Made some more kid-sized napkins. Now that we have done away with paper, we needed some more cloth napkins. I used this cute Jay McCarroll fabric and the tutorial that I described here for making the napkins. But I used mitered corners this time.
Eco Finds Friday
Today’s finds are from Cosa Verde, a showcase featuring independent green artists. The interesting thing about this site is that it takes you to the seller’s commerce site (frequently Etsy) to purchase the product.
Nesting Necklace, $70 from figs & ginger.
Linen Tea Towel from jewelweeds, $14.
Hand Bound Orangeflower Journal, $29 from birddog press.
How Does Your Garden Grow? Vintage Tote, $60 from pouch.
Socktopus the Sock Monkey Octopus, $25 from friends of socktopus.
Eco Toes for Toddlers, $27 from infusion fibers.
Plum Wrap Dress – Local Organic Cotton with Hemp Ties, $110 from conscious clothing.
Cactus Organic Crocheted Dishcloths from myissag, set of 2 for $12.
Sample Guest Soaps from besem natural scents, $9.
Craft Green: More Eco-Friendly Tutorials
Knitted T-shirt Dishcloth from Instructables.
Reusable Snack Bag from We Wilsons.
Phone Book Desk Organizer from Chica and Jo.
Links and Ideas for Recycled T-shirts from Crafting a Green World (pictured: Betz White’s embroidery hoops).
Aluminum Can Flowers from CafeMomStreetTeam.
How to Fuse Plastic Bags from Etsy Labs.
Magazine Reeds Box and Picture Frame from Diane Gilleland (of CraftyPod) for CraftStylish.
Recycling Sweaters for Yarn from Craft Leftovers.
Teacup Lights from Martha Stewart.
Men’s Shirt to Girl’s Dress from made (link via Whipstitch).
50 Fabric Scrap Projects from Tipnut (pictured: Yo-yos from Heather Bailey).
Recycled Fabric Headband from Maya Made.
Eco-crafting with Kids
Aside from planting a tree, starting a compost bin or creating a vegetable garden, there are lots of crafty ways that you can share Earth Day with your children. Here are some nice tutorials for eco-friendly crafts for kids:
Mosaic Bird Bath from The Seattle Times.
Tin can projects from Family Fun.
Gum Wrapper Chain from Wee Folk Art.
Egg Carton Flowers from Supercozy.
Cereal Box Matching Game from Plum Pudding.
Twig Trivet from How Stuff Works.
And here are more simple ideas for crafting with recycled materials. Really, it’s just a matter of working with what you have. Since I’ve started making a concerted effort to do this in our home, we spend considerably less on craft supplies and my children look at every object with a creative eye.
Turn a glass jar into a snow globe.
Make a fairy house with natural materials.
Camp Creek Blog has a nice post about saving materials for recycled craft projects here. And as always, The Crafty Crow has links to tons of great ideas for crafting with kids, like this post about things you can make from an egg carton.
Green Giveaways & Contests
Check out the results of the Inhabitat Spring Greening Contest for some recycled inspiration. Pictured above: tupperware lights by Frank Criscione.
Cosa Verde and Modish Earth Day Giveaway – Make a comment for your chance to win tons of handmade eco-friendly goods from the shops at Cosa Verde.
Crafty by Nature Contest at CraftStylish – Enter your eco-friendly craft to win a super cool Yudu screenprinting machine.
Tiny Decor Eco Nursery Giveaway – Submit photos of your eco-friendly nursery for your chance to win a $300 nursery decor package.