Welcom New Junk Mail Gems Online Retailers

I am happy to welcome two new online retailers who are now carrying Junk Mail Gems products: "Repurposed 4 You" and "Save the World Designs!" Be sure to check out their sites for more cool recycled products!

Happy New Year!

Hello everyone and happy new year!

I got some good news this week, that me and my Junk Mail Gems have been selected to be a part of this year's Craftstravaganza at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds in St. Paul this spring!


I'm pretty psyched and will be working on stocking up on cool junk mail products from now until April 26th! Well, we'll see how much my new Christmas angel little Sammy will let me get done but I have a few months so I'm not too worried. Having previously worked over 3 years as a display designer for Best Buy, I will be in my element working on designing my booth space. I'll be sure to include photos once I get things rolling!

I'm also in the process of getting Junk Mail Gems into two other online retailers' sites. So, things are growing already in 2008!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas! I've been busy enjoying my best Christmas gift ever...our new little boy! Hope you all had a great holiday and have a wonderful new year!

Making Magnets with Eco Glue

While waiting for baby to arrive (due in less than 2 weeks now!), I've been keeping pretty busy making lots and lots of junk mail magnets over the past week (also wallets & beads) to stock up for upcoming orders, as you can see here...



I also just found this Eco Glue online that I've been trying out...seems to be really strong, and nice & clear, which is a must for magnet making! Check it out if you're looking for an eco friendly and strong glue!

Book page wreath

Sometimes I even get ideas for recycling projects from the actual mail I am recycling! Pottery Barn catalogs are one thing I like to use for making my wallets as they have a lot of nice full-photo pages without a lot of text.

Anyway, I think this came from one of those catalogs, and I caught myself just before folding it into a strip for a wallet. (which is why it is cropped funny) Check out the wreath-like decoration here that appears to be made out of old book pages. Pretty cool idea...looks like you could make one pretty simply by poking a wire through a bunch of loosely folded book pages, bent into a circle. I just might have to try making a junk mail wreath one of these days...

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!

Another Thrift Store Re-Make

Well, I have one last thrift store furniture re-make project I've just finished for my bug themed nursery in my last few weeks before baby arrives! I've been visiting thrift stores watching for a small end table or side table to put next to the rocking chair. I found this perfect wicker drawer unit for just $6.99 at Saver's a couple days ago. Of course, the brown & green paint with pictures of mushrooms & acorns don't quite fit with the nursery decor...but that's the fun part!

I spent last night painting the whole thing white, which is pretty time consuming when you're talking about wicker. Today I added the colored trim areas and then painted a bug on each drawer, to match the bug illustrations in the rug I have in the room.

As you can see below, with just a few bucks, some paint and a little tlc, you can turn a homeless, out-of-date piece of furniture into a custom piece for your home!