Crafts · Eco-Chick

Browsing all posts tagged with Crafts

Go Recycled & Non-Toxic: Green Up Your Arts & Crafts

Whether you’re a professional artist, a hobbyist or just like to make crafts with your kids every now and then, if you’re environmentally conscious you’ve probably wondered how you can make your creative activities greener. Arts and crafts can definitely be a bit hard on the environment if you’re not careful – there are a lot of toxic ingredients in those paints, glue, varnishes and other materials, not to mention all of the trash you end up throwing away.

With the holiday season coming up, a lot of people are gearing up to create hand-made cards, gifts, ornaments and other crafty things, so it’s a great time to brush up on some eco-friendly arts & crafts tips!

Use recycled, non-toxic and sustainable materials. This one is probably pretty obvious. Stick with recycled paper and pencils and other environmentally responsible materials like hemp sketchbooks, non-toxic adhesives and bamboo paintbrushes. Look for the ACMI-approved seal on paints, which indicates that they’re non-toxic.

Upcycle ‘junk’ into works of art. Next time you start a project, think about the supplies you need and whether you can find them around the house, at the thrift store, on Freecycle, etc. Try making your own artist canvas by applying gesso to an old cotton or linen sheet. Refinishing thrift-store frames can be a budget-friendly option as well. There are a million and one opportunities to upcycle ‘junk’ into jewelry, décor and other items.

Make your own paintbrushes. Leslie of The Öko Box eco boutique demonstrates how on her blog, using a twig, human hair and a rubber band. She also experiments with plant-based pigments, turning a bunch of poke berries growing in her yard into a lovely fuschia liquid that she used to paint a picture and even dye an old shower curtain.

Don’t throw away scraps of paper and fabric. Most types of paper and natural fabrics like cotton, silk, linen and wool can be composted. Encourage kids to use scraps of construction paper by creating ‘stained glass-style’ art with them. Larger, higher quality scraps of fabric can be re-used in quilts or made into wall art as shown on Apartment Therapy’s green sister site, Re-Nest. The rest can be given new life as stuffing for toys or pillows.

Wash oil paints from your hands and brushes with an eco-friendly, phosphate-free dish soap instead of solvents. Dish soap won’t harm your paintbrushes, and it dissolves oil paints better than harsh, often-toxic solvents like turpentine. Some artists also use vegetable oils to clean and maintain their brushes.

Crafts, Green Tips

Quality, Not Quantity: Organic and Natural Toys

5 Comments

by Kimberly Jordan Allen · 01/24/08

When we first started to register for baby gifts we knew that we wanted to avoid being inundated with primary colored hunks of plastic that scream encouraging jargon (“great job!!” said the machine…) whilst playing a neon light show that could stimulate anyone into a state of ADD. Now that my kids are playing more and starting to cruise around, I have been looking into more wholesome toys they can interact with; nibble, drag, pummel, hug and so on. There are a few toy sites that have good, quality toys. With today’s toxin scares, purchasing well-made, non-toxic toys takes a bit of research but is worth the effort. Here are a few toys and sites that we love. Sometimes it costs a bit more to buy something sustainably produced, but to us it is better to have a few good toys than hundreds of pieces of landfill fodder. Not all toys on these websites are organic or ‘natural,’ (depending on what that means for you) so, as with all things, read the fine print. There are a few sites that have mostly organic and natural items, such as Tiny Bird (see below.)
This dragon from Lana Organic is colorful and well-made.
Under the Nile makes quality toys and clothing that seems to last forever, surviving many washings. These stuffed grapes have been in our house since the babes were born and they still play with them. Under the Nile also makes fantastic organic swaddling blankets that really make the best baby burrito!
Tiny Birds Organics carries lots of environmentally conscious toys. Plan Toys, the company that makes this rolling snail, has won many awards for their eco-friendly toys that stimulate imaginations and promote development.
This organic ball, made by Sigikid looks soft and inviting. All of their products are made using traditional Bavarian craftsmanship and are machine washable.
Uncle Goose blocks use naturally derived inks and sustainable wood. These blocks are well made and have so much to look at: pictures, numbers, letters. We love them.

awards, Baby, birds, car, clothing, cotton, Crafts, farm, Home, kids, Organic, pictures, plastic, produce, rape, sustainable, sustainable wood, wood

Ashley Watson Recycled Leather Bags

10 Comments

by Starre Vartan · 11/01/07

Look at these gorgeous bags!! Ashley Watson designs them from Vancouver, Canada, where they are also produced (no sweatshop labor!). Not only are they pretty, super-soft and fairly made, Watson crafts the bags from old leather jackets (so that’s where all those 80′s style cheesy motorcycle coats went!). Not exactly vegan, but as a vegetarian who tries to avoid animal products, I wouldn’t have a problem carrying one of these. Not only are the bags each stitched by hand, but they come in the most gorgeous colors. Here’s a bag that will last for years to come; as leather wears over time it just looks cooler and cooler.

