Recycled Jar Lid Collage

Materials needed:
• jar lid (mine had about a 3 in. diameter)
• Mod Podge
• paint brush
• scrap paper
• scrap ribbon
• scrap felt
• photo (I printed mine out after resizing it to fit into the 3 in. jar lid)
• cardboard scraps
• glue on jewels
• hot glue




This idea sort of came to me after finding this lids that I had saved to one day do a craft project with (that was like 3 years ago) and so I decided it was time to use them. At first I just Mod Podged the pictures in and painted the Mod Podge on top and added some of the jewels. It looked alright but I wanted to add an element of fun to it, so I went back to the drawing board and came up with the idea of a 3-D collage lid.

First, I got a picture of my husband and I at our wedding and printed it out (sized to fit my 3 in. diameter). Then I traced the lid onto a sheet of scrap paper and cut a circle out (cutting inside the edge a bit so that it would fit). I did this to the polka dot paper and the pink tree paper-both being cut into circles. Then I put the polka dot one for the background in the lid and used Mod Podge all over. Then I took my pink paper and drew a tree shape on the back side and cut it out. Then I used the Mod Podge and placed the tree inside the lid.

Next I took the photo and cut out the background and cut the bottom into a circular shape to fit the lid. I glued the photo to a scrap piece of cardboard and then hot glued it into the lid. Then I cut out a heart out of some orange scrap paper and painted some glitter on it then glued some thinner cardboard to it and glued it behind out heads. Then I got some glue on jewels and made little blossoms for the tree.

Then I got some scrap ribbons and took a white one with wire and scrunched it around the back hot gluing as I went. Next I took a thin ribbon and glues it on the edges of the lid. To finish the back I cut out a felt circle and hot glued it to the back of the lid.

I am not sure yet what this will be but it can be a magnet by gluing a magnet on or I may hang a piece of ribbon from it and make it a hanging picture or an ornament for our tree this year. Not sure yet but there are a few possibilities for sure.

Decoupage Box

Materials needed:
• box
• scrap paper
• Mod Podge
• paint brush/sponge brush



This project came about yesterday morning when I picked up a box of my stamps and it fell apart. I decided to decoupage it using some old scraps of paper left over from a scrap book I made my little sis and news paper.

First, I cut the box top off (I used a shoe box that had a flip top-some have a removable top and then of course you don't have to cut it off) and then I proceeded to paint the Mod Podge on a small area and then placed scraps of paper down and brushed the Mod Podge on top. (I really love Mod Podge- it's a glue and a sealant!) I continued doing this until the whole bottom and top of the box were covered (I included a piece with stamps stamped out on it to let me know what was in the box). When it was all dry I took some book binding tape (I had some but if you don't you can use duct tape) and taped the top back on. I did it this way because when I try to leave the top on it inevitably seems to get so thick on the hinge I can't shut it. Then it was finished and I could place my stamps inside their new sturdy box. What is great about this box is that if I decided to change the contents I can just make a new piece with the content title and use my Mod Podge on it and voila- a new box.

Sock Monkey or Sock Monstar

Materials needed:
• pair of socks (or more)
• sewing machine & thread (or hand sew)
• buttons, googly eyes, felt, embroidery thread (for details)
• fiberfill
• chop stick (or long thin object to stuff arms and legs with)







So who doesn't wonder what to make with a pair of socks? The top 2 pictures is of my version of a sock monkey I made for my husband- this was the very first thing I made of socks! The bottom photo is one of my sock monstars (this is my little sis'). I got the idea for sock monstars from a book my big sis got me called Stupid Sock Creatures: Making Quirky, Lovable Figures from Cast-off Socks (great book for the know how and creativity inspiration).

Sock Monkey How To:
To start the sock monkey I chose my socks (I got a pair of long socks because I wanted this monkey to be able to hug my husband tight) then I laid it out with the heel side down and flattened it out the best I could. Then I cut a line in the center of the leg part of the sock from the part where you put your foot in to until about an 1.5 inches from the heel of the legs to create the legs. Once they were cut I went to the sewing machine and flipped it inside out then stitched the bottom of his legs and then up the inside of his legs leaving the crotch area to flip and stuff the monkey with.

