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101 Green Handmade Gift Tutorials

Kim — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 15:39:25 +0000

These crafty green gift tutorials are going to make you recycle, reuse, upcycle or repurpose like never before…you’ll see. Whatever you want to call it, going green is the way to go!

There’s a little something for everyone and I know you are going to find the perfect gift for your neighbor, brother, mother, sister…you get my drift…there are 101 tutorials here, people!!!! They’re not just ideas and pretty photos, but these links will lead you on the path to creating fabulous green gifts that are simple and require minimal supplies.

You might need to grab a few extra recycling bins, but it’s worth it! If you’re looking for Green Home Decor Tutorials, don’t miss the end of the post!

Lemon Sugar Hand Scrub – Under the Table and Dreaming
Paint Sample Coasters – The Crafty CPA
Sweater Pillows – Centsational Girl
Grocery Bag Wallet – EcoKaren
Yarn Scrap Bowl – About Crochet
Bottle Cap Serving Tray – Sweet Something Beautiful
Wool Felt Magnets – Everything Etsy
Dictionary Art – Brooklyn Limestone
Shrinky Dink Jewelry – Just Something I Made
Candy Wrapper Patchwork Belt – Lil Blue Boo
Repurposed Book Sewing Kit – STC Craft
Recycled Magazine Jewelry – CraftStylish
Newspaper Basket – How About Orange
Felted Soap – Rhythm of the Home
T-Shirt Pillow – Ruffles and Stuff
Beeswax Candles – Kanelstrand
Recycled Bottle Birdfeeder – Centsational Girl
Handmade Books – Pioneer Woman
Coiled Magazine Coasters – Saved By Love Creations
Menswear Stuffed Bunny – Martha Stewart
Picture Frame Serving Tray – Better Homes and Gardens
Wine Cork Basket – Chica and Jo
Sweet Heart Sugar Cubes – Craft Passion
Beeswax Candles {hand dipped} – FIMBY
Shell Frame – Everything Etsy
Book Safe – All Free Crafts
Soda Can Bracelet – The Greenest Dollar
Chalkboard Planter Pots – Design Sponge
Recycled Notebooks – Martha Stewart
Acorn Bird Feeder – Design Sponge
Green Terrarium – Inhabitat
Wool Dryer Balls – Good Mama
Coiled Paper Basket – Esprit Cabane
T-Shirt Bag – Martha Stewart
Custom Notepads – Chica and Jo
Herb Soap – Henry Happened
Menswear Mouse Toy – Martha Stewart
Handmade Paper – Craft Daisies
Handmade Goat Soap – Lather and Lotions
T-Shirt Yarn – EcoKaren
Wine Bottle Candle Holders – Wedding Bee
Herbal Fire Starters – WholeLiving
Junk Mail Paper Beads – The {NewNew}
Book Bead Necklace – The Smallest Forest
Phone Book Pen Organizer – Chica and Jo
Monogram Button Pillow – Come On, Ileene
Recycled Magazine Coasters – Re-Nest
License Plate Memo Board – Planet Green
Bottle Cap Magnets – Everyday Lovely
Tea Soap Tutorial – Cucumbersome
T-Shirt Flower – Emily’s Little World
Oxford Napkins – WholeLiving
Mini Light Fixture Terrarium – Design Dreams Japan
Braided T-Shirt Bag – Chichidee Handmade
Paint Chip Necklace – Infarrantly Creative
Conversation Marshmallows – Come On, Ileene
Sheet Music Tray – Centsational Girl
Recycled Lunch Bag – Made By Lex
Candy Wrapper Pouch – Punkin Patterns
Jersey Knit Bracelet – V and Co.
Embroidered Portraits – Country Living
Woven Rag Rug – Craft Passion
Lace Containers – Urban Comfort
Lip Balm – Beautylish
Wool Felt Bookmarks – Everything Etsy
T-Shirt Memory Quilt – EcoKaren
Recycled Dog Collar – Keyka Lou Patterns
Friendship Puzzle Necklace – Planet Green
Cork Trivets – WholeLiving
Water Bottle Cookie Packaging – Paper, Plate and Plane
Vintage Fork Napkin Rings – Brooklyn Limestone
Homemade Dog Treats – Come On, Ileene
Felt Ball Cat Toy – Martha Stewart
Recycled Grocery Tote – Dana Made It
T-Shirt Clutch – Made By Lex
Light Bulb Vases – Pizzazzerie
Modern Birdfeeder – Life on the Balcony
Vinyl Record Bowl – CasaSugar
Recycled T-Shirt Dishcloths – Dollar Store Crafts
Vintage Sheet Cocktail Napkins – Design Sponge
Tree Coasters – Country Living
Recycled Gift Card Bracelet – CindyYShaw
Mason Jar Sewing Kit – Say Yes to Hoboken
Typography Clay Pots – Everything Etsy {Burlap & Blue}
Recycled Wool Sweater Blanket – Homade Holiday
Recycled Soap Box Mini Book – Creativity Prompt
T-Shirt Ruffle Hat – Tao of Craft
Recycled Book Handbag – Curbly
Sweater Leaf Scarf – Grosgrain
Recycled Paper Magnets – Sei Lifestyle
Paper Apple Sculpture – Cheeky Magpie
Recycled Slippers – Sew Green
Modern Candle Holders – Mark Montano
Recycled Wool Mittens – Lucky Star Lane
Rosette Headband – Lolly Jane Boutique
Wool Laptop or Diaper Bag – Not Dabbling In Normal
Recycled T-Shirt Scarf- Joy Beadworks
Glass Jar Photo Frames – Rikki Hibbert
Fabric Scrap Necklace – Smaller
Tea Cup Bird Feeders – Something Wonderful
Brick Succulent Planters – Ready Made

