I have recently discovered a beautiful blog called Homegrown Happy. It's written by a new mother living not too far from me on the coast of Northern California. Jazmin is a new friend, and I love her attitude and her gorgeous family. She also has a very interesting lifestyle. Her home is remote, her needs are simple, and her aesthetics are driven by natural beauty. Her posts are inspiring and achievable at the same time, and the projects come alive with Jazmin's personal stories.

She and her husband Arnoud worked together to create buttons from an oak branch for their baby Finn. The tutorial is easy to follow, and has great photography.

Her granola recipe is not just about oats! The story of how Jazmin came to like granola for breakfast is too sweet.

Holly of Chez Beeper Bebe embarked on a summer-long project of crafting a wardrobe of cloth napkins for her home, and recently reached her goal of 40 napkins. Along the way, she's shared tutorials for several of the napkin variations she's used, including ruffled napkins and ric rac-trimmed napkins. She's concluded her series with a tutorial and patterns for these adorable embroidered face napkins.

Don't be confused by the title - we're not talking superheroes here. Actually, kids can feel like superheroes when they scavenge through the recycling bin to find the materials to make this fun and quick-to-assemble bat mobile. Ellen from The Long Thread shares not only how to assemble the mobile, but also provides a pattern to use for the bats!

File this under "brilliant" and "why didn't I think of that." Betz White shares her genius, and ever-so-easy, steps for covering a boring old canvas tote with fabric, resulting in a nicely lined bag with straps with minimal effort. Brilliant!

Garth Johnson and Jeanée Ledoux have paired up to bring you an instructional DVD of eco-friendly craft projects called Re-Construct . The DVD format is really fresh, and watching Garth and Jeanée is captivating and quite relaxing at the same time. They are both talented artists whose unique personalities come through, complement one another, and keep things interesting. Their tone and format is so natural and casual it feels like they're hanging out in your living room teaching you how to make cool green crafts.

The DVD features 11 different projects made with second-hand materials, some built from scratch and others modding existing things you may have. The projects include High-Heel Hooks, a Cardboard Ottoman, the Starry Blender, Eggshell Planter, and Stenciled Pillow, to name a few. My favorite project, which I can't wait to make, is the Book Shelf, a floating shelf with hidden hardware fashioned from a vintage book (designed by Ezra Waltermaurer of Little Fish Furniture).

Garth and Jeanée make all the steps very clear and easy, while keeping it fun and quirky, all accented by the smooth, organ-infused lounge music in the background. And you can use the techniques they teach as inspiration and direction for other projects you dream up.

Here's more about the Fuji EnviroMAX batteries:

The materials that make up a Fuji EnviroMAX battery are derived from the basic elements of the Earth. There is nothing inside a Fuji EnviroMAX battery that will harm the environment if it is disposed of through normal waste systems. A few reasons why are that Fuji EnviroMAX batteries contain no harmful mercury, cadmium - nor are they packaged with dangerous (and non-recyclable) PVC plastic. Instead, Fuji EnviroMAX batteries are made in some of the world's most eco-respectful battery plants, operating under some of the most strict standards of environmental responsibility. In fact, most of all resources used in the Fuji EnviroMAX manufacturing process are reused and recycled! What's more, Fuji EnviroMAX batteries are labeled and packaged with recycled paper and P.E.T. plastic. The result is batteries that meet a world standard for environmental responsibility and recyclable materials. And no other batteries are so respectful of our environment as Fuji EnviroMAX.

Oftentimes, the bounty of the season is, well, bountiful and more plentiful than can be used immediately. In my garden, the mint, parsley, and cilantro are thriving, and while I love using these fresh herbs in my cooking, I still have way more than I can use fresh. Enter our flashback for this week: a solar herb dryer by renowned green architect Michelle Kaufmann from the pages of CRAFT Volume 09, our Crafting Green issue. Made with reused materials including a wooden picture frame, wire mesh, and 4 old wine corks, the dryer is not only functional but lovely to look at as well. Herbs grown and dried at home are by far superior in flavor to their store-bought counterparts, and they make great gifts when combined with crafty packaging.

Check out the full tutorial shared here in our Digital Edition. You can also still pick up a back issue of Volume 09 from the Maker Shed for much more green crafting goodness.

