Junk Mail Gems

Thrift Store Re-Use Idea: Plant Clipping Containers

2012-01-20T09:47:00.002-06:00

If you're a plant person who takes small clippings from your thriving plants to turn into new plants, here's a little idea for you.

I used to put my clippings in old jars and cups by a window, and they never really looked great. But, lately I've been picking up pretty glass candle holders from the thrift store and using those instead, which makes the clippings look even prettier than potted plants while I wait for their roots to grow.

One of my favorite spots in our new house is this little window box right above the kitchen sink. It's a perfect spot for plants and delicate things to keep them out of the kids' reach. Plus, being in Minnesota in January, it's really nice to be able to look up while doing dishes and see green plants and colorful glass, rather than the usual brown and white.

A couple hanging candle holders from the thrift store, hung with little screw-in hooks in the window box "ceiling"

I love this little blue one that hangs on it's own stand

Colorful glass bottles work great too, especially for this straight bamboo!

There are so many cool options for your clippings if you think outside of the box! How about some pretty vases, or even wine glasses? So next time you're in the thrift store or at a garage sale, if you're a plant person, be sure to peruse the glass and candle holder aisles...the possibilities are endless!

My Recycled Trivet Rug

2011-12-12T21:23:00.000-06:00

If you are an avid reader, you may remember this post from over a year ago of a cool rug made from old trivets. I've been collecting trivets at thrift stores and garage sales since then, and finally finished my own trivet rug!

I incorporated a couple placemats and little coasters in there as well, which are made of the same material as the trivets. I laid them out on the floor, then stitched them together with fishing line. I was a little worried that these could scratch up the wood floor over time, so I glued a non-slip rug pad/mat thing on the back and then trimmed around the edges with a scissors.

It's not quite perfect but I still like it. :-) We'll see how it stands the test of time with two little boys and two big dogs!

Speaking of dogs, here's Amos. He thinks I should post about his awesome doggy self instead of that stupid rug. He'll have to settle for a photo of himself AND the rug. ;-)

Ethnotek Bags: Celebrating and promoting world culture one bag at a time.

2011-12-10T09:33:00.000-06:00

It's been far too long since I've posted again...sorry! I'm being sucked into the Thanksgiving-Christmas-Kids'-Birthdays vortex that is fall & winter around here! But, today's post is just in time if you are still looking for a fabulous Christmas gift for, well, anybody who is cool or wants to look cool...

It's about time I finally do a post on Ethnotek Bags, a company started by a fabulous fellow designer friend who served in our local chapter of IDSA (Industrial Designers' Society of America) with me years ago! Ethnotek makes high-quality backpacks and messenger bags that incorporate hand-made ethnic textiles purchased directly from the artisans from around the globe.

The main front panel of each bag (below) is removeable so that you can change and customize your bag on a whim. Ethnotek calls these unique textile pieces "threads," and for just $29 you can support another artisan and swap out your thread, transforming your backpack or messenger bag into a whole new look.

Check out the Ethnotek website , find them on Facebook, and be sure to check out their adventures on their blog! It's really cool to watch their videos and see photos of their adventures as they scour the globe in search of awesome textiles! (And by the way, Jake, sorry it took me SO long to finally post your suh-weeeeet products!!)

Amazing recycled ball gowns

2011-11-17T13:37:00.000-06:00

I know, it's been forever since I've posted!! Life sure is getting busy these days! I came across this blog post today and just had to share these ball gowns made from recycled materials. Check out the link to see more.

Also, here are a few other posts you may enjoy from my other blog:

Homemade teacher gift ideas

What we did for Halloween this year (including a homemade thrift store costume, & of course jack-o-lanterns)

How to turn baby food jars into Halloween decor

Junk Bonanza Vendor Spotlight: MakeShift Accessories

2011-09-20T14:18:00.000-05:00

Alright, I got a little bit of a late start this week but here's the first of a few Junk Bonanza vendor spotlights I promised!

Today's vendor spotlight is on artist Devin Johnson of Makeshift Accessories!

Love the signage!

Devin Johnson, the creative engine behind MakeShift Accessories

Devin turns a very interesting selection of recycled, antique, salvaged, and other found objects into real things of beauty...

I was really drawn to his amazing metal cuffs, which showcase some unique illustrations and typography from various found metal objects:

As an industrial and graphic designer who has both engineered things and illustrated their components and use instructions, these really caught my eye, especially this one above with assembly instructions.

These are just way cool...are they gears? They seem too pretty to be!

Cool money clip embellished with a key...I love the little exposed hardware details.

Rings...super cool...

Colorful array of rings made from street signs!

Cuffs made from street signs...check out the reflecting flash! I think I need some of these, you know, for safety reasons while walking out at night. Yeah, that's it...good justification!!

Devin makes some awesome leather cuffs too. I have a thing for keys!

Sweet curly fork and leather cuff

Devin gets the bragging rights of being the one and only vendor at the Junk Bonanza to have inspired me to whip out my wallet and buy something! :-)

Here's the little beauty I picked up at this year's Junk Bonanza from MakeShift Accessories:

Isn't it cool?! It was the last blue one left...and according to Devin, it is made from an antique metal ruler from Italy, and he hasn't been able to find anymore since.

He had a bunch of silver rulers with black letters, but this one jumped out at me for the contrast. Some upcycled objects I love for how subtle they are about what they're made of....this one I love for how much it screams "RULER!" Plus it's one of those tools I use a lot as a designer so it was very "me."

So, be sure to stop on over to Devin's website, as well as his Etsy shop, and check out his Facebook Page! Thanks for the awesome conversation piece, Devin! :-)

Junk Bonanza 2011 - a sneak peek

2011-09-16T15:16:00.000-05:00

Hey Twin Citians! Did you know that the 2011 Junk Bonanza is going on as we speak in Shakopee, Minnesota? I didn't, at least not until yesterday when my mom, who saw news coverage of it, reminded me! So, we made some last second plans, which were set in stone late last night, to attend this morning.

We came...we saw...we left just in time for my boys' naps. (Which left us with maybe an hour or a little more of actually looking at stuff, after you subtract the time we spent letting them burn energy on the playground.) But, I did manage to take lots of photos again this year and made my one purchase, which I'll share with you next week!

In the meantime, here are a few photos to whet your appetites....

I love that this show not only sells really awesome upcycled items, but it also caters to people like me who are looking for interesting found objects to upcycle myself....

...all over the Junk Bonanza are bins and bins of little objects just begging to be used in some cool project...

...vintage and retro and antique, oh my!

Are 'ya drooling yet? I always have to limit the amount of cash in my pocket at this because it doesn't last long. Next week I'll post some of the cool recycled and upcycled finds as well as my own personal purchase! Stay tuned!

What to Do with Doilies?

2011-09-13T23:21:00.001-05:00

Woah, it's been a crazy busy summer and fall for my face painting business, so I blame that on my absence from blogging! However, I recently got addicted to Pinterest and have found some really fun things. This post is all Pinterest finds!

I bought a few a couple years back from a fund raiser for an animal rescue place...really beautiful hand made doilies for just $1 each. Being a crocheter, I can really appreciate the work that goes into them. But, people just don't put them around their house much anymore. So, what to do to bring 'em out of the attic and into the 21st century? Here are some fun ideas!

Check out this gorgeous doily lamp!

This cute baby mobile uses paper doilies, although you could put some fabric stiffener in real doilies and make a better lasting one.

Another idea for paper doilies, unless you want to dye your real ones...but a fun idea for the fall season!

These luminaries are really pretty, and you can re-use some mason jars at the same time!

I always find these embroidery hoops at thrift stores...here's a great idea to pair them with doilies for some pretty wall art!

I think this table runner is a great way to showcase special doilies that may have been passed down or hand made from your grandparents or great grandparents!

Drop-Side Cribs: Immobilize? Repurpose? Recycle?

2011-07-05T12:55:00.000-05:00

I held a garage sale last week, and two days before our sale, it was declared officially illegal to re-sell or even donate a drop-sided crib. Of course, this being our "done having babies" sale, I had a nice drop-side crib all ready to sell. It now leans against the side of our garage, awaiting it's fate. Let's just say I'm glad I only paid $30 for it at a garage sale, so I'm not out much cash.

If you have a drop-sided crib that you'd like to keep using, you can get an immobilizer kit that does just that...immobilizes the sides, making it safe to keep using. For cribs manufactured from 2000-2009, many manufacturers are offering these kits for free. If your crib manufacturer is not on the list, you can purchase one online as well for $10.

However, if you're like me and you're done having babies (unless God has other plans), and can't sell your crib or donate it, what do you do with it?

The first thoughts that came to my mind were to make some kind of giant tomato cage or trellis for vines. My husband's idea was to chop it to bits and roast marshmallows over it in one of our outdoor fire pits. My neighbor suggested I see if a local antique shop would like to use it to display antique dolls in.

I did a little web surfing and came across this great post at "Easy Frugal Living" full of ideas to repurpose old cribs into useful items like benches, photo display boards, and even wall art...

"Vintage No. 35" has a great idea to use the springs as a jewelry display stand:

"Upcycle" also posted many great ideas, including a really cool craft station, a cart, a work bench, and a hutch to name just a few...

You can Google "repurpose crib" and find many other great ideas out there, but these are the first few that caught my eye. I'd love to hear your ideas if you can think of anything else...we really don't have room for our big, white, drop-side crib in our house but if I can find some cool way to re-use it before my hubby takes his chainsaw to it, it would make a fun tutorial post!! ;-)

Recycled Planter Roundup!

2011-06-15T17:00:00.000-05:00

What's greener than upcycling something? Why, planting something green IN that something, of course!!

It's that time of year when plants are springing up all over the place. Well, we're lagging behind a bit here in MN after a winter of record breaking snowfall, but that makes us appreciate the greener things in life all the more.

Since moving into our new home, which is landscaped with beautiful perennials everywhere I look, I have LOVED watching our new yard reveal itself. I'm also excited to plant some stuff, now that our yard isn't all shade. With so much landscaping already done though, it's hard to find places to plant things. So, I have been inspiring myself with some fun recycled planter ideas online, as a way that I can still plant things elsewhere...on the deck, the patio, along the sidewalk, etc. Here are a few fun recycled planter ideas that caught my eye!

Check out this cool recycled barrel planter over at Design Sponge. Makes me wish I had a barrel to recycle!

Here's a cool little urban garden in London, where they've turned old 55 gallon drums and plywood into planters with built in seating.

Even old tires can be turned into pretty cool giant planters.

This recycled chandelier is just WAY too cool. That's it...I'm putting old chandeliers on my garage sale and thrift store shopping list!!

How about an old book? This is super cool. I'm thinking, if you used a book about gardening, all the better. I wonder if you couldn't stack several of these to make a larger "pot." This would be such a neat gift for a teacher, or a housewarming gift for a book lover.

And, of course, I have to end with a link back to one of my old posts where I turned a bbq grill into a planter!

Happy [creative] planting! :-)

Recycled Paper Garland: A Great Project for the Kids!

2011-05-20T13:12:00.000-05:00

We have this sweet lady across the street who saves fliers and various pieces of scrap paper for my boys to color on. The other day we were visiting in our cul-de-sac and she ran back in the house to bring me a stack of colorful fliers. So, since it's raining and we're stuck inside, today I thought we'd utilize this colorful paper and make a project...paper garland! This is a great project to recycle scrap paper including junk mail!

