Summit of Awesome Comes to Washington D.C.

Posted on April 17, 2009 by Becky Striepe .

Hello Craft is hosting the very first Summit of Awesome May 1-3 in Washington D.C.!

What is the Summit of Awesome? It’s three days of workshops, seminars, and socializing for independent artists and crafters of all skill levels. Organizer Kelly Rand says it’s “a one way ticket to propel you and your craft to [...]

DIY: Fresh Fabric Scrap Bouquet

Posted on April 8, 2009 by Becky Striepe .

Spring is here! I want to bring my mother-in-law a pretty bouquet when we visit for Easter, but cut flowers make me so sad! They come from so far away and are usually grown with all sorts of nasty pesticides. Rather than head to the flower shop, I decided to head to my gigantic scrap bin and make her a pretty bouquet that would last longer than a live one and was more personal to boot!

Etsy Finds: Upcycled for Spring

Posted on April 5, 2009 by Becky Striepe .

If the tulips popping up in my garden are any indication, spring has officially sprung. You can even catch some spring fever over at Etsy! Check out these sweet, upcycled finds.

Clockwise from the top left: 
I’m pretty much in love with this Circus of Smiles - Vintage Enamel Flower Assemblage Necklace from Bionic Unicorn. [...]

DIY: Make Your Swiffer Guilt Free

Posted on March 25, 2009 by Becky Striepe .

Oh, Swiffer! You are so convenient; why must you also be so wasteful? The thought of all of those pads ending up in the landfill has had me racked with Swiffer Guilt. Our Swiffer has been living in the closet for quite some time now, but we recently pulled it out again.

Save Some Water with a Dry Shampoo

Posted on March 23, 2009 by Becky Striepe .

A girlfriend was showing me this Fekkai Au Naturel Dry Shampoo from Sephora. You can fight greasy hair without washing it, and that means without water! The dry shampoo is free of parabens, sulfates, synthetic fragrances and dyes, petro-chemicals, and phthalates. It does still have a few unpronounceable ingredients, though. It [...]

DIY: Give an Old Trunk a New Life

Posted on March 21, 2009 by Becky Striepe .

When there’s something in the house that starts to look a little ragged, it’s hard to resist the call of IKEA. It’s so easy to hit up that Swedish wonderland and replace an aging piece on the cheap. Rather than send that beat up old trunk to the landfill, it’s pretty easy and fun to make your own, handmade cover!

DIY Roundup: Don’t Pitch It, Stitch It!

Posted on March 17, 2009 by Becky Striepe .

We live in a culture of new. Whether we’re talking cell phones or a pair of jeans with a hole in the knee, if something is worn out we’re supposed to replace it with a shiny new one. Sometimes it feels like folks consider mending and repairing almost quaint when it’s just as easy to hit up a big box store for a replacement. It doesn’t have to be that way! A needle and thread are your weapons against waste! Let’s arm up and get mending!

Craft Project: Treat Yourself with Home Made Sugar Scrub

Posted on February 16, 2009 by Becky Striepe .

Sometimes, at the end of a long week your poor feet just need some love. Rather than hitting up the big box store for something to pamper your sore feet, give this easy peasey sugar scrub recipe a whirl!

Sugar scrubs are a really simple bath product to make, and you can keep some trash [...]

Craft Project: Wino Corkboard

Posted on February 2, 2009 by Becky Striepe .

We love to entertain. Folks come over at least a couple of nights a week to hang out, and they almost always bring a bottle of wine. Combine that with my habit of saving anything that looks like it could possibly become part of a craft project, and you have a really, really [...]