Earth Day is coming up April 22, so I thought I’d pass along some easy, kid-friendly project ideas for crafting with recycled materials. (I’m going to demo these during my craft segment on today’s “Take Five” show on WZZM channel 13 at 9 a.m. here in West Michigan.) Since my TV appearances are one of [...]

One of the big mistakes I’ve made while trying to get my house in order is loading up on many unnecessary and/or unsuitable organizing supplies. I’m done with colored bins I can’t see into and I’m holding off on buying more of the clear kind until I weed out more of the stash. After many [...]

As I’ve mentioned before, I’m heading West for the Conference for Creative Entrepreneurs in a couple days. There’s lots to do before I board the plane, but I took a break from spinning plates for a bit to work on a super important project for my daughters. I’ve been working on a set of stuffed [...]

Finally updated with video Oh my word, I’m so tired! I’ve been stitching like mad lately and wanted to give you folks an update on the ArtPrize charity quilt project I’ve been working on. Check back here in a bit for today’s “Take Five” TV segment for an update on how things are progressing. And all [...]

Hi folks! I have many projects in the works as usual, but I wanted to take a break from stitching hexagons to give all you locals a head’s up about some classes I’m teaching this summer at Lakeshore Sewing’s Wyoming location (1011 Gezon Parkway SW, Wyoming, MI). Here are the details: T-shirt Refashioning 101 Learn [...]

Today I interviewed a lovely woman named Fran for an upcoming newspaper column. We had a great visit during which she showed me two paper bead necklaces her mother made “years and years” ago. Fran said her mother called them memory beads because she would often take wrapping paper home from family events and make [...]

This Sunday my newspaper column will feature West Michigan crochet enthusiast, Kendra Wineman. After meeting Kendra and seeing her colorful stash of reclaimed yarn and cute, crochet nesting bowls, I decided to unravel a sweater and make some bowls for my daughters to organize trinkets in their room.

This week has been totally insane and it’s only Thursday. My grandfather is in the hospital several states away. Some jerk stole our credit card number and went on a shopping spree. We picked up and organized 1,300 Girl Scout cookies  for the troop. And that’s in addition to the usual craziness. On the bright [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

I know better, but clearly I have not learned from past mistakes. And once again I stayed up until an ungodly hour the night before a live TV segment to make a new apron to wear for my weekly appearance on Take Five & Company here in Grand Rapids, Mich. I decided shortly before midnight [...]

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 [...]