Jennifer Ackerman-Haywood of Crafty Sanity shares her methods for making fun, funky jewelry from plastic items in your recycle bin.

Cathe of Just Something I Made shares how she transferred images to these wooden poker chips, and has even included a downloadable PDF of the images she used so you can try it at home!

[ via Sister Diane ]

Filth Wizardry shares the steps she went through to create this awesome Wall-E robot model with her kids. She has some brilliant re-uses for everyday materials in there. Can you guess what all the pieces are?

[ via croqzine on Twitter ]

I grew up around newspapers (my dad was in the business) and I always loved the smell and feel of newsprint and ink. Jessica from How About Orange has a great tutorial for transforming bits of newspaper into adorable flowers to adorn just about anything. I think it could be fun to do this with a scraps from a paper from a significant date or event as a gift.

The folks over at Smart2BeGreen have put together a list of handy tips for making your wedding greener without sacrificing your style or dreams. Everything from using digital cameras to taking a green honeymoon and using organic fruit instead of cut flowers for the centerpieces.

They've graciously let us reprint their quick tips, so here ya go:

• Let blooms thrive in their natural habitat. Instead of cut flower bouquets, create centerpieces of colorful organic fruit or beeswax candles.


• Stick with digital photography only-no film. Upload your photographer's shots to an online album. Then, give your parents picture frames made from recycled or reclaimed wood.


• Choose a green honeymoon. Pick a vacation destination close to home, offset your carbon emissions from transport, stay in a LEED-certified hotel or locate a sustainable resort.


• Save paper. Ask your guests to RSVP on your wedding website! You'll save hundreds on first-class postage by being a first-class enviro-citizen.

Smart2BeGreen also includes a list of resources for finding eco-friendly products and where to donate your wedding gown for charity if you're so inclined. Check it out online or subscribe to their e-newsletter, which is packed with simple tips for greener living.

We eat a lot of cereal in our house, which results in loads of boxes being sent out for recycling. There is an abundance of cool cereal box crafts on the Internet, many of which we've featured here, but this one is a favorite for me. My kids are always wanting to play on my laptop, and Allie from No Time For Flashcards has come up with a great craft to satisfy both their desire for a laptop of their own and my desire to reuse all the cereal boxes we have in our house. Using simple alphabet stickers and markers, she shows how to let a kid create their own computer from an empty cereal box. I'm bookmarking this one for summer ....

Materials:

Orchid
Sphagnum moss
Small amount of dirt or coco fiber
Fiskars Floral Shears
18-gauge floral wire
Board

Directions:

Step 1: Wait until the orchid you want to plant has finished blooming, then cut the stem at the base. Remove the plant from its pot and shake loose any bark or dirt from its roots.

Step 2: Loop a length of wire around 2 opposite corners of the board. Twist the 2 ends of the wire together in the back.

Step 3: Next, lay a pile of sphagnum moss on the center of the board. Then add a handful of dirt on top. Add the orchid to the pile on the board. Cover it with a second handful of dirt, and a final layer of moss.

Step 4: Secure it to the board with wire. Wrap wire back and forth, starting at one of the pre-wired corner. Lace the new length of wire across the moss and orchid several times. Tug the wires tight to cinch them down and hold the plant against the board firmly. The board can be hung indoors or out.

Amy at Craft Chi shares how to make handy magnetic bookmarks from all those marketing magnets that are cluttering up your refrigerator door. Brilliant!

When I was in Portland, Oregon last month, I had the pleasure of meeting and hanging out with Garth Johnson of Extreme Craft. He gave me a copy of his new DVD, Re-Construct: Eco-Friendly Crafts Made Easy that features "11 original recycled home decor projects." Garth stars with product designer, Jeanee Ledoux, who designed and produced the DVD.

The pair tackles hip projects like floating book shelves, fabric painting and making cardboard furniture. The DVD is a lot of fun, and I love that there is a philiosophy not only of recycling and reusing behind the projects, but also of using craft to enrich your life. That's good stuff! You can read more about the DVD and subscribe to the Re-Construct blog through their web site, as well as preview the DVD above and see a bonus project below. Enjoy!

Red Bird Crafts shares how to make this sweet, simple hanging basket from items scavenged from her recycle bin.