Supplies needed:

- Paper (colored and/or white)

- Scissors

- String or yarn

- Toothpick or skewer and some tape (or a blunt plastic tapestry needle that's safe for kids)

- Glue

- Crayons, Markers, etc

- Hole punch

- Optional extras: paper edger scissors, paper crimper, paper punch, glitter, stickers, etc...

Our stack of paper from our neighbor. (It's all blank on one side)

So, basically we made various kinds of beads out of paper to string on our piece of yarn...

This project is great for short little attention spans because there are many different things to do...color, cut, glue, punch, string, etc. I started by having Sammy fill the white pages with colors. While he did that I got the string and "needle" ready...

I swear I use these bamboo skewers for craft projects more often than for cooking. I cut one in half and used some masking tape to secure one end of yarn to it, and had a nice "needle" that was easy for kids to use. On the other end I tied a bread bag tab just to keep the beads from sliding off.

Once I got that ready Sammy had a colorful piece of paper to turn into tube-shaped beads...

I cut it into a couple strips.

...then rolled them up the long way and glued it into a long tube.

Hold the tube with the seam against the table for a few seconds for the glue to grab hold and dry a bit.

I did this with pieces of the colored paper too. Some of them I let the writing show to add a little graphical interest...others I rolled so the blank side showed.

Now have some fun looking through the tubes or pretending they are walrus tusks or giant straws...

Next we get to play with SCISSORS! Cut the tubes up into beads!

...meanwhile, Toby is having a blast tearing up my kitchen. This is one of his favorite activities. But, since he's still at the crayon eating stage, I let him ~~trash the place~~ explore while we do projects.

I'm not sure where you even get these things, because I found them at a garage sale, but Sammy had a blast rolling strips of paper through this paper crimping tool. We then used the crimped paper in some of our other "beads."

Another type of bead we made was just a strip of paper folded back and fourth in a zig-zag...

...Then we used a hole punch to go through the whole thing. You can also easily make flat beads by cutting different shapes and punching holes in them. We did circles, squares, triangles, and of course, fish.

Here are some of our beads. It might be helpful to you to put them in two piles...the 3-dimensional ones and the flat ones. (an opportunity for your child to learn how to sort things) This will help with threading them, because it works best to alternate flat ones and 3-D ones. (thus preventing smaller tubes from slipping inside the larger ones) Then you can tell your child to alternate between the two piles.

A little tip, if you're making fish, you can easily make mouths with a hole punch only half way on the paper. ;-) Depending on your child's level of patience and attention span, they could even decorate/color each fish. (Milk this sitting-down-being-busy thing for all you can!)

Now you can really keep your kiddo's fingers busy with threading their beads on the string! Sammy didn't last for all of that part so Mommy finished it up. But I figure, hey, if I can get him to sit and work on something creative with me for even a few minutes every day, I'm doing my job!

Don't be afraid to let your kid's creativity take over and side track from the project. Their little heads are full of great ideas!! Sammy picked up one of his little "tube" beads and said "We can make it into a tiny little cup!"

...to which I replied, "That's a GREAT idea! I'll make a handle!" And, we made a tiny little cup. Well, proportionally it looks more like a pitcher, but he got a kick out of it.

Sipping some pretend water from our teeny tiny little cup! Sammy had another great idea too. When we strung a white tube between two flat squares he said, "Momma! It's a paper s'mores! Let's make paper s'mores!" (And of course, we DID, complete with a paper fire pit to roast over, but I'll save that one for another post!)

So you see, a little side-tracking is great for the imagination! Now, back to the project at hand...

Concentrating on stringing the beads. I think the long length of the bamboo skewer as opposed to just the end of the string made it easier to feed the string through the beads.

We got quite a string going!

Sammy showing off his awesome paper garland! If you don't have the patience to make a long string, you could also do these as little vertical dangling decorations too, much like the hearts we made on Valentine's day.

So much fun! I hung it on the underside of our fireplace mantle, where it currently waits for Daddy to come home to see!

There are an infinite amount of things you can do with paper. This is one project that ANYONE can do. Feel free to go nuts on your paper decorating too...glitter them up if you want! Heck, you can even throw in some cheerio's or dry pasta in there. Anything with a hole in it goes. Got little girls? Make it into a necklace!

This project can so easily be adapted to go along with any holiday theme! With Memorial day coming up, try making this with red, white and blue paper and cut some star shapes. You'll have some one-of-a-kind decorations for your Memorial day bbq and a great conversation piece! Put some supplies out on a little table if you have kids coming over and they can make their own to take home!

Enjoy those rainy days....Happy paper recycling! :-)

Earth Day Discount! 20% OFF Junk Mail Gems this weekend!

2011-04-22T14:49:00.000-05:00

Happy Earth Day!!

In honor of Earth Day this year, I am offering all of my loyal readers 20% off your Junk Mail Gems order! Just enter the coupon code "EARTH2011" at checkout!

I just recently switched my entire site over from Paypal to Google Payments, and one main reason was so that I would have this ability to offer coupon codes and promotions. So, this is my first crack at a coupon code. Hopefully it works...if not, please let me know! ;-) There are NO minimum orders required, and this coupon is good all weekend, NOW through Easter, April 24, 2011! (One coupon use per customer) Use it to get a jump on your Mother's Day shopping, or just treat yourself for being the earth friendly bargain hunter you are!

And since I don't have anything else amazing to share, I'm going to mooch off of some other bloggers who were more on-the-ball this Earth Day and prepared more fun material for you...

ReadyMade posted a link to a great tutorial for making your own plantable paper! Very cool.

Hop on over to Inhabitots for 5 fun ways to celebrate Earth Day with your kids!

However you choose to celebrate, have fun! :-)

My Junk Mail Gems Inspired Bathroom!

2011-04-04T21:47:00.000-05:00

We recently moved to a new house, which for me means that I get to start all over with painting and decorating! That sounds like a sarcastic remark, but I really LOVE making over rooms. Sometimes over and over. Anyway, when the time came that I could start painting, my first target was the downstairs bathroom, which was all decked out in pink, purple, blue and yellow sponge painting...

...which I'm sure was perfectly lovely for the previous owner, but just didn't quite scream "me." Since this tiny bathroom is right next door to my studio where all of Junk Mail Gems happens, I thought I'd do a Junk Mail Gems inspired theme.

While moving into my new studio I came across my old Danny O calendar that I couldn't bring myself to toss because the images are so fun. I thought the car and camper went well together so I tore them out, trimmed them, and put them in a pair of Ikea frames I had picked up at a garage sale last summer for $0.50 cents each...

I decided to go with neutral walls (very off character for me, I know!), but I wanted the colorful accessories to pop. I did use a little bit of color on the base of the cabinet, on the light fixture and a wood board that had a bunch of towel hooks on it. It's all stuff that we plan to remove someday and totally remodel, but until then, a little paint made it all more bearable for me!

I painted the wood cabinet, and added a strip of decoupaged junk mail around the sink for a little color. I simply cut a couple rectangles of cardboard from an old box, decoupaged them, and then stuck 'em on the face of the cabinet. I think it turned out pretty cool! It's still sortof temporary, but then again the whole bathroom is according to my husband, so I figured anything goes in here...

I broke out the Mod Podge once again to decoupage colorful junk mail over the old switch plate covers.

I also picked up an updated pair of brushed nickel knobs for the wall cabinet (which I plan to paint too in the near future), and a towel ring since there was no place for a hand towel. The mirror I replaced with a much larger one I had found at Goodwill for $14 back when I was staging our old house for sale.

Yeah, that's one tight little corner to do your business in. It's fine for me and a little claustrophobic for my hubby, but it gets the job done. An even slightly large person would likely get stuck in here, which is one reason we plan to gut the thing eventually! The bottom half of the walls under the chair rail had some kind of wall covering that didn't lend itself well to painting, so I haven't touched it...yet.

So, there you have it...a room inspired by junk mail recycling!! It's still a work in progress, and I've got my eye on a recycled flip flop floor mat that I'd love to put in here someday...for now it resides safely in my Amazon wish list! :-)

Biodegradeable Balloon Bowls by Gitta Gschwendtner

2011-03-01T21:58:00.000-06:00

Aren't these bowls amazing?! At first glance they make me think of a geode...rough and neutral on the outside, yet brilliant on the inside. Can you believe they are made simply of a latex balloon, with an outer shell of latex and sawdust?!

The bowls and instructions to create your own were created by Gitta Gschwendtner as a part of TEN Plan. "TEN" is a collective of 10 designers who have exhibited various environmentally sustainable projects, along with plans for you to try it yourself. Visit the website to check out these bowls, among other projects, and download instructions to make your own!

(via Cobbled Together by Brenna...by the way, Brenna, I think yours are even more amazing!!!)

Junk Mail Gems in the Press: Midwest Living Magazine

2011-02-27T13:24:00.000-06:00

I was pretty excited to find the latest copy of Midwest Living in my mailbox last week, and especially excited to see some of my letter magnets on page 103. Writer Hannah Agran found a very cool selection of green gifts and I am honored to be among them! Hannah ordered some of my letter magnets a while back to spell the word "Green" for the article heading, which I thought was very creative. Another fun addition to my press page!

Many thanks to Hannah Agran and photographer Jay Wilde for their great work and for including me in this article! Be sure to check out Midwest Living magazine's website as well. I really enjoyed paging through this issue and all of it's springtime ideas and imagery...some day very soon this snow will melt and we'll see the "spring joys" again that they showcase on the cover of the issue!!

Magazine Page Valentine Pockets

2011-02-18T08:46:00.000-06:00

Hello everyone! I know, it's been forever since I've blogged...we recently moved our home, our family, our dogs, and coincidentally, my business. So, things have been a little crazy, but we are getting settled again and it's time to blog some more!

I realize this is totally belated, being that Valentine's day is over, but I wanted to share this fun tutorial from Unplug Your Kids. It just seems so fitting for the Junk Mail Gems blog because it uses recycled magazine pages! Just a little something to tuck away until next year...although who says you can only send love notes on Valentine's day? Make one today! :-)

My Recycled Play Doh Necklace!

2011-01-01T21:31:00.000-06:00

Happy New Year everyone!! It's been a little while since I've posted, as I've been sucked into the whirling vortex that is the holidays around my house. Luckily we took our home off the market just in time for Thanksgiving (after 7 months of trying to sell). However, things were pretty busy between Thanksgiving travel, hosting family for Christmas, and then my son's 3rd birthday! (Check out this post on my ID Mommy blog if you're looking for ideas for your own DIY choo-choo train birthday party!)

Anyway, now that I'm "back," I wanted to share one of the homemade Christmas gifts I gave this year that was done in the spirit of recycling.

This really was an experiment with something that I'm sure nobody would think to recycle, but it came out pretty sweet. If you have little kids who love Play-Doh like I do, you may recognize the little colored bits in this pendant as being those tiny pieces of dried up Play-Doh that get stuck in the perforated plastic heads of those barber shop guys.

Yup, I was just nutty enough to see an art project in these little dried up Play-Doh scraps. I filled a silicone mini muffin pan with a little resin, poured in the Play-Doh bits, poured in some more resin, and out popped this cool, shiny disc. I bent a loop with some jewelry wire, glued it to the back, attached a cord, and gave one to my sister. Oh, and I have one in my jewelry box now too. It's definitely a conversation piece!

Here's a shot of the back. I made a little loop with copper wire, and then made a pretty swirl out of one end, giving me a surface to glue it to the back with some strong epoxy.

