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!

I just love this super funky lamp made out of recycled soda pop can tabs by Tasha Duckman over at Craftster.

Tasha created this tree lamp for a class project. She started by weaving her tabs together with ribbon first, then she used wire to mold and keep the desired tree shape. She then finished it up with wiring and a CFL bulb.

Tasha’s whimsical tree is just so creative and really demonstrates that one person’s trash is really another person’s treasure.

On a soda can DIY up-cycling kick…Check out these stunning brooches created from recycled soda cans.

Supplies Needed:

• Soda Cans
• Scissors
• Ruler
• Marker
• Clear Tape
• Pin
• Game Card or Other Image

Step 1 -
Cut empty soda can with scissors into a rectangle shape.

Step 2 -
Mark with lines to fold and cut.

Step 3 -
Cut away what is not needed.

Step 4 -
Fold.

Step 5 -
Cut out a part of a game card or use another image.

Step 6 -
Put image into frame and add your pin to the back.

Step 7 -
Fold the whole thing together.

Step 8 -
Secure edges with clear tape.

Step 9 -
Done. Now you have a super cool new pin to sport with any fun image or slogan in it.
Each brooch is 3×3cm.

Special thanks to cocinero for sharing your super fun eco-crafts with us.

I love this purse made from recycled soda cans. It is so cute and of course eco-friendly.

Supplies Needed:

• Soda Cans
• Stapler & Staples
• Purse Template
• Knife & Scissors
• Ruler
• Copier
• Naugahyde or Similar Fabric
• Glue
• Wire
• Nail or Hole Punch

Step 1 -
Trace out a purse shape (including the handles) onto paper, you just need the two large sides. Then, on the template draw squares & rectangles within the purse outline using your ruler.

Step 2 -
Next, number each square & rectangle shape and make a copy of the paper. Cut one of the drawings up, so now you have a bunch of numbered shapes. The other sheet will serve  as a master copy of how the shapes went together.

Step 3 -
Then, take a bunch of soda cans, clean them and cut the tops & bottoms out of them with a knife and then regular scissors. When complete you will end up with sheets of the aluminum can.

Step 4 -
Trace the cut out shapes onto the cans. Then cut out the shapes leaving about quarter on an inch (maybe 5-7 millimeters) edge. To make it easy, write the corresponding number on each piece. If you are using a variety of sodas, make sure to think about the color combination and layout when you are cutting out pieces. Then folded the edges under, to hide the sharp edge of the can. You can use a ruler to help you.

Step 5 -
Next, arrange the shapes back into the purse template and use a stapler with regular staples to join the can pieces. You want to make sure the stapler can reach each piece to connect it, so be sure to begin joining the cans together from the middle and work your way out. Remember, the can pieces are not overlapped but side by side.

Step 6 -
For the bottom and sides of the purse, created one long strip of soda can pieces.

Step 7 -
After you have all three pieces of your purse, trace out the purse shapes onto naugahyde, or some sort of vinyl or pleather would probably work fine, just as long as its durable. Then, glue the material onto the soda can purse shapes.

Step 8 -
Then take a small nail and punch holes at regular intervals around the edges of the purse forms. Then take wire and lace all three pieces together.

Now, you’re ready for a night out on the town!

Thanks, RaraAvis for sharing your up-cycling eco-crafts with us.

Hey Ladies….You know that bra that never quite fit right or the nursing bras you never plan to use again. Instead of letting them take up room in the back of the drawer, recycle them for a good cause!

The Bra Recyclers is a textile recycling company in Arizona, that started the The Bosom Buddy Program. This program gives donated bras to women who need them, whether through shelters or other programs that help women gain self-sufficiency.

It’s really easy, just follow these 4 simple steps:

1. Wash It. All bras must be washed.
2. Tag It. Fill out Bra Recycling Form.
3. Box It. Place your bras in a box or large envelope.
4. Drop It Off or Mail It. Mail your bra(s) to:

The Bra Recyclers
Attention: Elaine Birks-Mitchell
3317 S. HIgley Rd, Ste 114-441
Gilbert, AZ 85297

There’s nothing better than a fresh box of brand new crayons… Runner up is a brand new up-cycled crayon. What the heck is an up-cycled crayon?

Supplies Needed:

• Old Crayons
• Aluminum Cans
• Wooden sticks or dowel rods
• Candy mold or ice cube trays
• Large Pan

Step 1 -
Making melting pots. Use aluminum cans to melt your crayons in. The first thing to do is cut off the tops. You need enough so that they are packed tightly in the pot and will not fall over. But watch out! The top will be sharp.