I love these simple cereal box journals from the long thread. I see all kinds of possibilities for decorating the cover with stamps or fabric, but also love the clean look of the un-altered box lining. We eat loads of cereal in our house, and I love the idea of doing this project with or for my kiddos to reinforce the lessons of reusing materials we already have on hand.

Longtime recycling maven and CRAFT contributor Tiffany Threadgould is a busy, busy girl these days.

Besides running her fabulously clever recycling and reuse company, RePlayGround, she's working on articles for us here at Craftzine.com, writing a book, and is one of the stars (yes, I said it, she's a star!) of the new show Garbage Moguls, in which she works as a product designer for the company Terracycle. The company is taking garbage and making useful things out of this trash, thereby robbing the landfill of more content. The company's home to a lot of different personalities, who keep you highly entertained for the hour-long show.

Here's a shot from the show where she's not licking a cookie wrapper but a coworker named Albe doesn't have any qualms about doing just that:

And here's a preview of the show, which premiered this past Wednesday on Earth Day. You should definitely record this on your DVR-of-choice or tune in this Saturday, April 25th, at 10 p.m. Congrats, Tiffany, and we hope it's a flyaway hit (just like the kite)!

Rio de Janeiro-based artist Mana Bernandes has a knack for elevating everyday objects to elegance with her jewelry. Pictured above is Clasp, a gorgeous necklace made of bobby pins, fit for a green goddess. Check out more of her innovative work at Munique and on her site. (Her toothpick and pearl necklace is featured on page 54 of CRAFT Volume 09.)

Crafty Chica, Kathy Cano-Murillo, is posting an Earth Day-inspired project an hour for the 24 hours of Earth Day. It's still early, and she's already got cool projects like cigar box birdhouses and a fabric pillow ring. Be sure to check back in with her all day long for all the projects!

Back in CRAFT Volume 09, the multi-talented Brookelynn Morris opened our eyes to the wonders of growing a garden hydroponically. Brookeylnn shares instructions for a simple and compact system, perfect for the urban gardener. The introduction to this DIY explains the benefits of a hydro system:

"Why hydro instead of soil? Growing hydroponically has tons of advantages. It actually saves water! This project uses the same 5 gallons of water over and over again for a whole week. If you were watering into dirt, it would be difficult, if not impossible, to collect and recirculate the water.

Hydro also saves space. In a typical soil garden, the lettuce plant will only grow as big as the 4" pot will let it. With hydroponics, the roots of the plants will actually grow right out of the pot, allowing the plant get as big as it likes. Or at least as big as it can before you eat it!"

Brookelynn teaches us the basics of the setup, then gets us going starting a tray of yumminess from seed. We learn how to mix the growing media as well as the nutrients to feed the plants. The whole system takes up such little space that you no longer need a sizable property to grow your own flourishing garden. Water is the key!

In honor of Earth Day, we're sharing this project with you in our Digital Edition, so you can get started setting up your own hydro veggie garden. And to pick up CRAFT Volume 09, head on over to the Maker Shed. This Green Craft issue features resources for the eco-crafter, Michelle Kaufmann's elegant herb dryer, furoshiki fabric folding, great ideas for recycling cereal boxes, a vintage book stash box, a mosaic table project, precious metal clay jewelry, a primer on using Google Sketchup, and so much more.

Patricia of A Little Hut shares this fantastic project for covering a glass hurricane. Can you figure out what common household product she used to create the design? I couldn't! Go check out her post for all the details.

Sister Diane is a fabulously crafty girl who not only continuously comes up with a variety of creative projects, but she embodies the DIY spirit with her positive attitude and willingness to share ideas with others. She has shared a number of great project with us on the pages of CRAFT, as well as on our site. Back in CRAFT Volume 04, Diane showed us how to make shimmering embossed greeting cards using aluminum foil:

Then, in Volume 08, Diane represented for her hometown of Portland and gave us an insider crafty view of the city with her Travel Crafty feature, which even included a super cool tutorial on how to use Google Maps to map out the city's hot spots. In Volume 09, Diane shared another custom card tutorial with us, showing readers how to machine sew, heat emboss, and embroider paper. In our last issue, Volume 10, Diane taught us how to make homemade flavored bitters, a key ingredient in tasty drinks. In her example, she used dried cherries and spices--yum!

