Do It Yourself
Emily Tan writes: Believe or not, this gorgeous notebook is handmade from a recycled tea tin. This incredible tutorial on WiseArts has images to guide you every step of the way (and that's just how I like it). The best part is, the tute can be adopted to suit almost any tin to create exotc, retro, or kitsch notebook covers - all you need is the empty tin and a biiiiig hammer.
Via Craftzine | CraftyCrafty
Related Posts: How to make recycled newspaper beads | Decorate your home with vintage and recycled tiles
Hippyshopper how-tos
These knitted dish 'scrubbies' caught my eye over on Berlin's Whimsy, where there's a well-illustrated tutorial on how to knit your own.
Far better for the environment than a disposable sponge (and much prettier too), you'll be itching to get the washing up done once you've made a scrubbie! For materials, you'll need cotton worsted weight yarn, some tulle and the cardboard from a paper towel roll. [Via Craft]
Green News
In the UK alone, we throw away a shocking 3.6m tonnes of food every year. We're terrible at keeping our food fresh (particularly salads and bread, it seems) so anything that encourages sensible food storage can only be a good thing.
This simple pattern makes a pretty pouch that will keep your sarnies fresh as you travel to work or school. For kids' lunch boxes you may want to vary the choice of fabric depending on those crucial factors like gender, prefered colours, favourite TV show etc. But the basic design is very easy to follow, even for beginners. You'll need some vinyl coated fabric for the inside, too. [Via Crafty Crafty]
Hippyshopper how-tos
Re-using is all the rage, and tons better for the environment than recycling, so here's a fun idea for turning old jeans into aprons. What I especially like about these aprons is they're useful, but not too girly-looking; the little bird motif is entirely optional, but I happen to find it quite cute!
We've all got an old pair of jeans lying around somewhere that's either gone out of style or no longer fits us (and if not, charity shops and thrift stores can't get rid of the things). So take some scissors to your old denim and get stitching, with this easy to follow pattern. You'll have a functional, attractive apron that'll be ready just in time for National Apron Day on May 12th! [via Crafty Crafty]
Related: 20 things you can use twice before chucking
What can I do?
We throw away so many things without a second's thought that we often miss great possibilities for re-using them, often in really inventive ways. Here's a handy list of ideas that give a new lease of life to all manner of things that are normally seen as 'junk'. After reading these suggestions you'll probably feel guilty about having to throw anything away ever again. Feel free to tell us your own!
1. Dry Cleaning Bags: Use to pack suits, dresses and other glad-rags when travelling; this will help protect it from wrinkles when packing. When storing the bags make sure to keep them safely out of reach of children, as they really are that dangerous.
2. Butter Wrappers: Once you've removed a block of butter from its wrapping, place the wrapping in a plastic container or bag and refrigerate. Use it to grease baking pans - very useful when you run out of foil!
3. Business Cards: Use the other side to label storage boxes and tubs and tape to the outside of the lid or side so you can see at a glance what the container is holding.
Follow the jump for more tips!
[Via Tipnut]
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Fashion & accessories
Bras are tricky old objects to recycle, one might think. All those weird fibres and wiring have got to be a pain to dispose of cleanly. But help is at hand, thanks to an Oxfam project that every green goddess should know about.
Bras, it turns out, are one of the most in-demand items in third world countries, so it might be time to rethink that once-every-five-years undie drawer cleanout! Read on for details on what you need to do
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Hippyshopper how-tos
If you've dreamed of owning a Voltaic solar bag but can't afford the price tag, fear not: it's amazingly simple to make your own. All you'll need is one of Freeloader's fantastically flexible new 'supercharger' solar panels (£19.99 at Maplin), a spare freeloader battery, a mini USB cable, a relevant gadget adaptor and an old rucksack, bicycle pannier or bag of your choice. The total cost is £40; less than half that of the cheapest Voltaic backpack!
Full instructions are available here.
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