My Daughter Was Showcased in the Teen Talent Spotlight

Check out some of my daughter's artist drawings and her story that she's writing at

http://wenonahulsey.blogspot.com/p/wenonas-teen-talent-spotlight.html

Cosmetic Container Crafts

I’ll admit am a girly girl and wear cosmetics of all different types. I try to be as eco as possible about them but only some companies offer eco products and mainstream companies are only starting to get more eco in their packaging.

Years of cosmetic use can create a lot of waste. Sure it’s easy to recycle the glass jars and plastic bottles but what about the items that have many materials in them like compacts and lipstick tubes? Most of are made of combinations of glass, metal and plastic.

I’ve always found it wasteful to throw away the pretty handheld compacts- the ones with the mirrors. I’ve been brainstorming ways to reuse or upcycle them but have only come up with a few ideas. Even after searching I couldn’t find too many crafty ideas for reuse.

But here’s what I did find:

Wildly woolly creates felted cosmetics to replace the used up ones. It is very cute but not really practical or reusable.

Several sites have simple ideas for reusing or recycling cosmetic containers. They can be found on Recycle This, Beyond Jane, and EcoLife.

But I want more crafty ideas.

One idea that I was thinking of is turning the compacts into photo lockets. You could cut out and glue photos into the area where the makeup used to be. I bet with a little ingenuity I could create an accordion style photo pullout so more than one photo could be put inside.

What are your crafty ideas for reusing or upcycling cosmetic containers?

10 Crafty Green Things to Do With Old Sweaters

Do you have a pile of old sweaters that no longer fit but you just can’t bear to throw them out? How about reusing and upcycling them into something else?

Here are ten crafty ways to reuse old sweaters.

One thing you can do is make a sweater pillow. Pillows are pretty easy to make – just grab a pillow form and turn the sweater into a cover for it.

Here’s one DIY tutorial from The Budget Fashionista.

Another fun project to make from old sweaters is a patchwork quilt pet bed made from an assortment of colorful old sweaters. Here’s a great tutorial found at Apartment Therapy that gives you step by step instructions for making this cute pet bed.

Got kids? Then you can make several kids clothing items out of old adult size sweaters.

How about a pair of leggings? There’s a great tutorial on Crafting a Green World that will teach you how to turn a sweater into a pair of child size leggings.

Another sweater tutorial on CAGW shows you how to transform a sweater into a child size skirt.

Old sweaters also make wonderful stuffed animals. Crafter Caitlin Wicker makes stuffed toys out of old sweaters and sells them on Etsy- and the stuffies are super cute.

Martha Stewart has a few great templates and tutorials for making sweater stuffed animal chickens, lambs and pigs. I really love the pig.

No kids or just want to make something for yourself?

How about turning a couple of man size sweaters into a woman’s dress?

Check out the video tutorial on CAGW.

I also found a tutorial for transforming a sweater into a child size dress at Make It Love It.

Got pets? In addition to the cute pet bed you could make a couple of pet sweaters out of your old sweaters. Here’s a great tutorial on Craft Stylish.

You can craft new mittens from old sweaters – make a whole bunch of them and give them out as holiday gifts this year. Get started now and you’ll have a stack ready by December.

Here’s a how to from Martha Stewart.

One Pearl Button offers a tutorial for making both mittens and a matching hat from a sweater.

Slippers are another cozy option for old sweaters. Sweaters can easily be transformed into a pair of slippers to keep cold tootsies warm all winter long. There’s a post at CAGW with links to great slipper how tos and here’s a slipper sock pattern and tutorial at Instructables.

Review of New Kleenex on the Go Packs

Thanks to the Mom Bloggers Club I had the chance to check out the Kleenex on the Go packs.

Perfect for moms with small kids and for kids going back to school.

I received a wallet pack, auto pack and the new and improved pocket pack to review.

These are great. The quality of Kleenex in great on the go packages that are so convenient for moms.

Just the other day we needed tissue sin the car and didn't have any.

Now this handy auto pack is going straight into one of the cubbies we have in the car.

It'll be perfect because it's small, compact and shaped just right to fit in the glove box, a cubby, the door compartments or in the pocket on the back of the seats. Anywhere little hands can reach when they need to.

The pocket pack is going in my son's backpack and the wallet pack is going into my purse. Now I'll always have tissues on hand when little noses need to be wiped or sticky fingers need to be cleaned.

