Weekly Giveaway: Green Illuminations!

Congrats to Audrey~ a.k.a. The Garden Lady, for winning this week's giveaway from The Wooden Bee! Bee will contact you, Audrey, for your shipping info! Thank you to everyone who participated and to Bee for sponsoring the giveaway!

This week we have another perfect giveaway for the summer season~ Two scented 3 oz. candles in recycled beer bottle candle holders from Green Illuminations...Vata and Artemis~

Vata is a great scent that has a bit of floral and a bit of earth. Great for those that want a light summer scent that won't overwhelm your senses. Citrus, sweet, and cool. Artemis is a charming blend of notes that will keep you feeling chill on those sublime summer nights. All candles are made from 100% essential oils and locally sourced soy wax. 3oz. candles burn for approximately 20-24 hours. Our candles come individually boxes and packed in shredded recycled paper. 

Green Illuminations was founded in late 2010. As with many new ventures, this company began as a way to decorate their own home, but what was supposed to be a personal project became Green Illuminations. Originally they began making lanterns, and later they added cork products and candles to their repertoire, expanding their line.

These creations are perfect for your home, office or as that unique gift that your friends and family will remember for years to come. There are plenty of great reasons why you should purchase recycled bottle products and we hope that you, too, are enlightened to be brighter and greener.

All glass products are hand cut and sanded which often leaves them with slight imperfections, making them one of a kind. All candles are hand poured and created from 100% soy wax and essential oils.

As well as selling at many craft fairs, markets and events since beginning just 6 months ago, Green Illuminations have also helped plan centerpieces for wedding receptions using their wine bottle luminaries as well as supplying our wine bottle lanterns as decorations and candles for wedding guest gifts.

Ready to enter this week's giveaway??

Just browse, follow, tweet and share~ Here are the details:

First you must be a follower of Love 2 Upcycle to enter~ not a follower? Just look to the right and click on the 'Follow' button!

Then you can submit up to four entries, each must be entered HERE in a separate comment.

1. Browse Green Illuminations on Etsy, and tell us here which item was your favorite.

2. 'Favorite' and 'Like' their shop, Green Illuminations on Etsy.

3.  'Like'  Green Illuminations on Facebook or subscribe to their blog~ Green Illuminations.

4. 'Tweet' or 'Like' this Giveaway using our Like or Tweet button and Share a link to our Giveaway on your  Facebook fan page or become a follower of Green Illuminations on Twitter.

Deadline to enter is Wednesday, July 6th at midnight.

The WINNER will be randomly drawn and announced with our next giveaway~ Thursday, July 7th.

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!

Meet & Greet: Tummy Earth Fashions

This husband and wife team offer an amazing collection of stunning vintage finds. This is a must see collection of  unique items have wonderful stories and are full of history. They are adding new items all the time so visit often.

Vintage Westinghouse Recorder

I asked Casey Marie and JB a few question, here is what they had to share:

Tell us a little about yourself and what you sell.
Wow a feature interview. How inspiring!! First of all, thank you for this amazing opportunity to be featured in this blog.

We are a husband and wife team who enjoy creating interesting, useful, and or decorative items from things we find that have a certain character. We are always on the lookout for great items at local thrift stores and yard sales to add to our shop. You'd be surprised at the little things that others overlook, that with just a little bit of love and creativity can become something amazing. JB, Mr. Tummy Earth, is the furniture upcycler in the family. He is amazing at taking something that is broken down & would otherwise end up at the local dump and creating something functional but not at all what it originally was. He took a broken dresser & created the most amazing bow making station from it. I am Casey Marie, and I love to upcycle & repurpose household accessories, clothing and shoes, but my passion is for creating new items. My newest fancy is hair accessories, polymer clay creations, clothing and shoe upcycling. We recently opened another Etsy shop, Summer Raynebows, to showcase the handmade creative side of our journey.

GUERLAIN L'Heure Bleue Paris Bottle and Original Box

What is your favorite thing about creating?
It is a family affair. When we head out on the weekend for sales even the kids get in on the treasure hunting. They have a great eye for old vintage items. As a team we enjoy creating and upcycling because the item(s) become a tangible expression of our creative vision. The most enjoyable part of our creativity is that we do it together. As a husband and wife team we find inspiration in each other. It is an amazing feeling to share your creative eye with the same person you share your daily life.

