This week's featured Etsy seller is Nue to Me. This talented crafter has found a way to repurpose old t-shirts into some really cute, fashionable and practical items for kids. Each item is once of a kind and designed by her so it's not like getting your daughter a gap dress and everyone in her preschool class has it. What a terrible fashion faux pas!! lol My daughter actually loves it when people are wearing the same thing as her -- samesies or twinsies is what she calls it. Three year olds might think it's cute but I think it's more of the mindless drone consumerism that seems to be rampant. I love the custom look of these dresses as well as the green-ness of upcycling old t-shirts.

The dresses made by Nue to Me are my personal fav of her items. You can see the quality and work that goes into stitching each dress. The designs are carefully laid out according to what sorts of designs the t-shirts she's working with have. I love the two dresses pictured here...absolutely adorable! She has a variety of designs and sizes available on her site. They range in size from 6 months to 6 years with a ton of different styles so even the hardest to please little diva would be easy to shop for.

The t-shirt dresses that she makes tend to leave lots of left over bits of t-shirt material. With these bits, she makes cute hats in a variety of colours and sizes. There's the mohawk design featured here as well as a dread lock pirate version! These would be awesome when the snow starts falling soon and the temperatures are dipping. These would be great for Halloween as well! Just imagine how comfy the often washed t-shirt material would be even for the the youngest little one and the sizes would fit for quite a while because of the stretch of the material.

She also makes skirts from co-ordinating panels of t-shirt material like this Disney-inspired piece here. Check out her Etsy site for more of her designs and to see what else she makes out of the bits and pieces left over. This crafter leaves very little waste left over from her designs of wristlet bags made out of sleeves, masks, over size bibs (called dinner armour for a reason!) from the front and shoulder pieces, hair clips, etc. etc. etc. If only I was this talented!!! I'm thinking I might have to place a couple of orders from her for this Christmas...I suggest you do the same before she runs out of pieces!

She has a couple of other Etsy stores as well -- World of Whimm which features fantastic kids costume pieces for boys and girls and On a Whimm which features miscellaneous cute eco-friendly products such as tacks, pin cushions and cat nip toys. Or you could check out her blog at www.worldofwhimm.blogspot.com for more news and information on this imaginative crafter.

Once in a while, an artist conveys an emotion so strongly that words cannot even describe it. They say a picture is worth 1,000 words but this painting by Fabian Perez speaks in volumes, not mere words. The painting is called Reflections in the Sun. Each blade of grass is illuminated by the light of the sun as a girl sits among it basking in the glow of the light. The painting uses light and texture to show the emotions of reconnecting with nature. This is surely an activity that more of us need to indulge in. It seems as though our entire existences are marked by the opposition to nature instead of the oneness with it that is experienced when we are children. We drive nearly everywhere, spend hours inside watching television or surfing the net and work insufferably long hours in the tedium of offices.

Fabian Perez's work here reflects what I am trying to teach my children a love of the environment for! I'm not trying to teach them to live sustainable lives -- recycling, thinking before consuming, choosing organic when possible, etc. -- only to have them sit inside on their butts playing video games! We need to get out there and do as the painting suggests -- reflect in the sun!

The entire body of Fabian Perez's work shows an entire range of emotions from passion to seduction to anger and fear. Many of his pieces illustrate the art of dance in it's variety of styles -- the Flamenco and the Tango especially. I recommend checking out his portfolio before you head to the great outdoors!

This is a sponsored post with 100% real opinions.

One of my favorite eco-friendly building materials has got to be the incredibly beautiful range of recycled glass tiles that are now available. They come in a wide array of colours and sizes to fit any style and budget. Tiling is a perfect DIY project that even the most amateur home owner can tackle over a weekend. It really just takes time and patience to beautify a space with these eco-friendly tiles. Most tile stores can give great advice on what materials are needed to lay the tiles and some quick tips on getting a professional look.

Recycled glass tiles really show off how sexy eco-friendly can be. These tiles make use of tons of glass that is headed for the landfills and repurpose it into beautiful tiles that would look great in any showhome. When you are purchasing products to renovate your home or to build a new one, consider looking into all the earth friendly supplies that are now available. Your designer and your planet will thank you!

The days of summer have disappeared and been replaced with the first few days of autumn.  The colder temperatures don't mean that you can't enjoy the great outdoors any longer though.  Try getting a Woodhaven firewood rack to store up wood for the backyard fire pit.  Sitting around a blazing fire can help keep you warm while you enjoy the backyard for the next couple of months.

Once the snow starts flying, grab some logs from the Woodhaven firewood rack to bring inside.  Many homes still use wood burning fireplaces as a cost-effective source of heat.  This can really help bring down your heating costs.  It's important to get a quality firewood rack to keep your wood dry and covered during the winter months though.  Wet firewood is of little use and causes excess crackling and smoke. 

Do your homework to ensure that you are getting a good quality firewood rack that will last throughout many seasons before you make your purchase.  It's very wasteful both for the environment and for your bank account to buy a cheap, low quality item three or four times instead of just buying one high quality and cost effective piece of equipment that will last many years.  The Woodhaven firewood rack has a really good reputation with great consumer reviews as well as being featured on shows such as the CBS Early Show with Bob Villa and DIY TV.  It has a 10 year structural warranty and comes in seven sizes so you can store as much or as little firewood as you'd like!

It comes with a free short cover that will keep the first 12" of firewood covered while allowing air to circulate throughout the rest of the stack to prevent mildew and mold.  If you live somewhere with an extreme winter season (like me, unfortunately), you might want to think about buying the optional long cover to cover the entire stack of wood to protect it from the elements.

Another nice bonus of this rack is that it's not ugly!  You won't have to try to hide it away from sight or worry about the paint getting all scratched up right away.  It's got a thick coat of powder coat to help prevent scratches.  It would look fine to keep within reach of the doorway for those chilly winter nights where you're not going to want to be outside for any longer than necessary.  The rack keeps even the bottom layer of wood clean and dry by elevating it from the ground so you won't need to worry about tracking a ton of dirt and snow into the house either.