1

Handmade and Eco-Friendly Consumerism

Thumbnail image for Handmade and Eco-Friendly Consumerism

Definition of CONSUMERISM 1: the promotion of the consumer’s interests 2: the theory that an increasing consumption of goods is economically desirable; also : a preoccupation with and an inclination toward the buying of consumer goods ~Merriam Webster Dictionary~ “…increasing consumption of goods is economically desirable” is exactly the reason why environmentalism poo poos consumerism. Why? Because “increasing consumption of goods” makes oodles of money for the companies and is [...]

10 comments Read the full article here →

Team Eco Etsy

I opened my first shop ‘ecogeneration’ on Etsy, end of October 2008. I had no idea what I was doing and I certainly had no direction as to what I was going to sell and how much to charge. But I was so flabbergasted when I had my first sale – a set of “Plastic Bottle Cap Birds Nest Magnets”. I couldn’t believe that someone actually liked what I made [...]

6 comments Read the full article here →

Refresh button

I need to hit the “Refresh” button today. I made a new year’s plan to reorganize and de-clutter my life. But I’ve only been thinking about so many ideas and ‘to-do’ lists to organize that I have to sit and breath a little to figure out ‘how’ to tackle the plan. So this is a short- I mean, short – list of things that I need to organize. I am [...]

3 comments Read the full article here →

Fabulous Friday Featured Seller – copabananas

Here is Copabananas who recycles and repurposes like no one’s business. Read her short, to the point, no non-sense answers about recycling and repurposing. Cats or dogs? Kid. Star Wars or Sleepless in Seattle? Star Wars. Fruit or chocolate? Fruit. Favorite color? Orange lately. Favorite meal? Breakfast, toast is my favorite food. City break or weekend in the country? Camping. Soaps or documentaries? Documentaries, recently saw a great one about [...]

1 comment Read the full article here →

Upcycled Journals by Ecokaren

I’ve been procrastinating listing items on Etsy in fear of….well, actually listing them. That is one part of selling on Etsy I dislike. I need a little elf that can take pictures, write descriptions, edit, upload, edit, tweak,……you get the picture……while I’m sleeping. Anyway, here is just a few of the items I’ve been able to upload on my shop yesterday. I decided to finally use up a pile of [...]

8 comments Read the full article here →

Fabulous Friday Seller – My Patterned Mind

Cats or dogs? – Thanks to my mom, I’ve been a lover of cats all my life. At one point in time, we had five cats. Right now, I only have two furballs, and I’m fighting the urge to get them a little sister. lol. Star Wars or Sleepless in Seattle? – Oh definitely Sleepless in Seattle. It’s just my type of movie, the type that’s just perfect for curling [...]

Read the full article here →

Eco Friendly Handmade Cyber Monday

Is it really Cyber Monday today? I love it. Isn’t it quiet? No crowds.  Plenty of parking spaces. No check out lines. I can shop in my jammies with a cup  of hot brimming coffee. This is great! So let’s see what great eco friendly finds there are on Etsy. Recycled denim birds on Christmas tree would be awesome. Repurposed Bird Ornament by copabananas Perfect gift for a hostess or [...]

2 comments Read the full article here →

Eco Friendly Handmade Christmas

Here are some handmade Christmas goodies. Merry Christmas all winter long… Cool presents for your birds! This will start some creative conversations at your holiday party, heh? Who wouldn’t like your present if you wrap them in these? And finally, a placemat and a utensil case in one. Don’t use disposable plastic utensils. Be real and carry real ones. I think I am getting closer to being done with my [...]

1 comment Read the full article here →

Buy Eco friendly Handmade

Continuing with some great Eco Friendly Handmade finds on Etsy today… You can never have enough pillows and these are made with bamboo fabric too! Just looking at these arm warmers keep my arms and wrists warm. Pretty flowers too. OK, I’m biased on these but the lavender smells so great and did you know that lavender is great for stress relief? This conflict free diamond ring makes me want [...]

2 comments Read the full article here →

Buy Nothing Black Friday

Fridays are usually set aside for introducing fabulous sellers from Etsy. However, today is considered to be “Black Friday” or “Buy Nothing Day”.  As I said before, I strongly believe you have to assess what you truly need and what gifts you have to buy so that you don’t contribute to excess waste. And, if you need to buy  gifts for your loved ones for the holiday, you should buy [...]

5 comments Read the full article here →

Fabulous Friday Featured Seller – Twlight Visions

Twilight Visions is owned by an environmentally conscious jewelry artist who gets her inspiration from mother nature. Rachel grew up in the wildest, most untouched state of Alaska, so it’s only natural a lot of her pieces reflect such raw beauty. Recently, she has gone back to school to pursue a degree in Biology with a concentration in conservation. This life changing decision was roused by her profound affection for [...]

2 comments Read the full article here →

Fabulous Friday Featured Seller – Lindab142

Lindab142 is owned by a beadholic who finds color in beads an inspiration. Linda is donating 10% of her proceeds from her shop in October to Susan G. Komen Cancer Foundation. Cats or dogs? I have 2 cats, Stubbers and Buddy and they’re my pals Fruit or chocolate? I’m a chocoholic and Twitteraholic too. Dress or jeans? I prefer jeans to dresses, but sometimes a nice blouse and a long [...]

