Three {Crafty} Ways to Celebrate Earth Day!

Earth Day originated in 1969 with the growing awareness of environmental issues. Today, it is celebrated worldwide with various events and festivals.

Earth Day should be celebrated everyday. With cheaper product costs, we have become a single-use society. We need to seek the potential of the products we use once.

These three upcycle crafts are perfect for celebrating Earth Day.

Newspaper Basket via Nifty Thrifty Things

 

 Wine Bottle Planters via Recyclart 

Plarn Coaster via Look What I Made

It takes creative thinking to upcycle, but the results are exciting.  

Happy Earth Day!

Granny Square Stool Cover

Four-and-a-half years of storage was not kind to my desk. The constant damp caused the particle board to warp and mold, and I had no choice but to throw it away. This means that I do not have a desk until I can afford to buy a new one. 

Luckily I have a laptop. I was setting the computer on the side table when I was not using it, but then I remembered my stool. 

I have had this wooden stool for probably fifteen years. It is the perfect level for sitting in my papasan chair and typing. I have seen cute crochet and knit stool covers on Pinterest, so I decided to crochet a cover for my stool.

 

The yarn was reclaimed from thrifted sweaters. I used my knowledge of circular crochet and granny squares to crochet the cover.

It's a very crafty and thrifty solution!

Coffee and Tea Dyed Yarn

Although many of us enjoy iced coffee or sun tea on a warm summer's day, they are not just for drinking--you can also use coffee and tea to dye yarn! I have been interested in dyeing for some time, and Friday's rain made it a great day to experiment. 

Natural fibres (cotton, hair, linen, silk, wool, etc.) are easily dyed.  For centuries humans used herbs and berries to change the color of fabric, yarn and even paper. While modern commercial dyes have consistant color, they sometimes include strong chemicals.

Dyeing yarn with Kool-Aid is an alternate to using commercial dyes. Using packets of Kool-Aid you can dye a broad range of vibrant colors. I recommend the following tutorials: Leethal's Crockpot Kool-Aid Dyeing, Knitty.com's Dyed in the Wool or Eunny's Techniques: Self-Striping Yarn).

Coffee and tea can be used to dye fibres as well. Many crafters use them to make fabric, yarn and paper appear aged. I chose four teas (green, black, Earl Grey, and chamomile) and a coffee for my experiment.

I boiled water in a tea kettle and poured it into mason jars. I used two types of yarn: a wool blend and silk ribbon yarn. Both were from thrifted sweaters I unraveled. I looped the yarn around my arm to create loose sections.  I soaked the yarn in lukewarm water with splash of vinegar, pushing the air bubbles out of the yarn so it would be thoroughly saturated. The tea brewed for an hour before I added the yarn.

Left to right: Bigelow Green Tea, Tazo Awake Tea, Coffee, Twinings Earl Grey Tea, Chamomile Tea

The yarn soaked in the dye for four hours. I rinsed it in the sink, and then I gently pressed out the excess water with towel. After the yarn dried I roll it into balls.

The variables make the dyeing possibilities endless. I got five different shades of soft brown. A darker hue would require another tea bag and an overnight soak. 

My next project for the yarn to explore knit, crochet and macramé texture.

Thrifty Finds: Let's Picnic

This thrifty find is a two-parter. A couple of months ago I found a flawless, brand new picnic blanket at World Thrift Mission in Lansing, MI. Even without the accompanying picnic basket and accessories, the blanket was a steal at $3.99.

With the blanket in mind, I have been watching for the perfect picnic basket. I almost stooped to buying one at Target, but I am trying to live thriftily and frugally. I decided to forgo until they went on clearance.

My "new" secondhand picnic basket came from Goodwill in Charlotte, MI. At $9, I felt the basket was a bit overpriced for a thrift store (I've noticed Goodwill and other thrift shops are raising their prices as they realize people are shopping secondhand with the bad economy). But after a few minutes of inspection and debate, I decided to purchase the perfect summer accessory.

The next time I thrift I am going to watch for picnic essentials such as plates, silverware, sealable containers and wine glasses. Maybe I'll make some d.i.y. napkins. And after that, I'll plan a picnic (with pictures to follow, of course)!

Fiber Nest Filler

As a crafter working with various fibers, I've accumulated unusable bits of ribbon, string and yarn that I cannot bear to throw away.

I put my fiber scraps and laundry lint in plastic fruit netting, and behold! nesting material for our neighborhood birds! Next time I might use a suet feeder.

Now I don't feel guilty for holding on to useless fibres and the spring birds will have warm nests for their chicks.

Unraveled: Recycled 100% Silk Ribbon Yarn

Yesterday, I spent much of the day unravelling a sweater for yarn. The sweater was gorgeous, though too large (and a little too "old lady") for me. The yarn is 100% silk, a 1/4 inch wide and an amazing ivory color.

I have the razor cami in mind for a portion of the yarn.  Since silk is a protein fiber, the ribbon can be dyed. I plan on dyeing several smaller skeins with kool-aid for miscellaneous projects.

I listed one 134 yard(!) skein on my etsy shop, With Eyes Lifted for $48.