The Ricefield Shop Fall Into Winter Giveaway!

As we feel that nip in the air that signals the transition between fall and winter, we wanted to cheer our friends and ourselves up by giving away three of our upcycled, one-of-a-kind, ecofriendly products! Here's our happy model Kris showing off our three Fall Into Winter prizes!

First Prize is our Kali Secret Flowers Backpack (Retail Price: $80)

One of our most handsome bags, Secret Flowers has a suede front flap that uses seam details from a coat to form a cross design, and its velvet small compartment. It gets even lovelier once opened to reveal an exquisite flower print on corduroy. 

Second Prize is our Lila Argyle Fever Large Tote (Retail Price: $55)

We love argyle so when we found a large dress made out of it, we resolved to make as many bags as possible using the fabric. This version may just be our favorite, because it also features two super-cute pockets in the back that originally came from a skirt. The top panels on both sides are made of felt, which also makes the bag really fun to touch.

Third Prize is our Janabi Lines and Petals Wallet (Retail Price: $22)

This wallet features a checked pattern in front and a flowered pattern in the back, which also has a zipper for coins.

The giveaway is open to entries worldwide and if you win, we will ship your product for free if you live in the U.S. We will subsidize shipping of up to $15 for non-U.S. residents.

To enter the Giveaway, head over to Ricefield Shop's Blog!

November Giveaway: All Mapped Out

Hello November!

We are excited to start off the month with another great giveaway!

"I want to help you add a sense of place to your space!" 

~Candice, owner of All Mapped Out

Team member, All Mapped Out, is hosting this month's upcycled giveaway!

1988 Australia & New Zealand Physical Map Coasters

Candice, from All Mapped Out, is a creative artist who studied cartographic literature. As a child Candice spent many early mornings seeking out good garage sales with her mom and attending all day farm auctions with her dad. These experiences taught her to seek out unexpected treasures and to think creatively about home decor and function.

And these roots show through in her amazing Etsy shop!

 Candice took a moment to explained her shop's unique name...

What’s with the name, 'All Mapped Out'?

"First the most obvious: I love all things ‘map’. Second, as much as I love maps, after graduate school I was a bit sick of reading cartographic literature. In other words, I was ‘all mapped out’. Third? I’m a bit of a planner. Ok, more than a bit. I tend to like having things ‘all mapped out’. But I’m working on that, or at least trying to. I doubt I will ever be a completely laid-back, go-with-the-flow kind of person. That’s why I married a guy who is. I observe and attempt to mimic."

Candice's planning and careful details are obvious in her shop's handmade creations...

Upcycled Giveaway Details:

Begins 12:01am November 2nd and ends 12:01am November 20th, 2012

PRIZE: One $20 gift certificate from all mapped out + FREE SHIPPING on your 1st order (includes international shipping)!

All Mapped Out wants you to choose your favorite item!  Good Luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Upcyclers October Giveaway: Love Letters Upcycled

 

Love Letters Upcycled
Breathing new life into old wares.

Kayla, owner of Love Letters Upcycled, and an Upcyclers team member, has offered to giveaway some of the beautiful upcycled, handmade items she sells in her Etsy shop. 

Before I get into the giveaway details! Let me tell you a little bit about Love Letters Upcycled.

Shop Facts:

Love Letters Upcycled open it's Etsy doors at the end of June 2012. This new shop has 84 sales and a 100% positive rating from 37 reviews.

You can find Kayla turning old wares into handmade wind chimes, garden markers, silverware hooks, custom flatware, wine tags, and much more!





I especially thought the pet tags were adorable! Yes, they are made from an old spoon and customized for your pet!

Fun Facts:

Kayla is a stay at home mom of two young boys in beautiful Colorado.
She likes to play the violin and can use a blow torch!

Check out more about this unique shop here.

You can also find her on Facebook and on Twitter as @Upcycled_Love!

OK, the FREE STUFF!

Love Letters Upcycled is giving away TWO upcycled prizes to TWO winners!

Since it's October, she made a fabulous Happy Halloween wine bottle tag!

Upcycled Wine Tag Value $10

and she also made a charming set of flattened vintage spoon hooks (three)!

Upcycled Vintage Spoon Hooks $22 Value

How to WIN these great prizes?!

Enter our giveaway below, powered by Rafflecopter.

Love Letters Upcycled Giveaway ends Monday, Oct. 15th, 2012. Winners announced on our blog on Tuesday Oct. 16th.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thank you Love Letters Upcycled for sponsoring such an awesome opportunity!

Good Luck!

The AP Team on Etsy asks 'What is Upcycling?'