Why spend a ton on gifts when you can go green???

If you love creative links, please subscribe to Everything Etsy! New subscribers make my day!

Thanks so much for all your tweets, stumbles, Facebook likes and pins on my 101 Simple Handmade Gift Tutorials and Free Printables posts…you are the coolest crafty friends!

Here’s a little something extra for your home…

Check out 101 Green Home Decor Tutorials to make your home beautiful on a budget!

Have you finished a green project lately?

~Kim

Hooked on Tutorials? Check out these lists on EverythingEtsy.com:

101 Handmade Ornament Tutorials

Kim — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 14:36:48 +0000

Pin It

Get ready for the holidays with handmade ornaments!

There’s something about handmade ornaments that really make me smile. I made ornaments every year with my mom as a child and creating this list reminded me of some of those classic ornaments. She still has some of them to hang on her tree! Have you ever made a quilted ornament without sewing? Those were some of my favorites! Salt dough ornaments are always sweet, but some of the ornaments on this list will amaze you!

Top your gifts with glitter cookie cutters, make yarn wreaths with your children, add a favorite photo to a felt Polaroid ornament for your best friend…I could go on and on.

There are a million ways to use these and they are all quick projects. Am I the only one with a short attention span? I love ornaments!

Christmas Bird {stamped} – Jessica Jane
Twiggy Christmas Tree – Michele Made Me
Vintage Clothespin Snowflakes – Happy Together
10-Minute Santa – The Long Thread
Puzzle Piece Ornaments – Creature Comforts
Map Kissing Ball Ornament – MaryJanes and Galoshes
Flower Lavender Sachet – Everything Etsy
Glitter Cookie Cutters – Centsational Girl
Yarn Wreaths – Christopher and Tia
Glittered Paper Butterfly – The Graphics Fairy
Felt Polaroid Ornament – KatieCupcake
Holiday Shadowbox – Modge Podge Rocks
Ribbon & Wood Ornaments – 7 Layer Studio
Pottery Barn Knock Off {Glitzy} – Crafterhours
Yarn and Candy – Hostess Blog
Poinsettias – The Crafty Crow
Acorn Ornaments – Creature Comforts
Paper Pinecones – The Hybrid Chic
Mini Envelopes {Knit} – Duo Fiberworks
Paint Chip Ornaments – Elsie Marley
Book Page Flowers – Under The Table and Dreaming
Punched Tins – Fun in the Making
Modern Paper Ornament – How About Orange
Button Ornaments – Martha Stewart
Little Silver Houses – Mich L in L.A.
Origami Glitter Cranes – Zakka Life
Sewn Bird – The Purl Bee
Felt Wardrobe Ornaments – Woman’s Day
Thrifted Sweater Wreath – Alphamom
Scrabble Ornaments – My Sweet Savannah
3D Paper Stars – Little Birdie Secrets
Colorful Yarn Ornaments – Eighteen25
Pipe-Cleaner Snowflakes – Martha Stewart
Bird Seed Ornaments – Saltwater Kids
String Ornaments – Holidash
Ribbon Star – Martha Stewart
Wine Cork Tassels – All Things Christmas
Crocheted Christmas Babbles – Homeworkshop
Bits and Pieces – Sew4Home
Frosted Pinecones – Better Homes and Gardens
Lollipops – FireHow
Jingle Bell Flowers – The Crafty Crow
Bacon Ornament – Seremeres Blog
Dimensional Felt Ornament – Craft
Felt Birdie – AllfreeChristmascrafts
Rolled Flower Ornament – Sparkling Scrapbooks
Patchwork Ornament – Creation Corner
Mini Lanterns – The Crafty Crow
Snowflakes – Meet the Dubiens
Sassy Juice Top Photo Ornaments – The Crafting Chicks
Sparkling White Christmas – A Field Journal
Pearl Garland Ornament – Craftberry Bush
Twine Ornament – Bower Power
Paper Stars – Family Fun
Rolled Paper Ornament – Paper, Plate and Plane
Holiday Mittens – Oliver + S