I like to make little tags for my homemade gifts, to give them that "brand new" feeling you get when you buy something from a store. This one wasn't fancy as I just did hand lettering, but you can easily make a little hang tag by folding a piece of paper, cutting the bottom two corners at an angle, running a strip of glue across the top and punching a hole. You know, in case you wanted to hang it on a store rack or something. ;-)

I really just put this tag on so I could note what the heck this thing was made out of! But, I also really like making more "professional" looking tags on the computer too. I think next year I'll make little price tags that say "$1,000.00" or "priceless" or something like that. ;-)

Bet 'ya didn't think you could turn crumbs of dried up Play-Doh into beautiful jewelry now, did you?!

Pretty Pencil Box Pendant

2010-11-27T10:35:00.000-06:00

I just looked through my latest Uncommon Goods catalog and just had to share this awesome pendant, made with slices of real colored pencils. I just LOVE how they combined the round cross-sections on bottom with the angled cuts on the top.

I have the resin and molds to make something like this, but am not sure I'd want to attempt the precise cuts it takes to get these all sliced just right. These are hand made in Massachusetts by someone who knows what they are doing! What a great way to use up some of those little pencil stubs that are too short to draw with!

Pick one up for $65 at Uncommon Goods...they also have matching pins in a circle or heart shape ($38), as well as a teardrop necklace ($60).

(Here's a previous post with more colored pencil jewelry, too)

DIY Recycled Ornaments from "Michele Made Me"

2010-11-19T09:46:00.000-06:00

Check out these pretty plastic bottle ornaments from Michele Made Me, along with instructions to make them yourself!

She also has another tutorial to make these adorable little greenhouse ornaments from recycled plastic. Love them! Plus, who doesn't want to gaze into a tropical little greenhouse when there are inches of snow on the ground? Her ornament tutorials appear to be an ongoing series...can't wait to see what she comes up with next! Thanks, Michele!!

"Fantastic Recycled Plastic: 30 Clever Creations to Spark Your Imagination"

2010-11-11T15:15:00.000-06:00

I just came across this fun book over at Craftgossip, where you can read a review and even post a comment for a chance to win your own copy! I have these bins in my studio that are full of recycled materials, waiting to be repurposed...wine corks, bottle caps, and of course junk mail. I also have a bin full of miscellaneous colorful plastic parts...lids from bottles, bread bag tabs, and even the tops of spice jars with the little holes in them. I've been waiting for something to inspire me to turn them into something cool, and this seems like a great place to start!

I haven't seen the book in person myself, but thought I'd share the review over at CraftGossip, and get you all in on a chance to win a copy too! Good luck! :-)

New Uses for Old Broomsticks!

2010-10-26T13:39:00.000-05:00

I picked up a few old magazines from the 1920's the other day for $0.55 cents each at the thrift store, thinking the pages and ads may be fun material to decoupage or make other things with. Just had to share this little article on "New uses for old broomsticks!"

Whether we call it "recycling," "upcycling," "repurposing," "re-using," or "DIY," it's not a new idea! Too bad so many brooms are made from metal tubes now...a lot harder for the average person to convert into something else!

DIY Scrabble Serving Tray

2010-10-21T13:37:00.000-05:00

Just thought I'd share another little project I finished recently...a scrabble themed serving tray! This will be a Christmas gift to my Grandma, who is both an excellent hostess and Scrabble player, so I think it will fit her well. Luckily she does not have a computer so I can share this with all of you before Christmas. ;-)

I picked up this perfect serving tray for $4.99 at Saver's a few weeks ago. I considered this one perfect for this project for a couple reasons...1) The tray itself is flat, 2) The plastic handles are easily remove-able with a couple screws. I have been scouring the thrift stores for weeks to find an old Scrabble game with no luck...until last weekend when I stopped by a garage sale and found one for $0.25 cents. Score!!

After giving the tray a good cleaning, I un-screwed and removed both of the plastic handles, with plans to replace them with something more fitting later...

I spread some glue around and stuck down all of the letters. This tray held one entire game's worth of Scrabble tiles.

Here they sat to dry.

Next, I thought it would be fun to use the old wood letter trays as new handles. So, I measured and marked the tray off of the existing plastic handles, and cut them apart with my coping saw.

Be sure to pre-drill the holes so you don't split the wood when you attach these.

Once the holes were drilled, I screwed them into place...I think it added a cool touch!

If you have enough letter tiles left, it may be fun to glue a few into the tray on the handle too. Maybe even spell something fun.

The next day, after the glue was really dry, I mixed up a batch of EnviroTex Lite resin to pour over the whole thing. It's the same stuff I used on the top of my train table.

I used a wooden paint stir stick to mix the resin and then to help spread it across the tray, making sure all of the tiles were covered.

As it dries, check on it every few minutes, and exhale over any bubbles that come to the surface...the carbon dioxide makes them pop so you have a crystal clear coating!

Aaaaand, we're done! Pretty fun project! If you didn't want to use clear resin, you could also grout it like a mosaic which would also look very cool. I'd recommend sealing the tiles in a clear varnish before applying any grout, to ensure that they wipe clean and the wood grain doesn't hold onto any haze from the grout.

So there you have it...one Christmas present down, many more to go!

Cool Water Bottle Wreath from "Michele Made Me"

2010-10-14T08:00:00.002-05:00

Check out this great wreath, made from plastic water bottles!! Nice work, Michele! :-) I just stumbled on her blog and will be adding it to my list of favorite links for sure!

My Favorite Toy List - 2010

2010-10-13T08:00:00.000-05:00

A couple years ago I posted my list of favorite toys, and now that I look back on it, I realize my 2 year old has most of the items on the list! I have a few more new finds this year that I'm going to put on my list of great toy ideas. With one child's birthday the day after Christmas and the other's in January, I tend to start my shopping very early to spread out the expense! It's not often that I buy expensive toys for my boys, because we do so much garage saleing and thrifting throughout the year. But, when Christmas and birthdays come around, that's where I prefer to splurge and buy good, quality toys that I know are going to be around for years to come.

Here are a few toys on my list so far for this year! I'm using a lot of Amazon linked images here so hopefully they work...if not I've tried to include links to the original manufacturer's websites as well.

The constraints of gravity go out the window for your little architect with these little blocks from Tegu which have magnets hidden inside.

HaPe International has some really neat vehicles, made out of bamboo. I just love how the shape of the bamboo is still present, yet they look like really cool, modern designs. I already bought a couple of these for my youngest and am stashing them away for a few months until his birthday!

HaPe also has some really cool doll houses with adorable furniture sets:

Their other brand, WoodyClick, has more really cute construction sets and other wooden vehicles:

I'm such a sucker for wooden toys!! I snatch them up whenever I see them at garage sales.

I've mentioned Sprig toys in my previous list. They have a really cute dolphin adventure playset now with a little boat.

These "Scanimation" books by Rufus Butler Seder are very cool. We have the "Gallop" one and there are many more out there now. The animals move when you turn the pages. Here is a YouTube video, since it really can't be described without a visual.

If plush toys are your thing, these Ze Super Zeros toys are super adorable, quirky, and creative!

MiYim also makes some really sweet little organic soft toys, teethers, and blankies perfect for babies on your shopping list.

Puzzles are a hit in our house. I like the idea behind these layered puzzles, where you actually stack the pieces on top of each other. Learn what's inside your body, how a tadpole grows to be a frog, or even how a baby grows in it's mother's tummy!

Mindware is one of my favorite toy sites/catalogs to browse. There are a ton of cool toys there that will be more appropriate for my boys when they are a little older. But, these puzzles caught my eye too, as being another twist on your average puzzle, in that they can be assembled in multiple ways, leaving some room for your child's own creativity. There is a bug and a robot, which is convenient for me, being that we have a kid with a bug themed bedroom and a kid with a space/robot bedroom!

Can you tell I have a thing for wood toys? I think it may be the industrial designer in me who just can't get enough of toys that embrace raw materials. I just find them refreshing in today's sea of roto-molded plastic toys that seem to get bigger and of of less quality as time passes! That's it so far for my list, but I'm sure I'll come across more fun toys between now and Christmas that I'll be sure to share. In the meantime, let me know if you have any of these, if you like them, or if you have any other cool favorites!

And BINGO Was His Name-O!

2010-10-12T13:45:00.000-05:00

So the other day I found this cool old Bingo game for $0.99 cents at Saver's.

You can get every game under the sun these days in digital form in the palm of your hand. But, there's just something about the tactile nature of these old games.

I love feeling this pile of the round wooden markers in my palm...the etched dimension of the letters and numbers...the sound that they make when I dig my fingers into them in their cardboard compartment. I love the texture and smell of the old, yellowing cardboard bingo cards, and the illustration of the New York World's Fair on the box cover.

No, I didn't intend on buying this to play Bingo, although I do have fond memories of laying down my quarter to play in the Lions Club Bingo tent at our county fair growing up. I just wanted to make these parts live on in some way...bring them out of their dusty box on the thrift store shelf, "upcycle" them, and show them the light of day. I'm not sure what I'll turn them into yet...I'm thinking something along the mosaic lines. But, it did make me want to do some web surfing to find other fun Bingo game recycling ideas...

I love these recycled sketchbooks that use Bingo cards as a cover. These are the kind of cards I remember playing with at the county fair...I can still feel those little plastic fins against my fingertips as I'd swipe my hand across the card to reveal a sea of red windows...the sound of the old ladies around the table whacking them against the folding table to knock the windows open again for the next round. There's that tactile thing again...just irreplaceable by an iPhone app!

The little markers and balls provide ample opportunity to make jewelry, like these Bingo ball earrings and necklaces by Amy Pfaffman...

...or these earrings made from the flat markers over at Eclectic Elements:

...or these cufflinks made from vintage wood Bingo markers by Numpty on Etsy.

You can even wear them in your hair with these Bingo marker bobby pins.

Or how about a Bingo card clock? There's always time for BINGO!

All of this game recycling talk has gotten me looking for all kinds of game pieces to recycle in thrift stores. This week I picked up a box of wood dominos, some poker chips, and old playing cards. Now if I could just get a solid week of uninterrupted time to create stuff, I'd be set!!

Twin Cities' "Junk Art" Event Starts This Week!

2010-10-11T22:26:00.000-05:00

I've got another great event to share with my fellow recycling and repurposing Twin Cities' residents...Art + Architecture's Junk Market! There's a charitable gala going on this Wednesday night, October 13th, which requires registration. For a $5 admission fee, you can visit the market this Thursday the 14th through Saturday the 16th. Or, attend on Sunday the 17th from noon to 4:00 for FREE. There will be door prizes, music, classes, and of course, SHOPPING!

I'm not sure if I'm going to make it, as parking sounds like a challenge on top of the toddler, baby, and giant stroller I'd have to lug around. However, if I can swing it on the weekend, leave the little ones home with Daddy, and squeeze into a great spot with my little VW Beetle, I will be sure to share some fun findings with you!

Cool Recycled Gifts in Northern Minnesota

2010-10-08T16:27:00.000-05:00

Okay...well, Google has given me a more time consuming work-around method to get my photos up until they figure out the issue, which is apparently with their uploader on their end. So, here are some things I've been waiting to share!

A couple weeks ago we took our annual family vacation to northern Minnesota, not far from Nisswa, which is my favorite little town to shop in when we're in the area.

One of my favorite stores there is called Zaiser's, and is full of cool, well-designed gifts, and many fun recycled finds.

