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

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!  :-)

Recycled Kids' Art Project: Cereal Box Puzzle!

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!

Recycled Kids' Art Project: Used Magazine Collage!

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...

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!

Patriotic Plastic Cup Earrings...Happy Independence Day!

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 Craft: Jug Heads!

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!

Craftstravaganza 2009 Recap

Craftstravaganza '09 was a success! I will post some pics from my own booth and then show you some other great artists that were at this year's show!



If you read my post from last year, which was the first show I've ever sold Junk mail Gems at, you'll notice there was much improvement weather-wise this year! No freak snowstorms...I think moving it to May helped a lot! Here is the line-up of shoppers just outside the MN State Fairgrounds' Fine Arts building a few minutes before the show opened (the first 100 got a free swag bag of goodies):


Besides more new products, I added a little bit more to my booth this year, including a fabric backdrop, a hand painted banner, and some new fixtures...


This year I displayed the magnets on cookie sheets that I had purchased at my local thrift shops, propped up on some tabletop easels:


I displayed the beads in the basket/candlestick fixtures I blogged about a while back, and they worked great!


I used the same tree branch display from last year for necklaces and earrings, only this year I painted it silver:

I think it gave everything a more consistent feel having all of the display fixtures painted silver. There I go talking about fixture design...I'm mixing my professions here! This morning at the last minute, I decided to bring along a couple of my junk mail TV trays, just in case I needed a little extra display space. They ended up being a hit with shoppers, and I am hoping to offer some for sale next year, if not sooner via my website!

Here is my wonderful hubby, who is still coasting along on the brownie points he earned from last year's ordeal, and our baby boy:

They helped me set up on Friday night and then came up just for a little visit this afternoon which was a fun surprise!

Overall it was a good show! Although, it did not take much to beat last year! I always really enjoy seeing how people react to my products in person at these shows, since I never get to see people's reactions when they shop online. As usual, I left this year's show with a full page of notes on what to improve in my booth the next time around, and even more new product ideas to add to my list!

Since I was manning my booth by myself all day though, I unfortunately did not get a chance to shop around with the other vendors as I would have liked. But, I did get to see a few items while running back and fourth, and on the Craftstravaganza website, that I'd love to share. Be sure to check out these awesome, recycled goodies:

Repurposed vintage necktie accessories from A Boy Named Coy,
Recycled billboard bags by Drive-By Bags & Things,
A variety of fun recycled items from Emily Kircher, Recycling Artist,
Super cool belts made out of tires from Tired Ol' Belts,
...and many, many other creative and talented artists from this year's list of vendors here!

Thanks again, Andy & Jenna, for another fantastic job organizing the show!

Amigurumi Robot Blasts into Cyberspace

What could be more "green" than making your own amigurumi toys and gifts, yourself, out of yarn?!



I am excited to announce that I have just made my first original crochet design pattern available to the public!

I have done several original crochet projects as gifts for family since teaching myself how to crochet about a year ago, such as an "Olivia" doll for my niece Olivia (below, left) and a Dairy Queen "Blizzard cozy" for my Dad (below, right).


I am in the process of designing a new "retro space robot" themed room for my 16 month old boy and thought I'd try my hand at crocheting him a cuddly robot toy. But, this time I thought I'd actually write down what I was doing so that I could turn it into a pattern.



My chicken scratches, when combined with my graphic design skills, turned into an 8 page pdf pattern, complete with full color photos of the process on every page. Robot-loving crocheters can get their copy on my design site for just $5. Purchase the pattern, and I will ship it to you through cyberspace for free!

Aaaw, a smile like this is worth hundreds of thousands of single crochet stitches, don't you think?!*

(*Adorable, curly-headed boy not included)

Crochet + Beer Cans = Party Hat?!

Earlier this week my mom and I were out hitting a few thrift stores in the area, and I came across this hat made out of a combination of beer cans and crochet...a combination I must say I never thought I'd see! I could not bring myself to pay the $9.99 price tag on it, but my mom had her camera handy and got this shot!



So, I thought I'd Google it to see what other beer can related recycling projects I could find. And, what is the first thing I stumble across? A site that sells these exact hats!!! Check it out here.