Colorful Crochet Ornaments – CraftStylish
Wooden Spools – Create x3
Beaded Letters and Stars – Martha Stewart
Polar Bear – Fun in the Making
Modge Podge Personalized Ornaments – Brown Paper Packages
Felt Owl – Juicy Bits
Typewriter Key Ornament – Under The Table and Dreaming
Silhouette Ornament – Better Homes and Gardens
Beach Ornament – Completely Coastal
Denim Christmas Trees – One Crafty Mumma!
Baby’s First Christmas – A Sorta Fairytale
Argyle Embroidery Hoop – So September
Salt-Dough Snowflake – Better Homes and Gardens
Geometric Ornament – Elsie Marley
Denim Tree Ornaments – Michele Made Me
Paper Bird – Behind Mytutorlist
Recycled Holiday Cards – Martha Stewart
Jingle Mouse – Pimp Stitch
Yarn Candy Cane – Family Fun
Book Page Bird – Under The Table and Dreaming
Scrap Mini Wreaths – Maya Made
Orange Paper Ornament – How About Orange
Ice Skates and Mittens – Better Homes and Gardens
Rolled Rossette Ornament – Spunky Junky
Vintage Glitter Snowball – MaryJanes & Galoshes
Disco Ball – Oopsey Daisy
Cute as a Button – Zakka Life
Borax Crystal Snowflakes – Curbly
Royal Icing Ornaments – Food Mayhem
Knit Christmas Trees – Raverly
Heart Photo Ornament – Scrapper Girl
Fortune Cookie – Keepin’ It Real
Handbag Ornament – The Polkadot Chair
Peppermint Swirl – Better Homes and Gardens
Paper Doves – My Many Colored Days
Peace Ornament {PB Knock Off} – Crap I’ve Made
Heart Ornament – A Spoonful of Sugar
Christmas Owl – Diversions
Orange Pomanders – The Artist Woman
Photo Memory Blocks – Craft Goodies
Elves and Mushrooms – Creative Breathing
Mini Knit Sweaters – Berroco
Poinsettia & Christmas Tree – Art Threads
Scrappy Hearts – Dutch Girl Textiles
Tin Work Ornaments – Craft Test Dummies

Now you just need to set up an ornament party and make some with your friends and family. They will be amazed at all of your great ornament ideas! {Don’t forget the hot chocolate…it’s a must!}

If you love creative links, please subscribe to Everything Etsy! New subscribers make my day!

Feel free to share it with your friends! They might even give your an extra present this year for being such a sweet friend…ha!

Felt Magnets – DIY Fun! {Tutorial}

Kim — Tue, 24 May 2011 17:46:34 +0000

Felt Magnets are a sweet and simple project…perfect for Summer Camps and sleepovers, or while you’re enjoying a little afternoon coffee break. It’s no surprise to see another felt project on my blog, I’m sure. I love felt!

Here’s how I put together these fun little magnets…

Gather up a selection of beautiful felt for inspiration. This is all wool felt…I love the colors!

Bring out you collection of embroidery floss…more pretty colors!

You can find these business card magnets at your local office supply or craft store. Just peel off the back and use it as a template for your background felt.

Cut you rectangle out and stitch a sweet little something on it. Then carefully line up your felt creation and stick it to your magnet. How easy is that?

Quick and easy felt projects never fail to make me smile!

I’m planning to make a few more to keep on hand for gifts. Tie a few together with some pretty ribbon and you’re sure to make someone’s day.

Have you used business card magnets for any other crafts? I’d love to hear about it because I have a whole stack of them!

~Kim

5 Reasons to use Pinterest

Kim — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 13:25:06 +0000

If you haven’t had a chance to try out Pinterest yet, you should!

What is Pinterest?

A virtual corkboard that you pin your favorite photos to creating beautiful collections of things you love.