We checked in with this crafty girl to see what she's been into recently and this is what she wrote:

"As usual, I'm doing about 15 things at once! I blog weekly for CraftStylish, which has lately involved creating a lot of interesting recycled projects, like recycled cardboard baskets and decoupaged shoes."

"And I also write my own blog, CraftyPod, which contains projects, craft book reviews, and assorted crafty goodness. My podcast, also called CraftyPod, is still one of my all-time favorite projects. I've been talking to people from the mainstream craft industry there lately, trying to learn about how they view our indie craft culture.

This July, my first book comes out, which is terribly exciting. Kanzashi In Bloom: 20 Fold and Sew Projects to Wear and Give offers a simplified form of a traditional Japanese fabric flower craft. I had a great time coming up with lots of projects that incorporate these flowers: jewelry, tote bags, accessories, and home decor items."

"By the end of April, I'll release my first eBook as well: Making A Great Blog: A Guide for Creative People. I hope this book will approach the subject of blogging in a way the other blogging books don't. I'll be focusing on what goes into creating interesting and valuable blog posts, and keeping this great content flowing over time. [Check out the review of Diane's eBook posted this morning by our own Rachel Hobson for more info.]

. . . and in between all that, I'm hanging out on Twitter!"

Thanks, Sister Diane! We can't wait to check out her new book. For the meantime, with summer around the corner, we thought we'd share Diane's homemade bitters in our Digital Edition. Make sure to keep up with Sister Diane on her blog and pick up any back issues of CRAFT you may not have at the Maker Shed!

This cardboard laptop case made by instructables user nikoto mimics an upscale designer case with a similar design and uses almost all recycled materials!

More:

Cardboard laptop case on MAKE

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Instructables user Marcos used an old tire to make these trug baskets, shown above holding flowers (but they can also hold much heavier things, like tools).

Celebrate Earth Day (and nature month here at CRAFT) with some DIY green projects over at Instructables. Learn tips for urban gardening, how to build a composter, recycle paper, and getting a tree planted on your block in San Francisco.

How-To: Make a Nature Can
By Megan Heep

Kids filling your pockets with nature's treasures? Or maybe you can't help but pick up rocks, shells, and pretty moss yourself. Here's what you do: make a Nature Can, using materials you probably have at home, for your kids (or you) to stylishly and conveniently carry their own collections.

Vermicomposting: Zero Waste = A Vibrant Garden
By Wendy Tremayne

Daniel Tainow wishes to reunite fungus, bacteria, and invertebrate communities with the human communities of gardeners, eaters, and wearers of clothing. Tainow is the Compost Project Coordinator of the Queens Botanical Garden located in New York. He envisions a future in which there is no difference between the natural and the human realms. The actualization of this vision begins with compost. According to Tainow, composting natural fibers at home offers the realization that we are an important part of the cycles of life.

If you consider that everything that was once alive can be composted, it is remarkable how little actually gets composted. To name a few items: paper, human waste, hair, dryer/bellybutton lint, people, sheet rock, animals, vegetable and plant material, and natural fibers can all be returned to nutrients that revitalize the earth. This zero-waste loop can be started in about half an hour with little to no money spent.

To prepare for this project, you might go back in time and muster up the thrill you felt when animating sea monkeys from strange powders or watching Chia Pets spring to life from a splash of water. Imagine encouraging life for the perpetuation of life instead of for the thrill of manipulating it. Welcome to 21st-century thinking.

As makers of things, we know that life is as interesting as our interest in it. And recycling at home offers a fascinating and educational view of the process of transformation from waste to life. According to Tainow, "Composting immediately reduces household waste by 25% to 50%" and "triggers a chain of events: the reduction of carbon emissions from petroleum-burning trucks and their delivery of heat-trapping waste that produces methane and water-contaminating leachate to landfills." If you have a food-growing garden, homegrown compost will also reduce your exposure to toxins through chemical fertilizers that are used on much of the food we buy in stores. But perhaps the greatest gain is the experience of reconnecting with the natural world. Welcome home.

Once started, your compost equips you to be the bringer of life as you gift your harvest to anyone with a potted plant or garden. Compost cookies (compost rolled and compressed into cookie shapes and dried) make wonderful DIY gifts. If you've ever enjoyed guerrilla gardening (tossing balls of seeds and earth into vacant plots of land) you might consider guerrilla composting too.