We love it when we see upcycling in the news! Every article that brings our movement into the spotlight gives us encouragement that we are making a difference and that upcycling is here to stay!

Today the Advertising and Promotion Team on Etsy published an article on their blog announcing a month long recognition of Upcycling and the artists who sell upcycled products on Etsy! They asked their readers, "What is Upcycling?".

K5Art

In their article they featured several examples of upcycled goods and applauded the history and background of upcycling. They also cited a definitive article from Upcyclers Magazine by the same name~ What is Upcycling? We dedicate one of our blog's pages, Upcycling 101, to many excellent articles about upcycling, to help consumers understand the concept versus the more commonly known term 'recycling'. Like the AP Team said, the practice is not new, but it is becoming more and more recognized, especially in the U.S. We'll be checking out the AP Team's blog all month to see what other upcycled finds they feature!

Now for some news of our own: We've chosen the winner of our Earth Day Giveaway from Terbear Collectibles!

Earth Day Rubber Stamp

Congrats to #12~ Liz!!

Thanks everyone for entering and to Terbear for sponsoring our Earth Day giveaway with such a perfectly themed prize~ we couldn't have asked for anything better! Be sure to check out Terbear Collectibles for all of your custom stamp needs~ you are sure to find what you are looking for and if not~ Terbear will help create it for you!

Love 2 DIY~ Earth Day Edition!

Upcyclers believe EVERY day should be Earth Day~ and we try to practice sustainable lifestyles and craft methods that enforce that. We Love 2 DIY and we know our readers do to~ so this weekend we hope you'll try a project that involves upcycling a common object you might be thinking of tossing away! We've shared lots of project ideas on this blog which you can find in our archives or in our tag cloud. Today we'll share more, as well as a new Giveaway:
A handmade stamp by Terbear Collectibles that says 'Make Everyday Earth Day'! Perfect, right?

Terbear Collectibles Custom Stamp $16.99

But first we want to announce the winner of CHunks Of WOod's Giveaway! Who says number 13 is bad luck? It turned out very lucky for 'AlessandraVeg'! She's the winner of the Upcycled Reclaimed Wooden Earrings from Jason! Congrats, Alessandra~ and thanks again Jason for sponsoring our giveaway!

Don't Forget: Tomorrow is our Awesome 24 Hour Upcyclers Earth Day Sale~ be sure to stop by here for more details from Bee!

So now back to some DIY love! Stamping projects are hugely popular~ Terbear can tell you first hand with thousands of custom stamp sales, in fact they are the #1 seller of custom made rubber stamps according to EtsyWiki! So I was amazed that after we featured her PIF item recently as part of our T.G.I.Free series, she offered to sponsor our team with a giveaway~ talk about Paying It Forward! All you need for stamping projects is something to stamp on and stamps. Simple. Well, there's all kinds of companies out there selling fancy papers to stamp on, but Upcyclers love to find 'scrap' paper, junk mail and all kinds of other odd things to stamp on!

Like Paint Swatches!

& Recycled Cardboard!

On Brown Paper Bags~

and Vintage Newspaper!!

The list of 'throw-aways' you can stamp on goes on and on! So next time you think you have to have some expensive designer papers, think outside the box~ big box craft store, that is! Look around the house for old magazines, envelopes, old books and sheet music. Anything goes!

So now you've got some free paper you can use, you can afford some cool stamps, right? Especially since Terbear is offering an exclusive discount coupon code to our readers! Woohoo! Just use the code: love2upcycle for 10% off your purchase! Here's a peek at Terbear's rubber stamps from her Etsy shop! (Of course, I picked the Recycled Theme ones, lol!)

If you're like me, (addicted 2 stamps) you are so loving these~ and there's thousands more to choose from, not to mention the variations of custom made stamps you can order! But you can try to win the one we're giving away too! It's easy as can be to enter~

First be sure you are a follower of our blog~ But that doesn't count as an entry!

You can enter up to 4 times, but each entry must be left in a SEPARATE comment!
I wrote that really BIG cuz so many don't do that! boo. Also be sure to leave your email in at least one of your entries so we can contact you if you win. We promise not to bug you any other way, unless you sign up for email updates from our blog- hint, hint.

Okay, here's your choices:

1. Check out Terbear Collectibles on Etsy, favorite the shop and tell us here which stamp is your favorite!

2. Become a fan of Terbear Collectibles on Facebook!


3. Follow Terbear on Twitter @terbearco!


4. Pin an item from Terbear's shop on Pinterest!


5. Share this giveaway on Facebook or Tweet about it on Twitter~ we make that easy for you, just use our widgets above or below this article!

