Valerean

During my vacation last month I worked on making the bag project from the Summer issue of GreenCraft. For mine I skipped the driftwood and twine, and instead used a key I'd gotten on a mystery bracelet bag and left the drawstrings of the bag I tea stained intact. It's not easy stitching a bag in the bottom corner like this, but I managed by folding the top down down. I also couldn't get the haphazard look of the stitches in the project photo, but I prefer my version anyway. My finished bag next to the project photo. I'm using mine to hold my current personal journal. This was a fun and fairly easy project. :)

The Winter 2026 issue of GreenCraft just hit the stands, and this is the only magazine that is a must-buy for me. 2026 was supposed to be a no-spend year, too, but so far my health insurance premiums have gone up only $200.00 per month, so until that changes I'm allowing myself to buy some materials and things like this to inspire me now and then. As always I was wowed by the dozens of upcycling project and repurposing ideas in the issue. Just looking through it is a joy. I've always wanted to make some bracelets out of buttons, and "From Button Box to Bracelet" by Deborah Helms offers a simple project to do just that. Visible mending gets the spotlight in "Worn, Torn and Mended" by Elliot Harper, who uses old jeans and sashiko-inspired stitching to make a tote. The issue also offers 14 ways to repurpose unwanted discards and junk in your garden, and the photos in this section are simply stunning. I love GreenCraft because it does ins...