Free Junk Mail Gems e-newsletter!

Want to be among the first to know when Junk Mail Gems adds new products or features to their website? Well, you're in luck because we now have a free e-newsletter! Simply visit Junk Mail Gems home page, scroll down to the bottom, and enter your name and email address to subscribe!

"Pop" Art Mirror

Check out this "sweet" mirror by Mitch & Susie Levin, available a the Artful Home! Very cool idea. I've been saving up the plastic labels on my 2 liter pop bottles for an idea yet to be discovered...although this is made from the cans. I spotted this one via a post on craftster, where one ambitious fan made one herself that looks great too!

Happy Earth Day!

Happy Earth Day everyone!!

I was honored to have Gloria Campos, the green blogger for American Inventor Spot, feature Junk Mail Gems on her blog this weekend! Check it out! Thanks for the nice article, Gloria!

Today I am also posting in hopes of getting a little "audience participation!" My husband is studying to earn his Masters in Business Administration at the University of Minnesota's Carlson School of Business. For one of his recent class projects, he needs to get some poll results.

Anyway, he decided to use Junk Mail Gems for his project, and has put together two surveys. We would be most grateful if you would find just a few minutes (less than 5!) in your day to fill out whichever survey suits you! One is meant for people who have previously made purchases from Junk Mail Gems, and the other is for those who have not. Simply click a link and you will be directed to a quick, anonymous online survey!

Thanks so much in advance for helping me to make Junk Mail Gems better, and for helping my hubby with his school project! :-)

More New Products on Junk Mail Gems!

Check out the new pocket mirrors, just added to Junk Mail Gems! These are similar to the little buttons, in that they are made with those patterns you find inside security envelopes! I hope to add more made from catalogs as well, in the near future. These pocket sized mirrors are 2.25" in diameter and make a perfect companion for your junk mail wallet!

Also just added to the "Junk Drawer" (stuff made from things other than junk mail) are some more pocket mirrors, made out of recycled maps! These are a perfect gift for travelers. Check them out here!

2nd Annual Craftstravaganza!

Okay, so this posting may only be of interest to my fellow Minnesotans, but I wanted to just mention that the 2nd annual St. Paul Craftstravaganza is coming up soon! The Craftstravaganza will be held in the Minnesota State Fairgrounds' fine arts building on Saturday, April 28th from 9:00 am until 4:00 pm. Admission is FREE, which includes 90 offbeat craft vendors' booths to peruse to the beat of live music by local bands throughout the day, and even some hands-on workshops where you can learn and make your own cool stuff!! And did I mention it's FREE?

Hamster Powered Paper Shredder

And here I am wasting perfectly good electricity shredding my junk mail for packing material... I need to take a lesson from Mr. Tom Ballhatchet and his clever hamster powered shredder. I grew up with several hamsters so I know that they love running in their wheels and have plenty of energy to share. The only problem is, being that the cuddly little furballs are nocturnal, I'd have to stay up until the wee hours feeding paper through!

"Bagel to Go"

I've been trying to come up with ways I can re-use those CD spindle cases. Check out this great idea, done by Rodrigo Piwonka of New York. ... Brilliant!

Welcome to Junk Mail Gems BLOG!

Hello everyone! Since I never seem to be able to resist adding more to my plate, I figured it was about time that the Junk Mail Gems blog finally come to fruition. I hope to be posting things related to recycling, DIY, and anything else that seems remotely related to what I'm doing here with Junk Mail Gems!

But, since this IS the first Junk Mail Gems blog posting, I thought I'd test out my first post by showing you what's new on my site...mainly any new products I've added over the past few weeks, in case you haven't visited recently...

I'll start with my new favorite...these buttons! For some time now I've been keeping a separate stash of those security envelopes I get in my junk mail pile, and now I've found a cool way to re-use them. Next time you open your mailbox, peek inside those envelopes...you'd be surprised how many unique graphical patterns you'll find! So, now I have buttons that are made from these patterns, as well as some colorful catalog buttons, similar to the magnets.


Also recently added are some bookmarks, which are made out of woven catalog pages. These are actually trimmings that are left after making wallets!

And, last but not least...I recently decided to consolidate the non-junk-mail products into their own separate section I like to call "Junk Drawer Gems." Over the last few weeks I've added some bracelets and earrings to this section, made out of reclaimed speaker wires.



So, that's what's new for now...be sure to check back often though, as I pretty much have a constant stream of products in the works and on their way to the site!