100% upcycled rugs
i don’t know about you, but we get our bathrugs filthy constantly. the ones that i’d gotten at the market a while back were falling apart (and i never could stand them in the first place) so all i had left was the rug i …
Repurposing
Have you ever noticed how much potential there is in your trash can or recycling bin? Each little bit and piece in there is full of potential to be turned into something totally new that can be loved, used, and saved from a landfill! Not only are you helping the environment when you upcycle materials, but you’re saving money on crafting materials, too!
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Foam puzzle rugs, part III
a while back, i wrote about how i transformed a little foam alphabet puzzle into stamps and a bulletin board. the reason was that apparently that type of plastic contains substances which are hazardous to your health. i don’t know if it’s really true or …
Travel watercolors
how cool are altoids tins (you know, those “curiously strong” mints?)! as i now read the wikipedia page on altoids, i’ve found that people use those tins for loads of things. i’d seen two ideas of how to use them that i really liked: a travel …
For the dads
in italy father’s day is celebrated march 19, but in the united states (and many other countries) it’s celebrated the third sunday of june…that is, today! my hubby’s favorite father’s day gift so far is the portrait t-shirt and he wears it with much pride. …
100% upcycled pot
first of all, i’d like to thank all the italians who voted in the referendum. i’m so happy with the result! i don’t know about you, but i always need more plant pots. i feel like i’m constantly buying new ones. so i decided to …
Handmade Bookmark with Portrait (Gifts by Kids)
One of the first craft books that I bought and that I’ve loved very much is Handmade Home by Amanda Blake Soule*. This book was the inspiration for my repurposed towel and bedsheet bathroom rugs. But it also inspired me to make a handmade bookmark …
Super lucky! Winner at Ork’Idea Atelier!
i couldn’t not participate in the giveaway that cristina from ork’idea atelier organized and yesterday i got the good news…i’m one of the winners! i won a copy of her cd “nuova vita al pet” (new life for pet) which is a collection of the …
December 1st…break out those advent calendars!
yesterday i took the advent calendar that i made last year out from storage and my daughter put all the gift-holding ornaments on it. we made these ornaments mostly from the plastic containers inside kinder eggs. she was thrilled to see all the eggs again …
New necklace with melon seeds
i wrote a month ago about the jewelry that i made with melon seeds, an idea that i got from little treasures. there are two ways to color the seeds: either with nail polish or with a marker. except i had a problem with the …
100% recycled containers from old sheets
i had some very used and loved bedsheets (we’re talking decades of continuous use by my siblings and me) with peanuts vignettes on them which i have always loved. except that the fitted bottom sheet was very worn out in the center and was a …
Melon seed jewelry
when i saw these necklaces, it was love at first sight! i discovered maya’s blog (and the necklaces) thanks to linda’s blog. i told myself that i just HAD to give it a go myself. it’s quite simple: just remove the seeds from a melon …
From bike to bag
finally! you know when you’ve wanted to do a project forever, but you never actually do it? my hubby had been asking me for a messenger bag for ages, but i was never really sure what fabric to use for it. then he realized that …
Recycled shirt bath mat: tutorial
on monday i wrote about how to make yarn out of old t-shirts. but i didn’t want to reveal what i made with this special yarn until i was done. yesterday i finished it. what is it? a rug for the bathroom! i’d wanted to …
How to make yarn from old t-shirts
last week i started a new project with this lovely homemade “yarn”. and what did i make it out of? old t-shirts! there are tons of ways to upcycle t-shirts that you don’t use anymore, but this is a great way to use up all …
How to make baskets from recycled paper
**TUTORIAL UPDATE** I’ve created a new version of the woven cereal box basket, giving more detailed instructions and including more pictures to better explain each step. You can find the new tutorial here! ——————————————— a year ago i saw this post on pane, amore e …
A bit about ecological craft books
first of all, i’d like to send all my best wishes to all you mammas out there! i know i’m a bit late, but my gift to myself yesterday was to not do anything, so no work, a bit of crafting and a lot of …
How to sew corners on a bed sheet: Tutorial
we were quite lucky because we’re full of bed sheets that were barely used by my husband’s family. the annoying thing? they’re all flat sheets, and not one fitted one. i really can’t stand having to fold the edges of a flat sheet under the …
From puzzle mat to bulletin board
last week i made stamps from the letters from one of those little foam letter puzzles and i wondered how to use up the remaining foam pieces. i got some good ideas from my readers, but in the end i made a little “cork” board …
How to make homemade foam stamps from old puzzles
Our family is stamp-addicted. We have a really insane collection of stamps that we take out from time to time to create crazy scenes with people, speech bubbles, animals, aliens and any and every other thing you could possibly imagine. And I didn’t buy a …
DIY coat rack with knobs
i’ve had this pair of cute knobs for 3 years and i always knew that i wanted to make my daughter a little coat rack with them, but seeing as i’m a bit useless with a saw, i kept on putting it off…and off…and off…and …
