The Future of EcoScrapbooking

It's been nearly a year since I posted to EcoScrapbook. 

Life has gotten busy and I became the blogger who couldn't create new weekly content. I never thought it would be me. But it is what it is.

Over the course of a year, I didn't craft much and struggled with the future of EcoScrapbook. It was my un-craftable year and a time of being un-eco-friendly (not by choice).

My year of un-crafting made me rethink my ecoscrapbooking habits. 

There are businesses that don't have much sense of recycling and I found myself involved with two of them. I felt like a hypocrite. At EcoScrapbook, I preached about being green, but out in the work force, I have zero control of what can be recycled and what has to be trashed. It's been a daily internal struggle.

Since I was barely scrapbooking (thank goodness for mobile scrapbooking...PicsArt!), I began to take less photos. It's not that I stopped taking photos altogether (I have plenty in my gallery).

I started to enjoy life's moments by watching them without a lens in front of me.

I didn't rush to pull out my camera every time life needed to be documented. For so long, I recorded videos at school events and then finally realized that nothing compares to seeing my children through my own eyes. There's a connection you can only get when a camera isn't stealing the spotlight.

As I changed, I thought more about the bigger picture. I'm interested in the idea of teaching younger generations to take action and be more eco-conscious. In order for me to do that, my focus can't be on deciding what content to post next on EcoScrapbook.

With Earth Day here, I felt the urge to create a new post. I didn't expect it to turn into a decision on the future of EcoScrapbook.

Watch now:

What is the future of EcoScrapbooking?

That depends on you and how eco-conscious you want to be. I laid the groundwork as I presented creative and easy ways to craft and scrapbook with the Earth in mind.

The EcoScrapbook Blog and ebooks are your source for green scrapbooking and crafting. Whenever you need inspiration, just stop by and peruse my archived material or download an ebook.

As for me, I will continue to change the way I scrapbook and never stop thinking about how to turn trash to treasure. 

The EcoScrapbook Facebook page and YouTube Channel will still be up and running. Please follow along if you haven't already and I hope we can continue our community on social media. ~Danielle

New Eco-Crafting eBook!

Do you toss your empty toilet paper rolls? What do you do with all those plastic grocery bags? 

Eco-Crafting: 20 Simple & Green Craft Projects is packed with easy to follow tutorials that will help you turn trash to treasure. From making a wreath with grocery bags to upcycling an old pie pan into home decor, you’ll find the perfect craft project for you! 

Avoid the recycling bin and discover what you can do with different types of cardboard. Many of the tutorials are so easy, your kids can help and together, you’ll make the world a greener place.

____________________________

That's from my new eBook! Two years after I self-published the collaborative EcoScrapbooking: Crafty Ideas for Eco-Conscious Scrapbookers, I finally put together my top eco-friendly craft projects into one handy, downloadable book.

Eco-Crafting is now available on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited subscribers can read it for free! Not a current subscriber? Download Kindle to any device and buy the crafty eBook for on $2.49! You'll learn how to make 20 different eco-friendly craft projects and I'll earn a little pocket change.

Now that I know how to publish on Amazon, I can't wait to start my next eBook! ~Danielle

Related:

EcoScrapbooking eBook Launch Party!

DIY Fire-Starter

How to Make Melted Crayons

Live Event: Scrapbooking Your Pets

If you're a pet owner, drop what you're doing and listen up. Do you scrapbook your pets? Would you like to take better photos of them? How about learn to scrapbook faster?

Did you say yes to at least one of the above?

Then you'll want to join me on Wednesday, May 20 at 1 p.m. EST for “Purrfect Pets: Scrapbooking Our Four-Legged Family Members."

When Lain Ehmann contacted me last fall and asked me to be a featured guest for one of her monthly scrapinars, I said sign me up! My topic, scrapbooking your pets. And I have plenty of experience with that!

There was Tabatha's Memorial Scrapbook:

Cat scrapbook pages:

A couple recent digital scrapbook layouts using PicsArt:

And so many more pet scrapbook pages!

I've taken hundreds of photos of my pets over the years and share the best ones on Instagram.