They have a great little section of toys, and I loved this shelf of hand puppets. Each one is unique, handmade in Canada by Cate and Levi out of all natural and reclaimed materials. And to top it all off, 10% of their profits go to help children in need.

I also loved this display of button rings and little felt flowers...

This recycled beer bottle dish by From The Blue Bag LLC,

and these recycled magazine cuffs and paper beads from Refashioned, much like my own!

I went home with a recycled bike chain bracelet. See you next year, Nisswa!

Having problems with Blogger

2010-10-08T10:25:00.002-05:00

Hi everyone! Just wanted to let you know that I have not disappeared and have more fun stuff I'd love to post! But, Blogger keeps telling me I am out of storage space. So, I paid $5 to get an additional 20 gigs of space, 5 days ago. They took my money and the storage is still not working and Blogger is still not letting me upload any photos. I've tried every "contact us" and "help" link I can find on their sites but they all lead to more links that go nowhere, or to a help forum, where I keep posting the question and getting no answer. Anyway, just wanted you to know I'm still trying to either get my money back or get the pictures to upload...hopefully they will fix this problem soon so I can share more with you soon! Stay tuned...

Welle Designs: Turning Vintage Finds into New Treasures

2010-09-24T08:00:00.000-05:00

I am in the process of sharing what I saw at this year's Junk Bonanza in Shakopee, and for today's vendor highlight I would like to share the work of Lauren & Lori Welle of Welle Designs.

I've seen these cool bowls before made from old records, and they had a fun selection of them at a great price. My mom bought a couple as Christmas gifts.

I've always loved these cool ticket bowls too!! Wouldn't they look great filled with popcorn on movie night?

I just recently shared some message boards made from vintage trays, and they had some as well that had ribbons to hang on the walls (Above). I really like this cute and simple idea of the "message block," shown above in front of the tray. The little block of wood has chalkboard paint on the front, and a hole drilled in the top to place a piece of chalk! Love it!

As you can see by the little hand in this picture, Sammy was drawn to this cute record clock with game pieces and a bingo card in the center. "No touching, Sammy!!"

I really liked this tray on display, covered with bottle caps and a thick, clear resin, which Lori described as "just an experiment." Sometimes the one-off, experimental items really get a lot of attention. It reminded me of my last year at the Craftstravaganza when I had a couple junk mail decoupaged TV trays out for display purposes. They weren't even for sale but people were very interested in them!

If you'd like to see more of Welle Design's work or contact them to purchase, be sure to check out their website!

Simply Vintage by Erin Moxness: "Jerelry, Clothing & Decor with Vintage Flair"

2010-09-22T08:00:00.000-05:00

Time to share more of what I saw at this year's Junk Bonanza in Shakopee! For today's vendor highlight I would like to share the work of Erin Moxness of Simply Vintage. The mini flyer I picked up unfortunately had no web links, except a note to visit their Facebook page, which I was unable to find. I wanted to share some images of their stuff regardless, but in an effort to give proper credit to the artist, the phone number on the card was 701-388-0134 if you want to find out where she is, if she is, on the internet!

This booth was really fun to look at. They had all kinds of little charms made from recycled materials. You could even choose a cord or chain and have them put a necklace together for you right on the spot.

I love the pretty assortment of pendants made from vintage jewelry pieces!

These keychains made from puzzle pieces of the states were such a great idea. What a fantastic way to repurpose a puzzle, especially if you have missing pieces!

Here are a couple trays of pendants made from sections of vintage yard sticks. Cool! This makes me think of our MN state fair, where we always used to get free yard sticks as kids.

These vintage watch pendants were beautiful and fun to look through as well. These are all metal watch faces....every one unique!

More cute pendants...these ones have letters taken from recycled car nameplates!

Wonderful work, Erin! And if you see this, please do pass on your web link to me as I'd love to share it!!

XO Handworks: Custom Recycled Pendants, Pins, Magnets & More!

2010-09-21T08:00:00.000-05:00

I am still in the process of sharing what I saw at this year's Junk Bonanza in Shakopee, and for today's vendor highlight I would like to share the work of XO Handworks of Osseo, MN.

I was really drawn in by this great display of jewelry made from recycled maps. They have buttons, pendants, keychains, you name it. I love how they displayed the soldered map pendants on a board with the map behind it, so you can find the location you want. This is such a neat gift idea for someone who wants to show off their home state, country, favorite vacation spot, hometown, or whatever! Be sure to check out their beautiful creations here! They also have some really great items made from Scrabble tiles, bottle caps, and more!

A while back I used to sell pocket mirrors and buttons made from recycled maps, which were really fun. I'm still hoping to offer more recycled map items in my shop in the future...once I get some better button making equipment that produces less duds!

Green Cricket Salvage: Unique Salvage, Inspired Restoration

2010-09-20T08:00:00.000-05:00

In continuation of what I saw at this year's Junk Bonanza in Shakopee, for my next vendor highlight I would like to share the work of Beth Heeney of "Green Cricket Salvage."

This chair decoupaged with maps grabbed my attention and I just had to check out her display!

I love these cute necklaces made from vintage Fisher Price people! She also had keychains. What a fun idea.

Here's Sammy checkin' himself out in her cool mirrors made from tennis rackets. Very cool! I have taught Sammy to say "hey good lookin'!" whenever he looks in the mirror, so of course I have to show him every mirror in the place.

These cute sconces made from licensed plates were a neat idea!

Check out her website for more great stuff!

Karen Heddens Designs: Beautiful Hand-Felted Work Made From Reclaimed Wool Sweaters

2010-09-18T08:00:00.000-05:00

I am in the process of sharing what I saw at this year's Junk Bonanza in Shakopee, and for my first vendor highlight I would like to share the work of Karen Heddens Designs.

This was the only item I brought home from the Junk Bonanza, although I would have bought the whole dang event if I had the cash and storage space! ;-) I have always been drawn to hand felted items and this bracelet really caught my eye.

Karen takes unwanted, old wool sweaters and hand felts them, and then uses the felt to create a variety of beautiful items, including slippers, handbags, and jewelry like this. These felted beads are securely attached with wire between two buttons with a bead on top, then attached to a bracelet chain. I just love the color combination in this particular bracelet, and also like that the chain seems nice and sturdy and the clasp really clips nice and tight.

I can't wait to wear it out on the town! Okay, with two little kids, it'll probably be a while until I have another night out on the town. But when I do, I'm wearing this! ;-)

Junk Bonanza 2010

2010-09-17T15:30:00.001-05:00

I just returned to my studio after an overwhelmingly inspirational visit to the Junk Bonanza in Shakopee, MN! Described as "the best junk roundup in the Midwest," there is nothing junky about it! I would describe this even as being like a walk through a really cool, antique flea market where everything has already been "upcycled" into quirky, creative gifts. These are the people who scour thrift stores, yard sales, flea markets and antique shops for cool treasures and old "junk," apply their creative juices, and give everything a new life.

As a display designer myself, I found it equally as exciting just looking at the beautifully designed booths. You can tell that every booth and display was designed for people like me, by people like me, who are easily drawn in by neat old treasures and recycled art. Walking through the aisles of creativity was like a constant struggle between the cool stuff pulling me into the next booth, and the desire to run home to my studio and start making things! Many of the vendors were not only catering to those who want to purchase their items, but also those of us who like making things ourselves, by offering up bins and bins of little found objects just screaming to be made into something.

I went with my very artistic and creative mom, who so graciously offered to come along and help me maneuver the crowds with my two little boys in strollers. With two little ones, we were only able to stay for a couple hours. So, I didn't get to see EVERYTHING, but got a bunch of photos. So many, in fact, that I can barely digest all of them myself, let alone overwhelm you with one post that covers them all. So, I am going to post some more photos over the next few days from a couple vendors who caught my eye during the event. Stay tuned for more photos and links to come!

Until tomorrow, here are a few more photos from the morning...

DIY Thrift Store Table Turned Train Table!

2010-09-13T13:58:00.000-05:00

Looking for a train table for your kids? Why not try making one?! I just had a BLAST making my own out of an ugly thrift store table. Check out my fully photographed process in my IDMommy blog! This would make a really fun project to do along WITH your older kids, and it's not too late to start making one as a Christmas gift this year!

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Cool Recycled Message Boards

2010-09-12T14:34:00.000-05:00

Last month I was enjoying a wonderful girls' night out with some of my favorite fellow moms from my church, at a local Dunn Brothers' coffee house. This particular Dunn Bros. is located in a historic house in Eden Prairie, MN (recently named the best place to live in 2010 by Money Magazine).

Anyway, the inside of the house is decorated with various pieces of furniture, art and decor for sale, I believe many done by local artists. I had to snap a couple photos with my phone to share here. I love this great way to re-use old metal tv trays and serving trays. I believe these were painted, however, if you find a cool vintage tray you may want to keep the original art if it's in good shape. Looks like they put a couple holes in the rim, tied a ribbon through it to hang on the wall, and then used them to stick notes to with magnets. I think they were selling for $15-$25 or so. I think that a few junk mail magnets would look great on these! ;-)

This is another message board that was on display for sale...a piece of framed chicken wire with clothespins to hold notes and cards. Another fun, simple way to display notes!

Here's an old post, in case you missed it, with another way to turn cookie sheets into message boards.

Groupon Offers Half Price Admission to Junk Bonanza!

2010-09-11T10:38:00.000-05:00

I apologize for all of my non-Minnesota readers, but for those of you who live in the Twin Cities and love to find cool vintage stuff and repurposed items, be sure to check out today's Groupon for half price admission to the Junk Bonanza! The event is held this September 16, 17, and 18 at Canterbury Park in Shakopee.

If you are NOT in this area and unable to attend, you might enjoy checking out their online gallery for a little eye candy and inspiration!

I've never been to this but it looks very much up my alley...and perhaps yours as well! Happy hunting!

Organic Baby T's by Zebi

2010-09-02T20:24:00.000-05:00

I love these super cute organic baby tee's by Zebi! (via Inhabitots) This of course makes me think about how I could make some myself too...you could totally recycle some funky old patterned clothing, curtains, tablecloths, whatever, by cutting out animal shapes and sewing them on a t-shirt...another fun way to make something old into something new!

Recycled Trivet Floor Mat

2010-08-12T07:00:00.002-05:00

I love this idea to turn old trivets into a floor mat!

What a cool way to bring these beautiful, artistic trivets out of the drawer and into every day view. I think this would be great hanging on a wall too, maybe even with an empty frame around it. Love, love, love it!

Recycling vintage costume jewelry

2010-08-11T10:19:00.000-05:00

I love getting blog post ideas from my readers! Recently I received an email from Sherri, wondering what to do with her aunt's box of costume jewelry. I have always enjoyed picking up old jewelry at garage sales and thrift stores and cutting them up to re-use the beads and embellishments in new jewelry.

Buzz Buzz Designs turns recycled vintage jewelry into something new.

About.com has a pretty nice tutorial on re-purposing your old costume jewelry, with a list of supplies needed and some suggestions.

Curbly posted a great idea to use costume jewelry to create knobs!

The Willies' Etsy shop sells some cute wall art that uses vintage jewelry. You could make some cute flowers using buttons as shown below, or more jeweled pieces like on the knobs above!

Throw some vintage photography into the mix too, and you can create something like this idea posted on Craftstylish!

Wall art is a great way to keep your vintage jewelry on display, even if you aren't wearing it, especially if it has sentimental value and helps you remember the wonderful women who wore it! Here's one way that Heather used her family members' heirloom jewelry to create wall art to display each Christmas.

