For the Home: Wine-Cork Ornaments

As a wine-lover and pack-rat, I always tend to have a few old wine corks on hand in my kitchen “junk” drawer. So, drawing on inspiration from a few other crafters, I created these cork Christmas-tree ornaments.

Making them is super-simple:

1. Punch a hole through the middle of the cork using a hammer and long, thick nail (be sure to do this on a hard surface like a work table, garage floor or sidewalk);
2. Straighten a large paperclip (I used the colorful coated ones) and push it through the cork;
3. String the bottom end of the paperclip through a tassel (you’ll find easy instructions for how to make one here);
4. Bend the bottom end of the paperclip around to secure the tassel using a pair of needle-nose pliers;
5. String a few decorative beads, if you like, onto the top end of the paperclip; then
6. Use the needle-nose pliers to bend the top end of the paperclip into an attractive spiral that can be attached to an ornament hook.

Done, easy and cost-free!

For the Home: Recycled Fabric Rug

Who doesn’t have a few old t-shirts or raggedy towels around the house? My favorite eco-minded architect/crafter Michelle Kaufmann offers this idea for transforming them into a soft and attractive bath rug.

For the Home: Foam Soap Refill

Here’s a great gift idea I can vouch for personally: homemade soap refills for those foam-soap dispensers. This stuff is easy to make, cheap and super-effective. Check out the recipe here.

For the Home: Recycled Record Bowl

If you’re like many people of, let’s say, a certain age or older, you’ve probably got a stack of old vinyl LPs stowed away in a box in the hall closet, basement or attic. Dig those things out, because you can create an artsy-looking bowl using an old record by following these instructions at Modern Eco Homes.