Love 2 DIY on the Weekend~ It's Easy With Etsy!

Etsy makes it easy to do it yourself with craft kits and supplies galore! You can literally find thousands of items to use in your projects or buy a kit that has everything simplified for you. Here's just a few from our team and some other sellers who "Love 2 Upcycle" on Etsy!

Color Your Own Doll by Girl A GoGo Designs

Eco-Friendly Craft Bag by Katie Did Online

DIY Greeting Card Kit from Hoera

DIY Denim Ruffled Pillow Kit by State Of Muse

DIY Upcycled Wool Felt for Crafts by I dream in Green

DIY PDF for Upcycled Can Star by Lizard Skins

DIY Wine Cork Trivet Kit by The Wooden Bee

DIY Bunting Kit from Peony and Thistle

DIY Sew It Yourself Kit by Verabelle

DIY Mason Jar Floral Arrangement Lids by Treasure Again

Thrifty Thursday: Give Me Five$!

This week I wanted to see what five bucks could buy me so I searched our team's listings with our tag: teamupcyclers and found some awesome deals! I love doing these articles because I get so discouraged with the price of things in today's economy and finding these bargains always makes me feel a little more hopeful that you can still get a lot for your money! So let's get things started with my first "Whale" of a bargain~ I love these reusable bags from Greener Route!

Reusable Food Bags from Greener Route

And this Reusable Gift Bag makes a great pouch after the gift is given!

Reusable Upcycled Gift Bag from Custom Dynamite

You can make your own collage or use these DIY Kits for scrapbooking~

DIY Kits from Altered Inspirations

Jacqueline from Paper Jam hand folds these beautiful Gift Tag Favors and you get a set of four for only five bucks!

Teabag Fold Gift Favors from Paper Jam

Or how about a set of five gift tags upcycled from used gift cards~ now that was a gift that kept on giving, lol!

Upcycled Gift Card Tags by Almond Works

You can also get these cool notebooks upcycled from post consumer packaging from Potter About!

Notebook from Potter About

Want to keep your little girls' barrettes handy and organized~ here's a cute solution:

Barrette Holder from Art Recycles

I adore these upcycled fabric scrap baskets woven by Sally from American Recycle!

Fabric Basket by American Recycle

Jesse from Sparkly Trash really knows how to dress up some "trash"~ check out these Cupcake Note Cards upcycled from grocery bags~ Nom, nom!

Upcycled Note Cards by Sparkly Trash

I had a good laugh when I saw Kristen's pet lovers' scrabble pendants!

Scrabble Tile Pendant from k5art

Here's some more jewelry for a tight budget, this time for your team player~ you can have a custom bottlecap pendant made by Laurie from Believe in UR Dream!

Custom Bottlecap Pendant by BelieveinURdream

And there's lots more of these deals~ so I can't wait to share more next time I go thrifting on Thursday! Oh and HEY! Do I deserve a high five on these deals? Okay~ Give me FIVE!

The Re-Creations Project

I recently joined a new website that I found quite by accident.  On a previous shop feature I had done, I noticed that I was getting a lot of traffic from this site.  So I clicked on the link to see what this site was and it took me to her post in the forums.  Much to my delight, she was thrilled with her shop feature (whew!).  As I read through her thread, I noticed how supportive the members were and really enjoyed their comments.  So I poked around on some other threads and liked what I saw.  I decided to join and posted another one of my shop features and said that I was the one who wrote up the feature that had been posted previously by the shop owner.  At the bottom, I asked anyone interested in a shop feature to contact me.  Luckily for me, someone did.  A lovely woman named Stacy who, with the help of Jacqui, started not only an Etsy shop called ReCreationsProject, (they also do summer markets!), but a program for the developmentally disabled that enriches their lives, helps the environment by doing upcycled projects, and does community outreach in the form of workshops and demonstrations teaching people about upcycling and all of the nifty things they can make!  I honestly stopped breathing for a minute.  That is like the trifecta for me!

This item is available for purchase here.

Stacy's description of the group and their work blew me away.  I worked with people with developmental disabilities for several years, so what she had to say in her email tugged at many of my heartstrings.  Then I read the links she had sent me.  This is the first thing I read on the first website I visited; I took this directly from the Re-Creations Project website on the Home tab:

The Re-Creations Project consists of me (Stacy) with support from my fearless sidekick Jacqui Atkins, and some awesome freelance crafters who pitch in to help.  We started in 2011 in the hopes of creating a sustainable social enterprise for people with learning disabilities that would give them a chance to do meaningful creative work and help the environment in the process.

In October 2011, the Project received a Level 1 Millennium Award from Un Ltd, helping us to buy tools and materials for the group.  Off to a good start!  Since then we’ve been working with a small group in Cambridge, as well as delivering “roadshows” to schools, youth groups, and other social enterprises.  We’ve opened our etsy shop, and are preparing for the upcoming summer market season.  Along the way, we’ve met loads of inspiring people, and had a great time.  We’re always looking to connect with new people, so if you have fresh ideas, please get in touch!