Other ideas that come to mind...
Decorating the top of a jewelry box that stores your own jewelry.
Use them to embellish home made cards and gift tags.
Sew them on an old purse to give it some extra sparkle.

Okay, I think I need to go to the thrift store now...

Used Lottery Ticket Creations

2010-08-05T13:17:00.000-05:00

When we were little, my younger brother used to make amazing creations out of used lottery tickets. This one's for you, Ben! Check out this art created from used lottery tickets! (via Cool Hunting)

DIY Travel Play House using a Recycled McDonald's Happy Meal Box!

2010-08-03T11:40:00.000-05:00

Okay, so I promised you a new tutorial on how you can recycle your McDonald's Happy Meal boxes...here it is! I have created pdf patterns that you can download for free over at my design site. Check out my step-by-step photo instructions at my IDMommy blog!

Ignore this little Ronald telling you to throw away your box...

...and make a little house out of it instead!

A Thank-You and other cool stuff...

2010-08-02T22:02:00.000-05:00

First of all, I'd just like to say thanks to Cindi Rose from the Examiner for mentioning Junk Mail Gems in her article a few days ago, listing some of her favorite places to visit online! I am truly honored.

Cindi also mentions another great blog that I just checked out, called "Blah to TADA!" I'll have to add this to my blog list too...lots of fun ideas to repurpose those "blah" objects in your life!

Here's something else I thought was cool...this Chinese farmer created a way to heat enough water for three family members to shower every day, using beer bottles! Water flows through the bottles and is heated up by the sun. A perfect example of the blending of necessity, resourcefulness, and creativity!
(via SuperUse)

Okay this is a pretty random post, I know, but I'm going on very little sleep this week with a teething baby! ;-) I will have a really fun way to recycle your kids' "Happy Meal" boxes coming soon...stay tuned!

Recycled Kids' Art Project: Cereal Box Puzzle!

2010-07-29T09:14:00.000-05:00

I have another fun recycled kids' craft for you over at my IDMommy blog...a tutorial to turn your old cereal boxes into puzzles! :-) Check it out for a fun rainy day activity!

Turn Canning Jars into Sippy Cups with the EIO Kids Cup!

2010-07-23T15:27:00.000-05:00

Here's another great green kids' product idea. MOMtrepmreneur Kathy Haskell of EIO has designed this product that turns canning jars into sippy cups, while helping kids learn to drink from a REAL cup. Very cool!

Recycled Kids' Art Project: Used Magazine Collage!

2010-07-22T11:13:00.000-05:00

Okay, I'm mooching off of myself again, but I thought this would be a good post to share here on my Junk Mail Gems blog too! I used to make collages all the time when I was little. Here's how you and your kids can have fun turning old magazines into art too!

A Few Interesting Things...

2010-07-14T17:24:00.000-05:00

I love this necklace made from dollar store flip-flop keychains strung together, from Junk Jewelry. Very cute!

...and this great table made from used magazines. Awesome! It does look a bit like a computer rendering so I'm curious if this is an actual table or a concept. But, it is very nice. (via SuperUse)

I came across these cool paper lanterns and a tutorial to make them, suggesting them as Christmas ornaments. But, being in the summertime state of mind, I could so see these hanging in my gazebo, in a porch, or outside in the trees to decorate for a summer bbq...so pretty!

DIY Retro Clock Bottlecap Magnets

2010-07-09T14:08:00.000-05:00

I just love these magnets for two reasons.

1) They are made from recycled bottle caps (and you all know how much I like to recycle!)
2) They feature graphics inspired by some awesome classic clock designs that I have always wanted to purchase but cannot afford.

Check out the great tutorial on How About Orange for complete step-by-step instructions, as well as the downloadable graphics!

Man, I have a gigantic bin full of bottle caps just SCREAMING to be used for this project, not to mention a stack of artwork from my kiddo to display. Now I can have little reminders on the frig of the clocks I'd love to purchase some day when I strike it rich! (after we sell our house and I can start hanging art on the frig again, of course!)

(via Cut Out & Keep)

Free Giveaway: $20 worth of "Elle Belle's Bows"

2010-07-08T08:45:00.000-05:00

Just thought you all might like to check out a post on my other blog today, as we are giving away $20 worth of "Elle Belle's Bows" product! Above is a small sampling of the super cute hair accessories created by MOMtrepreneur Kerri Armstrong. Check out the post for links to her site and all the info on how to enter the giveaway!

Have a great Thursday!

Patriotic Plastic Cup Earrings...Happy Independence Day!

2010-07-04T14:53:00.000-05:00

Happy Independence Day, everyone!

Heading out to a July 4th bbq soon and have nothing festive to wear? Well, if you have a pair of earring hooks and some plastic cups around, fear not because 17 year old Katie and her sister Taylor have put together a tutorial so you can make these cute earrings made from plastic cups!

Nice work, ladies! (via Craft Gossip)

Hope you all have a fabulous fourth!

Recycled Crayons by Red Elm Designs

2010-07-02T09:15:00.001-05:00

I remember melting my broken crayons in muffin tins to make marbled crayon "discs" when I was little. They looked NOTHING like Red Elm Designs', who takes recycling crayons to a much higher level with these adorable cupcake crayons:

Their red, white, and blue stars would be fun for this holiday weekend! Check out all of their fun designs here. Sometimes the recycled version is way better than the original!

(via Inhabitots!)

Here's a great tutorial for recycling your own crayons, too!

DIY Burlap Sack Project Tutorial: Mr. Potato Head Bag!

2010-06-24T13:10:00.000-05:00

Hey friends, so in my last post, as you know, I mentioned that I had a project idea to use a recycled burlap sack. I was able to acquire a couple sacks through my local Freecycle site, and have already finished my project!

I ended up making a storage bag to hold my son's Mr. Potato Head and all of his parts. I have just posted my project along with a fully illustrated tutorial on my IDMommy blog, so you can try it too...check it out!

Recycled Burlap Sacks

2010-06-14T07:00:00.000-05:00

I just recently came up with an idea for something useful that I want to make using burlap, so I posted a "wanted" ad on my local Freecycle site, in hopes of obtaining some. If I do get my hands on some, I will share my project with you!

But, in the meantime, I thought I'd peruse the web for some other fun ways to use burlap. Of course, there are more sites that sell recycled burlap handbags than you can shake a potato at, so I thought I'd highlight some of the more unique applications...

like this cool chair made from burlap sacks from Colcha: (via Green Eco Services)

Have yourself a red and GREEN Christmas with this great stocking by Lama Designs: (via Yummery)

You can also make quite the fashion statement with these great pants and skirts made from recycled burlap sacks: (via Great Green Goods)

Old Chair Turned Outdoor Swing!

2010-06-11T13:44:00.000-05:00

I always find funky old chairs at garage sales and thrift stores that I'd love to make over, but just don't have the space to acquire them. That's why I got excited about this great way to repurpose an old chair into an outdoor swing! I just might be able to utilize an old chair after we move into our potential, hopeful, new house some time in the hopefully near future! Read the full blog post from Peppertowne, here! (via ApartmentTherapy)

DIY Woodgrain Pencil Holder from Recycled Soup Cans!

2010-06-10T14:15:00.000-05:00

Oh soup can, how do I use thee...let me count the ways!

I use soup cans for all kinds of stuff...they help me store and organize my pens and pencils in my office, my toiletries in my medicine cabinet, and my "junk" underneath the kitchen sink.

Sometimes I spray paint them (above, left), sometimes I paint them and add embellishments (above, right...using recycled ribbon scraps), and sometimes I just leave them as-is (above, center). There are endless ways to "decorate" a soup can, but overall, I find them to be very useful! My most recent soup can makeover was this very "executive" looking "woodgrain" pencil cup, which I'm going to show you how to make right this very second!

Step 1: Eat some soup. It's good for you. Just ask any NFL player's Mamma!

Step 2: Remove the label and wash the can.

Step 3: Obtain some woodgrain Con-Tact paper from your local hardware store.

Step 4: Measure your can, from the base to however high you want the "woodgrain" to reach. I like to leave a little metal showing on top so I measured from there.

Step 5: Mark the length measured on the edge of the Con-Tact paper.

Step 6: Roll the paper around the can to mark the measurement of the circumference. Make sure you have a little overlap.

Step 7: Knock it off! Oh...I mean...Cut it out!

Step 8: I know this is exhausting, but you're almost done. Hang in there.

Step 9: Peel back the paper from the back of the Con-Tact paper, just enough to get it started. (You know what will happen if you pull the whole thing off...it'll fold over and stick to itself and you'll have to start over. Or you won't quite get it lined up right and it'll stick, you'll try to pull it off to reposition it, it'll tear, and you'll have to start over. Trust me...start with just an inch or less...)

Step 10: Line up the edge of the paper and wrap around your can, and when you're sure it's aligned with the top and bottom edges, press down and stick that little exposed bit to the can. From there, stick the rest to the can as you peel back the rest of the paper. Kinda like putting on a Band-Aid (...if you follow their sterile application instructions, that is.)

Voila! This soup can has just taken a step up in life, from the recycle bin to the desktop! Way to go...I knew you could do it!! And hey, while you're at it, why not make one for Dad for Father's day?! It would make a fun recycled gift that you could even do with your kids...maybe even fill it with some cool new pens.

So there you have it...bet you didn't think I could turn a "slap-a-piece-of-contact-paper-on-a-soup-can" tutorial into TEN steps! Why on earth, you ask, would I spend this rare and precious time today while BOTH of my boys are napping SIMULTANEOUSLY just to show you how to do this? Because I am so dedicated to spreading the DIY/Recycled love, THAT's why! :-) Now go raid your recycle bin and get those pencils organized!

Cardboard Furniture & Cheeseburger Cupcakes!

2010-05-30T13:32:00.000-05:00

Check out this cool, customizable kids' furniture, made with paper tubes...fun idea! (via Inhabitots)

And on a totally unrelated note, if you're looking for a fun recipe to try for your Memorial Day weekend picnics this weekend, check out my tutorial for cheeseburger cupcakes! Super fun and tasty, too!! :-)

Eco Friendly Teething Jewelry

2010-05-26T14:47:00.001-05:00

Does your baby love to chew on your jewelry? "Oh Plah," which is French for "here you go," is designed to stand up to your baby's teeth, and is even eco-friendly. When you're done with it, the company will pay for the shipping for it to be returned and recycled into another toy! I think it's time to go jewelry shopping...for my baby's sake, of course! (via Eco Child's Play)

Clean Up Thrift Store Finds With This Eco-Friendly, Home Made Tarnish Remover

2010-05-22T16:11:00.000-05:00

I picked up this pitcher today at the thrift store. I paid a little more than I normally would for a thrift store item, at $7.99. Not because I thought it had any value whatsoever, but because I just thought it was really neat. Not sure if or how I will ever use this to pour anything, but I just really liked the contrasting raw materials of silver and cork, and the chain that holds the little cork in the spout. Just a cool piece!

I realized I had packed away my bottle of tarnish remover already (during a day of closet de-cluttering, since we're trying to sell our house). But, I wanted to shine this up a bit. So, I did some online searching for a home made tarnish remover recipe.

I found one that seemed to work pretty well, so I thought I'd share. It may come in handy if you want to polish up some silver, or find something cool like I did at a garage sale or thrift store that needs a little TLC!