5 Reasons to Try Pinterest

1. Helllloooo…It’s fun! It’s kind of a stress reliever {like flipping through your favorite magazine} and who doesn’t love sharing and finding new inspiration!

2. You most likely will find something from other pinboards that you can’t live without. Following someone’s pinboards is easy…every pinboard has a follow button. This will keep your home page filling up with beautiful things you’ll love.

3. You can organize your collections…and enjoy the way they look at the same time. Yes, you can move everything to a file on your computer, but you can’t see them all arranged like on Pinterest. If you are a visual person…this is for you!

It’s a great way to organize new projects you would like to try, home decorating ideas, wedding inspiration and anything else you can think up!

4. Meet new people that share the same interests! I’ve run across a few people that have the same taste in home decor as I do…I followed them right away! It’s a social network with photos!

5. Promote your Etsy shop with Pinterest. Now, don’t think for one moment that I’m saying you should go on there and add every item in your shop…I’m not. That kind of over-promoting turns people off fast. You can list your shop in your profile and add a few photos of your handmade goodies to your collections. You never know how many times they could be pinned after that.

Give it a try! Share your collections with others and enjoy the inspiration you’ll find while browsing other’s pinboards.

How do you get started?

You can receive an invite from a friend or sign up on Pinterest {It can take a few days}.
Set up your account and start creating your pinboards.
Add “Pin-It” to your toolbar to be able to create your own pins. You can also re-pin from others…I’ve done a bunch of that already. Check out their information page to learn more.

Visit my Pinterest boards and take a peek at what I’ve been up to, and you’ll learn about a few things that I love at the same time.

~Kim

Ruffled Coin Pouch Tutorial {w/ Zipper}

Everything Etsy — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 22:12:20 +0000

Guest Tutorial by Janet Metzger of The Empty Nest

For those of you out there who are afraid of zippers, I feel your pain. A few months ago I too would start to shake when I even thought of sewing a zippered pouch or bag. They just scared the bajeebers out of me.

I finally decided enough is enough…I was going to conquer my fear of zippers. I watched a few YouTube tutorials and took a leap of faith. Now I am creating dozens a day!

I no longer fear zippers and you will be cured also. I will walk you through the creation of a pretty ruffled coin purse.

1. you will need to cut 4 pieces of 5 1/2 x 6 inch fabric (2 ext & 2 lining) 2 pieces iron on interfacing
2. one 12 x 3 inch piece of ruffle fabric (I pink the edges)
3. 5 1/2 inch nylon zipper
4. zipper foot for machine

Lay the ruffle strip as shown in photo 1. As you sew, begin to make gentle gathers as in photo 2. They do not need to be even. The more rustic the better.

Flip the piece over and sew down the opposite ruffled side. I sometimes add a metal key ring as shown, but that is optional.

Now to attach the zipper to one side we are going to make a kind of zipper sandwich. Keeping in mind how you want your pouch to open..rt to lft or vice versa, lay your zipper between the exterior piece and the lining as in photo 1 and 2. Pin in place.

When you get to the zipper pull, you will not be able to sew past it, with needle in down position, you need to carefully tug the zipper down past the zipper foot. Once out the way you can proceed to sew as before.

Photo 3 shows the stitching along the zipper. Flip the lining over and topstitch as shown in photo 4. This topstitching makes for a prettier and more finished look to your pouch.

To attach the other side of your pouch we will need to make another zipper sandwich as in photo 1 and 2.

Sew down along the zipper as before moving past the zipper pull in the same manner with the needle in the down position.

Photo 3 shows both of the sides top stitched nicely.

Ok…now you need to sew the whole pouch together. You are almost there! Can you feel the fear melting away??

Pin the right sides of the exterior together and the same with the lining pieces. The zipper needs to be at least 3/4 of the way unzipped and facing the lining as shown in my photo. It is important to leave the zipper unzipped so you can turn your pouch right side out.

I like to begin sewing just above the zipper on the right. Go slow…only you know your machine and how hardy it is. You may need to walk it over the zipper or if your machine is like mine, I sew right over with no problem. Nylon zips are easy to sew over…not so with metal ones. That’s a different tute!

I always sew back and forth a couple of times to make sure of a good connection at the zipper.
Then just proceed to sew about a 1/4 inch seam allowance all around to the other side and sew over the zipper edge the same as before. Always being aware of where the metal parts of the zipper are..they will break your needle.

On the lining you will leave a 3 inch gap unsewn. This is where you will invert your pouch. I know many ladies leave the opening at the bottom, but I don’t like to look down into a pouch only to see the stitches where you have sewn up the opening. Having it on the side is a cleaner look.