Toby Twirl Adventures Vintage British Book

Why did you decide to work with upcycled/recycled/repurposed/vintage materials?
It all started with 'Cynthia's Closet'. After my husbands mother passed away, we were left with an amazingly large and eclectic collection of stuff. You name it, she had it. From old to new, ugly to beautiful, wow to what the heck is that!?! Everything seemed to tell a story. We gave many things away but it just did not seem to make a dent in 3200+ sq feet of floor to ceiling madness we had to deal with. One day, while researching prices for a couple of things that were intended for Ebay I came upon Etsy.com and the light bulb flipped on. We created an Etsy shop with the intent to showcase our vintage & handmade items. Tummy Earth Fashions has always been our vintage shop. As a spin off, Summer Raynebows was created to showcase our handcrafted items. We had so much fun giving those old items new life and new homes we couldn't stop. We started seeing interesting items everywhere. Maybe it's contagious or maybe Cynthia was at every yard sale guiding and encouraging us to continue on this path.

Charles Dickson Series Tony Weller Figurine

What is your favorite thing about running your etsy shop?
We love Etsy because it is an outlet for our creativity. Be it by way of finding great vintage treasures or new handcraft items. We found a whole world full of people with similar interests and realized we're not alone. It's so exciting to see what inspires others and share in the fun. Etsy Treasuries being one of our favorites, ;)

Revamped LANZ Green Button Shirt Style Vintage Mini Dress

What inspires you to create/sell what you do?
Wow two answers to one question. What inspires us to create is the shear joy of it, at times it seems like the item just speaks to you, telling you exactly what it should look like. Nothing can compare to creating with out rules. What inspires us to sell is the desire for income. We have had our financial ups and downs but we remain grateful for all the blessings we've received. Ultimately we would like our Etsy shops to supplement our income. We aspire to become a featured seller on the front page of Etsy. How cool would that be? To support your family while doing what you love with the one you love, seeking hidden treasures and creating things that inspire you from with in, aka, a joyful life. Is this not what we all wish for in life, what we strive for?

Visit Tummy Earth Fashions and Summer Raynebows today.

Thanks Casey & JB for sharing your story with us today!

See you next week
Valerie
Everyday Inspired

How~ Tuesday! A Tute from The Chic Pea!

 

Raise your hand if you have an old Hawaiian Lei kicking around that you're saving for the next time somebody happens to invite you to a luau!  Or maybe for the next time you go on a tropical vay-cay? Perhaps you are better at not being a pack-rat than I, but a few of these faux-bits of the tropics have hula-ed their way into my pile of not-very-useful things.

 As I'm cleaning out my house and getting ready to move, I came up with this lil DIY to share with you.

...and you know I love a good Flower Crown!

Now just hula your way over to my blogspot, The Chic Pea, and I'll show you "How-Tue" make it!


Oh, and here's a little peek at my shop on Etsy~

Weekly Giveaway: The Wooden Bee!

#55...

Congrats to Cynthia Richardson~ aka: hofken! She gets to wear those amazing Sky Blue Beach Glass Earrings from North Coast Beach Glass! All the other entrants are probably jealous, but they are also very appreciated by us, Thanks so much for entering, promoting our Giveaway and for supporting Upcyclers! And thanks to Deb who created these beautiful earrings! You can find more sea glass treasures in her shop, so don't feel bad if you didn't win!

And now you have another chance to win something from Upcyclers~ The Wooden Bee is sponsoring our giveaway this week, and you can get something free and get creative! Bee's giveaway is a DIY kit for making your own sustainable wine cork coasters! You can protect your tables while protecting our planet, even the pieces for the maple wood frame for the coasters are upcycled!

The Wooden Bee has other choices of wood available for sale in her eco-friendly shop. Pine and cherry scraps have also been repurposed by Bee and her husband to become gorgeous products and components of creative DIY kits. Her shop offers a diverse choice of sustainable products for the home, as well as art and decor.

When Bee isn't 'busy as a bee' creating her goods, she is also spreading the word about sustainability and handmade DIY crafting on her blog, The Wooden Bee~ and now here on Love 2 Upcycle! Her recent article, Greener Shopping Lists, is the first of what we hope will many more to come in the future! She also participated in the Etsy World Craft Party this month and entertained over a dozen local artisans with her coaster kits, food and beverages. It was a wonderful success!

Bee and her husband are great examples of green living and are providing a lesson by lifestyle for their two young children. They make this seem joyful and effortless, inspiring others to carve out a more eco-friendly existence. It seems to be their nature to live hand in hand with nature.

If you'd like to make some eco-chic coasters for your patio or home, you have four chances to win Bee's DIY kit!

