Creative home solutions made with empty egg cartons...When I was growing up, my art teacher mother stuffed our hall closet with all types of recyclables like toilet paper rolls, baby food jars and egg cartons. At the time I thought she was causing a fire hazard and most sinfully, wasting valuable closet space but now I understand. I mean, look at all these amazing things you can make with an egg carton! From clever organization ideas to campfire starters, I will find it hard to toss an egg carton ever again. Here are 8 brilliant projects for your empty egg cartons, with Easter coming, you might have a few around.









Ribbon organizer1. Ribbon organizer
I'm always looking for a new way to tame the ribbon-y beast.
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Related: 10 home decor projects made of toilet paper rolls



Have cupcakes ... will travel2. Have cupcakes ... will travel
Keep those tasty mini-muffins and cupcakes snug as a bug in an egg carton.
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Sewing kit3. Sewing kit
A clever little sewing organizer made with an egg carton, fabric and elastic.
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Freeze individual servings4. Freeze individual servings
Hmn,

The next time you go to change the toilet paper roll, think twice before tossing that old cardboard tube in the garbage! From fake flowers to stylish wreaths, we've rounded up 5 home decor projects made of toilet paper rolls so you can get your green on this spring!


Wall Art1. Wall Art
This wall art was created by cutting and gluing the rolls into floral shapes - then paint and mount when dry.
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Related: Gardening in the kitchen - 5 best herbs to grow for spring



Recycled Blooms2. Recycled Blooms
Kids can help cut the rolls and paint them in fun colors - then just add a stem.
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Sun Catcher3. Sun Catcher
Use Mod Podge to glue TP roll pieces together, then fill the petals. Add beads and sequins and the Mod Podge dries clear.
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Related: The 14 coolest ways to reuse a suitcase


Votive Decor4. Votive Decor
TP rolls are perfect for trimming into tree shapes and adding embellishments. Add a votive for fun table decor!
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Stylish Wreath5. Stylish Wreath
You need nothing more than a hot glue

How to have a better garden this springWe didn't get our garden going last year at all, and my grocery budget felt it all summer! After the initial investment when we first moved into our home, it has kept our expenses down while still allowing our family to eat fresh, healthy foods.

This year, we're tackling a few extra projects that will make the process easier throughout the summer. With just a small investment - of time and money - gardening will be fun, frugal, and practically effortless.



Related: 21 simple tips for creating a windowsill garden


Rain Water Barrel1. Rain Water Barrel
A rain collection barrel is top of my list for this year's garden. This project, made out of a garbage can, looks simple, should be inexpensive, and will save so much money on water bills through the gardening season.
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Related: 20 ways to renovate your patio on the cheap



Homemade Compost Bin 2. Homemade Compost Bin
I've been cold composting for several years now - basically, that means piling all our organic scraps into a compost bin and letting it do its

undefinedCheap costume jewelry contaminated with toxic chemicals is not a new story, but what's incredible is that despite warnings, recalls, and regulations, the danger still hasn't gone away.

Researchers from the Ecology Center recently released their findings that out of ninety-nine items of jewelry purchased from stores across the nation, 57% contained harmful chemicals such as lead, cadmium, and chromium. "There is no excuse for jewelry, especially children's jewelry, to be made with some of the most well studied and dangerous substances on the planet," said Jeff Gearhart, Research Director at the Ecology Center and founder of HealthyStuff.org, in a press release. "We urge manufacturers to start replacing these chemicals with non-toxic substances immediately."

The larger retailers included H&M, Claire's, Walmart, and Kohl's.

The study's key findings were:

• Twenty-seven percent of the jewelry tested contained greater than 300 parts per million (ppm) lead in one or more

5 herbs to grow right now...There are a few herbs that I find myself constantly buying at the grocery store - basil, parsley and cilantro, just to name a few. Knowing how easy they are to grow at home, I usually cringe when I have to actually spend the money on them. Now that we are heading into spring, I've got my mind on getting my herb garden up and running so that I will be able to enjoy fresh home grown herbs again in no time.

It's easy to get your very own kitchen herb garden started. All you need is a few inexpensive pots, a big bag of dirt, a sunny spot and a little patience. You will in turn be rewarded with lots of flavor to add to your cooking, I promise.

What's your favorite herb to cook grow and cook with?



Chives1. Chives
Chive do best in full sun to part shade so select and area that provides a little of both. Chives are very low maintenance and can be divided and turned into multiple plants when they get to big for your pot. Keep them harvested to promote growth and always use fresh for best flavor (a

Fresh-smelling laundry is amazing.

But those chemical-laden dryer sheets you've been using? Not so awesome. You're going to want to lose your lunch when you read this, but conventional dryer sheets are usually coated in beef fat.

Say what?

Dirty Laundry

Yep, those little sheets contain a dose of tallow (stearic acid derived from animal fat), aka the little secret ingredient manufacturers are determined to keep you from knowing about.

Beef fat is what they use to keep your clothes soft, but you won't find it on any ingredients list on a box of dryer sheets. That's because the conventional cleaning products industry has fought vigorously to keep their formulas government-protected trade secrets, covered by intellectual property laws that let them hide whatever they want. So unless you want your body coated in lard from the residue on your clothes, sheets and towels, just say no to dryer sheets.

Related: What Should I Buy? Bleach Alternatives

Do You Smell That?

To mask the smell of

Join horticulturist and HGTV host Erica Glasener for a tour of 4 legendary trees.
By Erica Glasener, Networx

Chances are, you may have a champion tree in your own neighborhood and not even know it. For more than 70 years, the mission of The National Register of Big Trees, coordinated by American Forests, a nonprofit based in Washington, DC has been "to preserve and promote the iconic stature of these living monarchs and to educate people about the key role that these remarkable trees and forests play in sustaining a healthy environment."

Champion trees are documented using a formula that takes into account the circumference, height and crown spread of individual trees. Find out if you have one in your own local landscape.

1. The Osage Orange at River Farm in Alexandria, VA

New national champions in 2011 include the Osage Orange (Maclura pomifera) at River Farm, the headquarters for the American Horticultural Society in Alexandria, VA. It's over 200 years old and is prized not only for its age and size, but for the cool environment created under its

By Amy Westervelt

A first-of-its-kind, peer-reviewed study published Environmental Health Perspectives today reveals an alarming number of unlabeled chemicals of concern in commonly used household and personal care products. The study was funded by Silent Spring Institute, which had 213 consumer products (in 50 categories) independently tested by Battelle Labs in Ohio for 66 specific chemicals associated with either endocrine disruption or asthma.

The study included both conventional products, such as Windex original glass cleaner and Irish Spring deodorant soap, as well as "alternative" products marketed as containing safer ingredients than their conventional counterparts, such as Seventh Generation Free and Clear natural glass and surface cleaner and Tom's of Maine natural moisturizing body bar. Lab tests detected 55 chemicals of concern-including parabens, phthalates, bisphenol A (BPA), antimicrobials, cyclosiloxanes, glycol ethers, and fragrances-in the conventional product