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Steampunk Etsy Find – Watch Movement Rings

The Etsy shop Londons Gate is jam packed with wonderfully steampunk designs.  Their pieces range from steampunk to gothic to victorian to just plain dark.

Many of their pieces involve the use of watch movements being repurposed into the focal point of the entire piece of jewelry.  They’ve got a fantastic selection of rings available on their site featuring many different kinds of watch movements.  One thing that I really like about this site is that what is pictured is exactly what you receive.  It’s not similar to or like what’s pictured, it really is the actual item.  This means you know exactly what the piece you choose will look like!

They do custom pieces or you can choose from their ever expanding selection available in their store.  I use the term “store” loosely as they claim this is not a business.  Just two young people working together developing their craft!

The pieces are quite affordable as well.  The ring pictured here is priced at $35.  It’s a 17 jewel watch movement attached to a filigree adjustable band.  That’s a steal of a deal for the huge statement that such a piece would make!  The ring prices vary in range but all are extremely budget friendly.

They’ve also got a variety of necklaces, cufflinks and even earrings for sale that utilize various watch movements.  My favorite necklace is the one pictured here with the black flower.  What a stunning accent piece that would look good in everything from casual wear to the office to a beautiful necklace to go with that little black dress.  It uses a vintage watch movement mounted to a vintage silver setting.  The black rose is what really set it off though.

This is definitely an Etsy shop worth checking back into again and again.  It sounds as though items are added almost daily.  They currently have 273 items for sale and I love almost each and every one.  Some of my favorites are the Lolita gothic hair clips that they have available in vintage silver settings.  Absolutely adorable!!  I love the flower designs and the skull designs.  You can even have them made in a different color to match a certain outfit!!

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Hump Day Etsy Find: Upcycled Men’s Dress Shirts

ecofriendly recycled shirt dress

Does your spouse have a bunch of dress shirts in his closet that he no longer wears??  Try sending them to Etsy seller allthenumbers.  She’ll take that little worn shirt and turn it into a dress your daughter will love to wear!  She even suggests that this would be a great gift for a new Dad or a Dad to be.  How about a Christmas gift for that new father on your list?  One day she’ll be big enough to steal his shirts from him anyways!

This Etsy seller has a ton of great listings for little girls on her site including peasant dresses or shirts that I absolutely adore, some beautiful A-line shift dresses that any girl would love, reversible pinafores that are as practical as they are gorgeous, some fantastic quilts (some include vintage fabrics!) and a range of ultra girly and comfy upcycled dresses.

This Etsy crafter is clearly gifted in the area of sewing and isn’t exactly a slouch in the creativity department either!!  It takes both creativity and skill to see these beautiful dresses from men’s shirts.  If you don’t happen to have any shirts laying around for your little one to wear, contact allthenumbers as she seems to be collecting them for just such an occassion!  She even has a few Mariachi tuxedo shirts around to make the dresses out of.  These are just simply adorable!!  These dresses are definitely going on my daughter’s Christmas list this year!

Crafters like this make it easier to live a green-er life by having the skills and creativity that others may lack.  They can turn something that may be headed to the trash bin back into an item that is loved and used constantly.  Thanks allthenumbers!!  Crafters like you are making families and the world a little green-er with every project you complete.

eco-friendly recycled shirt dressenvirtonmentally friendly girls dress from a recyled shirt

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Make Green The Color of Your Valentine’s Day: Sexy Brooch

With Valentine’s Day being the next major holiday, I thought I’d share some great, eco-friendly gift ideas for that special someone on your list.  These erotic brooches are literally torn from the pages of used trashy romance novels and repurposed into cheeky pins.  The Etsy seller, rebounddesigns, tells buyers to wear them if they dare!

I love the erotic and retro nude pin-up girl used on the card the brooch is clipped to for sale.  It’s intriguing that the naughty bits of a book is covering the pin-ups naughty bits!  This etsy craft rescues books from dumpsters, yard sales and library sales to make these sexy pins. 