Just browse, follow, tweet and share~ Here are the details:

First you must be a follower of Love 2 Upcycle to enter~ not a follower? Just look to the right and click on the 'Follow' button!

You can submit up to four entries, each must be entered HERE in a separate comment.

1. Browse Bee's shop, The Wooden Bee, and tell us which item was your favorite.

2. 'Favorite' and 'Like' her shop, The Wooden Bee on Etsy.

3.  'Follow' the The Wooden Bee on Facebook or subscribe to her blog~ The Wooden Bee on Wordpress.

4. 'Tweet' or 'Like' this Giveaway using our Like or Tweet button or Share a link to our Giveaway on your  Facebook fan page.

Deadline to enter is Wednesday, June 29th at midnight.

The WINNER will be randomly drawn and announced with our next giveaway~ Thursday, June 30th.

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!

Email us at: teamupcyclers@gmail.com Tell us about the item for the giveaway and provide us with a link to your shop.

Meet & Greet: The Paper Peddler

Liz is a scrapbooker and all around crafter.  She also makes soap and candles, enjoys jewelry making, and working with stamps.  Her shop is full of handmade items created with repurposed and upcycled items, and a few scrapbooking supplies.

Coca Cola Recycled Flower Headband Fun and Funky Gift

I asked Liz a few questions about herself and her craft and this is what she has to share:

Tell us a little about yourself and what you sell.
I am a wife, mother, scrapbooker, recycler, and mixed media artist. I have been making things for as long as I can remember and I am currently obsessed with upcycling common items into useful pieces of art.

Scrapbooking Mystery pack 300 dollars worth for only 100 dollars

What is your favorite thing about creating?
My favorite thing to do is to take something that someone else thought of as trash and to turn it into something beautiful.

Pop can Metal letter Recycled for Scrapbooking

Why did you decide to work with upcycled/recycled/repurposed/vintage materials?
I love graphics so I am naturally attracted to anything with cool graphics. It seemed such a waste to throw those things away so I just started trying to think of anything I could use those items for.

Recycled pop Can Hand Necklace Fun and Funky

What is your favorite thing about running your etsy shop?
I just love being a part of the whole etsy community. It’s so inspiring to read about others who share the same creative spirit. I hope to someday be able to quit my day job like so many talented artists that I read about every day.

Warm Wishes Handmade Greeting card Aloha

What inspires you to create/sell what you do?
I am most inspired when I am surrounded by other creative people. Sometimes I am inspired by music or movies but my best ideas seem to come to me at night, I just wake up with a great idea and then can’t wait to get started.

You can find Liz from the Paper Peddler at:
www.etsy.com/shop/ThePaperPeddler

Thanks Liz for sharing your story with us today!

See you next week,
Valerie
Everyday Inspired - A daily conversation of inspiration, creativity, and business.

Monday's Makeover: To Market, To Market!

Paper or Plastic?

"Neither, thank you!" With all the eco-chic choices for market totes out there, who needs those disposable eco-UNfriendly bags? Unless they are plastic bags upcycled from feed bags or plarn, of course!

We talked about Greener Shopping Lists the other day, now we'll tackle greener shopping methods. Upcyclers, our Etsy team whose members Love 2 Upcycle, have a fabulous variety of stylish totes you'd be proud to carry on your shoulder~ and take a little weight off our landfills!

Sunflowers By Design~

Pretty Wit~

Merah Muda~

FOR YOU Love Joy~

Cluck, Cluck, Craft~

Dawne's Weavings~

Upcycled Stuff~

bzb designs~

Mandaia~

Now, let's go SHOPPING!

Love 2 DIY on the Weekend: Have a Seat!

 Chairs.

They come in every shape, size and style imagineable. But for those who Love 2 Upcycle, cast-offs and thrifty finds are favorites. And using sustainable or upcycled materials to give it new life is one step better. Try these chairs on for size~ I'm sure you'll find some that might be too hard, too soft...but maybe, one that's just right.

My Zero Waste has easy steps for using coffee bags from Cafe Direct to upcycle chairs

Here's an amazing transformation I found on Cut Out + Keep~

       Before                                                                             After

A "Brilliant Chair-to-Bench Conversion" from Dornob~

Here's another slant on a chair-to-bench creation from Kindall's Creations~

For some extreme ideas for DIY upcycled chairs, you can check out more like these two on Voodoo Village!

Or more like this one on Upcycle, The Art of the R's~

Greener Shopping Lists.

