Which is why today's giveaway is so near and dear to me. Not only is it published by my beloved publisher, Lark Crafts, its subject matter is completely in step with my interests. Eco Craft, by Susan Wasinger, is full of clever, creative ideas for breathing new life into objects that might otherwise get tossed. Divided into sections offering suggestions to "Decorate," "Create," "Illuminate," and "Celebrate," Eco Crafts contains 30 inspired eco-friendly projects for turning trash into treasures.
Lark has generously offered a copy of Eco Crafts to one small measure reader. To enter the giveaway, simply leave a comment below. If you'd like to share something you've eco-crafted yourself, feel free, but if you just want to leave a comment, that's fine, too.
I'll share something I repurposed, and kept out of the landfill in the process. I took an interior panel from a large metal dog crate that was used as a divider and turned it into a holder for my earrings. It's large and industrial-looking, but completely utilitarian and, with its matte black finish, blends seamlessly into the large built-in cabinet unit in our bedroom. There's also the cold frame we made last year out of old windows, that is currently housing a large pot of arugula and will soon host a whole mess of vegetable starts. What about you?
I'll run the giveaway through next Wednesday, ending at midnight EST. Please leave a way of contacting you, should you be the winner, either via a link back to your blog or website, or with your email address in your comment.
I wish you all a world of winning success and may the odds be ever in your favor!
UPDATE: The winner of Eco Craft, as chosen by the Random Widget, is Kristy Lynn, lucky #60. Thank you so much to all that entered! I loved reading your ideas for repurposing!
This book looks great. One of my favorite re-use crafts is going "fabric shopping" at the thrift store. I browse the x-large sections and often find the perfect clothes to remake into garments for my litle boys. And me, too :-)
ReplyDeleteOoooo, would love that - but only if you can afford to post to Ireland :)
ReplyDeletemy boys love cheerios and i save every single box for repurposing - for all kinds of crafts and sewing templates! :)
ReplyDeleteOh what a great giveaway! Thank-you for hosting it!
ReplyDeleteLooks like an awesome book! (I love the Hunger Games reference!)
ReplyDeleteWhat a fantastic giveaway, thanks for the chance!
ReplyDeleteI'm notorious for saving old jars, painting designs with water color paint on them and using them as candleholders throughout my house. At a glance, you'd never notice that they were just glass jars re-purposed, and the water color paint allows you to wash off really easy and re-paint when you're ready for a new look!
I'm always on the look out for more interesting recycle/upcycle ideas! My credo? "Do what you can, where you are with what you have". To see our recycled old window greenhouse visit me at Panther Creek Cottage and search Greenhouse Roundup. :)
ReplyDeleteThe book looks so great, and would be put to good use around here! We do lots of kid crafting with stuff pulled out of the recycle bin, and lots of building (the chicken coop!) with reclaimed materials.
ReplyDeleteThis book looks fantastic. Fingers crossed!
ReplyDeleteI love your idea for the dog crate divider. I have one of those that I'm not using!
ReplyDeleteI love repurposing items, so this sounds like a great book.
That book looks very cool. We repurpose old tshirts as cleaning rags...I've yet to make anything really pretty though.
ReplyDeleteI've rescued a few treasures on trash day; my most recent find being a lovely red wood child's rocking chair. A little Gorilla Glue and it was as good as new.
ReplyDeleteOh, this book looks wonderful! I'm always looking for new re-purposing inspiration...
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ReplyDeleteThis book looks super awesome!
ReplyDeleteangidawn79@hotmail.com
I totally love recycling objects into new crafts!
ReplyDeleteI would love to learn more about ways to avoid waste. This book looks great!
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of earrings...I repurposed an item to display my jewelry as well! I bought an old leather shotgun shell belt at a local gun show, hung it on my wall horizontally, then added my jewelry.
ReplyDeleteVery excited about this book, I am a serious crafter!!
jwalty@hotmail.com
Sounds like the perfect blend of recycling and crafting- and totally up my alley. Thanks for always passing along such great finds! - Jen
ReplyDeletejalley22 at hotmail dot com
Looks like a fantastic book full of great ideas!!
ReplyDeleteLike the reference to Hunger Games... Please pick me! lalobaluna@windstream.net
ReplyDeleteThis book sounds awesome! We repurposed the top to an old table into a kitchen island this summer. It's awesome. Love your reference to The Hunger Games!
ReplyDeleteThis books sound great! We re-purposed a bunch of old boards into a chicken tractor and some pallets into a compost bin recently.
ReplyDeleteA current favorite project is taking small strips of fabric from sewing, tying them together and then knitting them into rugs. I haven't finished one yet, but I'm excited about this way to use scraps that are too small to sew with.
ReplyDeleteIf it weren't for repurposing and reusing our family could not get by.
ReplyDeleteI try a little *too* hard to re-purpose things, but I've always got something on hand to do!
ReplyDeletec (-) thomas (@) sbcglobal.net
I'd LOVE LOVE LOVE a copy of this book. Was drooling over it at a friend's house recently. I love to repurpose old wool sweaters. I made fun monster hats for the holiday gift giving season. You can see a photo at http://downonthreeboysfarm.blogspot.com/2012/01/31-days-later.html
ReplyDeleteWould certainly love a copy of this book! Combine re-use and crafting? Yes please!!
ReplyDeletedragonflysuzy@yahoo.com
How fantastic!!! Thanks so much for this giveaway! I would love to win! :)
ReplyDeletethecountryblossom at hotmail dot com
woo hoo! what a great giveaway, good luck to everyone!
ReplyDeletestacie and adam AT gmail DOT com
Just started following you and love your words! I recently used an old roasting pan to house some flowers on the deck and love to reuse things. This book looks great!