She also makes a line of wallets and purses that re-purposes books in bad condition as well.  These sorts of second life products would make great and original Valentine’s gifts that will declare your love (& desire!) for your special someone as well as your love for the planet.

The brooches come in a range of phrases that are carefully cut from trashed trashy books.  This ensures that the pin you receive is a virtual one of a kind creation which is mounted to wood and varathane to ensure that the pin is protected.  There are pins listed such as “being deep inside”, “slowly stripped off” and “her orgasm hit”.

 

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Winner: Arbor Day Giveaway: O’Bon Tree Free Stationary

In celebration of Arbor Day (US) and the month of Earth Day, I’d like to share a great environmentally friendly company with you — O’Bon. They sent me an awesome package to review including aCherry Notebook, Orange Notebook, pencils and colored pencils. The best part — these stationary products are completely tree free!

The giveaway winner is Anne. Thanks to everyone who participated!

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Green Product Review: MoBoleez Hats for Really Yummy Mummies

MoBoleez is a Canadian company that has come up with a great idea — wide brimmed hats that the baby wears while breastfeeding.  The idea may seem a little bizarre to some at first but once you see how it works, it totally makes sense!  I’m not sure that it really needs to be explained why breastfeeding is the best choice but I’ll give it a quick go.

Breastfeeding provides the baby with all kinds of antibodies to babies leading to healthier kids in the long and short term.  Breastfeeding moms also benefit from breastfeeding.  They heal from the birth faster, spend incredibly bonding time with their babies and even have lowered incidents of breast cancer!  Breast feeding is recommended for at least the first 6 months of life as the sole provider of nutrition.  Recently, a research study suggested that huge amounts of money and lives could be saved simply by having more breastfed babies!

The impact on the environment is also huge from breastfeeding.  There are no wasted formula containers, no bottles, bottle liners, plastic nipples, no garbage created, no waste of any kind really unless you count the stinky bums!  The health benefits of breastfeeding also lead to benefits for the planet because less drugs would be used, less resources directed towards ill people, etc. etc.

Okay, now that we have a basic understanding of why breastfeeding is so important, lets get down to the fun stuff of the MoBoleez breast feeding bonnet!  For review, they sent me a gorgeous hat in blue.  It is made of 70% cotton and 30% bamboo which is a great sustainable choice for a fabric.  The hat is incredibly soft and easy to wash.  It can be thrown right into the washing machine and should be laid flat to dry.

I breastfed my daughter for 2 1/2 years.  Unfortunately for me, she never liked to be covered so it made feeding in public places difficult at best and usually completely impossible.  I always found that it was easiest to feed her in a quiet, calm environment with just the two of us.  As lovely as that is, it’s just not always possible.  We went to strollercize classes, playgroups and all different kinds of activities during the time she was nursing.  She would always get too hot and kick off any blanket that I used to shield her from distractions.

Also, although the world is changing so that breastfeeding is now more acceptable, I’ve found it is very slow to change.  More than once I’ve tried to breastfeed inconspicuously in the corner of a coffee shop and gotten a ton of dirty looks and rude comments.  This meant a lot of feedings sitting in hot cars or even worse, bathroom stalls.  Can you imagine if those uptight people were forced to eat their lunch sitting on a toilet?  People really need to lighten up.  It’s just a boob and that is exactly what it is there for!!

This hat would really come in handy with kids like my daughter who preferred not to be covered or who overheated quickly from blankets and covers.  It is an extremely breathable fabric and fits comfortably on a little one’s head.  This hat would also satisfy even the prudish prude out there as it absolutely covers the action.

It does more than that though — it covers it in style!  There’s a range of cute colors and designs such as “The Milky Way” and a Teddy saying “Mmmmm”.  This hat is truly for the yummy mummy quite literally!  The sweetest touch that I saw was that if you peeked on the nursing babe by lifting up the brim, there’s a message going around the edge that says “Hi Mommy!”.  Adorable and it shows a true eye for attention to detail, humor and a love of breastfeeding.

