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

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!

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!  :-)

Junk Mail Gems in the Press: Midwest Living Magazine

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!!

Junk Mail Gems Mentioned in Women's Focus Magazine!

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!!

JunK Mail Gems Featured in Womeninc Magazine

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!

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! :-)

Contest: WIN FREE Junk Mail Gems Magnets!

As promised, I am going to give you all a sneak peek at some of the many new products that I have in the works that I hope to soon add to my current recycled junk mail product line. But, what is even more exciting, is that YOU have a chance of winning a set of 10 colorful catalog magnets, OR a set of 10 security envelope magnets; your choice! I have 7 new product prototypes below (and probably 10 more in my head!), and need some help deciding which to start offering on my site first!

The Rules:
Here's how you can enter in two easy steps....

1) Help me decide which products to make available on my site first by leaving a comment on this post with your top 3 favorites in order of their favorite-ness! (#1 being most favorite, #2 being second favorite, etc)

2) Post a link to this contest on your own blog. If you do not have a blog, share it with your friends via email, Facebook, or wherever!

The winner will be chosen at random and announced on Friday, July 3rd.

So, here is your sneak peek and the new product prototypes that you have to choose from to tell me your favorites!

The Prototypes:

1) Pencil Cup
This pencil cup is made entirely out of recycled junk mail catalog pages. The base is a sturdy piece of coiled paper and the sides have almost a leather like feel.


2) Coil Earrings
Created in reaction to some of my customers' requests at this year's Craftstravaganza, these coiled junk mail earrings are a perfect complement to my junk mail pendants and pins! They are coated in a high-gloss, clear resin.


3) Badge Holder
This stylin' badge holder is made out of the colorful recycled catalog beads that I also sell as necklaces, earrings, and separately as loose beads. But, now you can use them to display your badge at work in style!


4) Coil Bowl
This bowl is made entirely out of coiled junk mail, and covered in a clear, glossy finish. Certain to make a great conversation piece! Since these take a long time to make, they would likely be offered either as made-to-order, or I would display the current stock of actual bowls up for sale on my site.


5) Collage Bowl
This bowl has an underlying structure made of plaster, and is then covered with a collage of colorful junk mail catalog pages, and sealed with a clear, glossy finish.


6) Paper Weight
This awesome paper weight showcases a colorful catalog page behind a heavy crystal dome, magnifying the design while holding down your papers in style! The bottom is covered with a black velour pad. I would likely be displaying actual paperweights in stock on the site, so that you can snatch up the specific, one-of-a-kind pattern you like!


7) Keychain
These keychains are made with the same technique as my junk mail pendants and the coil earrings above, with a disc of coiled junk mail protected with a coating of high gloss, clear resin.


As you can see, I have my hands and head full of new ideas...please help me out and tell me what your favorites are! I'd love to know why as well, so feel free to elaborate! Thank you!! :-)

DIY Office Storage Solutions...Don't Waste your Money!

My postings have been a little sparse lately, due to the combination of a lot of freelance work right now, and a pretty major home remodel project we have going on. This remodeling, however, means that the Junk Mail Gems studio will soon be moving to the room next door, which means I will have more space. Wahoooo! It also means that this is a great opportunity for me to de-clutter and re-organize.

I have always been big on organization since I was little. I'm like a kid in a candy store when I go into a Container Store. However, rather than leaving their store with full shopping bags, these days I've been leaving the store with a lot more ideas to make things myself for a whole lot cheaper.


Take these storage canisters (above,left) for example. You can buy them for$3.99 to $6.99 a piece. OR, you can do what I have been doing in my office, and spray painting the lids of empty food jars with metallic paint, and getting the exact same look for pennies (above, right). Probably not even a penny...fractions of a penny. And I bet you can do it in less time than it takes you to go out and buy them. I don't understand why the same people who toss glass jars into the garbage or even recycle bin, would then turn around and pay for the exact same thing in a store!!

Here's another one. You can spend $8.00 on a piece of metal that you can stick magnets to:

Or, you can go to the hardware store, buy a piece of steel bar stock, and attach it to your wall yourself.


These wood veneer magnet boards are pretty cool looking. Bet you think you can't make this, eh? Think again!

Save the $25.00 and go get yourself a piece of steel from the hardware store, add some peel-n-stick woodgrain shelf liner in oak or pine, and you've got virtually the same thing. You can even try faux leather or granite! Looking for an even better deal that's even more green? Instead of buying a new sheet of steel from the hardware store, go to a local thrift store or yard sale and pick up a few cookie sheets! There's a great DIY cookie sheet message center project here. I've even seen rolls of left-over shelf liner at thrift stores and on Craigslist as well.