I had to triple the recipe in order to totally submerge this, because it is a large item and I had a big bowl. But, here is the single recipe:

Dissolve 1 Tbsp salt and 1 Tbsp baking soda in 6 cups of warm water. Pour it into a bowl that has been lined with tin foil. (This is not to protect the bowl; the tin foil is actually a part of the recipe!) Drop in your items to be cleaned, and let them soak for an hour. Here's my bowl:

After an hour, remove, wash off, and buff dry!

This didn't get my pitcher completely spotless, but really did a good job of getting that blueish-black tarnish off. I was surprised how well it worked. I'm thinking if I had let it soak longer, it may have gotten even cleaner. I'm sure this has been sitting around tarnished for a long time.

Here you see the before and after. Not bad for items you have in your kitchen! So there you have it...a cheap and eco-friendly way to remove tarnish from your silver!

Clever Lego birthday invitations

2010-05-18T20:18:00.000-05:00

I LOVE doing creative birthday parties (see my 2-yr-old's Space/Robot party post), so this Lego birthday invitation idea really caught my eye. In the spirit of recycling, if I did this I'd probably pick up a bag of Legos at my local thrift store...while they still often charge quite a bit for Legos at thrift stores, it would still be cheaper, greener, AND much more memorable than any paper invite! I could totally see a kid taking this apart (after Mom has written it on the calendar and rsvp'd of course), tossing the pieces into his or her Lego stash, and remembering the fun they had that day the next time they come across one of these bricks!

Not sure if these would be the type you'd mail to someone, unless you glue the pieces together and ship in a padded envelope, but I'd definitely hand these out to family and friends in person. Plus, it would be fun to see their reaction! This will surely go into my file of ideas to be pulled out next time I'm looking for a birthday party idea...maybe for the big oh-three! (via Inhabitots)

Repurposing Crocs: From Gardening Shoe to Garden In Itself!

2010-05-14T07:00:00.001-05:00

Real Simple magazine recently published this fun idea for repurposing your Crocs! I thought it was pretty clever, being that Crocs were originally designed as a shoe for gardeners that could be easily washed off after a day in the dirt.

When repurposed as a hanging planter, the air holes turn into drainage holes and heel strap into a hanger. Of course these shoes aren't cheap, but it's a pretty cool idea, maybe if you've lost one shoe or grown out of them and can't use them on your feet anymore!

I could definitely see these hanging around a potting shed, patio, or any other place that has a theme centered around the activity of gardening!

Recycled Craft: Jug Heads!

2010-05-13T07:00:00.000-05:00

Tossing your empty jugs into the recycle bin rather than the trash is great and all, but why not give them one more life before recycling and repurpose them into wall decor?

I just had to share this great recycled craft idea from Family Fun magazine. Click the link to get instructions to turn the jugs and other miscellaneous plastic packaging into cute, colorful "jug heads!" I just love how they used those little plastic sock hooks to make a smiley face on the guy in the lower right corner. So clever!

I know it's meant to be a kids' craft, but I just might have to make some of these myself. They'd really brighten up the laundry room!

Save those torn jeans!

2010-05-12T10:07:00.000-05:00

Give your old jeans new life and more character with some simple ironing! I recently made-over my favorite jeans when they got a hole in the knee using some inexpensive iron-on patches. Now I love them even more! Check out the post on my ID Mommy blog, here. It's easier than you think to repair torn jeans!

Once they get beyond repair, of course, I'm sure I can find something else fun to turn them into. But, for now, as long as it's just the knee, I can get a lot more use out of them as jeans for a while before I repurpose them into something else! Stay tuned for my jeans' third life, whenever they get to the point where patching doesn't cut it...

Leaf Ties by Lufdesign

2010-05-08T07:00:00.001-05:00

Check out these "leaf ties" by Lufdesign. The leaf tie is designed to be used in the same way your average cable tie is used, however, in the end it transforms your ugly snarl of cables into twisted vine.

Their website has some more beautiful photography of the product in use.

Such a cool, simple way to blend something so utilitarian with something beautiful and organic, and the proceeds go to benefit causes for ecology.

Bears made from recycled clothing

2010-05-07T16:00:00.000-05:00

I just love these cute bears from Bubs Bears, made from recycled baby clothes...not just any baby clothes, but YOUR baby's clothes. Send them your old baby clothes and they'll turn them into a beautiful keepsake.

You can also have them made from other fabrics of sentimental value...your old wedding dress, your grandpa's flannel shirts...whatever you just can't bear to throw away (no pun intended) or don't feel up to sewing into something else yourself.

I thought this was a pretty neat idea and a unique variation of the memory quilts we've all heard of! (via Baby Gadget)

Free Starbucks Coffee on April 15th

2010-04-13T12:48:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone, want a free cup of coffee? Just bring in a re-useable coffee mug to your local Starbucks on April 15th!

Recycled Hubcap Creatures

2010-03-25T13:30:00.003-05:00

I just came across these awesome "hubcap creatures" today (via Superuse). The recycled "creatures," designed by Ptolemy, are made from old hubcaps and other found metal. Every hubcap has been found along the side of the road, so every creature has his own real battle scars from his or her former life spinning around under someone's vehicle.

So, naturally, it got me wondering what else people have done with recycled hubcaps. Here's a cool clock by Starlinginc on Etsy:

I love it...the green would look great in my studio! Hmm, may have to put this on my mental wish list...

Turn T-shirts into Baby Sleepers

2010-03-23T07:00:00.000-05:00

Today I came across this awesome blog called "This Mama Makes Stuff." This tutorial really caught my eye...super awesome baby sleepers made from recycled band t-shirts!

These would make a great hand made baby shower gift as well!

(Check out a previous post for how to make a nursing cover and crocheted bunny blankie, both great baby gifts as well!)

New Blog: "IDMommy"

2010-03-21T20:47:00.001-05:00

I realized that I've been posting on quite a few mom-related subjects here on my Junk Mail Gems blog. While I've been able to tie them into the "green" subject matter my Junk Mail Gems fans enjoy reading, I thought that I had enough of these posts and enough new post ideas to start another new blog...

So, today I'd like to officially introduce the latest addition to my family of blogs, "IDMommy: Life at the intersection of DESIGN and MOTHERHOOD." Here I will post on topics related to motherhood, through my unique perspective as a designer and an entrepreneur.

There will be DIY project tutorials. There will be reviews of kids' products that I've tried and would like to try. There will be recipes & kids' crafts. And I'm excited to be soon starting up a rotation of interviews with fellow "MOMtrepreneurs." Learn from other moms and business owners, share your own opinions and advice, and hopefully find some things that will make your life easier in the process!

If you're a Junk Mail Gems fan, a mom, a designer, or an entrepreneur, you may find this new blog of interest as well, which is why I'm giving it a little plug here! So, check it out and become a follower if you'd like to stay up to date on my latest posts! Or, if you're a Facebook user, I invite you to become a Facebook fan and receive updates on new postings that way as well!

(I'll even give you a little sneak preview...tomorrow I'll be posting a tutorial on how to make 3 extremely useful kid/baby items out of left-over ribbon!)

"Green" Your Kids' Lunches!

2010-03-17T22:48:00.001-05:00

(I apologize if you have already seen this post in my other new Industrial Design Mommy blog, but I felt it fit well with Junk Mail Gems as well so I'm posting it again here!)

Today is St. Patty's day, and while I don't have anything to post related to shamrocks or green beer, I am going another route and posting something that is "green" in another sense of the word...

What do you think this contraption is? A scalp massager? A rocket launcher? Nope...it's a plastic bag dryer! Designed by Gary Poolman, this product concept is the winner of Axion Polymer's green product design competition. It is designed to help dry plastic sandwich bags after they've been washed, so they can be re-used. While Axion is optimistic about this product reaching a potential market of 6 million, I'm not quite so sure that many people would go through the trouble of washing bags that are designed to be used once and tossed away. I do sometimes re-use ziploc bags for dry snack foods when I'm re-filling them with the same thing, which works well when you're toting around dry cereal or goldfish crackers for your kids. I could see myself maybe using this to dry the bags that I use in my vacuum sealer...those at least are durable enough and designed to be washed and re-used.

Of course, you can always just not use the plastic bags and make or purchase your own re-useable food storage solutions.

Here's a tutorial for making your own super cute fabric, re-useable lunch bag by Purlbee:

Snack Taxi makes some really cute reuseable pouches for snacks and sandwiches:

Or, you can go all out with this cool waste-free lunch kit from Kids Konserve:

When I was little I remember feeling like an outcast using my insulated lunch bags and boxes, even though they had my favorite character Garfield on them...just because everyone else used those throw-away paper bags. I think this lunch kit is pretty sweet though...I'm curious how kids feel about using things like this today, being that "going green" is so "in" these days! I'll definitely be revisiting some of these products once my boys get old enough to go to school and bring lunches!

Spring has Sprung!

2010-03-15T17:21:00.001-05:00

Okay, so it's not officially spring until this Sunday. But, when the temperatures reach a record-breaking mid-60's here in Minneapolis, spring has sprung in my mind!

Here's a spring-y idea for you that a friend of mine recently shared via Facebook by Bonsai Aphrodite: How to make little seed pots out of toilet paper rolls!

Recycled Valentine Fun!

2010-01-17T22:40:00.000-06:00

Valentine's day is less than a month away and there are many, many ideas out there on the web for making your own fun Valentine gifts and cards out of recycled materials! Here are just a few that I found...

The Long Thread has a nice tutorial to make this cute stuffed heart, which is a great way to use up some scrap material or recycle some unwanted fabric items and buttons! You can even make it extra special by using a piece of fabric from an item or article of clothing that has sentimental value but is no longer useable or wearable.

Cut Out And Keep, one of the many fun craft links shared on my site, is full of fun ideas and how-to's for Valentine's day. Check out a bunch here, like this cool conversation hearts charm bracelet!

National Geographic shows you how to make neat 3D recycled cards here...

Squidoo has a nice collection of Valentine crafts, which include many paper crafts that you can incorporate recycled items (like junk mail) into. Scroll down to their video tutorial on making tissue paper flowers...this makes a fun activity for kids and adults, and a great way to repurpose some of the used red and white tissue paper you hopefully saved from all of those Christmas gifts you just opened!

Scroll further down Squidoo's page for another video on making a woven paper heart basket. I used to make these when I was little...they make a fun envelope for a valentine, or bag for a small gift!

There's also a recipe to make your own Valentine's bath salts, which can be given in a nice package by decorating a recycled glass jar.

Crafting a Green World has a nice video showing you how to make a simple pop-up Valentine card using recycled materials as well.

Everyone knows the way to a man's heart is through his stomach...I remember when I was dating my husband 15 years ago, I had fun decorating a coffee can and filling it up with home made Valentine M&M cookies. I sprayed the can pink and decorated it with candy hearts, stickers, and glitter paints. I'm sure he was more excited about the contents than the container, but we still have that can today!

Expecting to get some traditional store bought items from your not-so-crafty Valentine? See if you can come up with ways to recycle the packaging you get! "jlcfyi" blog posted this great way to repurpose a candy heart box into a picture frame!

Got some of your own recycled Valentine craft ideas? Feel free to post comments and share the love!

DIY Robot / Space Themed Birthday Party!

2010-01-16T20:35:00.000-06:00

Just in case there's anyone out there interested in throwing a robot/space-themed birthday party, or just trying to make some of your own party treats and games rather than buying them from a store, I thought I'd share what I did most recently for my son's birthday.

