Upcycled Holiday Tags Made with Gift Bags and Tissue Paper

Even holiday season I try to do at least one homemade project that adds a fun DIY touch to my gift giving. This year I came across an easy upcycled craft using items from my home.  I saw this project as I was leafing through GreenCraft Magazine . With a little color and design modification it was personalized to my taste.  You could even get your children involved in this project. Older children can help cut and write on the tags and they could glue the tissue on the brown bags instead of sewing them.

What you'll Need:

• several old gift bags
• saved tissue paper
• sewing machine
• thread
• scissor

What you need to do:

• cut rectangles out of the top part of the bag where to handles are attached leaving part of the handle in tact ( I used funky scissors but you can use regular ones as well)
• cut rectangles out of the tissue paper. You can use festive colors or keep it neutral.
• sew the tissue paper onto the brown paper bag rectangle with your sewing machine.  If you have fun stitches you can use those.
• write your message on the tags and attach them to your gifts with a ribbon.

Dorinda's shop, Raising Green Kids, offers natural and eco-friendly products for your household. Follow her on Facebook and twitter and her blog.

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Bubble Wrap Fall Tree Project

Have your little ones create Fall trees using left over bubble wrap.  This is a fun and super easy eco-friendly craft for little ones of all ages.

What you'll need:

                   paper: heavier stock paper works best

                              squares of bubble wrap. mine were about 4x4
         paints-yellow,red,orange,brown
 brown markers or crayons

Directions:

1. If you child is older they can draw their own tree trunk, if they are younger draw it for them.
2. Put a thin layer of each color of paint on a left over lid or reusable bowl or plate.
3. Show your child how to take the square of bubble wrap into their hand and dip it into the paint, then dab up and down on the paper in different spots above the tree trunk.
4. Use different colors to create a fun Fall picture. Enjoy!

Dorinda's shop, Raising Green Kids, offers natural and eco-friendly products for your household. Follow her on Facebook and twitter and at her blog.

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Five Small Eco-Friendly Changes You Can Make in Your Home

We all need to be reminded sometimes about the easy and affordable (sometimes free) changes that make a difference in your household and help lead your family to a greener lifestyle.

1.Vinegar- Make sure you stock your pantry with this versatile natural and non-toxic household product.   Vinegar has enough acidity and neutrality that it can be used in kitchens, bathrooms, as a disinfectant, polisher, and laundry softener.

2.House plants- did you know that you can improve the quality of the air in your home simply by putting houseplants in your home. They act like indoor air purifiers and increase the amount of oxygen available in your home.

3. Clean your refrigerator coils twice a year, more often if you have pets. Condenser coils are located at the bottom or rear of your refrigerator. If they are allowed to accumulate dust and dirt as much as 25 percent more energy is required to maintain proper temperature. This can be a DIY project-buy a refrigerator coil brush from your local hardware store for less than ten dollars and clean it yourself, it takes 20 minutes.

4. Set the thermostat on your water heater at 120° F. This temperature is normally adequate for home use and will save a considerable amount of energy. If you have a dishwasher check the manufacturer's specifications to see if the temperature needs adjusting.

5. Go paper less. And I'm not talking about the  kind you write on, I'm talking about disposable towels.  The kind you wipe the tables with, clean up spills with, wipe hands with etc.  Instead of using paper towels get some rags of fabric, old wash cloths, make your own cloth napkins and reusable "unpaper towels", or purchase them pre-made.  Since they are made with fabric you can use them again and again. You can actually save money!

Dorinda's shop, Raising Green Kids, offers eco-friendly products for your family. Follow her on Facebook and twitter and at her blog.

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Natural Mosquito Spray Tutorial

Last Spring I decided to try and make my own natural bug spray. The mosquitoes are pretty bad here in Virginia and we buy a lot of mosquito spray.  We always buy natural which can get expensive so I wanted to try and make it myself.

The process was very simple, I'm not sure I have ever completed an easier DIY project. I found the recipe in the March/April 2013 issue of Mother Earth Living.  The only thing I would do differently is find a better spray bottle. I initially used a water spray bottle which didn't work that well and after this photo was taken I found a better, smaller one at Target for $1.