Carefully reach inside and grab a corner and pull it through your side opening. Invert the whole bag and use a pencil to sharpen up the corners. Be sure to use your finger to poke up the zipper corners to give a nice clean zipper edge.

Sew up the side opening and push the lining down into the pouch, making it as smooth as possible.

Now tie a pretty piece of ribbon onto your zipper pull and you are all finished!
Wasn’t that fun and easy? Practice making a few and you will be an expert in no time. Most of all have fun, relax and enjoy the process.

Next time a friend admires your coin pouch you can say, “I made it!”

Of course if you prefer, you can always buy them in my Etsy shop

——

Thanks Janet…what a great tutorial!

I’ve always been nervous when a pattern calls for a zipper! So nervous that I have my mom come over and help me with it! Ha!

Do you have a fear of zippers??

~Kim

Button Flower Bouquet {Tutorial}

Kim — Mon, 03 May 2010 15:25:41 +0000

For Mother’s Day this year I’m sending my mom a little something out of the ordinary…a bouquet of fresh button flowers!

Buttons and felt are two of my favorite things. Mix them together with a bit of wire and you have a sweet bouquet ready to make someone smile!

It’s so simple, but here’s a quick look at how it’s done…

You need some felt, of course. I have a major stash of felt from making hair clips for my shop, Flashy Fish. I chose wool and eco-fi felt for these pretty posies.

Cut two or three sizes of flowers from your felt. You can add a leaf or two.

Simple dot flowers would be beautiful, too. Just cut two sizes of circles.

Now I get to play with my jar of buttons! I love just looking at them, so it’s fun to dig through and find just the right colors and sizes. I used two buttons on most of my flowers, but the one with four looks great too.

Once I decided what I wanted my flowers to look like, I took the wire and measured about 20-24 inches and cut. Then I folded it in half.

Add the buttons. At this point you could add a bead or two first to spice it up, but I wanted to really see my buttons. Vintage buttons would look great, don’t you think?

Add the flowers. The wire easily pokes a through the eco-fi felt, but you’ll need to cut a tiny hole in your wool felt.

Add the leaves. And do the Twist…no…we’re not dancing…twist the wire!

I bent the wire a bit at the top to make it secure. The end of the wire can be cut or bent to any size you need to fit in your vase.

I plan on making a few more to add to the bouquet before I send it off, but I thought I’d give you a peek.

If you have some fabric scraps around, that would work. I’ve seen cute flowers made with four or five buttons stacked together with a leaf.

For another button project check out our button bracelet tutorial!

Button flowers are a great project to do yourself or with kids…have fun!

~Kim

Free Etsy Banners from Everything Etsy!

Everything Etsy — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 06:58:47 +0000

We love talking about the fun of Etsy! We love the dream of Etsy! We love the idea of Etsy! But we also know that making stuff to sell, or seeking out vintage finds, or packaging supplies all day long is work! Hard work! We want to be an Etsy Blog that helps you with that work!

So we’re going to be offering regular updates to a growing list of free Etsy banners. They’re totally free, and you can do whatever you want with them. I (Tim, not Kim) made them all myself and I’ll keep making them for you!

How To Personalize Your Free Etsy Banner

I’ve made each banner to be flexible for use in all sorts of shops, and I’ve made them the right size, so you don’t have to worry about that. I’ve left room for you to add your text and additional graphics on Photoshop.

No Photoshop? NO PROBLEM! I’ve done a complete and detailed tutorial, for free, right here on the blog, that shows you step-by-step how to personalize your banner using an online image manipulation tool. It’s free, it’s awesome, and there is no download (no catch at all that I found). (the online tool, I mean… the tutorial is good too though)

How To Personalize Your Free Etsy Banner Tutorial Here

How To Upload Your Free Banner To Etsy Here

You can click the link under each banner to open up the image full-size in your browser. Then you can right-click on the image to save it to your computer.

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Without further ado, the first seven banners:

Click Here to Open The Full-Size Banner Above

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Three more Free Etsy Banners Here

We sure hope these are useful for you! If you use one, let us know so we can take a look at your shop! And please spread the word if anyone you know might be able to use these.

If these are useful, we’ll keep bringing new ones all the time, so be sure to subscribe to EverythingEtsy so you’ll know when we do!

Seeing as how they’re free… no warranty is available, and I can’t promise particulars for the future, BUT if you have a color request or an idea, I’ll be listening!

The Tutorial on Personalizing Your Free Etsy Banner is here.

Update: All of the free banners are in one place now on the Free Etsy Banners page