NEW!! Kleenex brand on-the-go formats:

The Kleenex brand is adding a new line of on-the-go packs with Sneeze Shield this back to school season to make it easy to help keep stuff off kids’ hands in the classroom, on field trips, at home or wherever kids go.

The on-the-go packages include:

The wallet pack. It is thin and sleek, so you can always keep a tissue on hand. Their trendy design and convenient size make it the perfect accessory for hip tweens and teens.

The auto pack. It fits perfectly in the car door or glove compartment – no need to lug around a box of tissue or fumble in a purse for a tissue while driving.

The new and improved pocket pack. A long-time favorite has been improved to feature three-ply tissue.

Find Out More at: www.kleenex.com

Visit Kleenex on Facebook for coupons

Tennessee 2011

Click here to view this photo book larger

Back to School with TreeSmart Eco Pencils

Now here’s a great invention, tree free pencils made from recycled rolled up newspapers.

TreeSmart has been making newspaper pencils since 1998. Over the years they have experimented with different techniques until finally they created the perfect newspaper pencil.

Today’s TreeSmart pencils have the following features:

• Whole newspaper sheets are used to create the pencils which are rolled around HB high-quality #2 graphite.

• The newspapers do not need to be mulched or mixed with toxic recycling chemicals, they are used as is.

• A special adhesive formula is used to bind the newsprint together into a cohesive core trunk that is as hard as wood.

• The pencils sharpen easily, just like wood.

• A fun thing about the pencils is that sometimes newsprint images are visible on the pencil surface.

• All of the TreeSmart pencils are made with high-quality ferrules and latex-free erasers that do not smudge.

TreeSmart now makes pencils, colored pencils, pens, and rulers. You can purchase home office sets or large boxes of products for schools. You can even get a mug for your favorite teacher. The TreeSmart Green Tea Mug gift set includes a custom ceramic mug filled with 24 TreeSmart newspaper pencils, a mini color pencil set, and a three pack of green tea.

Businesses wishing to promote green can order a box of 500 custom newspaper pencils with their company name or logo.

Purchase TreeSmart pencils at AbesMarket.com http://www.abesmarket.com/treesmart-desk-set.html or http://www.treesmart.com/products/

Where did July go? I can’t believe summer is flying by so fast. It is August- which means back to school time.

You know this always happens to me. The 4th of July comes along then all the sudden I realize summer is almost over. I know there’s still August, which means a whole month before school starts here in Michigan but it is always so busy with doctor and dentist appointments and still trying to squeeze as much fun out of summer before it’s gone and we’re left with a long, cold, never-ending winter.

One thing I always dread is back to school shopping. And wouldn’t you know it- the stores are already doing their sales. My daughter needs a new backpacks (among other things) since hers has fallen apart. I’ve cleaned it and sewed it for the past year and a half but I think it’s on its last leg finally. So I’ve been researching eco-friendly backpacks.

So far here’s what I have found.

Hemp Sisters has a nice selection of backpacks made from hemp. I like the hemp sling bag. It’s a one strap bag, the style my daughter really wants. The sling backpack is about 16 inches from top to bottom and 12 inches left to right. This is a bag is made to hold a lot which is perfect for school books. This might be a good option for my daughter.

The Organic Shoreline Drawstring Back Pack might be also be an option for my daughter. It is made from 100% organic cotton fiber it has adjustable straps and a heavy cord closure. I wonder if it will hold up to carrying school books.

Green Earth Office Supply has several hemp and recycled rubber back packs. The rubber packs are made from 100% post consumer recycled tires. The hemp ones are pretty stylish. The classic back pack bagis made from 100% hemp with recycled soda bottle lining. I love the ingenuity.

Land’s End has a few heavy duty back packs that are made from 100% recycled fabric. They are durable and heavy duty. They are very practical, these packs may be what your kids need to keep organized.

Another eco-backpack option is eco-packs by Dante Beatrix. The eco-backpacks come in small and large sizes and offer a couple designs that are kinda kid friendly. The packs are made with fabric created from recycled plastic bottles and trimmed with natural canvas.

Patagonia offers heavy duty, durable back packs that are made from recycled plastic. They are available in a variety of colors and styles.

Have you found any eco-backpacks anywhere? If so I’d love to hear about them. Especially if they are the side sling style that my daughter is looking for.