Crafter Amanda turns simple plastic grocery bags into tote bags, wallets, floor cushions, and waterproof liners for beach bags—by fusing them together with an iron. Cut, flatten and layer six to eight bags on the ironing board, place parchment paper over them, and iron the whole stack to meld it into a useful, reusable thicker plastic for sewing together every which way. See the post for examples of what you can do with the stuff. Don't forget you can also crochet grocery bags, too.

Read More »

If your pantry's overrun with plastic grocery bags and you're feeling crafty, break out the crochet hooks and turn it into a tote bag like the one pictured. Split your bags into colours (like the red Target bags in one pile, white in another), and cut the bags into strips to make your "yarn," and hook away. I got to hold one of these in my hand, and what I'd normally write off as a cheesy craft turned out to be sturdy, stretchy, and actually quite a cute conversation starter. After the jump, so photos and links to patterns.

Read More »

With heavyweight paper, tape, and fire retardant spray, children of all ages can make a nifty origami paper lantern. Crafts web site Yasutomo runs down how. The trick is in how you fold the paper, and accuracy is crucial. Be sure to find the right size paper—Yasutomo recommends 14"x22". The result is a super cool-looking lamp that could make a nice homemade gift, too.

Read More »

Turn that stack of free AOL CDs into a dance party: cut them up into small squares, glue gun them to a Styrofoam ball and, presto! You've got a disco ball. Careful, though: cutting CD's with scissors can be difficult. The tutorial suggests dipping the discs in boiling water first to soften them up.

If cold air is seeping in under your door (and you've visions of your money flying out the door courtesy of your heating bill), you can make your own "draft dodger" to block out the cold. Blogging Mom Carolyn made one with paper towel tubes, hot glue, some powerful magnets (to keep it in place), and festive fabric. In about 10 minutes, for about 2 bucks, she's saving money and her toes from the cold. Crafty!

Ready to blow off some steam after a very productive week? Sure you are. It's Friday, which means it's time to whip a handmade origami star at your cubicle mate just to wish him or her a happy weekend. Wikihow runs down the instructions for transforming a simple piece of paper into a four-point ninja (shuriken) star. Looks like another good way to entertain young kids for under a buck. Just don't poke anyone's eye out.