I can’t say enough good things about this hat.  MoBoleez has come up with a truly ingenious product — simple, stylish, practical and fun way to celebrate the bond of breastfeeding!  Their wide selection of hats is available to buy online for only $29USD or $34USD for their couture line.  They also have a special line of small hats sized 0-3 that are available to purchase.  Half of the proceeds of these small hats goes to the BC Children’s Hospital Foundation which is definitely a great cause.  These hats would make a great shower gift or coming home gift for any new mom who intends on nursing.  What a different, cute gift idea!

Thanks so much for the great review opportunity.

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Conflict Free Diamonds

There’s nothing that a girl likes receiving more than jewellery.  Every woman likes a different style, for sure but jewellery is always a great gift for the special women in your life.  That sounded a little wrong — I didn’t mean the wife and the girlfriend — lol.  More like your wife, daughter, sister, mother, aunt, etc.  Jewellery with heart designs on it especially signify your deepest feelings for the women that you love.  I think that heart jewelry in particular, has a special significance to it. Especially a heart shape filled with diamonds!  I especially love this diamond and pink sapphire heart shaped pendant.  It’s just different than most other designs that you see women wearing which makes it even more special and romantic.  Truly a gift from the heart.

One thing to really watch out for when shopping for jewellery though is to make sure that the diamonds and gemstones that you buy are conflict free.  In 1993, more than 15 years ago, an agreement was reached between various governments and the diamond industry to insure that the flow of the world’s so called blood diamonds was put to a halt.  This agreement is the Kimberly Process Certification Scheme, also known as the KPCS.  Before you buy any diamond (or gemstone at all for that matter), insure that the buyer strictly follows this agreement and checks on their suppliers of diamonds.  Jewellers should have a zero tolerance policy in regards to conflict diamonds for the sake of the entire planet.  Diamonds are beautiful and wonderful but not on the blood and war of people.

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Old Cassettes Transform Into Cute Wallets

Check out these cute and functional wallets made from upcycled cassette tapes by Marcella Foschi.  They’re available for $39 on Design Boom and would make a great Christmas gift for all those eco-friendly girls on your Christmas list this year.  Yes, I know that Christmas is still months away but it really does pay off to shop ahead!

Imagine how many of these tapes have been tossed into landfills around the world with the advent of the CD.  There’s probably enough tapes sitting in the garbage to fill all the purses of even a shop-a-holic purse lover!!  These are definitely worth checking out.  As they are each handmade, each one is different.  You could get anything from an Alvin and the Chipmunks cassette to a Slayer cassette to the Beach Boys!  You’ve got to absolutely love something so entirely random…

Thanks for the link Bibi!!  Check out her travelling adventures blog Flash Nomad.  She travels the world with an eye for style, design, grace and elegance with a camera in one hand and a laptop in the other.

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Earth Week Review and Giveaway — Earrings From Moonrise Jewelry

Moonrise Jewelry began in 2002 with a variety of core values that make both a great business while at the same time, ensuring that their profits hurt neither the planet or the people living on it.  Their lines are made up of pieces that are ethically sourced, support fair trade practices and that support their local environment.  Their pieces are hand made in their studio in Virginia to support their local and rural economy.

For review, they sent me these beautiful recycled glass earrings called Cobb.  These earrings look absolutely gorgeous on and I always get compliments when wearing them.  They are light, easy to wear and match with practically anything!  I am 100% behind eco-friendly jewelry but it still needs to be pretty and fun to wear — that’s absolutely no problem with these earrings or any of the other great designs that they make!

I would definitely recommend following both their facebook account where they announce some incredible sales and joining their mailing list for a $10 off coupon!

Want to try out a pair of their earrings for yourself?  Moonrise Jewelry has graciously offered a pair of pretty earrings called Abilene to one of my readers!  They are made of fair trade silver beads on sterling silver posts and feature purple lace agate.  I absolutely adore these earrings!  They would look great with everything from jeans and a tee shirt to a business suit and everything in between.

