Pretty Pin-ups and Sensational Treasuries

This alluring image is a set of "7 Vintage Pin Up Girls from Esquire Magazine 1950's" by Songbird Industries.

I am smitten over some sensational treasuries on a Sunday afternoon...this first one is titled "Green and Orange" and is created by Ottupura. She features my Vintage 60's Playboy Pinup Print.
My Vintage 60's Playboy Pin-up (pictured above) is also featured in this other lovely treasury titled "The Bold & the Beautiful" by Etsy STAT Team member Yifat Bareket Jewelry Designs.Darling Etsy STAT Team member Yifat Bareket Jewelry Designs has also created another treasury with my newest upcycled decoupage tin "Sunshine on a Rainy Day", that features a pretty pinup girl, in her treasury "And the OSCAR goes to...".
This alluring pinup is an "ELVGREN - BURLESQUE SHOWGIRL PIN-UP FINE ART GICLEE PRINT" by VANGUARDGALLERY.
Now it's time to take a trip to the old west and gaze at my treasury titled "At the Ole Saloon". I feature my sister's, Andrea of Storybook Artifact, original sketch "Man Behind the Story" and four other members from the Oklahoma Disciples of Etsy Team in this treasury!

My Latest Work of Art in My Shop!

Sunshine on a Rainy Day - Hand-Painted Upcycled Decoupage Decor Tin/Canister:

"Save up for a rainy day" with this precious, meticulously handcrafted, one-of-a-kind money tin. This upcycled tin once contained cookies, now it has been painted and decoupaged with this lovely scene of a woman who has saved up for that rainy day. She sits upon a vintage trunk as she is surrounded by her savings, umbrella, and reminders that everything is going to be okay. The lady featured holds a sign with the "You Are My Sunshine" lyrics and is displayed behind a young girl with an umbrella looking towards a flying golden kitten which represents the sun rising from the clouds after a storm. This tin is covered with many inspirational yogi tea tags as well as charming, vintage twenties inspired images. This elegant piece can hold an array of desired items such as tea, candies, and sentimental items...and most definitely money or a coin collection! In these pictures, the shine on the canister is from the glossy Mod Podge finish. I applied two coats of Mod Podge to this canister so the images are protected, yet you can still feel the fun texture of the freckles!The eco-friendly recycled materials used in this item are: a tin/canister with fitting tin lid, magazine clippings, and yogi tea tags. This tin measures 3 inches tall and 7 inches wide. The interior of this tin is painted a shiny, luxurious gold!
My darling sister, Andrea of Storybook Artifact, featured this newest upcycled decoupage creation of mine "Sunshine on a Rainy Day" in her Etsy STAT Team treasury "Bee Wealthy, Wise, and Whimiscal".

I also created a Etsy STAT Team treasury today titled "The Pearls of Penelope"; with a play-on-words title, I pay homage to one of my favorite classic cartoons of all time "The Perils of Penelope Pitstop". This glamorous treasury features elegant beauties embellished with pearls. I feature Mademoiselle in Pearls, a lovely sketch from Andrea's Storybook Artifact; I also feature six new members of the Etsy STAT Team!

Become a Milk Maid in Your Kitchen!

The darling image above is a "Milk Maid Vintage Linen Tea Towel" by Big Yellow Taxi Vintage. Please check out this lovely Etsy shop!
My sweet sister, Andrea of Storybook Artifact is now selling Milk Maiden Heirloom Kefir Grains...You can become a milk maid in your own kitchen with these babies!