Once his legs were sewn, I flipped the monkey inside out and I got some fiber fill and filled in the monkey (legs first- using a chopstick to stuff it into the bottom). Then stitched his crotch up using a slip stitch.

Next I got the other sock and cut off the heel (for his mouth) and 2 arms (the same way you did his feet) and then cut out 2 sets of ear shapes (4 total because your sock will have 2 layers you cut at once).

For the arms I sewed them inside out leaving one side open to stuff and sew to the monkey. For the ears (there are 2 so you will do this twice) I sewed them inside out all the way around leaving one side open so I could stuff it a bit and sew it onto the monkey head.

Once I had my arms ready I turned them right sides out and stuffed it using a chop stick and folded it under on the sides then did a quick hand stitch just to help it stay then placed it on the monkey and did a slip stitch around the arm twice securing it to the body. I did it again for the other arm.

Next I added the mouth (the heel part of the second sock). Here I folded over a small edge all the way around and flattened it then placed it where I wanted and did a slip stitch around it stopping with enough room to stuff his mouth then I finished sewing it up. Then I went to the ears and stuff them a little bit and again folded a small part all the way around and slip stitched it onto the monkey head. Then I got my embroidery thread and made a quick mouth crease by coming from one side to the other and then tying it off. Lastly I added black buttons for eyes (you can of course use anything you want- googly eyes, felt...ect).

Sock Monstar How To:
To create the sock monstar you use the same principles as the monkey but with a lot more creativity! Here instead of using the toe part of the sock for a head I cut it into a diagonal giving it more attitude (in my opinion at least). Also instead of leaving the heel of the first sock on the back I used it on the front and made it into a sewn down mouth (this came from the book: Stupid Sock Creatures: Making Quirky, Lovable Figures from Cast-off Socks) and I added a pink felt tounge sticking out. Then I did the arms the same as the sock monkey arms I just used different socks to make them. For the eyes I used googly eyes but I sewed them to a patch of hot pink felt that was eye liner and lashes for this girly monstar. Lastly I added some white felt wings so this monstar could fly. What is just so great about this is that you can pretty much do anything. I have added tails big heads, teeth, clothing, all kinds of stuff. It is just so much fun and not too difficult either.

Recycled Scrap T-Shirt Monstars

Materials needed:
• scrap material
• snap on eyes (available at craft stores)
• sewing machine (optional- can be hand sewn) & thread
• felt (optional for details- you could also use fabric paint or embroider details)
• yarn (optional for hair or other details)
• ribbon (optional for details)






Another super simple and fun project to do with some scrap pieces of fabric!

I made the top one out of scraps from my little sister's t-shirt purse I made her (the t-shirts were one's that she no longer fit in). The bottom one was just some scrap material I had lying around.

The idea is simple. I quickly drew a random shape and cut out 2 from either the same fabric (like in my second one) or different fabrics (like in the first one) and sewed all around the edges leaving a small space to flip it inside out. Once it was sewed clip around the curves (I normally clip the edges a lot when working with t-shirt material because it won't unravel). Then I flipped it inside out.

Next I added face details. With these 2 monstars I made felt mouths (including teeth on the bottom monstar) and then I got these plastic snap on eyes that you can get then at fabric and craft stores (what I love about these is they are super simple but instantly give it some personality). To attach the eyes you simply cut a small slice where you want them to go and then place the top of the eye through the hole and then using your opening on the bottom put your bottom eye attachment on to snap tight and keep the eye in place. You can also use buttons or felt or whatever you have lying around that would work for your monstar (that is one thing I love about making monstars is that no one knows what they are supposed to look like so you can make them look like whatever!)

After the face is done you can add little details like a belly, hair (on my bottom monstar), bow (on my top monstar) or whatever (again open to your interpretation). To make the hair I used some scrap yarn I had and cut it into longish stripes then sewed it down, when that was done I gave him a hair cut and styled it short and punky! For the belly I just sewed on a felt oval shape, The bow was a scrap piece of ribbon that I tied and then hand stitched on.