Don't forget to spruce up your magnet boards with some Junk Mail Gems recycled junk mail magnets, of course! Starting at just a buck a piece, you won't have to worry about emptying your wallet.

I am eager to get started on making my own personalized organization and storage solutions, once I am able to move into my new office. Once I do so, I'll be sure to post some instructions so you can try it too!

New Special Edition Jewelry Supports Cancer Research & Charities

If you are currently a subscriber of the Junk Mail Gems e-newsletter then you've already heard about the latest new products. But, I thought I'd post about them today for everyone else! I now have some new special edition jewelry available...read on for the story behind these special beads!

In the summer of 2008 my dad was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. After many tough rounds of chemo, we are happy to announce he is in remission! So what does this have to do with junk mail? Read on!

As you know, I make hand rolled beads, pendants, and magnets out of my recycled security envelopes. I get tons and tons of blue and black patterns in my junk mail, but rarely receive red. I’ve told my family who like to collect envelopes from their mail for me that I have more than enough blue and black, but if they ever come across red, I’ll take ‘em!

Since my Dad’s cancer journey began, naturally my parents have been flooded with mail from their medical insurance company...all arriving in red-patterned security envelopes. I did not want to just mix these in with my regular selection, since I consider these red envelopes to be special. Besides being a rare occurrence in my own mail, they are a reminder of how much my dad and mom have been through this past year. So, what to do? The answer came to me almost instantly!

I have decided to create some new red beads and necklaces, and to donate a portion of the proceeds from these items to two very important charities.

If you know someone who’s gone through hard medical times, you may have heard of CaringBridge.org. They provide free web space for people going through life threatening illnesses, enabling them to post journal entries & photos, and receive messages from family and friends in their online “guest book.” My dad’s CaringBridge site has been a great support, not only for family and friends to keep up on his progress, but for all of his loved ones to channel their support through their loving guest book messages. For this reason, $5.00 of every red paper bead necklace purchase will be donated to CaringBridge.

For every red envelope glass pendant necklace sold, Junk Mail Gems will donate $5.00 to the important work of The American Cancer Society.

Thank you for helping support not only the environment and small business-owning Mommies, but also these very worthwhile causes!

Turn your junk mail into cool gift bags!

There are less than 3 weeks left until Christmas! Chances are you're out trying to get your shopping done this weekend, and if you're like me, you'd rather spend your money on a nice gift than purchasing a bunch of gift wrap. There is no reason that you can't get a nice gift, AND wrap it uniquely, without spending a small fortune!


I have just uploaded a new DIY project to my Junk Mail Gems DIY page...now you can turn your junk mail into one of a kind gift bags! I have a pdf that I created just for you wonderful readers, available for download on the tutorial page, which is sized to fit on a standard letter sized paper for you to print out. The result is a gift bag that measures about 3" x 2" x 4.25".

In this gift bag shown above, I used a page out of a Macy's catalog that has pictures of flatware, which will be perfect to give the Macy's gift card I just got as a wedding shower gift. Get creative...there's probably a lot of holiday themed junk mail coming through your box, so why not take advantage of the colors and patterns and make up some cool bags!

I used some string from a gift bag that was torn and no longer use-able for handles. You can do the same, or use any other string, ribbon, yarn, etc you have around the house.

Don't forget to FILL your junk mail bag with a cool gift! May I suggest some cool Junk Mail Gems jewelry, perhaps? ;-) Be sure to check out our gift section as well, for special package deals, gift wrap, greeting cards, gift certificates, and more! Happy wrapping!

Junk Mail Gems now on Facebook!

I finally gave in to peer pressure a little while back and got on Facebook...now I have just created a page for Junk Mail Gems! I had to be a total nerd and become a fan of myself, but it's a little lonely over there right now. If you're a Facebook member and would like to become a "fan," check it out and be among the first to keep me company!

New Fall Products Now Availabe!

I am really excited to announce some new products, now available on JunkMailGems.com! I have been working on these for months, searching for and experimenting with just the right methods and quality materials.

First, we have some great new pins! Each pin is made out of one catalog page and has a thick, glossy, clear coating on the face:


We also have two new pendant necklaces available! These necklaces have glass pendants, available in square and round, with colorful junk mail mounted to the back side. Each pendant is hanging on a black leather cord with a strong magnetic closure.



Closeup of the magnetic closure:


Like all products that I sell that are made out of my recycled junk mail, the colors and patterns in these items will vary. No two are alike! If you are looking for a specific color range, please feel free to email me before you place your order. I would be glad to see if I can find a particular color for you!