10Tips From Published Green Crafters

Upcycling or Green Crafting is the art of turning something old into something new. It's an amazing way to help save our environment, keep more garbage out of our landfills and creatively challenge yourself.

As a member of the green crafting community, I thought it'd be fun to share some tricks and ideas from other published green crafters. Seeing the amazing things others are inspired to create goes a long way in inspiring me.

1. The best all-purpose adhesive:

Gel medium- Lynne Moncrieff

A hot glue gun- Deana Mattos Diefenbach

Aleene's Original Tacky glue- Kate Cody

Rubber cement- Amy Reinagel

2. Quick and easy upcycled gifts:

Dolls from old shirts- April Holmquist

Leather belt bracelet- Tina Pawelek

Themed gift baskets from Starbucks four-pack glass bottles in the carrier- Melony Bradley

3. All-natural or eco-friendly cleaning:

Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day products- Jennifer Chiarell

Lemon juice, salt and sunlight- Stacy Ellis

Bicarbonate of soda and white vinegar- Lynne Moncrieff

4. Green crafting with plastic:

Use a heat gun to mold and shape plastic- Kathleen Loveland

Braid it for rope or rugs- Renee Scriver

Cover it with chalk paints- Lynne Moncrieff

5. Natural elements to incorporate:

Leaves and stones- Maggie Caballero

Twigs, branches, feathers and seeds- Christy Ann Le Blanc

Wildflowers, antlers, wood and seashells- Effie jack

6. Most used item to green craft with:

Recycled paper of any kind- Frances Peets

Glass bottles and jars- Michelle Duke

Aged books- Cheryl Miller

Old quilts- Joanie Luebbering

7. Most effective technique for removing labels:

Goo-Gone or Citrasolv- Kim Andersen

Baking soda and cooking oil- Lynne Moncrieff

White vinegar- Sue Hassel

8. Organizational advice:

Photo storage boxes- Sharon Lee Louk

Clear plastic stackable drawers- Patty Thurlby

Constantly evaluate your stuff- Tamara Lance

9. Lessons from green crafting:

You don't need to buy the most expensive new supplies- Karen Campbell

Don't buy more than you really need- Lena Statsenko

Never give up on an idea or recycled material- Sharon Lee Louk

Before throwing something away, stop and ask if it can be repurposed- Cheryl Murakami

10. Favorite place to go thrifting/antiquing:

Flea markets- Janet Alden

Thrift stores- Misty Gage

Brass Armadillo- Cheryl Miller

The Nesting Cottage- Ella Wilson

The Curiosity Shop- Dalia Blevins

'til next time,

Misty

If you’re ready to explore your creativity look into booking one of my creative workshops.