by MissMalaprop on January 18, 2010
I love these upcycled cashmere and wool fingerless gloves, made by Peg Mayor of Raging Wool. Peg scours thrift stores for unwanted cashmere and wool sweaters that she then turns into brand new winter accessories like these.
She also recycles these unwanted sweaters into scarves, handbags and cashmere heart pillows. (Wouldn’t these make a cute Valentine’s gift??) On her blog, Peg explains what goes into these upcycled creations and shares the steps she takes to make these pieces.
Rumor has it, Fair Isle is back in fashion, and Peg’s fingerless gloves are a great way to incorporate it into your wardrobe. Get them at her Raging Wool Etsy shop.
by MissMalaprop on January 17, 2010
You guys have been posting some great eco-friendly finds for the Picked By You! series lately on the discussion boards at Facebook! My friend Amy of Mama’s Little Monkeys sent me a couple of great eco-friendly reusable products:
Reusable Eco Friendly EcoStuffers Sandwich Bags by SediluGreen
Amy says, “I HAVE to offer up two of my fave gals… a Louisiana artist, Dinnetta, from Sedilu Green. She makes these awesome eco friendly lunch bags–and not from your usual PUL. Made from food safe materials and in gorgeous designer prints. And also, my lovely friend Karin, of Domino Pads. She makes the BEST mama cloth in the world. She’s very successful and she is one of my green goddesses.”
ZJAYNE Confidential Recycled Magnetic LOCKET SET By Polarity
Jane Pierce of zJayne is an avid recycler herself and loves the lockets created by Polarity from used steel auto parts. She says, “I’d like to suggest any one of Polarity’s sustainable lockets. I love her artist’s series and while I’m honored to be included with “Confidential” and “BE” lockets…any one of them would be a keeper. Cat of Polarity is just amazing how she’s promoted so many artists in this series. Making a difference with her upcycled creative talent.”
Got your own amazing handmade or eco-friendly shopping find? Send it my way! You can email me a link to the item, one or two sentences about why you think it is so special, plus your name and a website/blog link so I can credit you to mallory[AT]missmalaprop.com and let me know it’s for Picked By You!, or you can post your picks in this thread in the Etsy forums or at my Facebook fan page. Designers, while I definitely encourage you to let me know about your own work as well, please note that Picked By You! is to showcase the work of other artists, so show some love for your favorite fellow artisans!
by MissMalaprop on January 15, 2010
by MissMalaprop on January 14, 2010
Jen at Indie Fixx just wrote to let me know about the Haiti Relief Fundriaser she just launched, to help raise money to assist in relief efforts for the earthquake survivors in Haiti.
Listening to stories on NPR this morning about how bad things are there right now broke my heart and brought back memories of Hurricane Katrina and the levee failures here in New Orleans. I donated to Doctors Without Borders this morning, but I’m so happy to hear that the indie craft & design community is already reaching out to contribute in our own special way.
Jen has coordinated a silent auction of items that have been donated by indie crafters, artists and designers. Each day she’ll be posting a new batch of items on Indie Fixx that you can bid on via the comments. 100% of the proceeds from this auction will go to the Red Cross International Response Fund. You can bid on great handmade items like this Shake Sugaree Shoulder bag in Denim and Ivory from Pansy Maiden.
Tweet it, blog it, Facebook it and if you can, bid on any of these items or donate directly to one of the many relief organizations. Charity Navigator has also provided a great resource on how you can help in the Haiti earthquake relief efforts.
by MissMalaprop on January 14, 2010
I love these earrings and jewelry by The Art Historian. Each piece is beautifully hand painted, so they’re like great affordable works of art to adorn yourself with!
Created by Ebony Porter, who sells her work out of her studio in downtown Houston as well as through her Etsy shop, these earrings and other hand painted jewelry have me thinking of spring. I love the bright pops of color…. it’s hard to pick out favorites from this shop because they’re all so gorgeous!
by MissMalaprop on January 13, 2010
I just saw this shop on the front page of Etsy, and I thought these were too amazing not to mention immediately:
Platform stiletto stripper style shoes have been reimagined and transformed into quirky planters. The shop announcement explains all: “The concept is about hard-working women, the increasingly artificial nature of American femininity, and the impossible images that women face in our society. It’s a prickly, spiky, sticky situation…”
I think this is such a brilliant transformation, and I absolutely love these. Check out more at giddyspinster on Etsy.
