Mother's Day is acomin' and there's wrapping to be done. Whether you're forking out for something fancy or handmaking something handsome it always looks better if the packaging is pretty.
That doesn't mean it has to cost the earth or make you feel guilty for not being green. You can make your own gift bows from old magazines and save the planet while still maintaining the pretty.
Craftster member Miss American Pie has posted a 'super easy' recycled gift bow tutorial which takes your once-read glossy magazines and turns them into gift bows galore. It'll make you look at your used mags in a whole different way as you pick out colourful ads and the celebs with the shiniest teeth for trimmings.
She ends her tutorial with this helpful hint. "WARNING: May cause serious addiction. Craft at your own risk." so don't tell me you haven't been warned when you Mum can't get to the present for all the fabulous bows you've fashioned to decorate the wrapping.
Kathryn Bigelow scoops the first female Best Director Oscar, Sandra Bullock tells everyone how much she loves them, Jeff Bridges thanks everyone on the planet individually. Isn't it about time that you had your own moment dramatically clutching a shiny, bald, golden statuette to your chest?
If you're not up for embarking on a film career to get you behind that podium you can always make your own Oscar.
The Everything Mom site begins by ruthlessly shaving the head of a charity shop Barbie doll and ends up with a slightly bustier version of the coveted Oscar but with better legs.
Perfect for practising the part where you well up and talk about how honoured you are to be up there with so many other great bald golden Barbie winners.
Just remember to thank us in your speech because without Crafty Crafty you'd be Oscarless. We can say we knew you when.
As recent craft trends show saving the planet doesn't mean you need to grow the kind of beard that it looks like birds may be tempted to nest in and start eating nothing but lentils. For a start you could use dryer balls to keep your consumption of electricity down. You could even go one further and make your own, from recycled materials. Greenorama.
Night Owl's Menagerie's free tutorial takes you through making sewn dryer balls from recycled materials. The dryer balls help to separate the clothes while they tumble about in the machine, which means they dry faster so you need the dryer for less time.
They recommend you use natural fabrics: recycled felted wool sweaters or cheap wool yarn, with cotton alternatives if you're allergic.
The how to is free, and includes a 'motherly guilt' trip for those who may choose greener wallets over greener homes and sell the end product. I love free craft with a sense of humour, especially when it's doing good at the same time.
Snow snow snow. I love it. Other folks may moan on about chilly toes, slippy pavements and delayed trains but I can't help grinning like an idiot when the world gets all snowy. Which is why I love the idea of crafting your own little snowy world to keep year round with your very own snowglobe.
The crafty kids site Kaboose leads you through a simple tutorial taking jam jars (a bit of recycling while you craft), a glue gun, some crafty bits and a sprinkling of glitter to create your own winter wonderland.
The innards of your snowscene are entirely up to you. You can whip yourself a twee snowman scene or go a little nutty and make yourself a plastic dinosaur snow apocalypse or a plastic Spiderman taking on a yeti. I like the idea of a little London phone box from a tacky souvenir shop being given a bit of a snowy makeover.
See the full how to on Kaboose here.
If it fits in a jam jar you can snow it up. Go forth and snowglobe, crafty people.
Christmas is a time for eating, drinking and being merry. We all know that. It's a time when you wheel your trolley into the booze aisle and your eyes light up as visions of mulled wine and spiced Christmas beverages dance in your head. So while stocking up for a sozzled Christmas why not do you bit to save the planet?
The green-souled and craftily talented Michelle Kaufmann shows you how to do just that with her Recycled Wine Rack. Made from empty tin cans and a little crafty magic the wine rack is a neat way to store away your bottle of booze and make use of some of the Christmas food debris.
You can see a how to video and a full how to guide on her website.
Bzzzzt. Bzzzzt. Pop. Christmas light fail. It's that time of year again when you get to thinking about untangling those Christmas lights and wrapping them round a dead tree. Magic. But those pesky bulbs seem to have fragile hearts and are constantly giving up the ghost. What to do with a handful of burned-out Christmas lights bulbs?
Singing "I'm dreaming of a green Christmas..." Reloved Designs shows off her ever so fabulous Burned Out Lightbulb Brooch on Craftster. The brooch is a simple but very effective cluster of bulbs, beads and shiny stuff that will certainly grab fellow Christmas party-goers by the fake antlers and turn them elf green with envy.
That's not the only recycled string to Reloved Designs handmade bow either.
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Carrier bags are soooooo last season when it comes to being green and crafty. Who on earth would be been piling their groceries into something with a shop name on the side when you could be chucking your cheese and chopsuey into your Linen Grocery Tote crocheted with your own fair hands?
The Purl Bee, Soho's swish little knitting shop, have come up with a lovely pattern for all your grocery tote needs and, as usual, it's free. Clear text and picture instructions lead you gently by the hook through the whole bag-creating process from the first stitches to handles.
Get practising telling the person at the check out that you have your own bag and don't require one of theirs. Feel free to look a little smug too. It is a lovely bag.
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