I would say that they mosquito spray works as well as any other citronella spray.  It needs to be re-applied after about 2 hours and it needs to be rubbed in a little bit.

What you need:
2 oz. grapeseed oil or Almond oil ( I bought grapeseed oil)
combine with 1/2 teaspoon citronella or lemongrass essential oil ( I bought citronella).
spray bottle.


Dorinda's shop, Raising Green Kids, offers eco-friendly products for your family. Follow her on Facebook and twitter and at her blog.

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It's Not Too Late for Some Eco-friendly Holiday Tips and Tricks.....

The holiday season is in full swing! Running errands, extra trash, and buying gifts take up a lot of resources. That doesn't mean you and your family have to forgo all of your eco-friendly practices. I've compiled a small list of tips and tricks to keep things eco-friendly in your household during the busy holidays season.


Wrapping gifts: 

• Find a unique way to wrap a gift. Your children can decorate paper or you can use the art work they bring home from school. 
• Newspaper can be used to wrap gifts. 
• Use fabric to decorate gifts, fabric can be stored and reused. 
• Put the gift into a reusable fabric bag and tie it in a bow, it's two gifts in one.

Holiday Lights:

• If you haven't already done so upgrade you festive holiday lights to CFL or LED, you will use about 75% less energy. 
• Some home improvement stores even give you a coupon or discount for trading in your old incandescents. 
• Don't forget to use a timer on your lights.

Decorating:  

• A different option for a tree is to buy a living tree. Sure it's a little more complicated but you can enjoy the tree for many years to come in your backyard. 
• Decorate with nature; go outside and get berries,branches,leaves and put them in vases instead of buying decorations. 
• Use fun cloth napkins instead of paper ones. They brighten up any table and are easy to throw in the laundry.

cooking: 

• Whether you are cooking for a small or large group allow your oven to multi task.
•  Bake several items at once and use glass and ceramic cookware. Food will cook quicker and you can reduce your cooking temperature. 

Buying gifts: 

• Buy less, focus on quality instead of quantity and create thoughtful home made gifts. Buy used, shop consignment sales for used toys. Many are in great condition. 
• Shop local and online ( Etsy of course!)

Cards:

• If you send cards opt for online cards or recycled paper. 
• When you are finished with your cards send them to St.Judes.  They accept new and used cards all year long. Check out their guidelines for specific details.

Dorinda's shop, Raising Green Kids, offers eco-friendly products for your family. Follow her on Facebook and twitter and at her blog.

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Tutorial:: Teeny Tiny Preemie Clothes

By AnneMarie of Charleedee

My Brother and his wife recently had a little girl. Miss E was born early and very small! A Teeny Tiny 3.6lbs Not wanting her to be a Nakie Baby (because nothing fits) while in the NICU I set out to find an adorable pattern to make her some clothes.

There is not much out there for Tiny Preemie Clothing so after searching I found a site that had some Patterns (see link at the bottom of the post)

I altered the patterns to a side closure, because a bow is so much cuter then a front Velcro closure, and I lengthened the sleeves because Miss E has nice long arms.

There is Velcro that runs along the top of the sleeves so her Nurses can access all her cords, and the front Kimono style closure allows cords to easily feed out.

The other modification I made is I lined them. Preemies have SUCH delicate skin the idea of seams rubbing up against her little skin made me cringe. So my recommendation if you choose to make them is to cut double of everything. Assemble them and then sew right sides together along the entire outside edge, leaving a small spot along the bottom of the gown to turn it right side out, then top stitch. This makes it look so much more finished and so much softer! This also allows you to use a cotton on the exterior (if you want more variety of print) and line it with a flannel so it’s still softer inside for baby.



Hope you are inspired! Remember Altering patterns is easy! Don’t be afraid to try something different.

Pattern available Here!

Not a sewer?  AnneMarie's shop CharleeDee, offers custom made items for the littles in your life and features preemie gowns for boys and girls.  Follow AnneMarie on Facebook, Twitter and at her Blog.  