I couldn't wait to learn more about this incredible group.  I asked Stacy how she got started.  She said, "In 2011, Jacqui and I were both facing redundancy from our job at a local disability charity.  Having been in the situation before, we wanted to try setting up a group of our own that could run without all the overheads of a large charity.  So we met with a group of people with disabilities to find out what was important to them and what kind of project they would like.  They said that their ideal project would a) involve arts and crafts, b) give something back to the local community, and c) help the environment.  So the idea for the Re-Creations Project was born".


By this point, my heartstrings were playing a concerto.  I was struck by the fact that the mission of this group was designed by the people it was meant to benefit.  The best way to empower a person is to let them make a decision.  I have always strongly felt that people with developmental disabilities should be as involved as they can be in the decision making process of groups whose mission it is to enhance their lives.  My experiences in the States have not been so completely inclusive and I was very impressed with Stacy and Jacqui for taking that approach.

This item is available for purchase here.

I asked Stacy about the size of the group.  She said, "Our existing group has six members, and we're currently recruiting more.  Jacqui and I also have support from several freelance artists who help us with specific projects, and many of the group members employ their own support staff to help them access the group".


They may not be a large group, but they get a lot done.  Stacy told me more about their community and outreach programs, "Our core group meets every Wednesday to process materials and try out new crafts (with lots of coffee and a good old natter in the process!).  But at our markets and public demonstrations, we realized that many of the passers-by were keen to try making our crafts.  So we started to offer private parties and workshops to help finance the core group.  So now kids (and adults) can have birthday parties with games that teach them about upcycling and make cool crafts to take away with them!".  I thought all of it sounded wonderful and asked about the what the community involvement had been like.  Stacy said, "The community support has been fantastic!  We've had support from several recycling champions around the city, and have held workshops and demonstrations for youth groups, fairs and other social enterprises to exchange ideas to provide mutual support".

This items is available for purchase here.

And they have some fabulous recycling champions!  Stacy describes where and how the acquire their materials, "We've had wonderful support from local youth groups, recycling champions and "being green" representatives from the county council, who have responded to our appeals for particular materials  We even have dedicated individuals around the country who post us certain items when they've finished with them!  It's inspiring to see so many people who are motivated to find better solutions for their waste packaging materials.


Some of our project ideas are motivated by the groups desire to practice a particular skill.  So, when they wanted to learn about jewelry making, we set about finding ways to make beads from upcycled materials and incorporating used inner tubes instead of leather.


Other times we're motivated by a random donation of a particular material.  Right now we work in a great community Centre, that's been inundated with donations of plastic bottle tops - so they asked if we could do anything with them.  Our stock response is 'Ummm....  Sure!' and then we hit the internet to work out what the heck we can do with them!


Our biggest appeal at the moment is for the metal ring pulls from drink cans.  One of our group members has an ambitious project idea, but we're going to need thousands of ring pulls to make it work."


This group is impressive in every way.  I am going to end this with Stacy's words summing up what this group is out to accomplish, "Our main goal is to help people with learning disabilities develop their skills and showcase the results of their hard work.  We're always looking for new members who want to connect with the local community, learn craft skills, or work on sales skills.  Each of our group members has the option of displaying a gallery of their work on our web page, so we love it when people stop by and offer feedback on their work!


Our second aim is to inspire other to try upcycling, by demonstrating that anybody can do it!"


Please visit their Etsy store, ReCreationsProject, and their website, Re-Creations Project, and show this group some love by leaving some feedback for these talented and hard working artisans.


Peace and Love,


Luci

Our 1st Upcycled Creativity Challenge

In the Spring of 2012 across our Etsy Team Discussion board came a thread from Gray, shop owner of Knotsewtrashy. That post and Gray's idea soon became our first organized team Creativity Challenge!
 
Eight upcycled shops volunteered and each month have been asked to select an upcycled medium to inspire creativity and upcycling among our team members. We gave Gray the honor of hosting the first month's challenge, and the "musical e-waste" medium was selected as our first challenge!

Here is Gray's synopsis of our first upcycled creativity challenge...

"This challenge came to mind when I was looking at some often discarded objects and wondering, "If 20 crafters were in a room and each had 1 of these objects, how many different and amazing end results would we have?" And really wanting to see that thought process become a reality. The first object I thought this with was a discarded stereo. So the first challenge item was naturally, a stereo! The category was greatly widened to anything that makes sound or is electronic. The range of items and end results was certainly as varied, if not more, than I had originally thought. On top of getting creative and finding great solutions that are unique to the materials (bracelet closure made out of a headphone? bhangtiez that was brilliant.) we had great conversations about upcycling and our creative processes!
There were a lot of ideas for this item, personally I was thinking about magnets with the speaker parts, earring holders made from the metal "mesh" of the speakers. Others made toys, lamps, earrings, necklaces, and bracelets, a purse/wristlet, a note taking station, and speakers for an mp3 player! Picking my favorites was just about impossible.

