Things to do with old Greeting Cards

Postcards is probably my favorite idea. Check with your post office to make sure but I believe the minimum size is 3 1/2" x 5" and the max is 4 1/4" by 6".

You can also cut out squares or flowers or whatever from the cards and make them into gift tags.
 

Or make small gift boxes, perfect for earrings and such.

Do a collage and either frame it or laminate it and use it as place mats and/or coasters.

For that matter, just frame a single card if it's particularly pretty or special to you in some way.

You can always use the pics and even the poems and personalized touches for scrapbooking.

Use the cutouts to embellish packages. If you're really green, you can use the funny papers or brown paper bags, throw some card cutouts and there you go.

Decoupage the pictures onto boxes, jars, pots, trays, or wherever else you can think to put them.

I also like the idea of using them as recipe cards.

Cut into strips and make them into bookmarks. The pictures don't even have to make sense, they can just be abstract. Laminate them if you want.

Those are a few ideas I found. Please feel free to share yours.

Re-purposed Silverware

I've been looking for things to do with some silverware that my dad gave me before he passed. It isn't dishwasher safe so I don't use it, but I don't want to not use it either. So, I'm looking for ways to have it around in some unconventional ways.

Here's some really great ideas for your old silverware from Brik Brok :











And here's one from Craft Gossip:

Crafty Recycling Around the House

I've been wanting to organize my posts better, with more non-craft topics, but it doesn't seem to be happening. I'm in a crafty mood lately and I find all of these great ideas while searching out inspiration, that I just have to share it.

Make Shades Out of Mini Blinds - I think this is a great idea from Little Green Notebook.


Dabbled has a great tutorial on fusing plastic bags to make cool stuff like this cup holder.


So She Sews also does things, like these owls, that you can buy on etsy.


Fork Curtain Tiebacks from Dollar Store crafts. I love this site, I especially love this idea because I have some silverware that is not usable as such but that I want to keep. This would be a great way to do that. I think they'd be great in my kitchen!

Green Home Round up

Addicted 2 Decorating has some cool green decor ideas:

Egg Carton Flower Pendant Light -I love this!






Upholstered Bench from a headboard/footboard. This would take some skill.








Globe Light- I can honestly say I haven't seen one of these before.



You might also want to check out Frederique Morrel-Recycled Tapestries. I can't get any pictures but it's pretty neat stuff. I like the idea anyway.

Lisa Sette Gallery - These are more artsy than crafty for sure; but if you're interested in art, these are very cool.

22 Cheaper Ways to Go Green

While over at Parenting.com I came across this article, "22 Cheaper Ways to Go Green". It features things like (I put my favs in bold):

Bummis diaper covers

PowerGorilla Portable Laptop Charger

EcoPods "absorb shock and vibration for washers and dryers, something that (who knew?) wastes a lot of energy and money. Ecopods says you just prop the appliances up on the pads, and they'll be clean, green, washing machines, that make zero noise, break less frequently, and are energy efficient. "

Flush Puppies "are water-soluble poop bags that will dissolve in less than a minute, so you can throw them in any toilet or just throw them in the trash."


Green Veranda bags (left) Now these are cool. The whole site is, so check it out.

Little Kay Gardens gift wrap "It's seeded with wildflowers, so it can be planted instead of thrown away."

Truegreen Laundry Washer and Dryer Balls, "with eco-friendly materials and a special molecular ionization process, promise to clean clothes without using harmful chemicals. You can even wash your clothes with cold water and skip rinse cycles, so you save electricity and water. Each ball ($20) lasts months. "


Now, cheap is subjective in this case because some of these things seemed a little pricey for me, but I am truly cheap. Still, some are really neat.

Popsicle sticks and more

A Little Hut has some cool stuff posted on their site. Specifically, they have recycled projects including:

Hurricane Lamp- made from paper towel tubes. I've seen a lot of lamps but never seen this particular resource used in this way.


Popsicle stick art-I could see having some fun with this actually.

This actually got me thinking about other cool crafts with popsicle sticks. Honestly, pickings were a bit slim, but here's what I found:

Popsicle stick purse

Green Sites, Green Gifts

Over on Uncommon Goods, there are some cool recycled gifts/ideas:

PULP BULLETIN BOARD "Make everyday life a real page turner with this clever bulletin board made from recycled magazine pages. The tightly stacked design allows you to flip through what's left of the pages and simply stick memos in between them, but the board also works well with traditional push pins. Frame is made of recycled paper board."

ELEPHANT POO PAPER JOURNAL & NOTE BOX Hey, I only report this stuff, no matter how strange. "This attractive journal and note paper box are actually made out of elephant poop! That's right, eco-friendly and innovative, this journal and note paper box are 100% recycled, odorless and, dare we say, quite lovely for a piece of a poo. Choose from a reusable note box filled 70 slips of paper or this 20 page journal with green elephant silhouette." They even have a run-down on how it's made.

I know Gordon Ramsay has made menus out of animal feces as well. Doesn't sound like something I'd care to have in a restaurant, but that's me.

They've got some other stuff, nothing else I haven't seen elsewhere though.

