How to Make a Daisy Chain Flower Crown with Real Flowers

One of my favorite spring and summer activities as a child was making flower crowns from wildflowers and the daisy "weeds" that sprout up around March or April and keep blooming through the summer.

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How to Make an Under Water Inspired Mermaid Garden with Succulents

If you have followed the fairy garden trend, you will love this fresh spin with mermaids! This lovely DIY mermaid craft is easy to make. It uses succulents, which thankfully are hard to kill as long as you have a spot with plenty of light. Succulents are perfect for mermaid gardens because you can find succulents with a resemblance to seaweed, coral, anemones and other ocean plants.

Don't have a well lit spot for your succulent mermaid garden to go? You can still make this easy mermaid craft by using fake succulents instead. Simply fill the bowl with sand instead of potting soil and use fake succulents in place of live ones.

Of course, if you do have a well lit spot suitable for your mermaid garden, stick with fresh plants! Keeping plants indoors can help clean the air inside as well as give you a sense of well-being. 

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Easy Dill Pickle Recipe from Fresh Cucumbers

This dill pickle recipe is so easy - I can't wait to teach you how to make it!

One of my favorite parts of tending a garden during the summer is a seemingly endless supply of fresh cucumbers! 

I grow regular salad cucumbers and a smaller, pickling variety because I love making fresh cucumber pickles for my family.

This pickled cucumber recipe is super easy. Because these are lacto-fermented dill pickles, you don't need any fancy canning equipment to make them.

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How to Make Recycled Fourth of July Table Lanterns

Need and easy, last minute craft for the Fourth of July? These simple glow stick crafts are easy to whip up in just a few minutes!

This project is easy for everyone to make - including kids!

It's a fun way to include kids in 4th of July crafting that isn't messy.

Worried about the glass jars breaking? This also works with clear plastic jars.

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Tomato Growing Secrets to Help You Get The Most, Biggest, and Best Homegrown Tomatoes

For almost a decade, I've been focused on getting my tomato growing technique down to a semi-science. 

Of course, I've been growing tomatoes for much longer than that. It's just that about 10 years ago, I wanted to go from gardening simply for pleasure to gardening for purpose and got super analytical about how to get the most tomatoes possible to help reduce our food bill.

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How to Make a DIY Foaming Hand Soap Pump from a Mason Jar

This DIY foaming hand soap pump made from a mason jar is so handy for lots of reasons.

Most foaming hand soap bottles only hold 5-10 ounces of soap solution. A standard pint size mason jar holds a little over 16 ounces, so you will have to fill it up less often!

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How to Make a Shopping Bag from a T-Shirt (no sewing required!)

I live in Oregon, a state which recently implemented a ban on single use plastic bags at check out.

You can still get a paper bag of course, but be prepared to pay $0.05 for each paper bag you need.

But you know what's still free?

Bringing your own reusable bags!

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How to Make a Glamping Kids Tent from an Upcycled Pallet

When my first blog was in its infancy, one of my most popular projects was a DIY kids play tent. 

That project and those (terrible) photos are long gone now but I still love a good play tent!

When I was sent a review copy of Upcycling Outdoors by Max McMurdo, I saw his take on a play tent using pallet wood and fell in love with it.

I invited Max to come teach you guys how he made his awesome DIY pallet project into kids glamping tent!

Check out Max's tutorial below and then be sure to pick up a copy of his book, Upcycling Outdoors. You can find it at both Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

Carissa

Upcycling isn’t just for adults – in fact being creative with junk really brings out the child in me!

When I was growing up I’m pretty sure I spent my entire school holidays building dens.

The joy of this design is that you can create a magical space in your garden or a den for the kids using just two identical pallets, some fabric or a bed sheet, a hammer, and nails.

The joy of using pallets the same size is that the wood is already the right length so you don’t even need to cut anything!

That means you can get the kids involved.

