We’ve always been huge fans of collages. All you need are some old magazines, scissors, and glue and you’ve got an instant arts and crafts project. We found a particularly inspiring project this year on Cool Mom Picks from the new DIY magazine Moomah. You can download a template, which includes an abundant cornucopia and the phrase “I am thankful for….” Look through newspapers and magazines Thanksgiving week to find pictures of characters, objects, animals, or even simply colors that your kids are thankful for. It’s a great way to keep them occupied while you’re cooking up a storm in the kitchen. And the results are simply frame-worthy.

Some of the best toys, whether paper dolls or paper planes, are the ones you can make together as a family. Moomah is a new type of community with a motto of “dit” or do it together, offering easy DIY that make fun projects to do with your kids. Their tagline: “Be inspired and know you are doing enough,” says it all. You can subscribe directly to their magazine to get smart, fun ideas delivered right to your mailbox.

Did you know that 65 percent of kids entering school this year will end up working in careers that haven’t even been invented yet? According to Cathy N. Davidson of Duke University, that means the need to be creative in life is essential. The new site DIY.org makes it easy and fun for kids to start enhancing their creativity skills early on. The website and app presents a multitude of projects kids can create at home. Once they complete the project, they earn virtual skill patches, similar to a Girl Scouts or Boy Scouts badge. They can share photos or video of their project to further enhance the feeling of pride of a job well-done. The projects range from easy and homemade, like making pickles or a smoothie, to medium-skill such as making an animal mask or rock collection, to complex, such as knitting a scarf or even making your own bicycle fenders.

We love how fun some of the the projects are, such as a cardboard birdhouse, scary monster finger cookies, or a marshmallow shooter. It’s the perfect solution for a rainy day, or any bored afternoon when your kids are sitting around wondering what to do. Turn off the computer and turn on the DIY. The site even has a parental dashboard to make sure kids aren’t sharing private information. Kids can sign on with an avatar and nickname, to make the site even safer. If you’re looking for a painless and productive site online for your child, it’s hard to beat DIY.org. We love that it provides online information for real-world fun.

We recently showed you our favorite DIY paper masks for Halloween. But what if you have a newborn and don’t want to throw away money for a costume on year zero? Fortunately all you need to celebrate the holiday with your newborn is an old onesie, a scrap of fabric, and some. Check out Rachel Low’s costume templates to turn any onesie into a fun costume. You can even increase the pattern size with your printer and make a matching sweatshirt to wear out trick-or-treating.

Our favorite is the skeleton template, complete with a little heartbeat. Or choose between a jack-o-lantern or ghost for more fun. You can use either a simple thread and needle to sew the pieces on, or, if you’re like most new moms, extremely pressed for time, fabric glue works just as well. And if you have artistic inclinations, you can turn any white onesie into a costume. Imagine drawing a Frankenstein or witch’s face with fabric pens. Don’t stress out this Halloween. Just find 20 minutes to spare and you’re ready to go.

With 85% of textile waste going to landfills every year, Halloween can have a devastating effect on the environment. While it’s tons of fun to pick out a costume and dress up, any family can make a night of crafting DIY costumes, and avoid creating unnecessary waste. Look around for wornout clothes, old sweats, or too-small garments. Many of today’s costumes can be made by hand if you have a sewing machine. Or if you truly want to make something easy, consider making an easy paper mask to wear on top of a colorful outfit. Paper masks can be tons of fun for kids and adults to wear. There are lots of sites that offer outlines for you to print out. Just color them in, add some sequins and glitter and you’re ready to go.  For masquerade style, glue it onto a stick, or for easy-wear just add an elastic band.

The great site Cool Mom Picks has rounded up their favorite online patterns. There are six fright-ready choices available at Mr. Printables, including a black cat, jack-o-lantern, skull and spider. They’re free to download. The patterns can also be used to make longer-lasting felt masks. The cutest patterns online are hands-down Wee Society’s DIY Wee Alphas, which are free cutouts that can be pasted onto a brown paper bag. These little bags are the complete costume. Choose between an owl, lion, fox and gorilla. For a more fancy option, Etsy store Shades of Every Color offers digital downloads for $3.99 each. Choose between full-color printouts of a peacock, owl, or deer. And if you’re feeling inspired, just take out some cardboard and markers and get to work.

Do you have any fun plans coming up for Halloween? Just thinking about October 31st is making us crave some holiday treats. But if you’d rather not add more sugar-laden candy to trick-o-treater sacks, consider dishing out a friendly eco-alternative. Etsy store Ivy Lane Designs has created some amazingly colorful recycled Jack-o’-lantern crayons. These frightfully fun crayons come in a party pack of 20 for $20. The candy may be gone in a week, but these are sure to provide hours of fun long past autumn. You can also try and make your own simply by rounding up all your used crayons, melting them in an old pot and pouring the mixture into your chosen mould or even a muffin tin. Read full instructions here.