Over the past decade, my family has been changing our lifestyle to reflect how we feel about the environment. For awhile we were constantly changing products and habits to lead a more sustainable lifestyle. Eco-friendly options like recycling, organic gardening, and buying local have been added to our weekly duties. We gave up water bottles, plastic bags, and paper napkins, and explored the green arenas of sustainable living in the hopes to make less of an impact. After a few years of changes we just...sustained. We kept recycling our glass and composting our kitchen scraps, but could we do more? Could our family of four, on one income, make even more changes?
The first place I decided to look was our bank account. How could the dollars spent continue to improve the planet & our lifestyle? Almost 10 years ago I decided to stop eating at McDonalds and almost five years ago I stopped shopping at Wal-Mart. I had done my research, and felt I could justify these decisions. Wal-Mart buys offshore and without apology. They hurt small business & pay their employees minimum wage with little to no benefits. They are part of the reason that corporate profits keep going up and the average family income keeps declining. As for McDonalds, I could write a whole another article about the quality of food and its negative impact on our environment. But I had made these decisions years ago. What could I do now?

The first thing I did was start looking at what we still bought that wasn't local, handmade, or organic. My list started with beer, toilet paper and gas. Was the brewery that made my Blue Moon eco-friendly? Was Charmin toilet paper soft on the environment too? Did we buy gas from a company with tons of environmental violations?
This is what I found out… my beer is terrible for the environment. Charmin isn’t so soft on it either. And gas, well, I’m not sure any of those guys even know what eco-friendly means. According to The Better World Shopping Guide, which focuses over 20 years of data on five key issues: human rights, the environment, animal protection, community involvement and social justice, Blue Moon Breweries received a D+ on their grading system. The worst grade, an F, fell to Guinness and Red Stripe. The best brewery, with an A+, was New Belgium. This was additionally backed by Greenopia, who released the green rankings of the world’s 15 largest breweries. Breweries like Sierra Nevada, Otter Creek, and Eel River were at the top of the lists. Maybe I won’t like all the A listers but I can definitely improve my D+ beer.
I also made a D in the TP department! Charmin ranked below thirteen other companies on my The Better World Shopper App. Seventh Generation and Earth Friendly were among the A listers, and even Cottonelle and Scott ranked better than our Mega Roll Charmin. Only Quilted Northern and Angel Soft received failing grades. Not sure we are on a Seventh Generation TP budget but I know I can improve my D ranking with a greener TP option.

When I started driving over fifteen years ago, I had it out for Exxon. I had seen the oil covered birds in the Valdez oil spill and I wasn’t buying their gas. I guess even back then I was voting with my dollars. Was there a green oil company to buy from? After researching, I guess the question should be is there a less evil oil company to buy from?
So, Exxon was still out of the question. BP, who used to rank #1 on Greenopia’s oil company list, has only fallen to #4 after its horrendous Gulf Oil spill. Born and raised in Florida, the spill was very personal to us, so BP is out of the question for sure. Sunoco comes in first place on both Better World Shopper and Greenopia lists, but we don’t have one close by. So, Shell and Hess, coming in at second and third will have to be our new greener choices.

This new quest to vote with our dollars and green our bank account is only starting. In a world of constant change, companies and businesses are going to come and go and improve and decline. It will be up to me, the little consumer at the bottom, to continue to seek out eco-friendly options for my family.

Weekly Giveaway: North Coast Beach Glass!

Wow, this week has just flown by! Hard to believe it's time to pick another winner for our Weekly Giveaway!
And who is that lucky winner? Our random pick was: #10!
KeriAnne Zimmerman! 

Congrats, KeriAnne! Cindy from Pine Branch Designs will contact you to find out where you'd like your upcycled wood soap dishes sent! Thanks everyone for entering, and a big thanks to Cindy for sponsoring the giveaway!

Our Giveaway this week is from North Coast Beach Glass Jewelry!

Deb found these pieces of gorgeous, sky blue, beach glass on the shore of Lake Erie at her favorite glass gathering beach, drilled them herself, and hung them from the silver plate ear wires with 24 gauge silver colored copper wire.

Deb enjoys crocheting and writing, (she plans to write for us, Yay!) but her passion is collecting these rare treasures created by nature and fashioned into jewelry by her! Her shop on Etsy, North Coast Beach Glass Jewelry, is named for the North Coast of Lake Erie where she beachcombs. Deb says,

"I collect my seaglass / beach glass and beach stone from the shores of Lake Erie, where it is naturally tumbled by the waves until it has a beautiful, gemlike quality. I can't say what I like more - beachcombing to find my beach glass, making my wire wrapped jewelry, or knowing that other people appreciate my work."

