Help count down the days to Christmas with a DIY reusable advent calendar made from old matchboxes and odds & ends just laying around the house.

Supplies Needed:

• 25 empty matchbox
• Metal baking tray (or something similar)
• Magnets
• Glue
• Paint, markers, glitter, scrap paper, gems, etc. for decorating
• Ribbon
• Organic chocolate treats

Let’s Get Started:

Step 1:
Start by decorating all your matchboxes. Get creative, using all sorts of stuff that you find around the house. Don’t forget to add one number (1-25) to each box.

Step 2:
Next, glue a magnet on the back of each box.

Step 3:
Add a little inspiring message and/or a yummy piece of organic chocolate to each box.

Step 4:
Arrange boxes on the metal tray in order.

Step 5:
Lastly, add a ribbon for easy hanging & enjoy!

Special thanks to yzzilnoaj over at craftster for sharing her eco holiday crafts with us.

Gobble, Gobble! It’s almost Turkey Day! And what better way to show your love for the holiday than sporting an upcycled hand print turkey shirt. The folks over at One More Moore show us how…

Supplies Needed:

• Scissors
• Paper & marker
• Used t-shirt, onesie or long sleeve shirt
• Extra fabric piece bigger than your hand
• Pins
• Spare button
• Felt
• Sewing machine or needle and thread

Let’s Get Started:

Step 1:
Trace hand on paper and cut-out. Make sure you have a piece of fabric cut just bigger than the size of the hand cut-out. With the right side of the fabric up, place inside of shirt and pin to the front (where you want your applique to be. Right side of fabric is pinned to back side of front of the t-shirt). Make sure you place your cut-out on TOP of the underneath fabric.

Step 2:
Pin the cut-out down (not pictured) and then sew around the edge of the cutout (not pictured.) Remove pins and hand template. You’ll see the outline of a hand.

Step 3:
Next, gently pull apart the inside of the hand shape that you’ve just sewn, seperating the t-shirt and fabric. Cut only the top t-shirt, along the inside of the sewn line (making sure you don’t cut the contrasting fabric underneath). Cut around entire inside of sewn line:

Step 4:
Stitch some legs. Sew on a button for the eye. Cut out some red felt for the gobble-gobble and hand sew that on.

Thanks again to the folks over at One More Moore for sharing their fun holiday eco-crafts with us.

For all you coffee and tea lovers that don’t bring their own travel mug when getting their daily java, this one’s for you.

It maybe a hassle or you just forget, well just because you’re stuck with the disposable paper cup doesn’t mean you have to be stuck with the cardboard sleeve too. It’s easy to toss your DIY cup cozy in your purse or computer bag. There’s no washing or big clunky cup to deal with.

Supplies Needed:

• Old sweater
• Scissors
• Sewing machine
• Pins

Let’s Get Started:

Step 1:
Cut about six inches or less of a sleeve off an old sweater.

Step 2:
Flip the material inside out and pin a slightly curved line just below the recently cut line.

Step 3:
Sew along the pined curved line and cut off the extra fabric and flip right side out.

Light up your porch this holiday weekend with some super fun DIY recycled tin can Halloween lanterns.

Supplies Needed:

• Recycled tin cans
• Soy or beeswax tea light candles
• Pencil, crayon or permanent marker
• Paper and scissors (optional)
• Coat hanger or sturdy wire for hanging (optional)
• Towel and firm work surface
• Hammer
• Large nail
• Freezer
• Water
• Spray paint

Let’s Get Started:

Step 1:
Clean and dry recycled tin cans, fill with water, and freeze overnight. The ice will provide support for the can as you drive in the nail holes.

Step 2:
Get your design ready. You can either use a paper pattern or draw a design directly on the can.

Step 3:
The next day, lay a thick towel on your work surface, to absorb the melting ice and to prevent the can from rolling as you work. Place the tin can on the towel. If using a paper pattern, wrap the can in the paper and tape the pattern in place. If drawing the pattern directly on the can, use a fine marker, in the the same color that you have chosen for the spray paint to draw the outline.

Step 4:
Use a hammer and a large nail to punch the holes in the outline of your design. (optional: If you want to make a hanging lantern, also punch two holes at the top, on either side of your design, to fasten hanger.)

Step 5:
Once complete with the design, immerse the can in hot water to melt the remaining ice & let dry.

Step 6:
Once can is completely dry, use your spray paint to paint all sides and bottom of the can.

Step 7: (optional)
To hang your lantern, cut a piece of sturdy wire, or use a potion of wire from a coat hanger, and bend it into an arched hanger shape. Bend up the ends and insert them into the two holes that you punched at the top of the can.

Step 8:
Place a soy or beeswax tea light candle inside the can & hang outside to welcome all the trick or treaters to your home.

A special thanks to the folks over at Natural Mommie for sharing their fun eco Halloween crafts with us.