So that's it, just be sure to enter before Midnight on Sunday, April 29, 2012! And remember, four entries only, and each one in a separate comment.

Good Luck and Remember: 
Make Everyday Earth Day!

Weekly Giveaway~ Handmaiden Canada!

March is winding down and so is National Craft Month! We've enjoyed this month's features and sales and hate to see it end, but don't let it stop you from enjoying the art of Crafting and all of our wonderful Upcyclers! This week we're featuring one of the original members of our team~ Becky! She is the creator of Handmaiden Canada~ and her beautifully crafted "Luvkins" are just one of the many items she sells on Etsy! She also creates plush upcycled toys like this one she is giving away to one of our lucky readers~

Adorable and perfect for the Spring season and especially Easter~ You can just imagine how excited a little one would be to receive this bunny to love! And I know the winner of last week's giveaway will be just as excited to receive their Pwark Monster Doll, too! We had lots of entries and everyone had a favorite Pwark, I wish we could have given one to all of you, but only Sarah, author of a wonderful blog, Journeys of the Zoo, will be giving the Pwark we gaveaway a new home! Our thanks to all who entered and especially to Tiwi from Pwarkland for sponsoring the giveaway!

Sometimes life throws us curves that turn our lives to a new direction, that was the case for Becky! She turned her husband's illness into an opportunity to help support her family but still stay home. That's the beauty of crafting and online selling venues like Etsy!

Coming from a family of artisans and craftsman, Becky had the skills necessary to find her "brand"~ she had learned early on the importance of reusing and upcycling the materials you have on hand and to approach her craft in an organic method. Handmaiden Canada evolved from knitted and felted wool bags to products upcycled from wool felted sweaters, then Becky discovered 'Waldorf Dolls'! For those of you (like me) who aren't familiar with the term Waldorf Doll, Wikipedia explains it like this:

A Waldorf doll (also called Steiner doll) is a form of doll used in Waldorf education. Made of wool and cotton, using techniques drawing on traditional European dollmaking, its appearance is intentionally simple in order to allow the child playing with it to improve or strengthen imagination and creativity. For instance, it has no facial expression. Its legs and arms are flexible, allowing natural postures.

Traditional Waldorf dolls are made from cotton interlock knit fabric and wool stuffing. They are often entirely natural. Typically the trademark long hair of a Waldorf doll is made of mohair or boucle. Some doll makers use alternative hair material such as wool, rayon, and cotton. The facial features of a Waldorf doll vary with the maker. Most Waldorf dolls have small suggestions of noses, their eye and mouth colors are generally varied with each doll.

Luvkin Waldorf Doll from Handmaiden Canada

Becky has always loved dolls, so this turned out to be the perfect fit for her~ and for her family! Handmaiden Canada has become a family business, with each member of Becky's family finding their niche in the creative and marketing process. She has truly continued a tradition from her childhood!

Tessa~ 12 inch Luvkin by Handmaiden Canada

You can find adorable "Handmaiden" clothing and accessories for the dolls in Becky's shop!

Rainbow Sweater for 15" Waldorf Doll

Rustic Twig Bed for Waldorf Doll

You'll also find lots of other wonderful heirloom quality treasures in Becky's shop! She creates upcycled plushies (like the one she is giving away), children's clothing, knitted hats, sweaters and ponchos and she still creates her felted wool bags!

Baby Fringed Poncho

Pink Felted Wool Purse

Upcycled Wool and Cotton Red Dress

You get a glimpse of the idyllic setting of Becky's home in the "backwoods" of the Ottawa Valley, where she lives with her husband and nine children (yes, I said nine!) No wonder she says she never runs short of beautiful models for her products!

So now I know after getting to know more about Handmaiden Canada, I know you can't wait to check out Becky's shop! And you can do that as one of your entries!

But first, be sure you are a follower of this blog! Then choose from 4 of the 5 methods to enter listed below. Remember, only four entries count and each one must be left in a separate comment! Be sure to leave your email address in one of the entries so we can contact you if you win~ we won't email you otherwise, we promise!

1. Browse and favorite Handmaiden Canada on Etsy, then tell us here which item is your favorite!

2. Become a fan of Handmaiden Canada on Facebook or Follow Handmaiden Canada on Twitter!

3. Follow Becky's blog~ Heartfelt Mama!

4. Follow Becky's boards on Pinterest and pin one of her Luvkins!

5. Tweet or Share this Giveaway with your fans, friends or followers!

That's it! Don't forget~ only four entries count! Deadline to enter is Midnight, April 1st (Don't be a "fool" and miss it, lol!)