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Tutorial:: Onion Skin Dyed Eggs

I hope you’ll indulge me for a bit as I share an Easter activity of my childhood. This came from my father and I’m realizing now, that I’m not sure of it’s origin to him … meaning I don’t know if his mother did this technique or if he learned about it and started the tradition with us. But each year he dyes eggs with onion skins. My mother saves skins in a plastic bag all year long for this ritual. As teens we rolled our eyes at the bag of skins collecting in the back corner of the pantry, periodically trying to sneak the eye sore into the trash. Now I understand just how long it takes to collect a bag of onion skins AND how many it takes to dye just a few eggs.

Isn’t the result beautiful! Stunning and no two are a like. If you like, you can then drop these into traditional dyes and see what you come up with. My favorites were green and blue.

You start with a collection of onion skins … the dry crackly brown skins that surround regular onions, raw eggs, and a leg from old pantyhose, a trouser sock, or even the netting onions are sold in works.

Carefully and completely surround each egg in layers of onion skins. Place in the toe of your stocking/bottom of your net. Make sure the egg is completely surrounded by a couple of layers of skins, and tightly packed in the toe. Tie a knot in the stocking, or use a small rubber band to tightly tie off the net. The skins need to be held firmly to the egg while the water to saturates the skins and dyes the eggs. Repeat these steps until you run out of stocking/net, onion skins or eggs.

Place in a pan of cool water, submerge a few times to start to saturate the stocking and skins.  Set on stove and turn on the heat.  Bring to a boil and simmer 1 minute.  Rotate the link of eggs, turning them over part way through the process.

The water will go from clear to yellow, to orange and then red … it’s working!!

Once you’re pretty sure the eggs are cooked, remove your link of eggs from the pot and place on paper toweling to cool. Once they are cool enough to touch you can cut apart the stocking (unless you have the patience of Job to undo each knot) or undo your rubber bands to remove each onion skin egg bundle.




  And this is what you’ll find inside:

So beautiful and unique!  They catch everyone’s eye and make a lovey addition to an Easter or Spring centerpiece given their rich, earthy colors.   So start saving your onion skins and pin this for next year!

By the way, an old homemaking tip from our grandmothers … my mother-in-law said they would add a couple onion skins to the water when they hard boiling eggs to dye.  Apparently, it helps the color dye adhere to the eggs.

Kathleen is a regular contributor to the EtsyKids blog and can be found on Etsy, Facebook, Twitter, at her blog TinyStitches. 

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Tutorial:: Swaddling Blanket

By Grace, of Fun Little Things

Grace of Fun Little Things, shares her tutorial for making swaddling blankets.  For our non-sewers, Grace offers similar blankets for sale in her Etsy Shop.

These blankets are one square yard, flannel on one side, cotton on the other, bias tape around the outside.  Each one is different depending on which fabric (or fabrics, let's be serious) I'm loving at the time, but I love them all.  I will be honest here.  I realize I'm in the business to actually sell the things I make, but when anyone at the farmers market actually picks up one of these blankets, my excitement at the prospect of a sale is tempered a little by my love of the blanket and not wanting to see it go.  I am aware that this is totally ridiculous, but it is the truth.  

They are prefect for wrapping up a new little baby to keep them warm, putting over them in the stroller on a breezy day, or as my wonderful friend Liz recently posted on FLT's facebook page, lying out on the ground outside or at other people's houses for your baby to lie on and not have to touch the dirty, germy floor.  

Materials: 

• 1 yard beautiful flannel fabric of your choosing
• 1 yard beautiful cotton or voile fabric of your choosing 
• 2 packages of Dritz double-fold bias tape in a matching or coordinating color or 4 yards bias tape if you are buying it by the yard.  
• Matching or coordinating thread
• Pins
• Sewing machine or needle

Easy Step-by-Step:

Step 1: For those who may be new to this, step 1 is to always wash and dry the fabric.  This way any pre-shrinking and machine washing weirdness will happen before you painstakingly measure, cut and sew; making your end product machine washable too!  A must for baby items. 

Step 2:  Put flannel and cotton wrong sides together (so the good side of the pattern, or right sides, are showing on the outside for both of them.  A big table helps, but it isn't a necessity.  You can always use your bed, or a clean section of the floor.  

Step 3:  To make it into a perfect square, instead of an imperfect rectangle, all you have to do is take one of the straight edges and fold it into a triangle - like towards one of the side edges.  Cut off the long skinny strip on one end and straighten up the other edge if the lady at the fabric store did a less than stellar cutting job on your fabric.  