Pope Benedict XVI made waves last year when he took a ride in the first green Popemobile, a Mercedes M-Class hybrid. Now His Holiness has gone a step further, with two fully electric vehicles designed and gifted by Renault. It’s not bad being the Pope. Renault made one car, based on the Kangoo maxi Z.E., specially for the Pope for travel at his summer residence in Castel Gandolfo. The other gift is a blue, bulletproof version, to be used by the Corps of Gendarmerie Corps of Vatican City for the Pope’s security.

The Pope has been dubbed “the green pope” for his efforts in implementing solar power throughout the Vatican. It’s a good example to set. Carlos Ghosn, Chairman and CEO of the Renault Group said: “This donation to His Holiness is a means for Renault to reaffirm its strong and durable commitment to sustainable development and respect for the environment.” The biggest critique of electric vehicles has been their failure to drive extended distances without recharging the battery. In the tiny Vatican City it makes sense that these are the vehicles of choice. But as more and more companies perfect their electric vehicles, the driving range is quickly increasing. We hope to see in the not-so-distant future more people swapping their traditional tanks for an electric vehicle.

Ready to finally solve the universal problem of what to make for dinner once and for all? Meet mor.sl, a new website founded around the principles that we should be eating out less and making home-cooked meals more. Of course that’s easier said than done for the busy mom. But the brains behind mor.sl have put over a year’s research into perfecting the new site, and giving you literally no excuse not to cook.

How does it work? Mor.sl uses digital tools to help you navigate your kitchen. It learns your preferences, food allergies, and kitchen skill levels to recommend everyday recipes. Search by core ingredient, prep time, dish type or cuisine. It’s never been easier to plan the perfect meal. And you know it’ll  good because each recipe is hand-curated by top food bloggers and chefs. It’s the best of the web, right in your kitchen.

The startup aims to give moms the knowledge and experience necessary to plan, shop, and cook great meals at home, meals that would make our mothers proud. By taking the guesswork out of planning and prepping, they make cooking easy for even the most time-strapped people. All you have to worry about are the dishes. Try it out and let us know what you think.

We’ve seen a bamboo water-bottle, BPA-free bottles, bottles built for tiny hands, and now when you’re craving a healthy fruity mix, the Aqua Zinger! The device is simple. Add some berries, mint, or fruit of your choice to the small capacity in the bottom. Twist it on, shake it up and let it sit. The mesh screen allows flavors to seep through without adding any pulp to your drink. You have an instant fruit-infused water that sure beats artificial sodas.

The Aqua Zinger makes it easy to get your eight required glasses a day. The bottle retails for $25.95. Personally, we don’t mind a little pulp in our water. Make your own delicious drink by adding lemon and mint, or blueberries and raspberries to your water. Let sit for 15 minutes, add ice and enjoy. Use carbonated water for a real soda-like alternative.

A trip of young designers created a shopping bag, the H+Bag, that folds into a hanger with easy-to-fold instructions that are printed right on the bag. Hyojun Jeon, Younha Hwang, and Minjae Kwan took a common problem, how to reuse the many paper bags we get in shops daily, and made a creative solution, turning it into something with a creative purpose that can complement that shirt we just bought. The result is a sleek hanger that helps save closet space. And they even takes a tip from the dry cleaners, who sometimes fold their own hangers to protect your delicates. By not using metal or plastic, the hangers won’t create unsightly bumps in your more sensitive fabrics.

The designers explain: “In order to face against environmental problem, instead of plastic bags, paper bags have been activated by [clothing retailers]. However, it was also proven ineffective since customers throw them away after using them once. This causes another problem with wasting natural resources.” We love how they created a double solution through design. And it’s a bag that any clothing store could adopt. Imagine never having to buy hangers again. The design is an entry in the 2012 iF Design Talents. But we truly hope it will be picked up and mass-produced.

IKEA is better known for their assembly-required easy furniture. But most retail locations have a giant variety of green products, just about everything you need to get your garden started. That includes planting essentials for both indoors and outdoors. If you’re limited on patio or outdoor space, check out their new mini greenhouse, the Socker.

Not only does it look adorable in your kitchen or on a nightstand, but the Socker provides the perfect environment for your plants to grow while keeping the climate even. The roof opens to let in water or extra air when needed. For a fun project, fill it with dirt, moss, and Bonsai trees for a miniature serene lanscape. Add rocks, shells, or any mementos to personalize the project. The Socker is an easy way to add plants to any room.