Got an old sweater that doesn’t fit you anymore? Instead of tossing it out, up-cycle it into a new sweater vest for a little tyke. Dana over at Made created this awesome tutorial with incredible images on how to do just this.

Supplies Needed:

• Man’s or Woman’s Sweater
• 1/4 yard knit ribbing (Ribbing is simply knit fabric with ribs in it. You can find it in most fabric stores, sold on bolts.)

Dana used a sweater vest her son already owned as a guideline. If you don’t have a sweater vest, use one of your son’s shirts as your guide. If there’s a nice waistband on the sweater, you’ll want to use that for your vest. So lay the vest on the bottom.

Cut out a front & back, similar to the store-bought vest and add an extra 1/2 inch at the shoulders and the side seams, where the vest will be sewn together.You do NOT need to add extra on the arm holes or the neckline. These will be sandwiched in with binding.

Measure around all four arm holes, add up the total of these measurements and cut a strip of ribbing that entire length, and about 2-3 inches wide (depending on how wide you want your binding to be.) Iron the entire strip in half. Then open it back up and iron over each side about 1/4 inch-1/2 inch down. When you’re done it should look like this.

Then cut that strip into 4 pieces so you have a binding for each shoulder piece. Take each binding strip and sandwich each arm hole inside of the binding.  Pin the binding down.

Then sew down each binding, close to the edge or about 1/4 inch from the edge of the binding. When you’re done it should look like the photo on the right.

With the right sides of the vest together, pin the front and back together at the shoulders. It’s very important that you match up the yellow binding pieces as best as you can at the shoulder so it looks like one continuous binding. Then sew the shoulders together and serge off the seams.

Your vest should look like this.

Now, onto the neck binding. With the same method used for the armhole binding, measure around your entire neck (front & back) and add an extra inch for the seam. Cut a long strip of ribbing that length of your entire neck and about 2-3 inches wide (however wide you made the arm hole bindings). Iron everything, using the same method as you did for the arms.

Now to make the “V”. Cut the binding into two pieces. Then, place your bindings on the neck, right where it will lay and fold the end of the binding over so that it makes a straight line, running right into the “V” of your neck. And cut along that straight line, like this.

Make sure you do that for the binding on both sides. When you unfold the binding pieces. With the right sides together, sew the two binding pieces together.

Turn everything right-side out (make sure you push those little angled pieces out. And when you fold everything back over it should look like this.

Start by Sandwiching the “V” of the vest right inside the “V” of the binding and pin it down. Then, move on and sandwich the rest of the binding around the neck and pin down.

When you get to the back of the vest lay one binding over the other so you can get an exact measurement of where it should close. We don’t want the binding to be too loose, or it will gather up. So…Cut it where the bindings overlap a 1/2 inch.

Then, unfold those two binding pieces together and with the right sides together, sew the two binding pieces together. Fold them back up, sandwich and pin the back of the binding to the vest, and add a label if you’d like. Almost done here! Similar to how you sewed the sleeve bindings above, sew the neck binding on close to the edge or about 1/4 inch from the edge of the binding.

Final step! With the right sides for the vest together, pin down both sides of the vest (and add a tag if you like). It’s very important that you match up the yellow binding pieces as best as you can at armhole so that it looks like one continuous binding.

Sew down each side, serge off the seams (if you don’t have a serger, zigzag or leave them raw). And….You’re done!

Thanks Dana! Your little man is the cutest in this recycled man’s sweater!

This may seam super obvious to some, but the best way to save money on laundry is by only washing full loads. This will maximize energy efficiency and conserve water. By only washing full loads you’ll be using less water per item.

It’s really easy! Just put off doing laundry as long as possible.

Show your partner that you care about him or her as well as the world surrounding the two of you with these top 10 eco-friendly gift ideas for Valentine’s Day 2010.

1- Homemade card made from recycled products or an e-card
2- Fair Trade chocolates
3- Organic flowers or a live plant from your local farmer’s market
4- Homemade organic goodies or candies delivered in a recycled cookie tins
5- Organic soaps & bath oils
6- Candles made from soy or beeswax
7- Sustainable sexy under garments made from bamboo or soy fabrics
8- Wine from a local vineyard
9- Homemade dinner with fresh seasonal ingredients from your local farmer’s market
10- Donation to a charity or an organization in your sweetheart’s name

Thrift store shopping is a great way to practice your 3 R’s – reduce, reuse, and recycle.

• Reduce – Purchasing a used item rather than a new one reduces the amount of new inputs to the environment. It also keeps all of those items that were in thrift store out of landfills.
• Reuse – Most items at thrift stores are in good condition and can be reused. Children’s clothing and toys are especially good examples of this – most children only wear their clothes for a limited amount of time before they are outgrown. In addition, some stores such as Plato’s Closet specialize in gently-used high-end clothing.
• Recycle – Thrift-store items can be recycled, or should I say up-cycled! Thrift-store goods can be given a second life by being turning into something new. Like home furnishings (pillow covers, curtains, etc.), kid’s dress-up outfits, Halloween costumes, and outdoor work clothes.

