#pipe-cleaners

#pipe-cleaners

The Earth Day celebration in Downtown Pleasant Hill offers a perfect way to kick off the spring season with free, family-friendly activities for everyone.

Pewter is a tin-based alloy, now made with mostly tin plus small amounts of other metals for extra strength, including copper, antimony, and bismuth - but never the dangerous lead as in days gone by.

Separate the napkins so you're only using the top printed layer. Tear (don't cut) the napkins into smaller pieces-torn edges blend much more naturally. Brush a thin layer of varnish onto the egg. Gently place a napkin piece on top, then brush another thin layer of varnish over it to smooth it out.

Busy bags are like secret weapons for moms who need a few moments of peace without turning to screens. They're fun, easy to put together, and full of creative play that toddlers and preschoolers will actually enjoy.

The results? They picked out 26 cleaning solutions, calling them their favorites. From tried-and-true staples to brand-new discoveries, see below for our top picks.

According to the UN's Global E-waste Monitor 2024, a record 62 million metric tons of electronic waste was generated worldwide in 2022, an 82% increase since 2010. E-waste is projected to reach 82 million metric tons by 2030. In the U.S. alone, roughly 8 million tons of e-waste is discarded each year.

Cleaning pros say that this is a kitchen cleaning task you should do every one to three months to prevent a buildup of food splatters, grease, oil, and dust - all of which could damage the walls, cause foul odors, and attract pests like flies and roaches.

The advertising industry has always been in the business of making things, such as the OOH billboard, the 30-second spot, the snappy social post, the standard website: final, finite assets polished and pushed into the world. Agencies were paid, often by the hour, for producing final versions of these things and then moved on to the next project. Even with generative AI entering the picture, much of the conversation remains focused on making those same things faster or cheaper.

Rather than tossing or recycling those empty take-out containers, why not give them another purpose and use them for pantry storage? As she revealed on her blog, Stewart uses her leftover deli containers to store all sorts of dry goods in her pantry, like salt, pepper, and other spices, which keeps her pantry in her farm in upstate New York tidy and organized.

Each flower is made using balloon twisting or sculpting, where long, thin modeling inflatables are folded and locked into shapes. Making a single flower takes time and skill because these materials don't behave so well when twisted tight. In Ballooms' case, they're flexible and sturdy, enough to hold onto like a bouquet.

I thought retirement would be about slowing down, but this gives me more energy than my teaching job ever did.

Tons upon tons of these single-use plastics end up in landfills or even floating in the ocean. Spanish design firm PET Lamp set out give another purpose to these otherwise short-lived materials. Partnering with artisans in communities from Chile to Ethiopia to Australia, the company celebrates both Indigeneity and sustainability, drawing upon time-honored global craft traditions while supporting local economies and recycling discarded materials.

I had always associated scrapbooking with grandmas and bored children, so, imagine my surprise when as a twentysomething with a Big Girl Job I found myself enamoured of printing, cutting, and sticking random bits and bobs into a book. If, like me, you've racked up a disconcerting amount of screen time, you may have stumbled across a multitude of craft-inspired social media posts made primarily by young women. Described as junk journalling, the hobby is distinguishable by an affinity with collecting and storing physical mementoes, such as tickets, receipts, packaging and Polaroids.

This research-based design project by Laura Oliveira investigates discarded as a potential raw material for sustainable design applications. Human hair is produced continuously and in large quantities through everyday grooming practices, yet it is almost always treated as waste once separated from the body and typically disposed of in landfills. Despite its material properties, strength, flexibility, and durability as a keratin-based protein fiber, its remains uncommon within design and research contexts.