My little boy's birthday falls the day after Christmas, so I started preparing for it several months early this year for a couple reasons. #1, I want to make sure his birthdays are always extra special and not lost in the holiday shuffle. #2, as most people do, I have plenty going on during the month of December to prepare for Christmas, and would prefer to avoid adding any more stress by getting anything done early that I can!

This year we did a robot/space themed party, playing along with the robot/space themed bedroom we just created for him.

THE PINATA
Back in the fall when I had a slow day of design work, I started building his pinata, which is something you can easily do ahead of time. I thought I'd try making one of those streamer ones, where the kids take turns pulling a ribbon until someone pulls the one that opens the hidden door. (Being too cold to swing at a pinata in the front yard in Minnesota in December, I thought it would be a better indoor version than giving blindfolded toddlers hopped up on sugar free license to swing a baseball bat in our living room.) Here are some photos and a few notes on how I did it...(click the image for a larger view)

CONSTRUCT:
A - Built the body out of old cardboard boxes, toilet paper tubes, & masking tape.
B - Close-up of a toilet paper tube arm
C - Cut 3 sides of a door in the bottom, and a notch for the winning ribbon to tie.
D - The ribbon that will open the door, tied to the flap
E - Reinforced the strip of cardboard with a paperclip on the inside so it wouldn't rip. I also put a wire loop through the top to hang it with.

COVER:
F - Cook up some flour and water to form a thick paper mache paste.
G - Dip strips of newspaper or junk mail in paper mache and wipe off excess.
H - Cover the pinata with paper mache.
(here's where you may want to skip to "K." I did that step last because I wanted to wait until closer to the party to keep the candy fresh before sealing it up.)

DECORATE:
I - Spray paint the whole thing with silver paint.
J - Decorate away! I used acrylic paints, giant google eyes, and glued on some fake gems as buttons. Have fun personalizing it with your child's name, birth date, or birth statistics.
K - Fill with candy and seal it up. It makes more sense to do this earlier but I waited until closer to the party. I taped more ribbons all over the bottom, then put one thin layer of paper mache around the door, and painted the bottom gray so you couldn't tell which ribbon was the one attached to the door.

Here it is in use:

I didn't really have a good place to hang it in the house so I just used a wooden dowel that I had in my studio and had my husband and brother hold it up while the kids pulled the ribbons. It just so happened that the door-opening ribbon was the LAST one pulled at the party! Unfortunately the ribbon itself snapped so the door needed a little help from Daddy's fist to open, so I'd recommend making sure you have strong stuff! It was still a fun activity for the kids, they all got treats, and the pinata is sitting in my son's room as added robot themed decor! (he lovingly calls it his "sucker beebot")

THE INVITATIONS
Okay, I get that I'm an artist and designer, and that these may not be so easy for just anyone to make, but I thought I'd share regardless. I had a lot of fun working on his invitations. We had a very small guest list so I only had to make a few of these. I used some old scrap mat board from some old college project that I had in my studio for the main robot body and arms, and added the "ears," mouth, wheels and hands with scrap construction paper. The only items I bought for these invitations were:
1) a sheet of round, sparkly circle stickers for eyes
2) brads that look like screw heads
3) some stick-on jewels for buttons

the middle part I did on the computer with my design software. Since the few people we invited knew where we lived, I had fun making a map to the party that just points out the Milky Way galaxy and an arrow pointing to earth. ;-)

Making these made me think that this would be a fun craft project for older kids to do during a robot themed party. Give them some scrap materials to glue together their own robots...you can recycle sparkly gift wrap and tin foil for shiny things, or even give them a tin can as a body to make their own 3D robot to take home!

SPECIAL TREATS
I thought I'd try my hand at some candy sucker molds, as I was able to find a couple robot molds online (here and here) for just $1.99 each. I used some Michael's coupons to get the colored candy to melt and saved some money. This was the first time I've done these so it was a little time consuming, but a fun project to do one night after my little guy went to bed. And, like I said, with the small guest list I didn't need many. I would recommend getting more than one mold, so that you can do many at one time.

I had a little plate of robot chocolate suckers out at the party and they were a hit with the kids and adults. I'm no expert at doing these candy molds though so if you can find some resources to make things easier, go for it!

For other special treats, I found some astronaut "space food sticks" online that we had out on the table and in the kids' goodie bags. In the fall Target happened to have robot plates, napkins, and lunch bags in their little bargain bins when you walk in the door, so I stocked up on those early on. The lunch bags worked great as goodie bags to hold the kids' pinata winnings and other items. Later they had little wooden rocket ships too so I was able to compile some fun goodies for the kids to take home. It pays to start looking early if you have a theme in mind!!

THE CAKE

The cake was also time consuming yet fun...I've never really done a sculpted cake so it was a challenge! I had the house to myself for several hours before the party and utilized that time to assemble and frost the cake. A few days earlier I baked the actual cake (just from a boxed mix), some cupcakes, a round cake and a square cake, and put them in our gigantic walk-in freezer that we also call the gazebo in the back yard. (remember, we're in Minnesota in December here) That way I could have that part done ahead, plus it makes it easier to frost the cake without crumbling it if it's frozen.

You can see above that I made a robot shape using a rectangular cake, round cake, and cupcakes, "gluing" the pieces together with frosting. The square middle is just the rectangular cake cut in half and stacked on itself, and the half-round head is the round cake cut in half. The rest of the details are made up of cupcakes. The fun thing with robots is anything goes so don't worry about getting any specific shape...just have fun with it! I was excited to find black food coloring in the grocery store to make gray frosting with. I just got a few cans of cream cheese frosting and colored it gray. The rest of the details are squeezed on with icing tubes.

In the lower right photo you can see I just put it on a tin foil-covered piece of cardboard. I figured, robots are metal, so tin foil is fine to show on the table...I took a sharpie and drew circles with "X's" in them around the edges like screw heads. Then I made my own table confetti by cutting some moon and star shapes out of some used, holographic/sparkly wrapping paper. No need to go buy expensive table decor!

So, that's what we did for the big 2nd birthday! Not sure if I'll be able to top it next year but I sure had a blast coming up with ideas for this party! My next child is due to arrive in a week so I'm hoping I'll have enough energy and creative ideas to go around for future birthdays to come...as long as I do I'll try to share them here with you! Happy party planning! :-)

Previous birthday/party related posts:
• Recycling mylar balloons
• Green kids' birthday parties
• Make your own gift bags

DIY Christmas Gift Idea: Community Center Art Classes!

2009-12-12T13:50:00.001-06:00

For the past 6 weeks, thanks to the suggestion of my husband, I've been really enjoying some pottery classes that I've been taking at my local city's art center. Below is a collage of some of the pieces I've been able to bring home so far...there are still a few left to fire before they are all done!

In addition to creating items to use around my own home, I purposely made some flower pots that I am planning to fill with a little herb or cactus to give as Christmas gifts. My class was on the pottery wheel, however, you can hand make so many things out of clay, including ornaments.

While I know this is probably too late for this holiday season, I wanted to post this as a great way to be green, make your own one-of-a-kind gifts, and support your local community! Check out your own local community center or community college and see if they offer art or craft classes, as many do. It's a really fun way to get out of the house (SO precious to a work-from-home mom!), learn something new, and create original gifts and decor for your own home.

Why not even start now for next year? It would make a great New Year's resolution!

Get $ to recycle your old, dead Christmas lights!

2009-12-09T08:27:00.000-06:00

What do you do with your box of old Christmas lights that don't work? If you're not up for hours of checking each bulb to find the dud, there are several options out there for you! Why not start replacing them with LED strings? With 20x the lifespan and 90% less electricity required to light them, (not to mention they're much brighter!) they'll not only save you money in replacement costs and electrical bills, but you can now get money towards new lights as well...

THIS WEEKEND ONLY, Home Depot is offering $3 toward a new set of LED lights for every set of old lights you bring in as a part of their Eco Options Holiday Light Exchange Program. You still have today to bring them in, so now's the time to make the switch to LED while also saving some money AND properly recycling your old lights!

If you live in the Twin Cities area, the Recycling Association of Minnesota is offering a great program for recycling old Christmas lights. They will even come to you and pick up your lights for free!

Also in the Twin Cities, you can trade them in for $5 toward a $20 purchase by bringing them into Snyder's, and use it to get some LED's there or do a little Christmas shopping!

You can also bring them to the WCCO plaza at the Holidazzle parade to get the same deal.

Randy's Sanitation is also allowing you to place them in your regular curbside recycling bin.

Check out the web in your own area and you may find some of your own local deals...feel free to post any others here as comments for fellow readers! Happy halls-decking!

What to do with old, plastic CD ROM cases?

2009-11-18T13:35:00.000-06:00

Hey everyone! I'll be the first to admit that my blog has been LAME-O lately. My slightly less lame-o excuses: we had a lovely little H1N1 scare last month in our house (all quarantined, including a toddler and pregnant woman...yay!), and then I ended up having to get into the new routine that comes along with gestational diabetes this month. But, things are medically calming back down and I'm finally catching up with all of you wonderful people who have emailed me comments and requests and waited so patiently!!

I got an email from "Beth" back in the end of October, asking for ideas on what to do to recycle old CD ROM cases. I've wondered about them myself, and thought it would be a fun thing to blog about. Here are a few ideas I've found while doing a little web surfing...

If you'd like to get crafty...

Craft Chi has a great idea and tutorial to turn them into pencil/pen holders:

Instructables has a tutorial to make a really cool wall mural:

Thread Banger has a fun way to turn a case into a desktop calendar:

For a great project your kids can do, check out Fave Craft's tutorial on making picture frames:

Or the Elk Grove Public Library's cool 3D photo cube ideas (you'll have to scroll down a ways to see them when you click the link.

Got a card collector in your family? They make cool little frames for displaying your cards:

Feeling more ambitious? If you've been following my blog you've no doubt seen many-a-lampshade possibilities, but how about this awesome chandelier made out of CD cases from Keetsa:

If you aren't up for doing a project yourself...

1) Put them up for free on Craigslist or Freecycle, as you may have someone in your area who has some kind of art/craft project in mind for them already!

2) Visit Earth 911, where you can look up a recycling center in your area that will take them. (Remember you can't just toss them into your regular recycling like you do with plastic bottles, etc!)

I'm sure I am just scratching the surface on ideas here, so if you have any others, feel free to share your own!

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-31T14:20:00.001-05:00

Happy Halloween Everyone! In case you didn't know, Inhabitat is having a Green Halloween costume contest...check it out here...there's only one day left to enter! You can even get some inspiration to make your own green costumes by checking out their gallery of last year's winners, here!

Also, remember to save your carved pumpkins after the trick-or-treaters have gone...they make great pie, bread, and snacks! Check out my tutorial on getting the most out of your pumpkins, posted last year!

Have a safe, happy, and green Halloween! :-)

Craighton Berman's Coil Lamp

2009-10-13T13:32:00.000-05:00

Check out this cool Coil Lamp designed by Craighton Berman of Chicago.

By winding a 100' extension cable around a carefully designed, laser-cut plexiglass structure, Berman manages to turn an object that typically lives in a snarled heap in the garage into an accessory worthy of display space inside the home.

This object of desire is available for purchase already hand assembled on Berman's website, or for half the price, you can purchase a kit and do-it-yourself (cable not included...recycle your own!).

Freecycle

2009-09-28T19:17:00.001-05:00

Freecycle has been around for a little while, but I've just recently (finally) joined the group so I thought I'd post about it!

