I Love Repurposing Things

I was thrift shopping last week and spotted a cute summer top, it was even 50% off, but it was too small for me. I was going to put it back, but was just in love with the print.  I also decide I liked the gathered straps and then decided it would make a cute shopping tote. So I brought it home, ripped out the seams and remade it. Look for it in my Etsy Shop. I hate plastic bags and I’m so into the  reuseables now, I keep 2 in my purse all the time and hope to make some more for my shop soon.

Earth Day - Upcycle

Well this is the 40th anniversary of Earth Day. Have we made headway on improving our environment? It seemed we were headed in the right direction in the late 70’s & early 80’s, but then BIG OIL got in the pockets of our lawmakers and I think we did some back-sliding. But with global warming now an accepted reality and other countries moving way ahead of us on renewable technologies, we now seem to be moving in the right direction again. I think that is obvious by the number of corporations and manufacturers who are advertising greener products. But of course our constant consumerism and its subsequent waste stream IS one of the biggest threats to our planet. So if you feel the need to shop, try to buy as much recycled, repurposed and upcycled goods as possible.
Here are some wonderful items I found by searching “upcycled” on Etsy.

Eco Paper Bowl by Irishmaz

Upcycled Metal Necklace by lazydazefarm

Upcycled Denim Wristlet by blossomscottage

Handlebar Bike Bag by BeatriceHoliday

Pop Art Pendant by VKnO

BLUE Mini paper purse & album upcycled by EandBShoppe

and of course you can always shop your local thrift stores, for info on some good local thrift stores in south Florida, visit http://bestthriftstoreintown.blogspot.com/

April’s EtsyBlogger

This month EtsyBloggers is featuring Pam of Magdalene Jewels another talented member of our team. She has been blogging for a while about crafting and her family life.

She also has 2 different Etsy shops, one that features her beautiful jewelry and the other her incredible knitting. Please give her a look-see.

http://magdalenejewels.etsy.com

http://magdaleneknits.etsy.com

GO ENERGY STAR

Well the Federal Gov finally did the right thing & got it together with the Energy Star Appliance Rebate program. Each State gets to administer it’s own program and Florida came up with a really tough rebate program. They decided to make it a one week program to coincide with Earth Day. You have to buy the appliance first, then go to their website starting at 11 a.m. today and get a priority number, which basically means your rebate will be processed first (I’m waiting to sign up for my # now). But when the money runs out, it’s out, so there’s no guarantee you’ll get a rebate. But the great news is that Sears opened early today with a 30% off sale, so I got that discount, plus (if I get it) 20% State rebate and $75 dollars for recycling the old dishwasher. That $75 ends up making delivery & pick-up of the old appliance free. So GOOD-BYE crappy old Maytag dishwasher and HELLO new Energy Efficient and quiet Bosch. Now I just have to figure out the rest of my kitchen remodel.

....I knew that was going to bite, over a half hour trying to get that priority number with the webpage constantly loading with errors and then telling me server busy. But Yeah!!! I got it and now I just need to wait for delivery so I can fill in the serial number and mail in the form. So, do they really want us to improve the environment or not??? cause they sure make it difficult

Costumes – Pirate Wench

Each year we try to visit the Florida Ren-fest when it comes to town. Being a seamstress and having made a medieval costume in my ‘History of Costume’ class, I tend to dress up for the event. This year we went on Pirates weekend so I stuck with the theme. Credit for the pic goes to my husband, you can see all his great Ren-fest photos on his flickr stream.

March EtsyBlogger - DizzyDragonflies

Check out the most beautiful hand dyed yarns at DizzyDragonflies. The colors are so luscious. It almost makes me want to give knitting another try. I know the basics, but never mastered gauge. Plus Florida is a bit too hot for knitted wear. But if you are a knitter, then you definitely need to visit her shop. And check out Vicki’s blog too for loads of great knitting crafts and info. She’s also on flickr too!.

http://dizzydragonflies.etsy.com/

http://knittingdragonflies.etsy.com/

http://knittingdragonflies.blogspot.com/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/knittingdragonflies

The Kitchen Project

Well I’ve been running around to local places trying to find bamboo cabinets. Only found one place that had them on display. I’ve also been looking at flooring & found some interesting cork & rubber floors, have to find out more about them & the cost. Finding a few places that can order the recycled glass countertops, but they are way expensive. So far I don’t think I can afford the green kitchen I really want, but I’ll keep plugging away. Here’s an ugly before pic and a possible layout I created with a free design tool on Lowes website.