Eco Friendly Jewelry

When I think of the oil spill in the Gulf, I think of how much more precious our environment should have become to us after this tragedy. I decided to use the search term: eco friendly and see what I could find.

The first item I found was this set of, get this, paper beads.

They don't look like paper to me, but if you read the description of how the artist makes her beads, you will see that they are paper, and they take a lot of physical labor to make them!
Check out: Artspell. She's even got a bagel that looks like you could eat it, and it's paper! This is amazing work!




How about some, get this, Recycled Guitar String Earrings!
Now how clever is that? I found these earrings at Cheap Date Jewelry! Can you image? What a clever idea. Be sure to check out her store for more creative pieces of jewelry!

























How about this Soda Can set? If you can't recycle your aluminum, how about turning the cans into jewelry? How clever is that? Funky Recycling is full of soda can fun!













Here's a felt heart brooch embellished with a brass zipper!
I am continually impressed with the creativity of the eco friendly artists out there! This comes from Wooly Fabulous on Etsy.




Aren't these amazing finds? Do you have eco friendly items in your Etsy store or on your website? Let us know.

Shopping Etsy to celebrate Earth Day!

Recycle. Upcycle. Reduce. Reuse. Wear out. Go Green. Save Mother Earth.

The artisans in this blog do just that.

Search Etsy under upcycled or recycled. See what you find.

This cheese holder was made from a slumped wine bottle. How clever is that! This comes from Prairie Coast Art on Etsy.








How about this yarn? It's made from green plastic grocery bags and then spun around a grey wool core. Wow! That is truly recycling. This comes from Kruser's Shop on Etsy.













I found this Stone Washed Denim Memory Bracelet in Mei Gui Designs store on Etsy. She uses recycled jeans to make her fabric beads in this bracelet. Isn't is awesome?






















Oh, I love this lariet! It is beautiful! It's made from recycled Sari silk. It's called Rainbow Sari Silk Roses in Spring Time
and you can find it in PLUmFISh Creations
store on Etsy.















This Scott Baio Record Bowl can be found in ChicaLookAte's store on Etsy. Creative to the nth degree!


Now, wasn't that fun? I love to do random searches, and if I had the money, these people would be rich!

Shopping Etsy - Tutorials

I love to window shop on Etsy! This time, I did a search using the words
"recycle tutorials." What came back was 3 pages of tutorials. I had fun picking and choosing which tutorials to feature, and, in this case, to purchase.

See this tutorial?
-------------------------------------->
I purchased this one from Mamachee on Etsy. I love the roses!










This tutorial ------------------------->
teaches the artisan how to make glass beads from used bottles! Isn't that a wonderful way to be green? This item is found in Stringythingy on Etsy.


















This bracelet---------------------->
is made from recycled wire. Isn't is amazing? You can find it in the store Lost Marbles on Etsy.










See, wasn't that fun?

Going Green with Glass

No, this isn't a blog about green glass. I have nothing against green glass. I love green glass! No, this is a blog about my attempt to go green when selling my glass products.







This afternoon, I spent some time cutting up old magazines. I decided that I needed some cards for my products. I took each full sized magazine page, and I cut it in half. I trimmed the ends. Then, I folded the half page in half until it reached the size I liked. I punched a hole or holes in it, and the result was like this......


















I have a fairly sturdy card, made from recycled or upcycled materials, on which to display my glass goodies.

Now, how are you recycling?

This Is a True Story

One day, I had a repairman in my kitchen to work on my dishwasher. I noticed he kept looking up at the sink. He had a puzzled look on his face. I noticed that he would glance at the sink, then look at me.
After the repairman left, I was loading the dishes into my newly repaired dishwasher, I happened to look at what was next to my sink. I started to laugh. I had, approximately, a dozen empty wine bottles sitting there waiting to be soaked so that the labels could be removed. I can only imagine what the repairman was thinking as he looked at all of those empty wine bottles. On top of that, he had come into the kitchen through the garage where I store my extra wine bottles, and they were easily seen by anyone who walks through this entry into my house. When I realized what he had seen, and most likely though, I had to sit on the floor I was laughing so hard.
I only wish he had asked. I use the empty wine bottles that friends save for me. I use them to make glass beads. I put the bottles into a plastic bag. I drop them on the concrete floor of my basement. I take the chunks and use them to make glass beads. They are wonderful! I love making beads this way! Not only am I following the credo of: reduce, reuse, recycle, I am making some beautiful beads.