Step 2 -
Sort the crayons. You may want to remove the wrappers as well. We didn’t, so we had to fish them out of the melted wax.

Step 3 -
Create a water bath. Place the aluminum cans full of crayons into an old pan that has about an inch of water in it. If the cans do not have very much in them, they will float. This is a bit of a pain but the crayons inside will still melt. The wax will get very hot & never heat wax directly on the stove.

Step 4 -
Waiting. The crayons will melt at different rates, the yellow and brown melted first. Some of the inexpensive crayons never melted. You just have to fish them out or work around them.

Step 5 -
Ready to pour. Before you pour the new crayons you need to remove most of the wrappers.

Step 6 -
Time to pour. Lay out some paper and put your mold on top of the paper. Pinch a pour spout into the top of the can, use your dowel rod or stir stick to hold back any clumps of unmelted crayons. Carefully pour into the candy molds. The cans are not hot at all, but the wax is.

Step 7 -
The wax drips and things can get pretty mess, so be make sure you covered your work space or you will have a huge mess to clean up.

Step 8 –
If you need the molds fast to do you next batch put them in the freezer for about 5 minutes. The new crayons will pop right out.

Step 9 -
All Done! Let’s color!

A special thanks to SomArtMama & Instructables for sharing their up-cycling crafts with us!

Composting maybe great for the environment but it’s still a dirty, messy, smelly business with plenty of reasons not to do it. But what if you could called upon someone to handle all the dirty details of composting and make it as easy as 1,2,3?

Introducing… Compost Cab!

What is Compost Cab?
Compost Cab is a way to compost that doesn’t stink. It is a new service about to launch in the Washington, DC area making “reduce, reuse, recycle” simple.

1. Compost Cab provides you with a bin.
2. You fill the bin with what you used to call garbage: food scraps, coffee grounds, all sorts of organic trash.
3. Compost Cab will pick the bin up once a week, leaving behind a fresh clean bin with a new liner.
4. Compost Cab then turns your organic trash into fertile soil.
5. After that it’s up to you: keep some fertile soil for yourself, or Compost Cab can donate it for you to a local, not-for-profit urban farmer who grows sustainable, nutritious food for the community.

The cost for Compost Cab is a simple $8 per week per bin with no long-term commitments.

I absolutely love this idea & can’t wait for Compost Cab to hit Chicago!

What do you do with your old magazines you already read?

Instead of trashing them, Mark Montano made a bathroom trash can out of his old magazines.

You can get a detailed how-to guide in his Big-Ass Book of Crafts, but you basically coil strips of paper together & use hot glue to hold the coils together. The bottom part is one big disk with a bead of hot glue to fill in the center hole.

Thanks Mark for sharing your eco-crafts.

Vintage cake stands are all the rage these days.

Make your own from old missed matched plates, candlesticks, and other fun timeless glass crystal things. It takes only a few minutes & the results are stunning.

Supplies Needed:

• Vintage plate
• Glass candlestick (or an old fashioned tulip shaped sundae dish, or a drinking glass, etc.)
• Crystal drawer pull (this is optional)
• Epoxy glue (slow drying if you are making more than one vintage cake stand)
• Ruler
• Sharpie
• Popsicle stick
• Q-tip
• Something to mix your epoxy in (I used a recycled aluminum tray)

Step 1:
Find the half way point on the back of your plate and place a dot using a Sharpie or other marking device.

Step 2:
Pour your epoxy in a well ventilated area & mix it using a Popsicle stick per the instructions.

Step 3:
Dip Q-tip in epoxy and coat the rim of the candlestick.

Step 4:
Adhere candlestick to back of plate using fingers to press it into place.

Step 5: (Optional)
If you are adding a drawer pull to the other side of the plate, place a dab of epoxy glue on the drawer pull. Turn plate over and adhere to middle of plate.

You can also make two tier cake stands using one small plate and one dinner plate. Just make sure the base is good and sturdy. The last thing you want is your goodies to topple over!

A special thanks to Intimate Weddings for sharing their eco-crafts with us!

Tell the world what you do to make it a better place by wearing this totally unique t-shirt by STAY VOCAL.

Each of these tees is emblazoned with a patch that says, “I make the world better by _______ what do you do?” The fill-in-the-blank design is for you to tell everyone what you are doing to make the world better.

STAY VOCAL is a Green America certified ReUse apparel company. All of their tees come from either thrift stores finds, donations, or are brand new t-shirts that were going to be destroyed because of a misprint or over printing.