Once all the details are done I stuffed it using fiber fill (you can also use scrap material or whatever is soft and fluffy and you have lying around. Fill your monstar up and then sew it shut using a slip stitch. Now you can cuddle with your cute little homemade monstar!

Recycled T-Shirt Baby Quilt

Materials needed:
• 6-12 old t-shirts (or scrap material)
• sewing machine & thread
• embroidery thread
• batting (or old sheet or fabric)
• scrap fabric for borders
• yard or so of fabric for back
• patches (optional)
• felt (optional)
• yarn (optional)




close up view

I am one of those people who feels emotionally attached to my clothing, so I always had a hard time cleaning out my closet when the time came. Even though things wouldn't fit I just couldn't help but wanting to keep them because inevitably they reminded me of some time in my life. So instead of letting them just sit in my closet and never see the light of day I decided to make my husband and I a quilt out of them. The original one is a huge and it took me 2 years to finish (note: I worked on it on and off for the 2 years mainly waiting to collect enough old clothes in the process but I think if I was diligent on it and had all the scraps I needed it would have taken me about 4 months).

This one above took me about 3 days. It is a small version that I made for my little Zoe, while I was pregnant. I really loved the idea that she would sleep with our shirts and smell and be "protected" by us. I have made this baby blanket sized quilt a few other times and don't find it to be too hard to do with a little time and patience.

To start I gathered scraps of t-shirts from our other quilt but chances are you don't have that so you can either use scrap material you have or just gather 6-12 t-shirts that you no longer wear any more but have some attachment to. Then I got a piece of scrap foam board (anything thing and sturdy will do I used it as my template) I measured out how big I wanted the squares. In this one above there are 2 different sizes a smaller square and a larger one. I made the smaller ones 1/2 the size of the larger one and added a 1/4 in seam allowance (meaning the bigger one was 8.5 in sq and the smaller one then would be 4.25 in sq plus the 1/4 in for the seam allowance giving me 4.5 in sq). . Another great idea I have seen is that you just cut long strips and sew them together which gives it a fun stripy look. You of course can do just about anything you want- shapes, colors, whatever you can think of.

So after making my templates I grabbed my shirts and placed the template right on top and then used my rotary cutter and cut around the template (you can also mark it with sewing pencils or chalk and then cut on your line). Once I had enough to lay it down (the total size of my quilt with out the border was 27.5 in x 36.5) I laid out the pieces the way they looked best to me. I just did a simple pattern here of a big square, 4 small squares, big square, 4 sm. sq. across and then switched it for the next row and made it 4 sm sq, big sq, 4 sm sq, big square and again for the next row I switched it back. Ending with 4 rows across and 4 rows down (and a row I count as the size of my big square).

Once they are in position the way I like them I take one section of the 4 sm sq and sew those together to make a piece that is as big as my bg sq. I do this for all my sm sq until they are all in big pieces. Then I pin my first row together and sew it. Then I take my second row and sew it and then the third row and sew it. Then I pin the first row to the second row and sew and then that piece gets pinned to the 3rd row and I sew it.

Once that whole center piece is done I then find a scrap fabric to make a border on my edges (normally this means it will be a mix of colors but you can of course finish it off with the same color and fabric or whatever is easiest for you). For the border on this one I used 2 inches thick of material and sewed it to my shorter sides all the way up. Then I trimmed off the excess material (I didn't do any measuring lengthwise because when I do I inevitably end up with miss matched pieces in the bad way- this is how I avoid any problems). I did the same to the other short side (I did this so my sides would look the same but you can just work your way around if you want- going from short side to long side to short side to long side or if you know how you can even make diagonal cornors). Once the 2 short sides were done I did the long sides.

When your border is finished I then added a little batting. I used the batting (from the fabric store) I had left over from my other quilt but if you want you can also use old sheets or old curtians- whatever. Then I laid the quilt onto the batting with the quilt facing up. I smoothed it out and pined it using quilt safety pins. The reason I use those is because they don't rust out in time and this project can take a while (like my 2 year quilt). Then I trimmed it down to about the edge of my borders just to make it easier to work with.