What could be better than helping your children create their own teepee out of reclaimed materials and then watching them make it their own, enjoying the great outdoors with their friends.

Of course, if you’re a big kid like me you might consider creating a larger, adult-sized teepee using more than two pallets and a couple of bed sheets.

To add a real magical sense of fairytale glamour, dress it up with lots of scatter cushions, some soft throws and a string of battery operated lights.

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How to Make an Envelope from Paper or Magazine Pages

While envelopes aren't exactly expensive, making envelopes out of paper - like scrapbook paper, junk mail or magazines - is a fun way to recycle and get super cute envelopes at the same time!

This sample envelope, for example, was made from the paper cover of Real Simple magazine. Beautiful!

Once you learn how to make an envelope, you'll want to do it all the time!

There is no better way to make your mail stand out and feel special than sending it in a cool envelope.

Making envelopes from paper is easy enough that elementary-age kids, preteens and teens can do it as a fun rainy day project. And who wouldn't love to get mail in a special, custom made envelope?

Ready to learn how to make envelopes out of paper you have at home? Let's do it!

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How to Make a Ladybug Bug Catcher from a Recycled Jar

I made this easy recycled ladybug bug catcher craft with my son almost seven years ago for Earth Day when he was in preschool!

It's a great way to turn an empty glass jar into something cute your kids will use and enjoy.

The lid of this jar is painted to look like a ladybug and includes fun 3D features like eyes and antennae.

Catch bugs in the jar to observe through the glass - just be sure to let them go when you're done!

This is an easy kids craft to make with your preschool or kindergarten class to encourage them to get outside, looking for bugs and exploring in the garden!

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How to Make the Perfect Basic Iced Tea at Home (It's so easy!)

If you want to learn how to make iced tea at home, you are in the right place!

Iced tea is surprisingly easy to make from scratch.

I'll admit that I had NO IDEA how to make iced tea until I worked at Starbucks in college. Which was, ahem, a while ago.

Before I knew the secret for how to make iced tea at home, I thought if you wanted iced tea at home that you had to mix powdered tea mix into water or buy a gallon of ready-made tea.

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How to Use Old Jeans to Make a Cute Valentine Garland

Declutter for the new year by finding a fresh use for old jeans and decorate for Valentine's Day at the same time with this clever heart garland!

This denim upcycling project took me about 1.5 hours to make (photographing in the middle slows things down a little). If you are already good at sewing, it might take you an hour.

This is an easy to moderate craft and could certainly be done all by hand if you do not have a sewing machine.

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How to Make a Giant Jenga Yard Game

If you have ever wanted to make a giant Jenga style yard game, you're in the right place!

This jumbo Jenga project had been on my list for two years - since my husband and I played it at an outdoor bar and decided we needed a giant Jenga yard game set for our house, too. 

But you know how life goes: first we forgot about it.

Then when we remembered we were like, "Oh yeah, let's make that giant jenga game soon!" 

And then "soon" turned into another year. 

Whoops! It's finally done, though. 

Giant jenga (or as some might call it life size jenga) is the perfect yard game to play outside at BBQs, picnics or family get togethers! 

It's a great beginner woodworking project and it's super affordable, too (less than 10!). It also makes a great gift for outdoor, BBQ and tail gating enthusiasts.

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Fresh Avocado DIY Bath Bomb - Inspired by Lush Bath Bomb Recipe

Lush is highly regarded as the makers of some of the best bath bomb recipes. This recipe will teach you how to make bath bombs with avocado and essential oils just like the AvoBath bath bombs at Lush!

The official Lush bath bomb recipe is a little different (and of course top secret!). We do know that they use avocado and extra virgin olive oil along with bergamot and lemongrass scent.

These homemade bath bombs use avacado along with coconut oil and essential oils that still capture the same scent profile as the Lush AvoBath recipe. 

Rumor has it that the real Lush bath bomb recipe uses rosewood essential oil. Even at my favorite provider of essential oils for bath bombs, it's really expensive!