Halloween is coming up fast! Do you have your costume ready? If not, no worries we’re here to help. Here are the top 4 eco-friendly Halloween costume tips:

1- Homemade Face Paint
Instead of purchasing overpriced plastic and rubber masks, or using toxic makeup, make your own face paint by combining cornstarch, solid shortening, and food color (optional). With a little creativity, the perfect faux mask can be created.

2- Borrow A Friend’s Uniform
If you have a friend who has a job with a very recognizable uniform such as fast food cashier or delivery person, ask to borrow their uniform.

3- Hit Up The Local Resale Shop
Go to a local thrift store & you’ll most likely find a huge selection of clothing just waiting to be transformed into the perfect Halloween costume for cheap.

4- Reuse That Old Costume
Have a costume swap party with your friends & family, or check out freecycle for used costumes in your area.

Check out this super sweet little girls blouse that Teri Dimalanta from Giddy Giddy created using a thrift store find drab purple dress and a few odds & ends she had laying around her house.

Teri first began by removing the lace on the neckline and chopping off the long sleeves, plus 4 inches of skirt. Next, she finished off the sleeves and the skirt hem. Then, she added detail to the front by hand sewing a navy floral fabric, 3 mismatched buttons and lavender lace trim. To complete the look, she added a cute dark purple apron.

A special thanks to Teri for sharing her upcycling skills with us! Teri, your little lady is the cutest in this recycled girls dress turned blouse.

Here’s a quick DIY project – upcycle old mason jars into fun funky bathroom or kitchen liquid soap dispensers.

Supplies Needed:

• Old mason jar with lid
• Drill
• Ruler
• Marker
• Soap dispenser pump
• Liquid soap

Step 1:
Measure and mark the center of the jar’s lid.

Step 2:
Drill a hole approximately half an inch wide, at the marked spot, and to fit the width of the pump.

Step 3:
Fill the jar with liquid soap, insert the pump (trim, if needed), and start washing.

I love this crocheted rug created from upcycled plastic bags by RecycleCindy over at My Recycled Bags. It totally reminds me of the ones my grandma used to make out of scrap fabric and would have all over her house.

Cindy used recycled bags from bread, hotdog & hamburger buns, paper towel & TP packaging, etc. to create this rug. She first makes her plastic yarn (or “plarn”), then uses an N (9) crochet hook and does a single crochet throughout.

I think these rugs are just a super fun throwback and a great way to recycle your plastic trash.

A special thanks to RecycleCindy for sharing her DIY crafts with us.

Got an old shirt that doesn’t fit you anymore? Instead of tossing it out, up-cycle it into a new cute beret for you, a friend, or a little one!

MJ over at eco crafts shows us how to do this with her step-by -step tutorial.

Supplies Needed:

• Old shirt
• Sewing machine
• Scissors
• Thread
• Optional: elastic

Step 1:
Cut out the fabric pieces shown in the image above: a circle with a diameter of 40 cm; another identical circle but with a 27 cm hole cut out of the middle; and a band 15 cm high by about 56 cm wide (you should measure your own head for this number; leave room for a seam but not too much room or else the hat won’t be snug enough. If you want to use elastic, cut a longer rectangle.)

Step 2:
Sew the donut-shaped piece to the circle, right sides together (the right side is the outside)

Step 3:
After you sew these together, you will have a seam on the inside of the hat. Go through and cut little triangles out of it, making sure not to hit the seam line. This helps the hat bend properly.

Step 4:
Sew the head band piece (the rectangular one) into a loop, making sure you sew the right sides together with a 6 mm stitch. Now, fold the band in half, right sides out, so that it is 7.5 cm high.

Step 5:
Sew the band to the rest of the hat, right sides together; the circumference of the donut will be longer than the circumference of the head band, so you will have to gather the donut piece; you can either gather as you stitch it onto the band, or baste the donut-shaped piece and gather it that way, proceeding to sew the band on afterward.

A special thanks to MJ & eco crafts for sharing their up-cycling crafts with us!

Calling all magazine hoarders! This DIY craft is just for you. It is a simple guilt free way to get rid of all your old magazines.

Materials Needed:

• Old Magazines
• Glue
• Scissors
• A Big Clip

Step 1
Start with a page from an old magazine. Fold the page at about a quarter inch thickness until it has a little bulk to it. Glue the edge and cut off the remaining page. I don’t recommend using the whole page, it just gets too thick.

Step 2
Next, take the strip of paper and roll it into a circle.

Step 3
Continue making strips and rolling them until you reach your desired diameter for your box.

Step 4
To keep it from unrolling, use a big clip while the glue is still drying.

Step 5
Roll a strip that is about an inch thick or so. Glue it to your roll. You’ll now have what looks like a lid. To give it more support. Make thinner strips and glue them to the outside of the thicker strip.

Step 6
Start the process again for the bottom of the box, however, make it slightly smaller so the lid will fit on it.

Step 7
Next, do the same with the bottom as you did with the lid in Step 5. However, don’t go all the way to the top with the smaller strips. This will create a little ledge for the lid to rest on.

Step 8
Finished!

Thanks to Stefanie Dean for sharing her awesome crafting ideas!