Step 4:  Start at any corner and put the bias tape along the edges.  When you open the bias tape, if you haven't used it before you will realize how easy this is, even if it seems mysterious.  Just put the two layers of flannel and cotton between the two sides of the bias tape, right up to the fold.  Pin the tape in place at least 5 places along each edge - more if it will make you feel safe when sewing.  

  

Step 5:  You have two options at the corner.  The best, and most professional looking option is to fold the bias tape so it overlaps and has a diagonal like right at the corner.   

The other option and what you will have to do at the 2nd and 4th corners between the two packages of bias tape, is to cut the bias tape off at the edge of the fabric and start it again going down the other side.  

Step 6: Put your pinned blanket next to your sewing machine, take a little break, grab a beverage, maybe check your facebook.

Step 7:  Sew straight around all 4 edges.  Take out the pins!  Cut off the little strings left at the beginning and end (if all went well, these should be on the same corner). 

Step 8:  You are done!  Snuggle with it!  Wrap up your baby in it.  Text pictures of it to your family and friends so they can reply with things like, "omg!" and "so cute!".  Post a picture of your completed blanket to FLT facebook page.

Grace's Etsy Shop funlittlethings carries sweet and simple handsewn and embroidered items to make you or someone you love smile.  You can get to know her and see her creative process by following her blog, Fun Little Things.  

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Tutorial:: Holiday Felt Garland

Article by RaisingGreenKids, blog - RaisingGreenRichmondKids

Felt Garlands are a quick, easy and affordable craft that anyone can do. I have recently gone a little felt garland crazy and I wanted to share this project with all of you so that you can make your own and enjoy them too!


What you'll need:

• A few 12x9 sheets of felt (I usually choose 3 colors but that's up to you)
• A cut out of the size or sizes you would like your circles to be for tracing. You can make all your circles the same size or vary the sizes.
• scissors
• A sewing machine
• Thread- I use heavy duty thread

Directions:

Trace your stencil onto the felt

Cut out the circles

Sew them together one by one making sure that the circles are close together in a pattern. Make sure you secure the start and end by stitching back and forth several times.

If you would like to hang your garland you can add ribbon to each side. Or you can leave it as is and decorate your tree, mantle, hallway or any other place!

Experiment with different color combinations for different occasions.  Raising Green Kids offers finished garlands in a variety of color combinations for sale in her Etsy shop if you would rather buy one than make it yourself.

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50 Thanksgiving crafts, recipes and printables for kids

Here is a great list of Thanksgiving crafts, recipes and printables, lots of great things to keep the kids busy.

Crafts & Activities
1. Fingerprint Turkey Napkin Rings - Crafts by Amanda
2. Indian Corn Craft using Dyed Pumpkin Seeds - I {heart} crafty things
3. Thanksgiving Turkey Place Cards - I {heart} crafty things
4. Thankful Turkey Box Tutorial - I {heart} crafty things
5. Pinecone Turkey - We Made That
6. Fall Leaf Embroidery Hoop Stained Glass - a childhood list
7. Pumpkin Seed Mosaic - Green Owl Art
8. Corn Dough - Green Owl Art
9. Little Paper Wreath - Michelle Made Me
10. Fall Leaf Turkey Magnet - Crafty Journal
11. Autumn Angel - Crafty Journal
12. Finger Paint A Turkey - Art for Kids
13. Leaf Turkey - Six in the Suburbs
14. Turkey Treats - The Crafty Blog Stalker
15. Leaf Mask - Imagine Childhood
16. Turkey treats in a glove - Hoopla Palooza
17. Popcicle stick scarecrow - Projects for Preschoolers
18. Turkey Craft - The Golden Gleam
19. Coffee Filter Tie-Dye Turkeys Tutorial - Busy Kids = Happy Mom
20. 3 Simple, Fun Fall Sensory Bins - The Good Long Road
21. Thanksgiving Pumpkin Pie Play Dough - 2 Big, 2 Little
22. Spin Art Turkey - 2 Big, 2 Little
23. Autumn fingerprint tree - The Fairy & The Frog
24. Autumn Mobile - Red Ted Art
25. Handprint Family Portrait - Blog Me Mom