Deb also uses Swarovski crystals, semi-precious stones and beach stones in her delicate and natural wire-wrapped creations.

Would YOU like to win the Sky Blue Beach Glass Earrings???

It's easy to enter!

Just browse, follow, tweet and share~ Here are the details:

First you must be a follower of Love 2 Upcycle to enter~ not a follower? Just look to the right and click on the 'Follow' button!

You can submit up to four entries, each must be entered HERE in a separate comment.

1. Browse Deb's shop, North Coast Beach Glass Jewelry, and tell us which item was your favorite.

2. 'Favorite' and 'Like' her shop, North Coast Beach Glass Jewelry on Etsy.

3.  'Follow' her North Coast Beach Glass on Facebook.

4. 'Tweet' or 'Like' this Giveaway using our Like or Tweet button or Share a link to our Giveaway on your   Facebook fan page.

Deadline to enter is Wednesday, June 22nd at midnight.

The WINNER will be randomly drawn and announced with our next giveaway~ Thursday, June 23rd.

Good Luck!

Meet & Greet: FrankCluck

Jenny has been concerned about the environment for most of her life.  In high school she even started an environmental club. Her products are made by repurposing items otherwise known as "trash".

Her goal is to recycle products that will help make an impact in not only our lives, but in all of those people around us.

Recycled Bird Seed Bag Purse or Tote

I asked Jenny a few questions about herself and her business and here is what she had to share:

Tell us a little about yourself and what you sell.
My name is Jenny and I create totes, market bags, and purses using plastic feed sacks. I have always loved the outdoors, which naturally morphed into a strong environmental awareness as a teenager. I grew up surrounded by a variety of animals. I made my first bag in an effort to create an earth friendly gift for my dog loving mom. My mom loved it and my bags were born! I was at a point were I knew I needed to ditch the store bags, but was having a hard time convincing my husband. That is until I made a few bags for us from feedsacks. They were strong, durable, and something a man wouldn't be embarrassed to carry!

Recycled Dog Food Market Bag Tote or Purse

What is your favorite thing about creating?
I love seeing the process of making something from nothing. There is just something gratifying about knowing that I have made something myself.

Why did you decide to work with upcycled/recycled/repurposed/vintage materials?
While buying supplies at the store and bringing them home to make a project is fun, I like the challenge of working with something that is headed to the trash. I feel that in addition to satisfying the urge to create, I am doing something positive for the planet. As a society, the waste we generate is just astounding. I like to think that I am helping to turn the tide,even if only a bit. Plus, when someone sees a bag that I have made, I hope that they will in turn look twice at what they are throwing out. I hope that by seeing what wonderful and useful items can be crafted from recycled materials, they will then be inspired to make positive changes in their own lives. It all adds up!

I have to say that I am lucky to have friends and family that are willing to shamelessly hunt down trash for me! Without all of there help, I would not be able to offer the range of products that I have. I must also point out that I have a very patient husband who has put up with the growing stacks of feed sacks in our basement. After a while, they are hard to hide :)

Recycled Chicken Food Zippered Pouch 

What is your favorite thing about running your Etsy shop?
I can't tell you how fun it is to see that people like my items so much that they buy them! The global aspect of Etsy constantly amazes me. Where else would I have the opportunity to sell my products to people half way around the globe, and in my hometown, all at the same time? I love the feeling that something I have made with my own hands is going to places and people that I will likely never see. And to hear that they love them inspires me to keep sewing!

Recycled Milk Juice Carton Coin Purse Business Card

What inspires you to create/sell what you do?
I love working with feedsacks. They are colorful, strong, and fun. Plus, being plastic, they aren't going anywhere anytime soon, you know? Think of how MANY bags are thrown away, everyday. Wow, does that add up! Plus, they are perfect for totes, purses, and especially market bags. It is also fun to see why people are buying them. Some love the recycled factor, while some think it's fun to have a bag made from their pets' food bags. Others just love the fun graphics and tough nature of the product. But, whatever the reason, they inspire me to keep making more. Besides, I have to keep going now. My basement is quickly filling up....

Recycled Cat Food  Market Bag Purse or Tote

Links to find Jenny on the web:
www.frankcluck.etsy.com
www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Cluck-Cluck-Craft/107560985943614

Thanks for sharing with us today Jenny!

See you next week,
Valerie
Everyday Inspired - A daily dialog of Inspiration, Creativity, and business.