She explains the wonderful benefits of kefir in her item description as follows:
Kefir is full of beneficial bacteria that aids as a natural probiotic for your intestinal flora, and thereby builds up your body's immunity. It has been found that kefir is an effective immune stimulant and antimicrobial against a wide variety of harmful gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. Composed of around 400 strains of beneficial bacteria found in the intestines, kefir's microbes serve as a natural clean-up crew for your intestines, and are essential for the proper absorption of many vitamins and minerals. Kefir also has an abundance of vitamins, minerals, amino acids and enzymes. Some of the more noteworthy of these are calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, vitamin B2, and B12, vitamin K, A and D. Tryptophan, an essential amino acid found in kefir, has been found to have a relaxing effect on the nervous system.
Please check out Andrea's cozy little Etsy shop "Storybook Artifact" filled with delightful vintage finds, original paintings and sketches, and yes...probiotic heirloom kefir grains!!!Also speaking of Storybook Artifact's Milk Maiden Heirloom Kefir Grains, these healthy little cultures along with her Antique Rabbit Tea Pot Set are featured in this pleasantly pink STAT Team treasury created by CALLACosmetics titled "Vintagely Pink".My hand-painted, upcycled decoupage canister "Little Miss Cupcake" is also featured in this adorable treasury!

The Absinthe Green Fairy

Albert Maignan’s painting of “Green Muse” (1895) shows a poet succumbing to the green Absinthe fairy.

I have made a treasury celebrating the historically mysterious Absinthe spirit beverage and the infamous Green Absinthe Fairy. This treasury is created by myself Eco-Friendly Freckles and is titled "Absinthe Green Garden Fairy"; I feature six items from Etsy STAT Team members!
Here is a fascinating video from the History Channel about the history of Absinthe:

Viktor Oliva's original painting (1901) titled "The Absinthe Drinker".

Here is another green fairy inspired treasury created by STAT Team member Room of Your Own and is titled "Its Just a Fairy Tale".

Today is "Be Humble Day"

The adorable image above is an original art print titled "Humbled Bird" by Kimberly Glesenkamp.
Today is not a day to brag or to boast. Its not a time to talk about your success or accomplishments. Why!? Because today is ...... Be Humble Day!

Be Humble Day can be a humbling experience. That's exactly the intent of today. Humbleness is a good thing, a virtue. People much prefer a humble person to a braggart. Practice humbleness today, and everyday. It will serve you well in life.

In this blog article, I am going to share with you all some treasuries that I find humble...ha ha, or maybe quite the opposite!


Who could be more humble than a calm cowboy? I reckon just about nobody. ;-) This lovely, rustic treasury is titled "Keep Calm & Cowboy On" and is a STAT Team Challenge Treasury created by Oddball Art Co.. My Vintage 60's Playboy Pinup is featured in this treasury.


Hang on a moment, a cow is more humble than a cowboy...who could be more humble than a sweet brown eyed cow? This delightfully brown treasury is also another entry into the STAT Team Treasury Challenge, this one is titled "How Now Brown Cow" and is created by Jems by Sandi. My Vintage 60's Miller High Life Print Ad with a very suave gentleman is featured in this treasury...and so is a cute, humble dog with a knitted hoodie!


Speaking of adorably sweet doggies, who could be more humble than the darling print of doggie in this treasury...look at those precious eyes! This is another STAT Team Challenge Treasury titled "STATTEAM Challenge Brown" by Hippie Chic Jewelz. My hand-painted upcycled decoupage canister "Traveling Lady" is featured in this charming treasury!


Oh here we go, I've got it...not the brown eyes on a cow or a dog, the most humble of them all are the brown eyes on an innocent, loving young girl! Just like the classic Van Morrison song this STAT Team Challenge Treasury is titled "Brown Eyed Girl" by my dear sister Andrea of Storybook Artifact. She features my hand-painted upcycled decoupage canister "Little Miss Cupcake" in this treasury.


No no no, I've finally got it! Our beautiful, humble earth...nothing could be more true, natural, and definitely humble. This STAT Team Challenge Treasury is titled "The Color of Earth" and it is beautifully conveyed in this treasury by Mystichintime. She features my hand-painted upcycled decoupage canister "Traveling Lady".


Ha ha, alright now this treasury is quite the opposite of "being humble" it features a very vain woman who is obsessed with the often considered "sinfully seductive": chocolate...and this lady is having a major chocolate attack! This STAT Team Treasury Challenge is created by myself, Eco-Friendly Freckles, and is titled "Chocolate Insanity at the Vanity". I feature my sister's (Andrea of Storybook Artifact) Vintage Rose Hand Mirror.