Good Luck!

Want to be featured like this? Sponsor a Giveaway! Just send an email to Teamupcyclers@gmail.com for details!

Weekly Giveaway: Rescued Goods!

Say Hello to Vanessa of Rescued Goods~ this week's sponsor of our Weekly Giveaway! And thanks to Elyse from The ReGiftables, you can also say Congratulations to #45~ Marina, the winner of last week's Giveaway!

Our generous sponsor this week is offering a large beach tote she upcycled from a 100 lb. rice bag! It is extra roomy for all your towels and beach gear plus it has 35" inch long handles so you can throw it over your shoulder!

One of Vanessa's earliest memories was of her grandmother's friend, Lucille, calling across the fence to her Grandmother as she hung out her laundry, "Are we going sailing today?". Sailing meant yardsale~ing and yes, they'd be going! She recalls many Saturdays spent with her Gram hitting sales around her small New England town. Those days of "sale~ing" are still with her today, as Vanessa searches for lost goods waiting to be rescued and brought to a new home. She also loves to upcycle pre-loved goods into new treasures. She says that is the "spirit of Rescued Goods"...

Vintage Quilt Blocks

Tactile Tag Blankets for Babies

Besides the post consumer rice bags, Vanessa also uses vintage fabric, and found objects to create her Rescued Goods.

Vintage Fabric Burp Clothes

This month is National Craft Month, and we are featuring sellers who carry supplies in their shops every Thursday, so we'd also like to share some of Vanessa's craft supply items!

Vintage Nautical Trim

Vintage Squirrel Print Fabric~ Fat Quarter

I adore squirrels, so this tops my favorite list! You can tell us about your favorite item when you enter! I especially loved the fact that Vanessa shared an Etsy eco-tip in the listing of the fabric about using gift bags for giving, since they are reusable!

Not only will Vanessa barter for other Etsy listings you might have, she also donates to various organizations. Each month a percentage of profits (more like all the profits & more right now!) is donated to a non-profit organization for children, animals, our environment, soldiers in harm's way, or veterans. She says, "Every bit can help!" Previous organizations she has supported include; the local Animal Refuge League, soldiers in harm's way, families in need during the holiday season, the local food pantry, and a local play-based non-profit preschool. We're proud to feature Vanessa's shop and support her efforts to help others~ including Upcyclers!

If you'd like to enter the Giveaway it's easy! First, be sure you are a follower of this blog, Love 2 Upcycle~ not a follower? Just look to the left and click. Voila! You are a follower. But you haven't entered yet.
Now, you can choose 4 of the following ways to enter, up to 4 times!

1. Visit Rescued Goods and favorite the shop!

2. Add Vanessa to your circle and tell us here about your favorite item!

3. Like Rescued Goods on Facebook! 

4. Tweet this Giveaway on Twitter or Share it on Facebook!

5. Pin one item from Rescued Goods on Pinterest! 
 
Remember, only 4 entries count, and each one must be left in a separate comment! If you don't have an email listed on your bio, leave it here in one of your comments. Deadline to enter is Midnight, March 11th!

Winner will be randomly drawn using Random.org's generator.
 

Good Luck!
 
Would you like to Sponsor a Giveaway on Love 2 Upcycle? You don't have to be a member of Upcyclers to be a sponsor, all Etsy sellers of upcycled or eco-friendly products are welcome! But of course, we'd love for you to join the team!

Weekly Giveaway: The ReGiftables!

It's that time again~ We have a new giveaway ready for one of our lucky readers to win! This week, our sponsor is The ReGiftables! But before we tell you more, let's all send Congrats to Susan D.~ #26! She's the winner of Art Recycles' cute and clever Tuck-It-Board: "Keepers"! Our thanks to Tracey for sponsoring the giveaway and to all who entered!

Now, on to this week's Giveaway...

Elyse Hutchinson has been dreaming lately~ of all the endless possibilities of upcycling! She says she lies awake at night with images of her crafty ideas dancing in her head. And the results are amazing! She calls her shop The ReGiftables and one of her product lines are upcycled gift cards turned into gorgeous jewelry, and Elyse is kind enough to "ReGift" one to us!

Elyse earned national recognition for her jewelry when she was chosen as a finalist in Bobbie Thomas' DIY Craft Challenge on the Today Show! Her products have evolved beautifully to now include charms, crystals and other embellishments. My personal favorite are these dragonfly earrings with dangling purple Swarovski crystals!

I can't wait to hear about your favorites~ it'll be one of the ways you can enter our Giveaway!
Here's a peek at a few more of her creations, then we'll tell you about all the ways to enter...