Next I got embroidery thread (leaving it as 6 strands but you can make it as thick as you want) and did a simple stitch around where I sewed my t-shirts together, sewing the t-shirts to the batting. I loved doing this chunky hand stitch because it really looks hand done and has a quirkiness about it.

Once I sewed all of my squares to the backing I then trimmed down the batting about 1/2 in from the edge of the border all the way around (I leave it on at first just in case I pull on the batting and end up too short on one side). Then I added my monstar and dragonfly. To do the monstar I just cut the shapes out of felt and fleece remnants I had and then hand stitched it to my quilt before finishing it off I got a little bit of fiber fill and stuffed it making it 3-D but plush still. Then I got some patches (a dragonfly and flower) and hand sewed them on.

When the decorating is done I got a large section of scrap fabric (it measured over the final size of my quilt) from my other quilt or you can buy about a yard of a soft fabric (measure your final piece and make sure to get enough fabric for your piece) or just sew a couple of larger scraps together. Then I pinned it with right sides together and started sewing starting the edges together leaving an opening for me to flip it inside out.

Once sewed I trimmed the corners so they would lie flat and then flipped it inside out. Then I pinned the border down and sewed (stitch showing) around my border close to the t-shirt part. This helps it attach to the back piece of fabric better. Then I hand stitched my opening closed using a simple slip stitch and it was finished. If you are making a larger quilt I recommend getting some scrap yarn and sewing little knots on the corners of your squares to tie them to the fabric below. On the small quilt this doesn't matter as much but the larger the quilt the more stability you need to keep the 2 pieces from sliding around.

Hand Embroidered Card

Materials needed:
• blank cards and envelopes
• needle
• embroidery thread
• awl (optional)
• scrap paper










So this is a project I did a while back but I still really like it. I love to embroider and came up with an idea to embroider a greeting card.

To do this project I got a set of blank cards and envelopes. I then drew out a picture on a piece of scrap paper and used a awl (you can also use any sort of sharp pointed object) to poke holes around my image where I wanted to embroider. Then I got my embroidery thread (color of your choice) cut it fairly long and then pulled out 2 of the threads (they normally come in 6 thread strands). Then I made my knot and started embroidering with a simple back stitch and went around my pattern. Then tied it off with a knot again and trimmed the string. It was pretty simple and the back even looks good since you have holes to follow so it keeps it clean. For a really simple project you can even take it to your sewing machine and just sew fun lines all over with a fun thread and finish it by trimming the thread or even let it fly free.

Duct Tape Headands

Materials needed:
• duct tape (any color or colors of your choice)
• headband
• craft knife
• scissors
• goo-gone (optional but I recommend this to keep your scissors and craft knife from getting gooped up)

Duct tape is always fun to work with. I have made wallets and purses but one day I decided to make a head band. I got an old one and ripped off the ribbon and covered it with duct tape. It was bright green with white roses. I gave it to my little niece and when she wore it to school all of her teachers wanted to know where she got it. So I was inspired to make more.

To do this project I ordered blank headbands online but you can also use old ones or buy a cheap one and revamp it.

I got multiple colors of duct tape (black, white, silver of course, pink, teal, green, orange, purple- I have seen other cool ones as well but I went with the solid colors that I could find).

To start this project I just jumped in and learned along the way the best way to go about it. I will try to share some of my tricks here and hopefully you will understand.

First I pulled a long piece of duct tape off the roll and stuck it to the headband underneath area. Then I snipped the corners off and placed little slits all around on the tape that overlapped the headband so I could lay it flat onto the headband. Then I taped those little overlapped parts down on the top. Next I got another big piece I placed on the top and did the same overlapping it to the bottom part. Then I added details such as stripes (which I did by ripping the duct tape into thin strips and positioning them on), bows (I find the best way is to fold down a little more than 1/3 and then fold in the other side so that no sticky side is showing, then I would take a small skinny piece of duct tape and tape it over for the middle part or I would just tie it into a bow), or flowers (again fold down 1/3 towards the sticky side and then I round off the corner I am starting with and then start twisting it up "fluffing" the sides as I go), and leaves (here I just place 2 pieces of duct tape on top of each other sticky sides together and cut out a leaf shape) then use duct tape to tape it together and then you have a stylish fun headband! (Props to my little sis for being my beautiful model).