When I saw this in the thrift store among the other old hats, I pictured a little old lady wearing it and it just made me laugh. But, after seeing the website, I can see they are targeting college kids. But, they can also make purses too! So, if you have a favorite beer and some school colors to go along with it, you can have your own custom drinking hat or bag made here!

Turn Food Coloring Containers into Elves

'Tis the season for corny holiday crafts!!!

Normal people would see the below object as an empty food coloring container. Weird people like me, however, see a little elf. No, seriously...see the pointy hat?


Okay, maybe this will help:


I made this one in like 5 minutes so he's not the best looking elf, but you get the idea. I know, I know, this is a TOTALLY cheesy Christmas craft. But, hey, I think it would be a fun one to do with the kids. Just make sure you wash out the containers yourself first! This stuff can get messy, as you know if you've made any spritz cookies this season.

I decorated my elf with ribbon, a green paint pen, and a sharpie (with paper ears). But, I'm thinking paint and a brush would yield cuter results...next time...



I took a pliers and pulled the little red spout off of this one...then it's easy to run water inside, shake it around, and get it rinsed well. Let them dry well too. You can see I was not so patient with my elf above and he's full of moisture.

Naturally, the red one has to be Santa:


I happened to have the google eyes, yarn, pom pom and curly hair in my stash of old project left-overs. The nose it made using the tip of the bottle. I think next time I'd paint on some smaller eyes so Santa doesn't have that reindeer-in-headlights look. But, the whole point is to have fun and be creative! Recycle some scraps of ribbon, felt, or whatever else you have around!

I stuck a magnet on the back of each of mine, but you can just as easily leave them to sit on a shelf. You can get magnets at craft stores...I tend to have tons of them on hand for making my junk mail magnets.

2008 St.Paul Craftstravaganza

I just got my Junk Mail Gems booth assignment for this year's St. Paul Craftstravaganza, being held next month! I'll be toward the entrance, to the left (in yellow below), so come and visit me! Click here for some directions to the fair.

Creating Displays for Junk Mail Jewelry

Over the past couple of days I've been working on some ways to display my products for the upcoming Craftstravaganza this April in St. Paul. For jewelry I decided to use this piece of drift wood. I originally picked up this piece of wood on the shore of Lake Erie back when we were living in Ohio for my iguana's habitat! It traveled with us on our move to Minnesota where it lived near the pond/fountain in our back yard for over 4 years. I have now turned it into a jewelry rack by drilling small holes in it and inserting little wooden dowels as hooks. Not too bad for it's third life after death!

Productive Hibernation

Well, yesterday we finally got our first decent snowstorm which is pretty late in the year for Minnesota. We got maybe 6" or so...nothing huge but enough to stick now for a while! Today I've been up in my studio most of the day working away on Junk Mail Gems products...weaving wallets, rolling paper beads, etc...staying warm and dry. Here are a few photos out my studio window for those of you living in warmer climates who find snow to be a novelty...







More developments in the Junk Mail Gems world...while my list of fantastic retailers around the country has continued to grow, this week I am happy to welcome the Eco Gender Corporation as our first exclusive distributor to the territory of Puerto Rico and the Caribbean! Hopefully Junk Mail Gems will be a profitable addition for them in the coming year!

I'm also excited to have recently mailed in my application to hopefully be chosen to be a part of next year's St. Paul Craftstravaganza! You may remember that I posted on this event last summer. It was jam packed with really cool stuff and TONS of people. So, keep your fingers crossed that I make it in...I think it would be a great chance to meet some more like minds in the Twin Cities!

Craftstravaganza 2007

Well, this is posting is totally belated, but I did get out to the 2nd annual St. Paul Craftstravaganza on Saturday for a bit...it was super crowded but there was a lot of cool stuff there!! Too bad the fine arts building doesn't have a retractable roof...it was a gorgeous day outside! But, everyone knows that it's not worth the stress to plan an event outdoors and rely on good weather... Anyway, I highly recommend going next year if you didn't make it this year. Here are a few snapshots...



In the Fine Arts building...



These little gnomes & mushroom houses were the cutest!



Live music all day long...

2nd Annual Craftstravaganza!

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