Stampington and Company

GreenCraft is their ode to all things green, recycled, upcycled and more.

In the premier issue you’ll find over 50 stylish and sustainable projects to inspire you.

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And so, this green crafty book review will look a little different than my review of Weekend Sewing or the Crafty Chica’s Guide to Artful Sewing. I’m starting from the presumption that many of the projects in Organic Crafts will be too simple to appeal to an adult crafting for herself, and that’s okay.

Some projects, however, are pretty awesome, and it’s those that I’m going to review.

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But your church camp and your preschool I’m sure didn’t have the same standards of artistic quality that I do. When I say that you can dye dried pasta, I sure don’t mean that you can dye it some pale color that’s all uneven, anyway, and looks like something a three-year-old should be stringing on elastic cord.

I’m talking about pasta that POPS. I’m talking about bright colors, jewel tones, gorgeous shades of emerald or hot pink that will inspire even you, you jaded crafter you.

Because you know there are some things you totally want to make with this beautiful dried pasta. A mosaic? Some biodegradable jewelry? a chandelier to hang in the kitchen?

Here’s how:

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One of the great things about visiting the web sites of craft fairs, however, is the vendor list–most artists have a web presence these days, so perusing the list of vendors is one way to check out all the Renegade-worthy artists even if you can’t be there for the ambiance.

Web shops also help me decide where I want to shop in person, if I am attending a craft fair. I like fair trade, natural, and recycled work, which info is generally available at an artist’s web site, so I don’t have to feel bad about grilling a super-busy vendor in a super-busy booth on the opening day of a major craft fair.

So, nope, I wasn’t able to make it across the entire country to visit San Francisco for Renegade (although I’ll be there in about three weeks, darnit!), but here are some of my favorite vendors who were there without me:

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Although my bread-and-butter is the ubiquitous record bowl, I’ve made everything from jewelry to artwork with these babies. If only I could bring to them my love of fabrics, especially the ones in those big sample books of upholstery fabric that I bought at a charity thrift store a few months ago and have been so obsessed with…

Mwa-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!

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The best crafts, in my opinion, are thematically appropriate (red, white, and blue, you know) without being too slavish (the flag isn’t for wearing, my friends) or too country (denim is best if it’s ironic).

And, of course, the best project has to be eco-friendly–what’s up with craft foam, anyway? It’s like wool felt for anti-environmentalists(not that I’m automatically a fan of wool felt, mind you–it comes from sheep).

Anyway, here are five 4th of July projects that satisfy my own discerning tastes AND are quite able to be completed by the big day. Fireworks away!

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In Wisconsin for Matt’s grandma’s garage sale, the family and I took a couple of days to recover up in Door County. Along with cheese curds, beaches, and dairy farms, we spent half a day at the Hands on Art Studio in Fish Creek.

Holy cow.

For a lady who loves to dabble in anything DIY, who hates cookie cutter crafting, and who plans to move everyone out to a farm before the eldest baby is more than a decade old (I’m speaking of myself, here), the Hands On Art Studio? Was awesome.

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I still don’t have an infinity of free time, however, and so not only am I gardening with the lasagna garden method, but I’m also basically eschewing nearly all ornamentals. I like my garden to be pretty, sure, but I also need it to multitask for me.

Multitasking means sunflowers, and speckled cranberry beans that climb them. It means kale in the border garden, and carrots in between the lilac bushes.

It also means that I’m growing many of the natural materials that I’d like to craft with in the coming year. Here’s a list of what I’m growing, and some other ideas for what you could put in your own crafty garden:

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Generally, this makes the positives of green crafting quite clear. When I craft with recycled materials, then I know that I’m taking positive action for the environment even if what I’m crafting with was originally some sort of resource-heavy plastic–felting around dumpster-dived plastic Easter eggs to make shaker eggs or play food for my daughters, perhaps, or incorporating costume jewelry into a new piece.

The ethics of crafting even with natural materials, however, are trickier, because you have to consider not just the nature of your material, but also its provenance.

Take wood.

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And so what if we’re always supposed to be “crafting a green world?” Maybe you could craft a little greener on Earth Day. Or try something new. Or do without some awesome supply you might normally buy. Or take something weird out of your trash can and turn THAT into something awesome.

Or, since you’re already pretty green and already pretty crafty, you can just feel okay about that on Earth Day. That’s totally fine.

However, if you’re feeling extra-inspired, here are five eco-friendly projects all ready for Earth Day craftiness:

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February 25, 2009 

Dear Mrs. Finn, [I specifically signed my name as “Ms.”–harumph)

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1. In a mass-market, consumer culture society, in which creation is often thwarted by purchase, and beautiful, meaningful things are often replaced by cheap, disposable, products created far away by workers in often untenable situations, it’s very important for EVERYONE to realize their capability for artistry and for things that are made by one’s own hands. Crafting defined as artwork can help bring significance to crafting and relevance to artwork.
2. Green crafting, especially, is an important craft to highlight as art because of the added significance it takes on in our current environmental context and its status as a sustainable, perhaps even healing practice both for our world and for ourselves.

As a crafter, no matter your craft, Artist Trading Cards are a fun, easy, and accessible way to translate your work into artwork. Here’s how to get started:

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Sewing Green (STC Craft | Melanie Falick Books) will be released March, 2009.

Here’s a sneak preview and a little bit more about the author.

White is not new to the craft scene.  Her first book, Warm Fuzzies — 30 Sweet Felted Projects was published in 2007.  Betz has a passion for wool felting and walks us step-by-step (patterns included in the back of book) on how to transform second-hand sweaters into some unique craft items.  Projects include a bonbon journal, messenger bag, scarves, a hand-puppet, and some delicious felted cupcake pin cushions.

White’s newest book, Sewing Green — 25 Projects Made With Repurposed & Organic Materials , is all about taking an existing item (think cashmere sweater found in a thrift-shop, or a dress shirt that’s been hanging in the back of a closet forever) and turning it into something ‘new’ and functional.  White will show us twenty-five projects that all start with re-purposed materials.  Cashmere sweaters are deconstructed, then re-constructed to become a warm and cozy blanket.  Men’s dress shirts are transformed into an apron AND a wallet.

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It’s chock full of eco-project goodness, and what green crafting smorgasbord would be complete without a signature rant by yours truly? Even former CAGW head writer, Victoria Everman, has contributed a list of web resources. Click here for an exclusive preview!

If you are interested in finding out more about the concepts in my article, be sure to check out the Make Like a Tree series I wrote for Etsy.