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
Does your Spring Cleaning need some eco-friendly pizazz?! Do you need a decorative storage place to keep your craft supplies and other odds and ends? Well, I think I have the perfect thing for you: a beautifully hand-painted upcycled decoupage canister or tin from my shop Eco-Friendly Freckles! Here is a picture I took of my work desk; I am using two of functionally artsy upcycled organizers from my shop "Sunshine on a Rainy Day" (as pictured above) and "Paulie's Confession".
Since I use a lot of magazines with my decoupage art, I needed a place to store my magazines that was tidy, functional, and decorative...because I knew that whatever I would come up with would probably end up out in the open, and the last thing I want is an eyesore. However, I am also quite frugal and creative so I didn't want to go purchasing some decorative storage boxes...I wanted to figure out how to make my own. So this is what I came up with:
...I made a few of these decorative storage boxes since I have a gargantuan stash of magazines. The only materials I used to make these were: used cardboard boxes that I recycled from my work at Akin's Natural Foods Market (funny thing is, these boxes originally held our Akin's Healthy Edge Magazines...so I knew my magazines at home would fit perfectly), tape/glue or any desired adhesive, a box-cutter to trim off the top cardboard flaps of the box, a pair of scissors, and any large piece of decorative paper (wrapping paper works best; I cut a piece of see-through lacy embellished paper...I like the look of the natural brown from the cardboard popping through the lace decals). Just wrap the box like you would a gift and adhere the paper to the inside box so it is secure...and vwa la, you have created a recycled, repurposed organizing storage container that looks lovely!