26. Making Indian Corn - Boy Mama, Teacher Mama

27. Autumn corn necklace - Goose and Binky

28. Make and wear mini Pilgrim hat - Make it Easy Crafts

29. Pilgrim Hat Crayon Holder - The Moody Fashionista

Printables
30. Thanksgiving Activity Book for Kids - Red Fly Creations
31. Pumpkin Pie Spinner - Parents
32. Thanksgiving Place Settings - Fiskars
33. Fall Leaves Matching Game - Mama Miss
34. Thanksgiving Printable - Homeschool Creations
35. Preschool Thanksgiving Printable Pack - 2 Teaching Mommies

Recipes
36. Reese's Peanut Butter Turkey - Kitchen fun with my three sons
37. Thanksgiving S'mores Pops - Kitchen fun with my three sons
38. Nutter Butter Acorns - Sweet Simple Stuff
39. No Bake Thanksgiving Cookies - The Chirping Mom
40. Cake Mix Sprinkle Cookies - {Semi} Homemade Mom
41. Mini Apple Pies - The Mandatory Mooch
42. Pumpkin Pie Bites - Dollhouse Bake Shoppe
43. A Turkey Snack - The Chirping Mom
44. No Bake Turkey Cookies - Six in the Suburbs
45. Handprint Turkey Cookies Recipe - Taste of Home
46. Turkey Cake Pops! - Candiquik
47. Thanksgiving Snack for Kids - B-Inspired Mama
48. Thanksgiving Pilgrim & Indian Cupcake Toppers - Bird on a Cake
49. Waffle Cone Cornucopia - Blissfully Domestic

50. Turkey Muffins - Parenting

You can also view all these links via our teams Thanksgiving 2012 Pinterest board, and many more!

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25 Things For Kids To Do When Stuck Indoors

EtsyKids team member and mother of two, Katie of childhoodstore, who is also patiently preparing to wait out Hurricane Sandy, shares some really fun indoor activities to do with kids using stuff you already have at home (love that!).  Not in the path of Hurricane Sandy?  Count yourself lucky and bookmark this for later ... think endless freezing cold days of winter, indoor recess at the grade school, games and activities for classroom parties.

Like most everybody on the east coast we are preparing for hurricane Sandy, which means we are stocking up on batteries, waters and snacks. It also means I am preparing for the potential of a week home with both girls and no electricity. So here is a list of some activities we have done before that I am thinking we might revisit this week. Do you have any fun indoor activities for kids?

Shoe Matching Game
Play With a Box
Play With Waterbeads
Painters Tape Hopscotch
Bean Bag Games
Make a Cardboard Computer
Cave Drawing
Pipe Cleaner and Colander Sculptures
Walk the Line
Floor Puzzles
Play People Riddles
Shaving Cream Car Wash
Paint with Water
Post-it Note Art Gallery
Color Relay
Clean Penny Experiment
Form a Square Game
Play Dress-Up
Dance
Glue Painting
Make Plastic Straw Necklaces
Cloud Dough
Plastic Cup Printing
Apple Printing
Plastic Baggie Art

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Get Crafty with The Sewing Lofts Halloween Treat Holders

Looking for a way to dress-up the treats you give the special kids in your life ... the nieces and nephews, the neighbor kids, your best friends kids or your kids best friends?  EK team member Heather from TheSewingLoft shares two quick and super cute ways to dress-up suckers for Halloween.  Kids will love it and you'll love being able to whip out a bunch in no time flat!  

Visit TheSewingLoft blog to download the pattern and get the instructions.

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Urban Farming: Involving the Children

Sarah, of ThatsAWrapBaby, has been sharing a short series of posts on her blog Three Little Monkey's on Urban Farming.  Today she shares of one of the projects in her series.  You can visit her blog (see her May 2012 posts) for other projects in the series.  

The kids and I set about creating a tiered herb garden yesterday afternoon. This project was inspired by one in the book The Ultimate Step-by-Step Kid's First Gardening Book. The book is fabulous and brimming with wonderful, kid friendly gardening ideas.