Mmm, indulgent chocolate...I love it! Here is another STAT Team Challenge Treasury titled "Brown is the Color of Chocolate (Especially)" and is created by CreatIVYty. She features my hand-painted upcycled decoupage canister "Little Miss Cupcake".

EtsyBlogger's Blog Carnival "Thinking Green": What Are You Doing to Make This a Greener Planet?

On the 28th of this month, Janet from "Honey from the Bee: Artisan Jewelry Inspired by Nature & Vintage Elements" will be hosting February's second blog carnival for EtsyBloggers on her blog "Honey from the Bee". The theme is "Thinking Green", Janet asks participants to write about what they're doing to make this planet greener. She says this could be about your art or just around the house or at work.

It didn't take me long to ponder over this because I have be "thinking green" for a long time. I have taken my artistic talent and combined it with my love for recycling to produce a one-of-a-kind functional, upcycled art piece that isn't only decorative but something lovely for the greenies too!

I recycle tin and steel cans along with magazine clippings and yogi tea tags and I incorporate all of these items that would have otherwise ended up in a landfill somewhere and use them in my art creations! I create my upcycled decoupage canisters by selecting and cutting desired magazine clippings and yogi tea tags and arranging them in a complementary pattern to produce an original theme and story.

I then paint the inside of each canister with a color that complements the hues of the images on the piece. All of my upcycled decoupage canisters are hand-painted with a glossy black background and small white freckles; which unlike polka dots are not perfectly symmetrical, hence the name of my shop "Eco-Friendly Freckles". These delightful freckles create a texture that is pleasant to feel, and a look that is unique and fun!

This greenie project of mine creates a beautiful, functional art piece that can be used to hold pens/pencils, paint brushes, kitchen utensils, teas, bath salts, soaps, candies, and anything your imagination can come up with! These upcycled canisters are great for containing presents too!

To view all of my hand-painted upcycled decoupage canisters in my Etsy shop, you can find them here:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/ecofriendlyfreckles?section_id=6793761

I have discovered an Etsy team that I LOVE!!! The Etsy Recycler's Guild is a GLOBAL community of Eco-Artists, crafters & vintage gurus, who have united in the name of GREEN, Team Tag: WASTENOT- founded in 2007., "recycled" in 2009, and have grown by leaps and bounds. Our tag is "Wastenot" which really sums it up.

We believe in recycling, repurposing, upcycling, and reclamation of used or discarded goods. We use these components in our crafts, jewelry, merchandise, clothing, and in our artwork. We also encourage sale of vintage goods, and house greenies who have developed alternative solutions for reduction of the carbon footprint.

We live green, we love to recycle, and that's what brought us together. Our team believes in Random Acts of Kindness, a movement to promote each other's shops and spread the word about living green.

For more about us view our blog at http://EtsyRecyclersGuild.blogspot.com

February's Featured EtsyBlogger is Diana of Faerie Garden Fancies!

This February Diana (BunnyKissed) of Faerie Garden Fancies is the Featured EtsyBlogger! Congratulations Diana! ;-)

Faerie Garden Fancies is a charming little shop filled with many enchanting treasures...here are my favorite items from this delightful shop!

Mermaid on a Rock:


Hemp Bracelet with Rainbow Beads:


Fluid Original 8x10 Watercolor Painting:

Gleeful Grandma and LightMine Etsy Shop Review

Andrea's and my mother, Vicki, was so very elated to see her first and only grandchild, Bobby (Andrea's baby boy) during our visit this week. In her cozy room in the nursing home, we celebrated a happy belated Valentine's Day the day after the holiday. We opened up her Valentine's gift which she loved a "Vintage Avon French Telephone filled with Charisma Perfume and Bubble Bath". I got this adorable vintage find from the Etsy Shop "LightMine"...Please check out this stunning Etsy shop full of alluring gifts for yourself or someone you love!

Bobby even enjoyed playing with his Grandma's vintage Avon french telephone..."Hello, Grandma?! I love you!"