Want to know just about everything & anything Green? Well, now you can with this incredible list by Mashable.

The list includes 100+ sites that give information on everything green. Things like how to lower your carbon footprint, places to find eco-friendly shopping, communities to meet others & discuss the current topics and even dating sites where you can find other tree-huggers that are looking to mingle.

This list is pretty awesome & a great resource for anyone looking for a little Green knowledge. Check it out:  100+ Sites for Green Living

There are a lot of shampoo companies out there promising to make your hair lush & beautiful. But do they really? And to what cost? They are full of toxins & chemicals and often just turn your hair into a dry & brittle mess.

Try making your own eco-friendly shampoo & conditioner. It is a gentle way to cleanse your hair without drying it out.

Shampoo Recipe: A tablespoon of baking soda mixed with a cup of water.
Conditioner Recipe: Two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar mixed with a cup of water.

Not sure how to reuse those odds & ends around the house? How about turning them into fun toys for your feline friend.

Here are 5 ways to reuse everyday household items and turn them into cat toys.

1- Turn an old sock & some string into a mouse. Simply cut the sock in half, sew it up in a mouse shape, and leave a small opening. Stuff the half of sock you cut off into the other half that has been sewn, and attach the string tail with a few more stitches, and voila…you got a sock mouse.

2- Old shoelaces – especially the rawhide ones – make for hours of kitty fun. You can also tie them to a plastic wiffle ball and tie the other end to a doorknob, if you’re lazy.

3- If you buy milk with a plastic cap, remove the circle of plastic that attaches the cap to the bottle, toss it onto the floor, and watch your cats explode with happiness. (It’s the cheapest toys that provide the most entertainment value…)

4- If that throw rug gets old and ratty, or you get your carpets replaced, cut up some scraps and staple them with a staple gun to an old wooden board & Bingo you got an instant scratching post.

5- An old box or paper bag can be a great hideout for all kitty cats.

New Year’s Eve is all about making the most noise at midnight. This year do it in Eco-Style with these DIY recycled water bottle noise makers. They are really easy & a fun project to do with the kids.

What you’ll need:

How to make it:

Green Tip:

• Save tissue paper & crepe paper from birthday parties to use in projects such as these.

Wrapping paper from holiday gifts is largely to blame for a 25% spike in curbside trash volume between Thanksgiving & New Year’s Day, according to the EPA.

What is the eco-minded gift-giver to do?

The best thing to do if you are giving physical gifts this season is to wrap them in an eco-friendly way. You can make the wrapping a part of the gift, something that can be used for another purpose afterwords, or just use plainer wraps made from recycled materials.

Here are a few ways to give a thoughtfully wrapped present and give back to the Earth too.

Use a Container as Gift Wrap:
Containers make great no-wrapping-needed packaging. It’ll give the recipient a little hint as to what’s inside, but your creative wrapping will get years of use.

• Wooden wine boxes, baskets or tins
• Watering can or garden bucket
• Mixing bowls or a stock pot
• Canvas shopping bag
• Scarves or handkerchiefs
• Towels
• Blankets

Use Art as Gift Wrap:
When you wrap your gifts with art work you can personalize them for each recipient.

• Outdated maps, old posters, sheet music or leftover lightweight wallpaper
• Newspapers, foreign newspapers are great or the Sunday comics
• Kids’ artwork
• Magazine images

Use Recycled Gift Wrap:
To reuse gift wrap is a great way to extend the life of a product.

• Aluminum foil
• Paper or bag from last year

Jessica Aldred put together a great list of  A-Z tips for a Green Holiday, so this holiday doesn’t have to be time consuming, expensive, and cost the earth.

Here is a sample of the list…

A is for artificial trees These are not necessarily the greener tree – although they last for longer, they are made from plastic, not recyclable or from a renewable source and have probably been shipped great distances. There are also question marks over where they are made and the labor used. Real trees also help to remove carbon from the atmosphere while they are growing.

B is for batteries New gifts at Christmas often mean that households go through a lot of batteries. Batteries contain toxic chemicals, do not biodegrade and are difficult to recycle. As an alternative, we recommend using rechargeable batteries or trying the new AA size USB rechargeable batteries. By opening the cap and plugging into a USB connector, you can recharge them pretty much anywhere.

C is for Candles Paraffin candles are made from petroleum residue and are no good for your health or for the environment. Candles made from soy, beeswax or natural vegetable-based wax are more eco-friendly because they biodegrade and are smoke-free.

Check out the rest of Jessica Aldred’s A-Z tips for a Green Holiday over at the guardian.co.uk.

Thanks Jessica!