More Cow Bell

Materials needed for this project:
• cow bell
• acrylic paint
• Mod Podge (or sealant of your choice)
• paint brushes



So this started off as a joke gift but I really liked it so I am adding it to my blog.

How it started was we were playing a game and you had to compare 2 things and say which one was more like the category (this particular one was which is prettier). So the 2 things were a cowbell or a people magazine. The score was tied 2 for cowbell 2 for people magazine. I couldn't decide which I thought was prettier so I told them to convince me to vote with them. They took turns and I decided a cow bell was prettier. My brother just thought cow bells were the ugliest thing and couldn't believe I voted for cow bell, well of course then I had to show him a pretty cow bell.

So I ordered a cow bell on line and painted it. I used acrylic paint and then painted several layers of Mod Podge on top. I am giving it to him for his birthday which is in a couple of weeks. Hopefully it will make him see how beautiful a cow bell can be. I had a lot of fun with this project and would love to paint more.

Star Seed Ornament

Materials needed:
• clay (I used Sculpy and it worked but the guys recommended oil clay)
• plaster of paris
• aluminum pie tin
• oil (I used olive oil)
• junk mail (I love that about this project- a use for junk mail)
• seeds (I used a wild flower seed mix)
• powdered tempra paint (optional)
• hemp string
• white glue
• clean sponge



So my son would have been 2 this year (he was stillborn on May 26, 2007), so for his birthday this year we decided to name a star after him. I had seen this craft show where they made ornaments out of paper pulp and mixed seeds in with it. I loved this idea because it was a beautiful idea of creating life in memory of my child. So I made this simple star paper pulp ornament that was mailed to our family along with where the star we named after him was located and then when they were done with the ornament the flowers from it will hopefully grow and be a reminder of their nephew/grandson/cousin that they lost.

To start decide what shape of thing you want to create. In my case it was a simple star but the guy who I saw talk about it did a butterfly. You can go more complex with it if you want- adding dimension and detail, your imagination is your limit. I also recommend making 2 of the shapes you want so that way you can make 2 ornaments at a time. Next I baked my stars according to the directions on the clay (I used Sculpy which is a oven bake clay- I am not sure you need hard clay that is just what I did- feel free to experiment).

Once the stars were done I grabbed my shapes, my pie tin, my oil, and my plaster of paris and measured out the plaster of paris according to the directions. I mixed it up and pour it slowly into the pie tin. I had bubbles in it and they said to tap it to get them out. I couldn't get them all out but it didn't affect my end result. Once I had about the plaster about 3/4ths of the way filled I then put olive oil on my shapes that I baked and placed them in the plaster of paris. They didn't go down as far as I wanted it to so I placed some small bits of clay on top to give it a bit more weight. In about an hour I took my shapes out and let the plaster of paris dry for another 23 hours.

Once my plaster of paris was dry I oiled the mold up and I gathered my junk mail and ripped it up (good therapy I tell ya) then placed it in the blender til it was half full. I then filled the rest of it up with water. Blended it and got wet pulp. Next I added the tempra powder (your choice of color) and ran the blender once more. (Now this is the messey part) I then grabbed a handful and gently squeezed over my sink to get most of the water out. I kept doing this until I felt like I had a good amount of it for the mold then I added a bit more of the wet pulp and a sprinkle of seeds. Then I squished it into the mold. Next I got my sponge and pushed it on top of it and got as much water as I could. Then again I worked the pulp mixture into the mold until I was happy with it then I placed it outside under the sun to heat it (this gave them a more muted look to it) you can also put it by a fan and let it sit there for a long time (this is why I recommend doing more than one mold).