To Enter (One Time Only):   Leave a comment on this post about your favorite design at Moonrise Jewelry.  Good luck picking only one thing!  So many of their designs are eye catching.

Bonus Entries:
  • *Become a fan of Moonrise Jewelry on Facebook.
  • *Join their mailing list (you’ll get a $10 coupon!).
  • *Enter one of my other giveaways and leave a comment telling me.
  • *Tell me how you heard about this giveaway.
  • *Follow Green Colored Glasses on Twitter and ReTweet this giveaway RT @Green Colored Glasses Giveaway – Eco-Friendly Earrings From Moonrise Jewelry Giveaway (you can Tweet this once a day for Extra Entries)
  • *Become a Fan of Green Colored Glasses on Facebook
  • *Blog about this giveaway with a link to this post
  • *Suscribe to Green Colored Glasses by RRS Feed
Open to US and Canada.  A winner will be randomly selected and notified on May 6, 2010.  Good luck to everyone and thanks for entering!  Remember that the more entries my giveaways get, the more giveaways will be offered in the future.

 

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The Death of Cassettes — Upcycled Tapes Become Incredible Sculptures

 

Have you ever wondered whatever happened to all of those old tapes people used to have??  Well, it seems like cute little wallets aren’t the only things that really creative people are making out of them!  Check out the work of Brian Dettmer.  It’s absolutely amazing what he’s managed to make from these items that most people would consider a useless relic of the past.  Except for my husband that is.  For whatever reason, he loves old tapes and insists on playing them all the time!

These intricate sculptures are made without any glue or tape to bind them together.  The pieces are made up only of the casette tape case and tape itself in some cases.  The pieces are a metaphor for a dying breed of analog media in an ever increasing digital era.  The thought struck him one day as he saw a dead bird lying on the road.  He pondered the idea that what used to be alive was now irretrivably lost with all that remains was it’s physical, solid form.  The metaphor became a reality in 2005 when he began sculpting the bones of the dead from the dead form of analog.

 

The skull of the ram shown above is made of altered cassette tapes melted together.  Nothing but the cassette tapes themselves were used in these pieces.  The artist has only revealed that he molds the pieces with wet hands and melted tapes.  The exact process of the art form itself remains a mystery.  I can only begin to imagine the time and energy it has taken to make some of his pieces.

 

 

This is especially true for his most intricate sculpture to date.  The skeleton is made up of over 180 individual cassettes.  It is amazingly true to form and instantly recognizable as the human skeletal system.  Mr. Dettmer has made a series of skulls of different themes.  There are 12 in the series with the one shown here being a 80′s metal theme.  Notice that the tape around the skull’s mouth is Motley Crue’s Shout at the Devil.  I too was once called a metal head!  It’s good to see artist’s with a sense of humor as well as the creativity that is required to repurpose everyday items into extraordinary art.  This work is an example of upcycling at it’s finest!

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Environmentally Responsible Diamonds

Are you shopping for engagement rings?  This might sound really weird but it’s important to ensure that your diamonds come from environmentally responsible, fair trade, conflict free traders.  The diamond mining market has left entire nations and their people scarred from their mining efforts.  Blood diamonds and ecological damage has been the norm when it comes to diamond mining production techniques, especially those operations overseas in countries such as Africa.  Canada has gotten into the diamond production market in a big way in recent years with the Ekati mine.  The Canadian Arctic is definitely a very fragile eco-system but it at least has heavy regulations on how the diamonds are extracted from their surrounding environments.  Tropical eco-systems in more tropical areas have left the land pitted and destroyed.  The shallow topsoil in tropical areas is essential for agriculture and easily destroyed by the diamond mining efforts.  Before buying the ring to pop the big question, ensure that the jewler who you are buying it from answers all of your questions as to the diamond’s origins satisfactorily.  People decide how companies operate by voting with their wallet.  Make sure that you are investing in a product that you can stand behind.  After all, a diamond is forever!!

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