My three favorites are.......

The Lamp/alarm/radio by It'sALamp!

I love that the function of the original item is almost entirely preserved, while adding another function to the item! I'm also really into the simple aesthetic.

This Notetaking Station and Piggy Bank by ElodiesShop!

What a great use for the shell of an old phone and base. I need one of these to follow me around every day of my life. I can see one of these sitting next to my phone's functioning base. So simple, and variable!


And this last one might have taken the cake for me.

A Walkman Purse from SweetSomeday!

Okay, it's got a secret compartment. Y'all know that's awesome. And it's cute as it gets!"

Thank you Gray from Knotsewtrashy for a wonderful start to a new chapter in Upcyclers!



And thank you Upcyclers for your amazing selections!

Vintage Dangle Earrings "Up-cycled" with 90's Music Cassette Tape Reels by Rinnovato

Upcycled Electronic Parks Bracelets by PLJohnson Glass Art

Pendant Bracelet Set: Upcycled Computer CD Drive Electronics Ribbon Cables by k5art

ALL entries can be viewed on our Team's Challenge Pinterest Board!!!

Team Members be sure to check out our discussion board! The second month's creativity challenge is just getting started! M. Basile from Rinnovato selected the medium: glass jars & bottles!

Happy Upcycling!
Bee
The Wooden Bee

Let the Seller Beware!

If you are lucky, you will never be targeted by a scam artist online. But many of us will and have.

I was last week.

Imagine my excitement when, shortly after listing a high end item in one of my shops ($750.00), I was contacted by a customer interested in buying the item as a gift for her mother's birthday. She informed me that she was an oceanographer at sea and had limited access and ability for correspondence so would I contact her via her direct email with the information about the item she requested~ i.e. condition, full cost, etc.

Tiny red flag waving.    








But since it seemed a reasonable request, despite my concerns, I complied.

But next came this: I would like to complete the transaction on PayPal since I am not familiar with Etsy.

     Large Red Flag Waving.












And then she added "Could I also send enough money to you to cover the shipping agent's fees and then you can pay them via Western Union Money Gram directly. I will have them pickup the item so you will not have to worry about shipping information. I would greatly appreciate this, since as I told you I am out to sea and would have a problem paying them directly."

Excuse me?

Tons of HUGE Red Flags Waving!!!

Okay, seriously, I may not be the brightest crayon in the box, but I'm no fool (well, maybe a bit of a fool, read on*)! But sadly, in the excitement of wanting the sale, many of us would want to believe this was sincere, and might even take the chance. It happens all the time, especially to inexperienced internet users, newbie sellers and even worse, the elderly. In the end, I sent her an email and informed her that I regret any inconvenience or difficulty for her but if she wishes to purchase the item she must do so through Etsy and I will ship the item directly to her mother.

Her account has since been closed. 

*In hindsight, I was a fool for sending her an email and not writing her from Etsy. But since my email account for that store is only for that and nothing else, fortunately I was not compromised.

So, lessons to learn:

Never do business off site! If you are selling on Etsy, stay on Etsy. All correspondence and transactions should be done through your shop. This holds true for any venue, Artfire, Bonanza, etc. Do not use your personal email address for your shop. All banking, bill paying, or other secure accounts should be kept separate from your shop's email. You should also use a separate account for your PayPal account if you are linked to a bank account. Keep only the minimum amount necessary in your PayPal account and your linked bank account, and make regular withdrawals. Working capital can be kept in another account if it is a substantial amount.

If anyone requests a pickup for the item, do so at a local UPS or FedEX store after the item is securely sold and paid for through your shop. Never give your personal address. If you are shipping from your home, I highly recommend you acquire a post office box for return shipping information and receiving goods. It may not always be possible but it is safer.

Don't ever co-mingle payments for your goods with any other fees except shipping from you. Do not use Western Union Money Grams for any transactions! The best methods for payment are PayPal and credit cards, I do not even recommend money orders, but they are acceptable and sometimes necessary for some customers. Never accept a check!

No matter how sad their story sounds~ DON'T FALL FOR IT!

If the hair on the back of your neck is standing up, your gut is telling you something or a red flag is waving~ Pay attention to it! Don't ignore your instincts and let your emotions get carried away. We all love a sale, but if someone really wants your product, they will go through the proper procedure to purchase it. (Now that's a lot of p's, lol!) But, all joking aside, please be careful out there, the scams are becoming more and more intricate and elaborate. If you have high end items, you are especially vulnerable.

I am not an expert and some of you may have some more advice to add~ I hope you will comment if you do.

Have a great week!
;) Cat

*Please note: I am in the process of finding out if they can hack your other email accounts if your mail is forwarded to another central account as mine are. I will keep you posted~ if anyone out there knows the answer let me know. Honestly, I wouldn't doubt that they can do it! I did disable forwarding on the address I used, just in case!