For a tribute to my darling mother, Vicki, this blog article features treasuries will all items that remind me of her. :-)

This is my (Eco-Friendly Freckles) latest treasury titled "Lady Chatterley's Poet". I feature six members of the Etsy STAT Team including my sister Andrea of Storybook Artifact! This treasury reminds me of my mother because of her love for romance novels..."Lady Chatterley's Lover" by D.H. Lawrence is one of Andrea's favorites.

Here is a fun and vibrant Etsy STAT Team treasury from Hippie Chic Jewelz titled "That 70's Shop Item" and naturally it reminds me of my mother because she was a playful young lady full of sunshine in the seventies! My hand-painted upcycled decoupage canister "Little Miss Cupcake" is featured in this STAT Team treasury.


This treasury is titled "Natural Beauties" and is created by Etsy STAT Team member Aunt Carrie's Cottage. This colorful treasury reminds me of my mother's love and fascination for birds; she used to have a pair of parakeets that she loved very much and she also enjoyed watching cardinals outside of her window. My Vintage 60's Morton Salt Print is featured in this treasury.

Sipping on Cocktails and Admiring Some Beautiful Treasuries

That's exactly what I'm doing this evening! The sunny, eye-catching image above is an original painting titled "Odette" by Cozy Little Cave...Please check out this fun, feminine, and fanciful Etsy shop!

First let's enjoy some beautiful treasuries and then I will share my cocktail recipe for the evening!

This first treasury is titled "The Colours of Life" and is created by Percival Road Designs...my Provocative Vintage 60's Kraft French Dressing Print Ad is featured in this treasury!


Here is a treasury that I (Eco-Friendly Freckles) have created for the STAT Tuesday Team Treasury Challenge! Please vote for my treasury this Saturday as the "hottest" treasury! The challenge word for the theme of all of the contestants' treasuries is "shallow"; thus the name of my treasury is "The Bumbling Blue Crab in Shallow Waters" and the theme corresponds with the word "shallow" too. ;-) In this treasury, I feature my sister's (Andrea of Storybook Artifact) Vintage Avon Cancer Necklace. I also feature six members from the Etsy STAT Team and as for the rest of the shops featured, all but one is a new or undiscovered Etsy shop...isn't that awesome?!


This is the treasury that my sweet sister, Andrea of Storybook Artifact, created for the STAT Tuesday Team Challenge. She features my hand-painted upcycled decoupage canister "Paulie's Confession" amongst many other STAT Team members and new/undiscovered Etsy shops. This treasury is titled "A Shallow Viewpoint"; I love the vibrant colors and hilarious sexual innuendos she integrates into this awesome treasury...she does an excellent job portraying the meaning of the word "shallow". Ha ha, if you don't vote for me in the STAT Tuesday Team Challenge, vote for my sister Andrea of Storybook Artifact! The voting will take place on Saturday on the STAT Team Blog. :-)

Alright here is my cocktail I have been seductively sipping on...yes, it is such a amazing cocktail it is seducing me! Ha ha!


Baileys and Kahlua Root Beer Float

The Kahlua in this recipe adds a pleasant coffee undertone to the cocktail that is surprisingly irresistible.

* 1 shot of Baileys Irish Cream
* 1 shot of Kahlua (I used homemade Kahlua my grandmother gave me for Christmas!)
* Your favorite brand of root beer (I used Boylan Brand Natural Root Beer)

In your chilled mug or glass, combine the Baileys and Kahlua, and then fill the rest of the mug with the root beer. Vwa la, you have a simple seductive cocktail...Now lets admire some more dazzling treasuries!


This treasury is titled "This is a luck T..all you need is to click and comment and U will have a lucky day.." and is created by STAT Team member Room of Your Own. She features my hand-painted upcycled decoupage canister "Little Miss Cupcake".


This final ravishing treasury is titled "Lip Service" by Groovin Tuesday...my Provocative Vintage 60's Kraft French Dressing Print Ad is featured in this sexy treasury with lots of red lips!