) especially if they are flawed in some way and therefore not even good enough to bring to thrift stores.
As a byproduct of another craft project, I had a strip of shirt and thought that it looked like ribbed ribbon. The next time I was wrapping up a gift, I gave it a try.
How to:
Find a suitable shirt.
Using a rotary cutter and a metal ruler cut across the grain in order to achieve a ribbed ribbon look.
Cut strips of fabric an inch or so wide, your preference, but try to keep it even.
I cut one inch strips from the bottom of an old shirt. Next time I’m going to cut a narrower ribbon of a complementary color and place it on top of my other ribbon for a different look.
Repurpose White Waste Paper Into Doves For A Beautifully Wrapped Wedding Gift
Posted Mar 15, 09 -Filed Under crafts (recycled materials), gift wrapping, eco-friendly, holiday crafts: Peace Day (recycled stuff), party favors, reuse paper | 1 Comment
Be creative and make your own dove embellished wedding gift wrapping. This white gift wrap is really “green.”
You can find supplies for this project in a surprising variety of sources. Bumper stickers often have a really nice glossy white side and the back is often white paper that you can trace a stencil on. Another thing works well if you come across any is thin white plastic that is stiff yet thin enough to cut. I found a white plastic tray from a game. You can also find white cardboard in packaging from dress shirts to toys. You could go out and buy some white paper/ cardstock but that wouldn’t be a challenge and you would miss the point. I save all kinds of white product packaging and other waste materials and used the best pieces for doves.
The paper I used for this dove was stiff: I wanted it to stand up for a 3D effect that would take the place of a bow. To hold the dove in place: I cut out a rectangle, folded it in half and glued half onto the back of the dove. The other half of the rectangle can be slipped under the ribbon and discreetly glued or taped to the wrapping paper.
I wrapped this gift in discarded office paper (poster size). The other side had last month’s office presentation on it. It was too good to waste.
Use a nice quality ribbon to add a touch of color. It can later be used on another gift or reused in some other project.
Dove gift tags
To make a gift tag, you will need to fold scrap paper and place the stencil along the fold so that the top of the head and part of the wing will be on the fold. Write a message of love and peace. Use salvaged paper that is about the thickness of card stock. I’ve provided stencils of two different doves that I sketched.
This is far from looking like trash.
Make Your Own Envelopes From Salvaged Paper
Posted Feb 23, 08 -Filed Under crafts (recycled materials), gift wrapping, eco-friendly, gifts from recycled materials, reuse calendars, reuse magazines, reuse paper, reuse paper printed material, reuse x-rays | 1 Comment
If you take a piece of standard lined notebook paper and fold it in half then fold it in half again the other way, it will fit nicely into this 4 x 6 inches envelope.
You can buy an envelope stencil or you can make your own. Just find a pre-used envelope and use it as a stencil. Better yet use that envelope to make your own stencil out of an old file folder or a piece of plastic. I used an ex-ray from when my husband broke his elbow; I knew I’d find a use for them someday.
On envelopes that are too dark to write directly on, you can apply sticker labels.
To eliminate the need for stickers, I like to cut a window in the envelope with an X-acto knife. Children should use scissors. Place your letter inside the envelope and write the address on the back of your letter where it shows out the window.
A. Cute cat envelope was made from an old calender.
B. Frog envelope was made from a used Ranger Rick Magazine.
C. Jungle envelope was made from a damaged book called Animaze! by W. Madgwick.
D. Farmer envelope was made from a book that was falling apart (Meet Jack Appleknocker by A. Sundgaard).
E. Crocodile gift tag envelope is made from a page in a book called Lyle Finds His Mother by B. Waber.
F. Beautiful Fish envelopes were made by my children out of a book they got at a yard sale: Cayman Underwater Paradise by Pitcairn and Paul.
G. Boat envelope was made from a Baby Einstein Book that was well worn. The image is of a Van Gogh painting called Fishing Boats on the Beach at Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer.
How 2: Easy cat envelope Cut your paper 9 ½ inches x 6 inches. Make your first fold at line b (see image above). The distance between a and b should be 4 inches. After you have made your first fold, you will need to add a small line of glue alone the two sides (or use a glue stick). The flap of the envelope (c to d) needs to be folded down. Easy.
Other envelopes Trace your stencil onto a piece of funny/ beautiful/ cute/ wacky/ or trendy piece of re-claimed paper. Save interesting paper to be used for this purpose. Use Salvaged, damaged, and/or vintage books, fashion magazines, catalogs, calendars, old posters, whatever. Be aware of where on the envelope the image will be. Fold. Use a small amount of glue to adhere it together.