This month’s Craftster Challenge once again caters to the mind and talents of the recycled crafter: The Super Ugly to Super Awesome Challenge asks that you spend $20 or less at a second-hand store on a super-tacky, super-ugly, super-revolting object … Read More...

Steven James, owner of macaroni and glitter, created a charming Connect Four Photo Frame and Calendar for Craftster’s monthly challenge of transforming an old board game into something new. (Alas, this wasn’t the winning entry, but it is in … Read More...

Burned out on bottle cap crafts? Then maybe you haven’t seen this: Kawaii Crafter of zakka life presents a unique take on bottle cap functional art in her understated but artsy bottle cap bowl, made from the colorless plastic … Read More...

Laura Beamer‘s bottle cap jewelry featured in yesterday’s post, Bottle Cap Beauties, briefly mentioned her stunning vinyl record work, but I think they deserve a post of their very own. Shown are her popular and stunning vinyl rings, … Read More...

Laura Beamer transforms used bottle caps into top-of-the-line bracelets, necklaces, earrings, pendants and rings. She’s a collector of bottle caps, which explains the out-of-the-ordinary ones you’ll find in her jewelry.

On her collecting habit she writes, “Family, friends and acquaintances … Read More...

Are you the type of person who likes to save everything “just in case”? Or do you find yourself buying interesting doodads at a second-hand shop or garage sale that you know will work swimmingly in a project, although at … Read More...

By using coasters, coffee or water rings on your favorite magazine covers are a thing of the past — or are they? These adorable recycled coasters, complete with rope trim, are made entirely from used magazine pages. The San … Read More...

No post-consumer cardboard packaging is off limits for Ivy Lane Designs, home of “crafty-licious, one-of-a-kind, insta-collectibles,” which offers a boat-load of nicely crafted notebooks and journals made from discarded boxes. Most of the notebook covers are made from cereal … Read More...

Catherine of SweetyPrize is one versatile gal. If she’s not crocheting, she’s decoupaging. If she’s not decoupaging, she’s paper-crafting. And if she’s not paper-crafting, she’s beading.

A good portion of her items she sells on Etsy are made from recycled … Read More...

Jennifer from Made From the Heart at Etsy does a smashing (yuk, yuk) job of transforming used tin cans into stylish jewelry. I’m particularly fond of her sun-shaped Coke pendant ($7), shown.

Jenn shared with me how she started making … Read More...

Sorry if I seem to be on a totebag kick — there are just so many good ideas out there. This fine tote tutorial comes from the imagination of Tiffany of RePlayGround. Perhaps the best built-in feature of this … Read More...

Marianne Kirby of Once Upon/Reclaimed Whimsy (at Etsy) fashions some unique accessories, including a handful of gorgeous gear rings, which are typically accented with stones or beads. This ring, Gear Ring 5 ($18), is made from a salvaged gear part, … Read More...

Sisters Enqi and Xin from Singapore opened their online shop Maki Squarepatch less than a year ago and already are seeing success worldwide. No doubt it’s due to their fun, fresh and imaginative line of one-of-a-kind clothing, bags, accessories, cushions, … Read More...

Recycling artist Emily Kircher creates fabulous rugs and more from salvaged fabric. Take this adorable crocheted cupcake rug ($38), available at her Etsy store: The “cake” was made from brown corduroy dress, the frosting from a thrift store remnant and … Read More...

Craftster‘s monthly challenges are usually tons of fun for those who like to repurpose or recycle objects into crafts. This month’s challenge is no different: Total Board Game Revamp. Your challenge is to take an old board game … Read More...

I first learned about Rosie’s Place a few years ago when I purchased a couple of vintage button bookmarks from J. Jill as gifts. Rosie’s Place, based in Boston, is a sanctuary for poor and homeless women, and the Women’s … Read More...

A banner ad on Craftster prompted me to take my first in-depth look at the book The Craftster Guide to Nifty, Thrifty, and Kitschy Crafts, published in 2006 by Leah Kramer, founder of Craftster.

The book is packed with … Read More...

Love to organize? Would you love to become organized? Christy Petterson at getcrafty.com transformed a hand-me-down Rolodex into a craft organizer. She’s especially fond of dyeing fabric and making jewelry, and she finds that she can keep track of tiny … Read More...