Art | Happy Simple Living

Day 8 of the January Money Diet – Create Something

By eliza_cross, on January 8th, 2012%

Photo by Stephen A. Wolfe

“Creativity is inventing, experimenting, growing, taking risks, breaking rules, making mistakes, and having fun.” ~ Mary Lou Cook

What can you make this month, from materials you already have? Here are some ideas to get you thinking:

Bake a chocolate cake

Make a wallet out of a coffee bag

Build a birdfeeder from a pop bottle

Sew an Anthropologie-inspired ruffled scarf

Gather twigs and make a pretty candle holder

Make a pendant from a recycled red plastic cup

Or do your thing, whatever that may be–take a photograph, paint a picture, make a sculpture, create string art, write a poem, sketch, make jewelry or try something new.

If you’re especially creative, you may want to take some time this month to research online venues where you might sell your art to generate extra income, like Etsy, Fine Art America or Red Bubble. Or perhaps your art belongs on a t-shirt or a coffee mug; in that case, check out sites like CafePress and Zazzle.

Unleash your inner Michelangelo and create something this month — and don’t forget to tell us about it.

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Win a Deluxe Happy Simple Living Gift Basket

I’ll be giving away a gift basket chock-full of home and garden goodies plus several books at the end of the month. On January 31, 2012, I’ll draw one random name from everyone who commented during the month and that lucky person will win the gift basket. I hope you’ll stop by often this month and share your own ideas, thoughts and experiences.

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Make Your Own Recycled Valentine’s Day Cards

By eliza_cross, on February 10th, 2011%

I’ve always loved making homemade Valentines, and this year I got inspired by the grocery and advertising newspaper inserts that were headed for the recycling bin. I simply cut out hearts from the paper and glued them on a plain card that I purchased in a pack of 50. The cards retail for $6.99 at Michael’s, but if you use one of the 40% off coupons that frequently run in the paper, the cost is $4.20 a pack or about 8 cents per card. This definitely beats spending $3 to $4 for a card! Write your own sentiment inside, and your loved one will have a one-of-a-kind, eco-friendly Valentine.

If you’re making Valentine’s Day cards from unusual materials, we’d love to see what you’re up to. Happy Hearts Day and hugs to all,

Container Gardening Feat: New Use for Old Shoes

By Eliza Cross, on August 23rd, 2010%

Are your Reeboks run down? Have you maxed out your Merrills? Instead of sending old footwear to the landfill, why not refashion your shoes into a pair of funky planters? These soulful mini-gardens were for sale at the Easton Farmers’ Market, but you can make your own with some good quality planting mix and sturdy plants like Seedum or Hens and Chicks. Add a little water and good natural light and you, too, could be the envy of all your well-heeled friends.

Have you discovered an unusual vessel to repurpose for a container garden? I’d love to hear your ideas!

Make Your Own Thanksgiving Decoration From Yes, Toilet Paper Tubes

By eliza_cross, on November 23rd, 2009%

I promised to give you the details about the green craft project I did during my Staycation, so here you go. I first saw the idea of using toilet paper tubes to make art on the Growing Up Creative Blog. You’re not going to believe what a pretty decoration you can make from such humble materials!

This heart is made from about 8 empty rolls, each flattened and cut in 6 pieces:

To make your creation, just lay out the little leaf-shaped pieces until you come up with a design you like and glue them together. Paper clips can help hold the pieces together if they don’t want to stick.

To finish the heart, I picked a few sprigs of dead grass and dried flowers from the garden, taped them together and glued the little bundles to the top of the piece. I hung it on clear push pins that are lightly tacked into the wall.

If you get inspired to make a creation from something recycled or discarded, you know we’d all LOVE to hear from you and see what you come up with.

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!