Skip to main content

Upcycle

The Winter 2026 issue of GreenCraft just hit the stands, and this is the only magazine that is a must-buy for me. 2026 was supposed to be a no-spend year, too, but so far my health insurance premiums have gone up only $200.00 per month, so until that changes I'm allowing myself to buy some materials and things like this to inspire me now and then.

As always I was wowed by the dozens of upcycling project and repurposing ideas in the issue.

Just looking through it is a joy. I've always wanted to make some bracelets out of buttons, and "From Button Box to Bracelet" by Deborah Helms offers a simple project to do just that.

Visible mending gets the spotlight in "Worn, Torn and Mended" by Elliot Harper, who uses old jeans and sashiko-inspired stitching to make a tote.

The issue also offers 14 ways to repurpose unwanted discards and junk in your garden, and the photos in this section are simply stunning.

I love GreenCraft because it does inspire me to focus on reusing and repurposing rather than buying new, and in such a lovely way that it becomes art. Definitely check out this issue if you want some new and wonderful upcycling ideas.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Make It Yourself

As we head into December, here are ten ideas for easy handmade gifts: Cookie Exchange: If you live close to your friends invite them over for a cookie exchange. Basically everyone bakes a set amount of their favorite cookies, and these are exchanged at the gathering by lottery, sharing a little from each batch with everyone, or however you want to do it. You can also exchange recipes, too. My neighbor did this once and it was wonderful. Favorite Recipe Cookbook : For my favorite person I found a copy of my favorite cookbook from a vintage bookseller (yes, I am that old) and went through it making notes on all the recipes I used, how I tweaked them, etc. Ornament: There are probably a million free tutorials on how to make your own holiday ornaments, so do some research online. I like to make hanging pomanders , which smell heavenly and are biodegradable after the holidays. Mug Rugs: If you sew, making up a set of mug rugs is simple and easy; I add these every year to my ...

Better than Fried

I cut some chives from the kitchen garden to make garlic-chive baked fries for dinner. This is a great side dish for veggie burgers. Click here for the recipe from Taste of Home.com.

In the Kitchen Garden

Our strawberries are taking over the kitchen garden, but I don't mind. This week I want to make some strawberry banana nice cream (a vegan version of ice cream) and maybe a chocolate cake with berries and cream for the topping. There's thyme in the garden now, too, which I'll dry and jar for cooking along with the chives and the oregano. Next we'll plant cucumbers, as I use a ton of those in our salads and for snacks.