Read the full article here →

Fabulous Friday Featured Seller – DinnerTimeChimes

Dinner Time Chimes is owned by a newly wed couple from North California. When they are not creating these whimsical wind chimes, you can find them scouring flea markets, thrift stores, and garage sales to look for antique silverware to be recycled into these functional eco-friendly house wares. Cats or dogs? I love my mini-schnauzer, Daisy May! I work from home so she’s a lot of company. Star Wars or [...]

Read the full article here →

Fabulous Friday Featured Seller – Larkstudio

Larkstudio is a whimsical shop stocked with upcycled housewares, jewelry, and paper goods. Dawn Anderson founded Lark Studio in 2003, as a practical outlet for the handmade and unique items she had enjoyed making for years. While her varied creations may not seem to share a common thread, all of her work is unified with an eco-consciousness and a remarkable attention to detail that her customers have come to expect. [...]

3 comments Read the full article here →

I heart handmade functional eco friendlies

I heart (♥) these handmade functional eco-friendlies.

1 comment Read the full article here →

Fabulous Friday Featured Seller – Mcflashpants

McFlashpants’ collection of jewelry and small housewares are made almost entirely from reused, renewed, repurposed, recycled, and reinvigorated materials. Just my type of a seller. Read how creative she is. Even her answers are witty. Cats or dogs? I’ve actually found the perfect cross section–a pug. She has the pure adoration of a dog, but sleeps all day and sheds like a cat. Star Wars or Sleepless in Seattle? I [...]

6 comments Read the full article here →

Fabulous Friday Featured Seller – goodtogoeco

GoodToGoEco is owned by a mother-daughter team that creates eco-friendly products for the modern lifestyle. According to Erin’s Profile on Etsy…..”We both have an artistic background, so we want our choices to look good as well. Recycling, reclaiming, re-using, reducing, all this is what it’s all about. We incorporate these however possible, and understand that as smart consumers, we want great quality and a good value, so this must be [...]

2 comments Read the full article here →

Fabulous Friday Featured Seller – fashiongreentbags

fashiongreentbags Cats or dogs? dogs Star Wars or Sleepless in Seattle? Sleepless in Seattle Fruit or chocolate? fruit to be healthy but I really want chocolate… Favorite color? yellow City break or weekend in the country? Country but sometimes city Soaps or documentaries? documentaries, definitely Bath or shower? shower Dress or jeans? jeans Your favorite material? upcycled What brought you to Etsy? Tell us about your shop. I was making [...]

4 comments Read the full article here →

Thank You Series – Green Springs Body Works

When I first started my shop, ‘ecogeneration’, on Etsy in October 2008, I met some awesome eco minded sellers on a team called Eco Etsy. Among them is a lady who is passionate about organic skin care products. My favorite cream for my sensitive skin, especially in the winter, is from her shop because I know she only uses the finest organic ingredients. So naturally (no pun intended), when I [...]

Read the full article here →

Happy Easter!

Today will be an uber Good “Fabulous” Friday as I found some great finds that remind me of Spring (and Easter) on Etsy and I wanted to share them with you. They are all eco-friendly and I just love the colors that scream “Spring”! Click the picture for more info. Enjoy and let me know what you think about these great whimsical and functional items from eco-friendly artists from Etsy. [...]

9 comments Read the full article here →

Ahhhh…choo!!

I apologize for being tardy with posting this month. I have had this cold since beginning of the year and I can’t seem to shake it. So, while drinking tea and longing for hot soup, I found these items that I wanted to share with you. Click on the picture for more information. Being that I love to cook but hate to shop, especially when I’m not feeling well, this [...]

2 comments Read the full article here →

1001 Ideas for Creative Reuse Treasury

My organic blue gift tag was among the items featured in the Etsy Storque article about Garth Johnsons’ new book called 1001 Ideas for Creative Reuse. I was so shocked! This was the first time my item was featured by an Admin at Etsy. Basically, Garth Johnson from ExtremeCraft.com is choosing 1001 crafts that people made reusing upcycled materials to be featured in his new book. Check out the article. [...]

2 comments Read the full article here →

Not too late for christmas shopping…for yourself!

Here is my wish list. I found these great items that I would put on my list if Santa was reading it. They are either organic or upcycled chic items or just very special! Check them out! I love this tote from SasakiCreations. I’m always throwing stuff in paper shopping bags when I’m running out the door, say, to the post office or running small errands. I mean there’s nothing [...]

2 comments Read the full article here →

Upcycled Etsy Treasury

I was featured in an treasury called “Upcycled Treasury” by TheOldOakTree. She included two of my items and I am so excited. She makes some great natural products that gets the stink out of garbage and laundry. I’m always grateful when a fellow Etsian features me in her/his treasury. Thanks Old Oak Tree (gotta love that name!)

Read the full article here →

Trying to keep warm

Are you snowed in? It sounds like there’s snow all over the place….even in the Northwest where it rains all the time! Do you think global warming has anything to do with this severe weather? Read this and this. Well, in trying to keep warm, I kept myself busy by knitting up a storm (no pun intended) and upcycling some things in the house including these scarves. They are on [...]

2 comments Read the full article here →

Red Red Wine Treasury

Don’t you love seeing Red during the Holiday Season? I think the Chinese love Red – it is considered to be color of Prosperity and Good Luck. Well, I feel lucky today because my Holiday Red Napkin Rings is featured in a treasury named “Red Red Wine” on Etsy. Go check it out. It expires on Monday Dec. 8th. Thank you Moonbeads! Let’s see if I can remember how to [...]

Read the full article here →