Once they were dry I pryed it out with a craft knife (really easy once it is dry) then I painted both sides of the ornament with a mixture of 50/50 water/white glue solution. Then when that was dry I glued a loop of hemp string onto it to create the finished ornament. Then I packaged them up with a hand made card and then sent them out. We only sent out 8 of them but we got amazing responses from it. Mine has already started sprouting!!

Recycled Journal

Materials needed:
• thin cardboard
• thick rubber band
• stick from the yard
• brown paper bag (or whatever paper you want to cover it with)
• news paper (again your choice of paper)
• blank paper for the pages on the inside
• glue (I used glue stick and Mod Podge since that was what I had lying around)
• craft knife
• hole punch

I also added these materials for mine:
• thick cardboard from a box I got in the mail
• some scrap brown paper
• scoring tool
• hot glue and hot glue gun



My mom got this magazine in the mail the other day and it had a cute craft inside that I just had to do. It's a homemade recycled journal for father's day (I think it would even make a cute scrap book or really any sort of book- like one with your recipes in it - yum!). What I love so much about this project is that it cost me nothing- just supplies I had lying around my house and yard!

I took my own liberties with it and made it mine.

To start this journal, I got my thin cardboard out. The board I was using was already cut to size but if you have a big sheet of it cut into the dimensions you want your book to be. Mine is 8.5 x 5.5 inches. Make sure you have 2 pieces the same size for your book. What I did next was punch 2 holes on one side of each of my thin cardboard pieces. I used a grommet punch (I got it from a fabric store a while back). Then after doing that to both pieces I got my craft knife and cut thin strips about an inch from the edge with the holes punched. I did that for both pieces as well.

Next I got a brown paper bag and laid the thin cardboard pieces on it. I lined them up holes in the center with about 1/4 of inch in between hole punched sides and I even left on the thin strips I just cut out for measurement sake. Once both sides were lined up I picked up once piece and started gluing it with my Mod Podge (you can use any type of glue- white craft glue, glue stick, whatever). I didn't glue the little sliver we cut off before it is only there to keep the distance from your hole punched piece and your solid piece. Once all 4 pieces were glued (2 hole punched ones and 2 solid pieces) I turned it over and I should have smoothed it out but I didn't- I recommend that you do smooth out any bumps or bubbles.

Once it is dry I turned it onto the side with the cardboard showing and trimmed off the excess brown paper bag. Then I cut holes out of the bag where the holes from the cardboard were. Then I grabbed some news paper and tore it into strips and glue it to the side with the exposed cardboard (this is optional but I find it reinforces the hinge of the book). While I let that dry I got my plain paper and cut it to size (8.5 x 5.5 inches) and then I measured 1 and 1/8 inch from the side and scored it (this is optional- it just helps the book open easier). In that area (the 1 and 1/8 inch area) is where you will punch your holes. To do this I took my book which was mostly dried now and places the paper flush with 3 sides and hole punched them (you can mark them first and then punch but I found this method more accurate for me). Once I had about 20 sheets I stopped. This will be your book guts.

Now that the book was dried I went on to decorating. For my book I got newspaper and ripped it into thin strips and made a tree branch design gluing it down with a glue stick. Next I took my scrap brown paper and crumbled it up as much as I could and then using my craft knife cut out leaf shapes and placed them where they looked best to me. Then I sketched some bird sillouettes and cut them out with my craft knife then glued them onto thick cardboard I got from the flaps of a box. Cut them out again (this was just to give it some dimension) and hot glued them in place.

Once all the decorating was done I lined up my pages and book cover and got a thick rubber band and worked each end into the holes of all the pages and both covers (to do this I used the end of my small scissors to push it through and then a fabric pin to get it out- you can use whatever is available to you- like chopsticks or pliers). Once it was out I placed my pencil in there to hold it while I got a stick from the yard (which I had cut and sanded- this is optional you can leave it natural if you want but my stick was far too big so I had to cut it down). Then I switched my pencil and stick and voila a beautiful handmade recycled journal.