Good Guide is a site devoted to providing "the world's largest and most reliable source of information on the health, environmental, and social impacts of the products in your home." You can find it on my blogroll. It let's you know what products are contaminate free and let's you leave reviews. This is an especially good site for parents. There's a lot of information about baby food and products.

Arts and Crafts

Decoupaged Chair made using an old poster. I am so going to do this. I am a big Pearl Jam fan and have all my old posters my husband refuses to let me put up, something about me being too old, or whatever. Now, however, I have something I can do with them.







Pom Pom Rug made from yarn extras.




Have a fallen tree limb? Make coasters.


Cardboard Ring Frame Art -this is fun



Seed Bead Ring made from plastic milk/juice carton seal. Kids would probably love this craft.


Necktie Flower Pins -Gotta stain on your tie, don't throw it away. Here's a whole list of cool things that can be done with ties.

Washer Necklace. I'm not big on jewelry; but if I was, then this would be something I'd make.


Light bulb vases and other things to do with lightbulbs.


Placemat into Diaper Clutch. This would be handy to keep in the car for those times when you forget your diaper bag.

Don't call it a come back

Okay, so I disappeared for awhile. I know I missed Earth Day which has to be some kind of sin for green bloggers, but this is actually a hard time of year for me. It marks the anniversary of my father's birth and death. But I'm trying to get back into the swing of things.

Here's just a couple of cool things I found:


Eyeglass necklaces If you've got some coke bottle lenses around, here's a fun idea for them. The instructions are super easy.








"I Am Not A Paper Cup" – Thermal Porcelain Mug. For all you coffee drinkers out there, here's an eco friendly idea.






Reusable Sandwich Wrapper How awesome is this idea?











These Pot Holders are tight...literally, they're made from old tights. Gotta run in your tights, here's what you can do. Of course, you can also cut that leg off and team it with another one-legged pair of the same color.

Recycled: good or bad? You decide

I found some recycled crafts I can't decide if they're good or just gaudy. Still, I'll post it and you can decide.

EGG TREES made from body scrunchies or puffs. Now, these don't have to be used, but it could be. Just throw it in the wash before using it.

Gargoyles made from carry out coffee trays

Puzzle piece frame made from bits and pieces. I know that any parent has some puzzles without all the pieces. You could also use game pieces

There are tons of egg carton crafts here and here. I thought this school bus was a good one. They also have instructions for bird feeders, the game Mancala, and craft storage, etc.

Build a whirligig with shoeboxes and coat hangers. Not really gaudy, but I found it along the way and thought I'd post it.

Bracelets made from old toothbrushes, now these I like. I could imagine you could drill holes for charms or hot glue embellishments and things to jazz `em up.

Going Green at the Dry Cleaners

I don't do dry cleaning but for those who do, consider the following:

Clothesnik offers cloth alternatives to the plastic garment covers. These 100% cotton bags can be used to tote dirty laundry to the cleaners and then used as garment cover to carry clothing home.
Also, I heard that you should bring back in your wire hangers so they can be re-used. I know I don't use wire hangers at home so even if you don't use the dry cleaners, this might be a good place to get rid of your wire hangers. There are eco friendly hangers made from recycled materials out now as well.

I know there are also eco cleaners who don't use the chemicals. The EPA has a list of eco dry cleaners, but I couldn't find an updated version.

Cool Recycled Pieces

Thanks to Like Cool, for the following "cool" recycled find:

Shopping Cart Chair

CD Spindle Chair

You've got to check out these Cassette Tape Portraits. They're awesome.

Re vamped Home Decor

Here's some stuff I haven't seen done before, that I liked:




Thanks to Red Velvet Girls for the above. See how to make the blender light below here.


If nothing else, these are conversation pieces.

Various recycling finds & Laundry Tips

I was posting about AllFreeCrafts.com on my blog, RnR Reviews and I had to mention that they actually have a whole section just for green crafts. Here are a few examples:

Soda Bottle Dome

Recycled Coffee Tin














Recycled Bottle Fish Mobile

They also have nature crafts and gardening sub categories. So be sure to check those out if that interests you. I'm more of an indoors girl so I don't really venture outdoors to get my craft materials.

I also found this article on uses for dryer lint. Even if you're not interested, you still might want to check out this article on lint art. Fine art enthusiasts can go here for an interesting lint exhibit.

I don't know how good of an idea it is though because lint is flammable. So, definitely don't do any children's crafts with lint.

While on the subject of dryer lint, I thought I'd share this article on what to do with used dryer sheets. Here are a couple really interesting ones:

4. Run a sheet over a piece of thread when you're doing sewing tasks. The thread
won't tangle up as easy.

7. Did you purchase some old, musty books at a garage sale or thrift shop? Make them smell good again! Simply place the books in a sealed plastic bag with a used dryer sheet. Allow the bag to sit undisturbed for a day or two, then remove the contents. The musty smell will be gone!

8. Got a problem with mice? Find where they are entering your house and stuff the hole shut with a used sheet. Mice won't chew through the smelly material.

9. Place a used dryer sheet in the bag of your vacuum. Sweep your house, and, once you're done, the air will smell as fresh as your clothes do.

12. Is there a build-up of soap scum on your glass shower door? Simply use an old dryer sheet to eliminate the mess.

Don't want to mess with disposable dryer sheets anymore, here's how you can make reusable dryer sheets.