Craftcycle: 100+ Earth-Friendly Projects and Ideas for Everyday Living by Heidi Boyd

Craftcycle: 100+ Earth-Friendly Projects and Ideas for Everyday Living Reviews

• 
  Apryl Anderson

  Another possible title: Why I'm jealous of home-school kids...or what I might've done if I'd had this book during my summer vacations. Many of the projects are very time consuming, but clever enough to warrant product consumption such as taking up snack-eating so I can make that purse, drinking soda for picture frames, and nicking my husband's ratty shirts for rugs. The Fused Plastic Tote turned out really well, and gets lots of double-takes and "how'd you make that"s. Fun & funky!
• 
  Anna

  My grandmas would love to see how upcycling, recycling, and repurposing are so in nowadays. They sure did a lot of crafting with unusual materials, but they were out of necessity, not for the additional reasons (ecology, trendiness, or just the love of crafts).
  Upcycling is trendy nowadays, but it's not a bad thing. This book is a good one to start - or to just get a lot more ideas if you're already into all crafting with weird recycled materials. There are projects that are ready in 5 minutes and that your kids can make, and others that will take quite a bit longer but will be so awesome when ready.
  
  Many of the ideas in the book I've seen in Pinterest. But again, it's not a bad thing. Boyd doesn't just pick some random Pinterest items and try to present them as hers; she has carefully selected a lot of different projects, and made them all for this book. The pictures and the graphics are really good, and the instructions are clear. In the end there are even the basics for knitting and crocheting. Awesome, since those skills don't always seem that widespread.
  Candy wrappers, old CDs, LPs, plastic grocery bags, old clothes and t-shirts, scrap wood... those are most of the materials used in these projects. Read and browse, let some ideas mature, and when you then find that perfect piece of scrap wood, or want to make a pretty bowl out of those plastic toy soldiers or animals, you're ready to get some craft action. Any additional tools and materials are also very affordable.
  
  There are also a lot of ideas for making your lifestyle greener and healthier. But many of these ideas don't just work everywhere. Skiing and skating in winter works well in Maine, but those would be extremely nature-unfriendly in Texas (no snow). And I can't really collect rainwater for my plants - because it never rains. And "There are are states that do not have cash bottle return and recycling is not convenient or strongly encouraged" next to (very cute) lamp made from plastic water bottles is a bit preachy. If the state you lived in had cash return for the bottles, would you 20 of them for a kitschily cute lampshade?
  Overall... this book works well, and can give you a lot of new ideas for your crafts. And this would also work beautifully as a gift for a craft lover.
• 
  Aubrey Brangham

  Oddly specific items needed that many people don’t have just lying around
• 
  Vivian

  Talk about ingenius--this should get your creative juices flowing. The suggested projects are divided by seasons but can be done anytime, really.
  
  This spring consider turning those cast-off t-shirts into a hooked rug, tuna or other small cans can become pincushions or caddys decorated with sewing notions, try cutting worn-out p.j.s into strips and weaving a laundry basket. The two show-stoppers were a bowl made from cheap action figures and a lamp-shade made from slides.
  
  For summer the project that wins my vote is a shopping bag made from potatoe chip bags (remember how we wove chewing gum wrappers when we were kids?).
  
  In the fall you might turn colored pencils into a watch band (if you have a band saw handy), or you could weave strips of cereal box cardboard into a basket.
  
  My favorite winter project was turning all those annoying barbie shoes into charms for bracelets, handbags, or hair accessories. Who woulda' thunk?
• 
  Abby Foster

  Heidi Boyd is a crafty little genius and her book has oodles of thrifty, eco-chic ideas for home decor and gift giving. In uncertain economic times, we're all looking for ways to save without sacrificing style. Heidi's book delivers both and provides endless inspiration.
• 
  Susan

  Lots of clever ideas for re-using common items for (mostly) useful craft projects. Also includes tips and even a few recipes. Good stuff.
• 
  N

  Most projects too labor intensive/time-consuming for DIY designs but good for display.
  
  I like the Chipped China Mosaic Pot (59) and the Owl Clothespin Holder (46) - makes me think of Gram.
• 
  Leslee

  really cool and fun ideas . . . can't wait to try some of these.
• 
  AJ Conroy

  Nice variety of projects, some new to me, good pictures.