Plarn – Have you heard of this stuff?

Evidently last night while I was sleeping there was a plarn revolution.  Yesterday I’d never even heard the word, and today it seems it’s EVERYWHERE!

Plarn (plastic yarn) is made from plastic grocery bags cut into strips then crocheted to create virtually anything – In this case we’re using a grocery bag to create … a grocery bag. 

Check out this link for a tutorial on how to create your own ecofriendly shopping bags.

DYK: It takes 1000 years for a plastic bag to decompose in a landfill?

Still buying those water bottles and single handedly ruining the planet?  ? or so *they* say?

Let me ease your guilt - Upcycle that water bottle:

Sock + Empty Water Bottle = Best Puppy Toy Ever!

Just insert bottle into sock – tie a knot and it’s on like donkey kong.

We?re bringing it old school using a tube sock with the double stripes.

I love getting Christmas cards – I love it so much I want to marry it.

But what do you do with them when you flip the calendar to January?  Some Christmas cards are just too beautiful, or too precious to toss in the recycle bin or donate for a classroom project ? so instead of shoving them in the back of a drawer somewhere, try this:

? Cut the card at the seam and use craft scissors to trim out a pretty frame, both on the front of the card and the inside of the card

? Affix the front of the card to a piece of sturdy craft paper and the inside of the card to the back

? Tie a pretty ribbon to create a ?hook? for your Christmas tree

Viola – A beautiful Christmas ornament! I made a bunch one year because I had more tree than ornaments. These days I have plenty of ornaments, but these remain my favorites.  As we decorate our tree each year, it?s wonderful to re-read all of the special Christmas cards my family has received over the years.

Ever come across an item destined for upcycled greatness only to find that you?re running low on inspiration?

Check out ETSY.

This site is made up of amazingly creative handcrafters ? a community of unending inspiration and a major source of cool.

One of my favorite features of this site is that you can search by geographic location, making it easy to support your local community. Just click the ?shop local? tab ? and get inspired!

Here are a couple of shops to get you started:
Interactive  
FlibbertyGibbits

And because I can’t help myself… REGRETSY

 I hate to shop, but…

? if you could find all manner of stuff you needed – everything from the brand name classic to the completely funky, and it was all arranged by item and color, in an immaculately clean shop and every time you bought something it helped people, you’d have to do it, right?

This my friends is the Goodwill store in Santa Rosa.

I got an amazingly cool new purse that I would have never purchased while it was on the rack in Macy’s and some equally fab shoes. And I came this close to rocking a pair of shoes i can only describe by tossing around words like; plastic coated, red, high heeled loafer and alligator.

And when I?m done using them, I?ll donate them. It?s the circle of life my friends.

Tremendous.

so nice it?s posted twice: taken from its-nin.livejournal.com

Check out Amazon reviews for Rubbish! Reuse Your Refuse by Kate Shoup.

Check out Amazon reviews for Refashioned Bags: Upcycle Anything into High-Style Handbags by Faith Blakeney and Justine Blakeney.

Check out Amazon reviews for Sweater Surgery: How to Make New Things with Old Sweaters (Domestic Arts for Crafty Girls) by Stefanie Girard.

Check out Azazon reviews for Re-Creative: 50 Projects for Turning Found Items Into Contemporary Design by Steve Dodds.

Check out Amazon reviews for EveryDay Upcycle: 101 Scrap Crafts and Repurpose Projects  by GreenCraftBlog.