You'll learn my pet photography tips, watch how I scrapbook my four-legged friends in a fast, eco-friendly way, and more! Here are a few sneak peeks:

Click here to sign up for this FREE scrapinar and if you can't make it on May 20, there will be a replay available right after. Hope to see you there! ~Danielle

Related:

Pet Memorial Scrapbook: The First & Last Pages
A Very Recycled Scrapbook Page
A Build-A-Bear Doppelganger Says Boo!

Earth Day Project: Camo Rain Boot Flower Pots

Earth Day Week 2015 ends today with my final project. It's one we've all seen on the internet: flower pots made from rain boots.

These belonged to my youngest daughter. When she was about four years old, we went to an Army surplus store for a pair of work boots for my husband and when she spotted the camo rain boots, she HAD to have them! Now, you must understand, she's a girly girl and to our surprise, she wasn't about to leave that store without them. Since she needed rain boots anyway...well, I think you know the rest of the story. 

Anywho, I've been wanting to do this project for a long time and now that it's spring, why not do it today? Although I had to pull out my winter coat this morning (I was outside enjoying the 70+ degree weather last weekend), I'm beyond happy for a new season and looking forward to a fabulous summer! Planting flowers brings me one step closer to that.

Here's how I made flower pots from camo rain boots:

Supplies:

rain boots

2 geraniums

organic potting soil

shovel

drill

Directions: Drill 5-7 small holes into the bottom of the rain boots for drainage. Add soil and geraniums. (Yes, that's my daughter's shovel. Since we moved last fall, I have no idea where my shovel is.) 

Who doesn't love a quick and simple project that also includes some upcycling?

Hope you enjoyed EcoScrapbook's Earth Day Week and remember to make Earth Day every day! ~Danielle

Missed an Earth Day project this week? Check them out below:

MON: Plastic Bag Wreath

TUE: Sticks & Stones Make Tic-Tac-Toe

WED: DIY Fire Starter

THUR: Homemade Cleaners & Dryer Sheets

And swing by my other blog, Greater Toledo's Mama Meow, for 10 eco-friendly websites for kids. (Note: Local information is at the top of the post, so you'll have to scroll down to find them.)

Earth Day Projects: Homemade Cleaners & Dryer Sheets

Earth Day was yesterday, but I'm celebrating every day this week! I was out of dryer sheets and all-purpose cleaning spray and I've been wanting to make my own for some time. Since it was Earth Day, I decided it was finally time to do just that!

First up, homemade AND reusable dryer sponges:

Supplies:

 1 c dye free fabric softener

2 c water

4 sponges

old container

measuring cups

scissors

Directions: Mix together fabric softener and water. Cut sponges into thirds and place into container. Pour liquid mixture over the sponges, cover with lid and let soak for a few hours. Remove each sponge and squeeze out the excess water. Let each sponge dry before adding to dryer and replace into the liquid mix after each load of laundry. Keep the liquid mix sealed and you can reuse it over and over. 

I've only tried the dryer sponge with one load of towels and so far, so good! I used a blue sponge since I was worried about possible color transfer, but there was none.

Now it was time to make an all-purpose cleaner:

Supplies:

spray bottle

measuring cups

2 c hot water

1 c vinegar

1 ts dish soap

1/2 ts baking soda

2 tb borax

Directions: Mix together hot water and vinegar. Add in the rest of the ingredients. Stir and pour into a spray bottle. 

I ended up with a little extra cleaning solution that couldn't fit into the bottle and used it to do some quick cleaning. No complaints. I think I like it!

Finally, a project I've shared before, laundry soap:

Supplies:

large container

4 c baking soda

3 c washing soda

1 bar castile soap

cheese grater

Directions: Grate the bar of soap into the smallest pieces you can. Add in the baking and washing sodas and stir together. Use about 2 tablespoons per load.

We really liked using this laundry soap, but since it takes a long time to grate the soap, it's often quicker to run to the store when I need detergent. However, I like having this option and plan to make it again soon since I have all the ingredients from the other cleaning recipes. ~Danielle

Make these other Earth Day projects:

DIY Fire Starter

Sticks & Stones Make Tic-Tac-Toe

Plastic Bag Wreath