This project is perfect for kids of all ages. I had an 8 year old, 5 year old, and 4 year old helping, plus a 2 year old watching on. We modified the plans a bit to accomidate our meager budget! Instead of pretty terra cotta pots of varying sizes, I found some plastic and metal pots in the dollar bins at Target (small, medium, and large. Make sure they'll nest). They aren't as pretty, but they'll serve our purpose well. I am also banking on the herbs growing large and hiding the pots a bit.

First things first, make sure you have the right tools gathered. We had our three nesting pots, a bag of soil, a trowel, some seeds, and a few small herbs. We chose basil, thyme, lemon balm, chamomile, and curly parsley. There is a bit room for more, but that's what we had. Steer clear of mint, as it grows rampant and will take over your pots! Have fun choosing your favorite herbs or try new varieties. There are so many to choose from.

After we gathered our tools, we set the medium sized pot inside the largest pot and filled in all around with potting soil. We had a few herbs that were already a bit large, but mostly we had seeds (trying to be economical!!). We planted a couple types of seeds and a couple larger plants in this bottom tier. 

We filled in a bit more and then set the smallest pot into the middle one and filled in around it. We planted a few more herbs in our middle pot.

We then filled the top pot with soil and planted a lovely bit of curly parsley to crown our herb garden.

This fun project was quick and easy! It was perfect for including all of the children and gave them a real sense of ownership in our garden. 

 Try this project with your own little ones! Keep it in a sunny place and let them water it each day. Very soon, their own herbs will be gracing the kitchen!

We would LOVE to have you join in the conversation with comments or links to your own adventures in Urban Farming!

Sarah can be found on Facebook, at her Blog, and on Etsy at her shop ThatsAWrapBaby:

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Tutorial:: Faux Frosted Glass

From Kayce of WorldofWhimm and On a Whimm.  

It's hard to tell that it's Spring here in the Northwest. The sun is finally out, but the wind whipping through makes it feel like it's still below freezing. So I need to do things to bring Spring indoors. I need something that would make me smile and help me hold on to hope that warmer weather is just around the corner. So I decided to do a little spring version of a mirror decal that I came up with for my daughter's birthday party. Her party was Alice in Wonderland so I made the decal to go with the theme. It was so much fun that I've decided keep one up in the bathroom for special occasions and holidays.

Here's how to do it:

Materials:

• Contact paper (also called shelf paper - I used white)
• Scissors
• Exacto knife
• Cutting Mat
• Measuring tape
• Pencil
• Clip art, printed and cut around edges (optional)

Step 1: Plan your design. I did this on a separate piece of paper. Just a quick sketch of what I wanted.

Step 2: Measure your mirror and cut the contact paper to fit (for the Alice in Wonderland piece, I used two vertical pieces).

Step 3: Turn it over and on the back draw your design (in reverse). I recommend pencil for this step... I used pen so that you could see what I was doing. Either way, it won't show since the back piece of paper will be removed. I also drew my design freehand. If you aren't this confident, you can print some clip art on your printer, cut around the outside of them and trace the silhouette onto the back of the contact paper (I did this for some of the Alice in Wonderland design).

Step 4: Cut out your design. If you have pieces that are islands, be sure to keep track of them when you cut them out, or don't completely cut them out - leaving it attached to the larger piece with a thin strip (see my letter "A" and "R"). I used scissors for the larger parts and an exact knife for the details and inside pieces. I also used a hole punch for the bird eyes.

Step 5: Clean your mirror. Then start on the straight edge of your contact paper, if you have one, and fold it back so that only an inch is exposed. This will make it easier for you to line it up and make sure it's straight before you peel it all off.

Step 6: (I recommend having two people for this step - one to peel, one to smooth) Slowly peel away the back as you press the sticky side of the paper against the mirror, doing your best to push out all bubbles. I found it difficult to get rid of all bubbles - but I didn't have a helper. Beware that if you pull the paper off, do it carefully as it will stretch slightly which will only add to the number of bubbles you have.

Step 7: Clean the mirror one more time if you have fingerprints all over - and your done!

The contact paper comes off fairly easily when you are ready to remove it. I did have to pull it off in several pieces and it left some glue in a few spots. However, the glue washed off easily with a mixture of vinegar, lemon, dish soap and water. I'm sure a glass cleaner would work as well.

Happy Spring!

Kayce can be found online on her blog On a Whimm, facebook, and her Etsy Shop: 

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