ReplyDeleteAshley, I would love to enter the drawing! DancingApronFarmer.blogspot.com
ReplyDeleteLooks like a great book! I like your DIY cold frame idea on design sponge!
ReplyDeleteThank you for a great giveaway! I am so all over up cycling and like the first commentor, I use thrift stores as my fabric store and love it!
ReplyDeleteThis book looks great! Thanks for the giveaway!
ReplyDeleteLooks like a cool book...hope i win!
ReplyDeletezmeaghan@gmail.com
I haven't done anything recently but I made all the flowers for my wedding from old pulp novels and magazines we had cluttering up our house. Time-intensive (crap...) but really cool results!
ReplyDeleteI would love this book! My husband might rebel to more projects, but sign me up.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great giveaway - thanks!! I'm currently working on reusing barrels my cousin used for barrel racing practice into rain barrels...
ReplyDeleteWhat a cool book! Thanks for hosting this giveaway. I plan to turn our ratty old tshirts that I'm too sentimental to toss, into throw pillows.
ReplyDeletehttp://fortyelevencats.blogspot.com
Kooyhome@gmail.com
Love it! I can always use more repurposing inspiration.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great giveaway!
ReplyDeleteI save scrapes of wax from used candles and use them to make new candles.
I am about to start a repurposing project. My Great Dane puppy ate the huge pot I used to grow potatoes in, so I'm going to take a large, no longer used garbage can I have sitting around and modify it into my new potato growing bin.
ReplyDeleteawesome! I could really use his book needs some new idea's.
ReplyDeleteThanks
Heloiswegrzyn@yahoo.com
I am very interested in this book, so thanks for the chance to win. We reuse egg cartons, for starting seedlings and for starting the fires in our woodstove.
ReplyDeletedorking(as) orcasonline.com
We are currently all about re-purposing pallets, since my husband has access to all he can use at work, as well as wooden shipping crates.
ReplyDeleteWe've made garden fencing, beautiful planters, shelves (from bulb displays), and planting beds (raised).
We repurpose lots of things. The kids are always embarrassed by us when we drive slowly by to check out the neighbors trash - hey, you never know what is in there that is reusable!
ReplyDeleteI definitely fall into the jar camp. We use them constantly for EVERYTHING. Having a fabulous coop where we can refill them with pantry staples is a huge plus too :)
ReplyDeleteI save and repurpose speghetti sauce jars to store rice and beans and my dehydrated veggies in.
ReplyDeleteRe-using jars, taking the bulk bags back to the store to re-use, making birdfeeders from the occasional plastic orange juice bottle, using paperboard boxes to make book marks and stuff...so many fun ways to remake stuff!
ReplyDeleteI love repurposing! I made a bunch of Christmas gifts out of pretty wine bottles and blue Saratoga water bottles stuffed with old string lights. My first sewing project was a circle skirt I made out of a round tablecloth from a thrift store :)
ReplyDeleteSounds like the perfect gift for the kids and I to use for weekend craft days!
ReplyDeletelooks fabulous! both for myself, and for the art classes I teach...
ReplyDeleteAnother reason to hold on to every little thing that might be useful some day. Lol. I'm in! My spouse can groan all he likes about my pack rat ways.
ReplyDeleteThat book sounds super interesting--thanks for the giveaway opportunity! Right now I'm repurposing a handful of dram vials as water vessels for my spider plant babies' newly sprouting roots. They definitely spruce up the kitchen windowsill!
ReplyDeleteEco crafter? I think that term. Makes me sound more interesting than the phrase, "broke as s#*+".
ReplyDeleteI'd love to learn more ways to reuse things...especially since that would cut down on our trips to the dump with garbage (no rural garbage pick up really makes one shift their consumption habits!)
I love love love eco-crafting, sometimes I worry I border hoarding when it comes to the phrase, "Hey don't get rid of that, I could do (enter something dreamy and magical here) with is!" Among my favorites crafted out of something else: our chicken coop, feminine items, dresses from pillow cases, and hats from wool sweaters.
ReplyDeleteMy wife and I are working hard on reducing waste and finding better ways of reusing things. This book would definitely be a great help!
ReplyDeleteThis book looks great.
ReplyDeleteI always reuse old bottles, from peanut butter jars to wine bottles. I especially like using nicer bottles for flower vases(for early spring flowers!) I just recently saw something about using old light bulbs as hanging vases...can't wait to make some! mailmegster@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteThat's friggin awesome.
ReplyDeleteOver christmas I used mason jars to create snowglobes:
http://gastronomicalsovereignty.blogspot.com/2011/12/pledges-film-friday-home-is-where-food.html
I've been playing with rag rugs lately -- this past year I knitted one, braided one, and made 2 toothbrush rugs -- and have used up a lot of fabric scraps and old clothes that way. People who see me making them either wonder why when I could buy a rug at a dollar store or gush about handmade rugs selling for hundreds. I just make them 'cause it's fun and they feel good underfoot!
ReplyDeleteThis book looks like something I'd enjoy!
Thanks for offering this giveaway.
ReplyDeleteI also made a holder for my earrings, but out of an old weathered wood picture frame. I screwed in little eyes and then strung some wire across to hold my earrings.
I also like to reuse those plastic packages from fruit (blueberries, strawberries etc) to start my seeds in. ~Eileen
Looks like a fun book! I'll be glad to recycle it for you.
ReplyDeleteI just found your blog from the Sow True Seed blog. I can't wait to have time to read all your back posts. I would love this book, if I don't win I will have to check it out to buy.
ReplyDelete