bags, car, Crafts, design, farm, labor, leather, produce, recycle, recycled, style, vegan, vegetarian

A Festivus for the Rest of Us

6 Comments

by Olivia Zaleski · 06/28/07

Several days ago, on a small area of farmland in Tennessee, 80,000 gathered for the Bonnaroo Music Festival. The four-day celebration featured live music, shops, massage parlors, food marts, restaurants, crafts booths, and a “living quarter” all within a mini city created just for “the Roo.” “Mini city?” Sounds like the perfect chance for an eco-experiment! Starting last year, event sponsors, organizers, and musicians put their heads and wallets together to make Bonnaroo, “the greenest–and greatest–festival on earth.”

This year, the initiative continued with the popular “Planet Roo”—a virtual eco-village. Here non-profit organizations, green-product vendors, and environmentally-minded artists gathered to share information, eat organic food, and support responsible businesses of all shapes and sizes. Local farmers sold organic produce from small carts while Timberland Inc. sponsored a large booth to promote their line of PVC-free shoes. A tree was planted for every patron who visited the booth.

Regina Spector tries on Timberland Inc.’s PVC-free, water based adhesive Luminari Ainsley Thong. Photo courtesy of Frank Mullen/WireImage

Other Bonnaroo 2007 greening initiatives included over 30,000 gallons of biodiesel fuel, a solar powered sound system, and a fancy recycling/composting program—preventing more than 60 percent of the event’s waste from entering landfills. All food vendors were required to provide recycled and biodegradable cups, plates, and cutlery; while security traversed the grounds—looking for violations—on electric-powered golf carts.

biodiesel, business, car, Crafts, diesel, electric, farm, Food, local, Music, Organic, organic food, plates, produce, recycle, recycled, Recycling, restaurant, shoes, waste, water

Cupid's Shooting Some Green Arrows

1 Comment

by Starre Vartan · 02/12/07

I know you all wait until the last minute just like I do…..so here’s a list to help you out of the V-day crunch and still come up smelling like roses with your beau. Whatever your time schedule and budget, you should be able to do something special, even within the traditional tropes of the holiday.

(And hey, if you are anti-Valentine’s, I don’t want to hear it. I’m so happy that you express your adoration for your lover every single day and don’t need a predetermined time to do it, but we’re not all that fabulous, OK? I like celebrating holidays, especially those that have to do with promoting LOVE. You don’t have to buy some piece of crap or participate in the commercialism if you don’t want to, but you can still enjoy the holiday and not be a cupid-killer.)

Massage
Give a gift certificate to an independent massage therapist (high end)
OR
Pick up some extra-virgin olive oil and mix it with an essential oil like lavender (you can find both at your local health food store), and do the massage yourself. (low end)

Flowers
Order some organic fleurs from Organic Bouquet or Local Harvest, or head over to Wild Oats or Whole Foods, both of which carry organic bouquets. (high end)
OR
Make an artful arrangement of flowers crafted from old magazines, newspapers, or cardboard. Get funky with ribbon, old buttons or yarn and your sweetie will be able to keep your creation forever, unlike flowers. (low end)

If you don’t already know why you shouldn’t buy conventionally grown flowers, check this Coop America article.

Dinner
There’s nothing sexier than a fabulous meal made with care and attention. You’ll never be able to make reservations at this point, so make it yourself! You can go as high or low as you want; supermarkets will still have organic cheese so you can construct a cheese plate (cut the cheese into hearts…awww….) and grab a few bottles of organic wine or even better yet, champagne. Add some fresh fruit, some great music, and who needs to be at a crowded restaurant? Plan some star-gazing or a late-night walk in the cold winter air and keep eachother warm naturally.

Chocolate
There are so many great organic, fair-trade chocolates out there….from vegan truffles to raw treats.

But a really simple, romantic idea is to buy a bar of high cacao dark chocolate at Trader Joe’s (inexpensive and they carry organic/fair trade, but look for the label), or your local health food store, and make your own chocolates with your Valentine’s Day partner. Parents can do this with kids, with eachother, and it’s safe to do with your grandma too! You can make something complicated, with a fruit filling, or just make fun shapes with the melted chocolate. Try adding almond flavor, strong coffee, or fruit liquors to the chocolate when it’s melted and then let it harden. A really fun project that doesn’t cost much and will leave you with plenty of chocolate after Valentine’s Day too.

Speaking of projects, I found this wonderful article on making fun eco-friendly Valentine’s with kids! Being a kid at heart myself, I think these would be fun to do with friends and lovers of any age.