Freecycle is made up of 6,540,000 members (4,808 groups) around the world. As their website states, "It's a grassroots and entirely nonprofit movement of people who are giving (& getting) stuff for free in their own towns. It's all about reuse and keeping good stuff out of landfills. Each local group is moderated by a local volunteer (them's good people)." Basically it's a place where people who are looking for stuff and people who are giving away stuff can connect, and everything must be offered up for free.

Membership is also free. To sign up, find your community by entering it into the search box on the site or browse through the groups. I'm not sure if each group operates differently, but the Minneapolis group that I'm a part of is run via Yahoo groups. You have to offer up some items before you're allowed to start asking for specific items, and the first couple items you list need to be approved by the administrator. But, I just posted a ceiling fan that we're giving away from our recent remodel and am in the process of giving it away!

At first it was a bit overwhelming as my email box got instantly flooded with offers from the group. However, once I was able to go into the settings and sign up for the "daily digest" instead of getting every offer individually, that helped a lot. I now get a couple emails a day with a big list of 25 of the latest messages so I'm not swimming in emails.

If you have some "stuff" you are looking to give away or are looking to help recycle by re-using other people's stuff, it's worth checking out!

Junk Mail Gems Mentioned in Women's Focus Magazine!

2009-09-20T16:05:00.001-05:00

September has been a big month for press coverage for Junk Mail Gems! Junk Mail Gems has just been mentioned in another great magazine called Women's Focus, in a wonderful article by freelance writer Bonnie D. Tharp:

You can check out the article along with others on my press page, or, you can read the article online via the Women's Focus page, here!

Thanks so much for the nice article, Bonnie!!

TWO New Products at Junk Mail Gems!

2009-09-20T12:30:00.000-05:00

Those of you who subscribe to our e-newsletter (now over 575!) already have heard about the latest products now available at Junk Mail Gems: Paperweights and badge lanyards! This is a direct result of YOUR participation in our contest this summer, providing me your feedback on your favorites of my selection of new product ideas!

Paperweights ($23.00) are made from recycled junk mail! Each paperwight showcases a colorful page from a piece of recycled junk mail underneath a crystal clear glass dome. They measure 3.5" in diameter by about 2" tall and weigh over a pound. The base is covered with a black felt pad. I am trying out something new with the paperweights...you get to choose the exact design that you purchase! I will be doing my best to keep the page updated as paperweights sell out and new ones are added. Prefer the element of surprise? Simply select "surprise me" from the drop-down menu when you add it to your shopping cart!

With 30 1" beads made from recycled junk mail ($30.00), this new colorful badge lanyard is sure to be a conversation starter at work! It's strong, swiveling, metal clip can hold your ID, name tag, badge, etc.

Thanks again to those of you who helped me choose which new products to make available this fall!

JunK Mail Gems Featured in Womeninc Magazine

2009-08-29T16:12:00.000-05:00

I was pretty excited to find some copies of the latest Womeninc magazine in my mailbox today, with a several page article featuring Junk Mail Gems! Check out the story on my press page, where you can download a pdf. Many thanks to Myrna CG Mibus, the talented freelance writer who wrote the article, and photographer Jessica Sauck for the many great photos used! It was very cool to see my magnets covering the entire table of contents page too! :-)

Womeninc is published in Fairmont, MN and has a circulation of 15,000 copies monthly. It is subscriber based and people can subscribe online at www.womenincmagazine.com or www.readthestories.com.

Virtual Open House: Junk Mail Gems' New Studio!

2009-08-27T16:05:00.000-05:00

After a lot of cleaning, re-organizing, carrying, and Ikea furniture building, Junk Mail Gems has now completely moved into the new studio space! (formerly known as our master bedroom!) Here I am (above) with my preggo belly at my desk. This 130 square foot space is used for 3 different businesses, but for this blog I will focus on how I stayed within a limited budget and did a lot of re-using and recycling to create a functional space.

(If you are interested in more about how I juggle 3 businesses and watch a toddler all day, check out my GF Design blog post on how I have been able to tailor this space to fit both my work and motherhood!)

Here's the view as you enter:

While always keeping the "green factor" and limited budget in mind, I had a couple of other main goals in re-designing my new space:
1) Functionality of the space as it pertains to the type of design work that I do, and
2) Child safety. (see my GF Design blog for more on how I did this!)

As far as functionality goes for my work, things are laid out wonderfully now. I have a space for my computer work (below, right half) which includes everything I need within arm's reach for doing my design work, as well as website maintenance and order fulfillment for Paintertainment and Junk Mail Gems.

I then have an area for non-computer work (ie. creating Junk Mail Gems products!) on the left side of the room where my drawing board sits. Both work areas are by windows which provide great natural light and cut down on electricity usage. I use compact fluorescent bulbs in my desk lamps, which take a bit longer to reach full brightness but otherwise work great.

Storage
I purchased an Ikea Expedit bookcase for my main storage area with attached desk. I did a lot of searching on Craigslist to find a used one over many months, but in the end had to buy a new one...

You can see some of my little storage jars that I've blogged about in the past up on top.

These Lekman boxes work great to store my stash of bottle caps, corks, and security envelopes.

You've seen me post about using soup cans in a previous post...they work great for pens and pencils, and even look cool! The spider plants were maybe $1 at a garage sale, and the cactus $0.99 in Ikea's as-is section:

These spring clips can also double as handy photo or note holders:

Got this nice drawer unit at a garage sale for $5. It's on wheels which makes it easy for me to move around, which means I can turn the drawers the other way to keep little fingers out when I'm not accessing it.

I saw this idea in a Parent magazine...using a spice rack to store small craft items. I got this one at a garage sale last week for $2. I spray painted the jar lids silver and the rack white, and it works great for my loose beads and other small items!

Another great used find was this Sapien bookshelf that I got at a thrift store for $9.99. They run in the hundreds new!

Here is a view of the back of my desk and the wall on the other side:

The zig-zag bookshelf also came from Ikea, as did the wall shelf that I installed lower down, just above all my drawer units, which really increasing my working surface area as sortof an extension of my desk. I think it also helped unify my row of drawers underneath and maximize space.

The lamp on the far right of the shelf looks like a giant push pin in a block of cork...$4 at a thrift store. The fun part is pushing the pin into the cork to turn it on and off! Both white boards came from thrift stores for about $2 each, including some magnets. Side by side they make a great wall for me to write and hang notes, within arm's reach of my computer desk. Soup cans with magnets glued to them stick nicely to the white boards as white board marker holders. I also glue magnets to my eraser to keep it always within reach.

Why bother with the expense and mess of hanging wallpaper when you can just paint? Stripes are something that anybody can do regardless of artistic talent. I painted one wall with stripes to match the rug that lies in the entrance of the space. What I do is take a string with a piece of tape on the top and a washer tied to the bottom, then tape it up by the ceiling where I want the side of a stripe to go. The string, combined with gravity and the weight of the washer gives me an instant vertical line to guide me as I tape off each stripe and paint.

It was a challenge to make my new studio look cohesive with so many mismatched pieces that I've collected over the years at garage sales and thrift stores. But, together with a few new furniture items I think it looks much better than it was! (wish I had a before shot!) The old furniture that I was using that no longer fit my work patterns have been sold on CraigsList, and passed on to be recycled by someone else!

So, there is a little peek into the place where Junk Mail Gems happens! It's no fancy corporate suite with a view, but it fits my lifestyle and work style and enables me to cram 3 businesses into one room with great productivity! Got any green office organization tips of your own? Please do share! :-)

DIY Recycled Bottle into Outdoor Oil Lamp

2009-08-21T21:42:00.000-05:00

Greetings Junk Mail Gems fans! Wow, it's been forever since I've last posted! I've been really busy these past two weeks. Last week was my annual "busiest week of the year" as I was tending to my Paintertainment business, face painting at a local county fair. This week was spent trying to catch up on my mountains of backed up freelance design work and Junk Mail Gems wholesale orders. In the midst of this chaos, I've moved into my new office and have been getting things in order. (photos to come in a later post!) Needless to say, I've been "burning the midnight oil" for the last two weeks! And speaking of burning oil... (how do you like that transition?!)

...I want to thank my super awesome brother Ben for finding this cool idea and passing it on to me. Erik Anderson takes you step by step through his tutorial (with fantastic photos) to create this unique oil lamp using an old bottle. Such a cool idea! Summer may be winding down, but it's not too late to light up a torch in your backyard and have a party, so check it out!

As I get more caught up on my orders and projects and get my new office together enough for some nice photos, I'll be posting pics of the new digs and sharing some more fun DIY recycled office organization ideas! Stay tuned!

Creating Art with Trash and Shadows

2009-07-28T10:59:00.000-05:00

An old high schoolmate of mine just posted this on facebook and I just had to share. Being an artist as well as a designer and creator of Junk Mail Gems, I especially love to see ways that people turn trash into art. This is a particularly unique method that I have not seen before...using light against carefully crafted piles of trash that cast intricate, recognizable shadows on the wall. This work is done by Tim Noble and Sue Webster...fantastic stuff!

Make Your Own Nursing Cover & Baby Bunny Blankies

2009-07-27T15:55:00.000-05:00

Babies, babies, everywhere! I currently have 5 friends (2 of them family members) expecting babies, and probably 4 or 5 who just had babies. On top of that, I myself am expecting my 2nd baby this winter. So, as you can imagine, I have kept pretty busy lately making baby gifts for everyone. I thought I'd share a couple ideas for those of you interested in making your own baby gifts for yourself or to give at showers!

I never really did get very good at using a blanket to cover up while nursing and don't think I ever even had the need to nurse in public with my first baby. But, with a toddler who is dying to get out of the house daily, I figured I will need a better solution for baby #2. I found some very cool nursing covers online, for around $35-$40 plus shipping. I knew they would be simple to make and did not want to pay so much, so I went online and found a great free pattern for making your own nursing cover by pinkatilly.

I thought it was so great that I made several of them in one afternoon so I can give them as gifts. I found some really cool, modern designed fabrics that worked great (you only need 1 yard), and can hardly wait to give mine a try! The only thing I'd change in the pattern from pinkatilly is in step 6, where she asks you to use pliers to open up the D-rings. I found them to be very difficult to bend open, and much easier to just thread the strap through them in step 3 before sewing the strap in half. Other than that, it is a really fantastic tutorial with great instructions, and I got a beautiful, custom cover for less than $8! To make your hand made gift even more green, check out some fabrics at your local thrift store. Usually they'll have a raw fabric section, but if not, don't forget about other fabric items you can reclaim like curtains, tablecloths, and sheets. You can also try modifying an apron into a nursing cover by cutting off the waist straps and shortening the length.

If you like to crochet like I do, this next one is a great baby gift idea. For the price of two small skeins of yarn, you can make these cute little bunny blankies or "lovies." The pattern is available for free on Lion Brand Yarn's website. Here is a photo of three that I have made in blue, white and pink. The pattern calls for using two strands together, so I like to mix white and a color. Again, don't rule out recycling some unused yarn, whether it be from a previous project or from a thrift store! You can even get creative and make stripes if you run out of a color!

I have made one of these in anywhere from 2 nights to a week of evenings while sitting on the couch watching tv. They are quick, fun, and make a great personal gift! I am planning to try making some of my own variations, such as a dog instead of a bunny.

I have a few more crochet ideas of my own that I am hoping to create very soon, and hopefully make patterns availble on my new original crochet pattern site. I'll be sure to post about it when I do so stay tuned!