When I decided to shed the security of a steady day job last summer, I knew my craft budget was going to take a serious hit. I thought I’d be bummed about not being able to spend at will, but it turns out that I’m having a blast crafting with my stash and filling in [...]

If you’re bothered by the garbage bag of gift wrap that becomes the centerpiece of many holiday parties, you might want to consider wrapping your packages with recycled paper  and topping them with recycled bows. (Newspaper and brown paper bags are great for this.) While some may think it’s extremely tacky to wrap gifts in [...]

Maya Donenfeld joined the craft blog scene about two years ago with the creation of her Maya*Made blog and has been inspiring readers ever since with her sustainable craft project ideas. A self-taught artist, Maya, 40, loves to create with items straight from the recycle bin. One of her favorite materials is repurposed burlap coffee [...]

When I quit my day job in early July it was as traumatic as a birth. As I walked down the back “employees only” hallway the last time as an official staffer, I cried like a baby while trying rather unsuccessfully to hide my face behind a vase-full of sunflowers. It was a pretty pathetic [...]

This is the “Headliner” newspaper dress that I made for last night’s “Recycled Runway” event at the UICA here in Grand Rapids, Michigan. I’m pleased to report that I walked the runway and survived. Boy, I’m glad that’s over. I like the design and sewing part of fashion, but don’t really dig the runway bit.

I’ve been blog silent lately because I’ve been stitching like mad in preparation for tonight’s Recycled Runway event tonight at the UICA in Grand Rapids. I made a dress out of newspaper. It took way longer than I expected, but I actually made a dress which is kind of amazing since I don’t have much [...]

Today I showed Take Five viewers how to do some basic weaving on recycled cardboard. From cereal boxes to packaging from the mail, cardboard is readily available and ripe for free loom-making. While cardboard looms are great for introducing kids to weaving, this project is for people of all ages. I’ve been weaving for more [...]

Today’s “Take Five & Company” segment was once again about recycling, one of my favorite ways to craft. The segment features a few bags I made in wee hours Thursday night with thrift store finds and one of my husband’s old T-shirts that I retrieved from the trash. (When it comes to reusable fabrics, I [...]

If you like to make bold fashion statements on a budget, this recycled jewelry project is right up your alley. I made the earrings above out of a 7-Eleven Big Gulp beverage container that I retrieved from the recycle bin. The patterned plastic makes for a free and interesting adornment. Even if your fashion sense [...]

Remember these? This week’s craft “Take Five” TV segment is an ode to the looper pot holder. Oh, how I love the loopers. Seriously, folks, I doubt I’ll ever outgrow my the little pot holder loom. I just learned how to make loopers out of recycled T-shirts and I want to share this great info [...]

I’ve admired crocheted rag rugs for years, but never got around to making any until last week, and I’m having a blast. There’s something truly lovely about stitching strips of recycled cotton fabric softened by dozens of trips through the laundry. Today TV segment was inspired by the wonderful people behind the Rags to Rugs [...]

Check out my Grand Rapids Press craft column today for the full story of Betty White and her plarn (plastic yarn) creations. Betty gives a second wind to plastic shopping bags, expertly transforming them into dresses, hats, handbags and totes. Her most recent design is a one-piece swimsuit and matching hat. I probably wouldn’t ever [...]

Today I did a speedy, fused plastic pouch demo on WZZM’s “Take Five & Company” using the clear plastic bags that my newspaper is delivered in on rainy days. To get the confetti look, I put random snippets of a colorful Charmin toilet paper wrapper inside the clear plastic bag, then fused the layers together [...]

Today Betz White, author of “Sewing Green 25 Projects Made With Repurposed & Organic Materials” wraps up her blog tour with a stop at CraftSanity. Keep reading to find out how you can enter the random drawing to win the book which is loaded with projects that will inspire you to shop your closets and [...]

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