Elyse started her upcycled designing at a very young age, creating dollhouse furniture from egg cartons and tiny pillows from socks! We're proud to have her as a member of Upcyclers and can't wait to see where her imagination takes her in the future!

If you'd like a chance to win her beautiful Re-Carded Purple Blooms Necklace, it's easy:

First, be sure you are a follower of this blog, Love 2 Upcycle~ not a follower? Just look to the left and click. Voila! You are a follower. But you haven't entered yet.
Now, you can choose 4 of the following ways to enter, up to 4 times!
  1. Check out The ReGiftables on Etsy and favorite the shop! Tell us here which item is your favorite!

2. Follow The ReGiftables on Twitter!
3. Like The ReGiftables on Facebook!
4. Tweet this Giveaway on Twitter or Share it on Facebook!
5. Pin one of Elyse's items from her shop on Pinterest!


Remember, only 4 entries count, and each one must be left in a separate comment! If you don't have an email listed on your bio, leave it here in one of your comments. Deadline to enter is Midnight, March 4th!

Winner will be randomly drawn using Random.org's generator.

Good Luck!
 
Would you like to Sponsor a Giveaway on Love 2 Upcycle? You don't have to be a member of Upcyclers to be a sponsor, all Etsy sellers of upcycled or eco-friendly products are welcome! But of course, we'd love for you to join the team!

Weekly Giveaway: Art Recycles!

We hope everyone had a great Valentine's Day last week~ we celebrated with a giveaway from The Paper Peddler! Now it's time to announce the winner of our "valentine"~ Liz's Upcycled Red Heart, Diet Coke Flower Headband: #6~ Selma! Congrats to you, Selma! Thanks, Liz for sponsoring our fun giveaway and thank you to all our readers who entered!

This week we're changing things up a bit, we'll be starting our giveaways on Mondays from now on~ but thanks to my wonderful satellite (sarcasm detection alert!!!), I didn't have internet yesterday when I got home from work, so this week is a wee bit late. But all that aside~ on with this week's Giveaway from Art Recycles! Tracey Dean, owner and creator of Art Recycles, wants you to "Organize in Style"! As she explains, "Matisse's paper cuts inspire me; I create my own paper cuts into functional art that I call the "Tuck-it Board" and the "Tack-it board". The Tuck-it board is my version of the French memory board and the Tack-it board is my version of a cork board. Two great products to help you organize in a creative way." She's offering one of her "Tuck-it Boards" to you for our giveaway this week!

It's definitely a "keeper", perfect for holding a variety of memos, photos or other bits and pieces you want to "keep"! 

Tracey is an Art Educator and loves to create art that is functional and decorative. She especially loves to upcycle leftover art materials and packaging like crayon wrappers. She is married to an Environmental Consultant and together they work hard to instill a love for recycling and conservation in their children. Tracey says, "Often I create with recycled and reused items. I love to pulp down construction paper to create new sheets that are multi-layered and textured. I challenge myself to reuse some of those many handouts my son brings home from school in a creative way. Crayola crayon wrappers are a lot of fun to reuse too. My students know that, 'Mrs. Dean can make art out of anything'- well, I try. I feel a strong connection between manipulating clay and cutting shapes from a piece of paper, it's just in a different dimension. The great thing with the paper is that it's already full of color and pattern. Oh, and it's instant; no extreme temperatures needed."

I love all of Tracey's colorful and creative products~ they make me just want to run around and start organizing things! I can't wait to hear about all of your favorites when you enter her Giveaway~ 

Here's how:  First, be sure you are a follower of this blog, Love 2 Upcycle~ not a follower? Just look to the left and click. Voila! You are a follower. But you haven't entered yet.
Now, you can choose 4 of the following ways to enter, up to 4 times!
 
1. Add Art Recycles to your favorite shops on Etsy! Tell us here about your favorite item!
2. Like Art Recycles on Facebook!
3. Follow Tracey on Twitter!
4. Tweet this Giveaway on Twitter or Share it on Facebook!
5. Pin one of the items in Art Recycles on Pinterest! 


Remember, only 4 entries count, and each one must be left in a separate comment! If you don't have an email listed on your bio, leave it here in one of your comments. Deadline to enter is Midnight, February 26th!

Winner will be randomly drawn using Random.org's generator.

Good Luck!
 
Would you like to Sponsor a Giveaway on Love 2 Upcycle? You don't have to be a member of Upcyclers to be a sponsor, all Etsy sellers of upcycled or eco-friendly products are welcome! But of course, we'd love for you to join the team!