To make our DIY Lush bath bomb recipe more affordable, we use the Love essential oil blend.  It still uses bergamot and other yummy citrus oils. We also add in lemongrass oil for that fresh, avo bath scent.

I start with lower amounts of essential oils in my DIY bath bombs so that they are safe for everybody. If you love a really strong scent to your homemade bath bombs and you know you don't have sensitive skin, go ahead and add more! Sniff and adjust as you go!

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How to Grow Your Own Edible Easter Grass

We started a tradition of growing our own Easter basket grass from wheat berries about six years ago. I hate plastic Easter grass and needed an eco-friendly alternative. We had been using shredded green paper but this real Easter grass (AKA wheatgrass) is super easy to grow in about seven days. The best part? When you are done with Easter, the wheatgrass is edible! 

To eat the wheatgrass, blend it into smoothie, run it through your juicer or feed it to your pet rabbit or chickens! Growing wheatgrass is really easy and makes your Easter baskets look extra fancy. Plus there's no waste, so it's an eco-friendly win all around!

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Natural Easter Egg Dye Recipes that Really Work

Dying Easter eggs is something my family loves to do every year. 

My kids and I don't eat artificial food coloring, though, so it doesn't make sense to dye Easter eggs with a product that will mean we won't want to eat the eggs anymore! 

Dying Easter eggs naturally isn't hard - although it does take a little bit more time than dying eggs with the kits from the store. 

Try coloring your Easter eggs naturally this year with fruits, veggies, spice and even coffee!

You and your kids will love how much fun it is to combine science with Easter egg decorating!

Making natural Easter egg dyes is easy and you will love thinking up new ways to dye eggs that I didn't even list here!

If you have success with a particular way to dye eggs naturally, pop into the Creative Green Living Tribe on Facebook and let us know!

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How to Make a DIY Jean Skirt Out of Denim Pants

Have you ever wondered how to make a DIY jean skirt out of a pair of jeans? I can help!

This step-by-step tutorial will show you exactly how to make an easy denim skirt for girls or women of any age or size from a pair of jeans.

Turning jeans into a skirt is easier than you might think. This even works with jeans where the knees have blown out and lets you salvage the rest of the usable fabric.

All you need is a pair of jeans, a seam ripper, scissors and a sewing machine.

Once you make one, you will love how easy it is to upgrade the jeans you decided didn't bring you joy into cute DIY jean skirt that you'll want to do this a few more times!

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St Patrick's Day Craft: Little Leprechaun Hat Tutorial

This cute leprechaun hat tutorial for St Patrick's Day is one of my oldest projects - I first wrote this St Paddy's Day craft tutorial back in 2013!

I had never been a big St Patrick's day crafter but with a three year old who loved holidays, I had to do something. 

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How to Make Patches from Recycled Jeans

Hi creative friends, it's Natalie from Doodlecraft here to teach you how to make patches from denim scraps!  

This is a fun upcycled craft that you can make from an old pair of jeans. You don't even need a whole pair! 

It's a great way to use up any scraps leftover from a project you made with recycled jeans like Carissa's really popular Farm Girl Apron from old jeans project or this upcycled denim crown project.

It's really easy to make denim patches using Dimensional Fabric paint (some might call it puffy paint).  

These colorful patches are perfect for adding embellishments to a tote or backpack. They are a fun craft to do with older kids or even as a summer camp craft.  

I have rainbows, unicorns, diamonds, flowers and narwhal patches featured here, but get as creative as you like--the sky is the limit!

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DIY Panda Unicorn Valentine Box with FREE Printable Pattern

Looking for a unique unicorn valentine box?

If you love pandas, unicorns or pandicorns (or is it pandacorns?), you will love my pandicorn panda unicorn valentine box.

I want to help you succeed with your DIY unicorn valentine box so I have also made a FREE PRINTABLE TEMPLATE to help make crafting your unicorn valentines box super easy.

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