Well, if you have the imagination and skill of Etsy crafter Screaming Chee Toes, it will look like this fantastically giant plarn rug.  Plarn is a type of yarn made out of plastic grocery bags.  This is upcycling in it's truest form -- taking something of absolutely no value and transforming it into something with an inherently high value!

I can't begin to imagine how many hours were spent crocheting this gorgeous rug which can both indoors and outdoors.  Hundreds of yards of yarn was also woven into the design.  The resulting rug aptly entitled Living Large measures in at 5 x 7 feet!

This rug is more than just planet friendly though, it's also foot friendly!  One would imagine that the repurposed plastic bags would be crunchy or crinkly under the feet but the crafter says that it is soft and tender on the toes.

Imagine how fantastic this rug would look in a main entranceway.  The rug naturally creates static which helps to trap dust.  This could make for a much tidier front entranceway!  I think it would look especially amazing in an outdoor living space.  Many people are bringing outdoor living to a whole new level with couches, reclining chairs and chimineas to help set up the perfect conversation and relaxation area outside.  A rug like this would really help to define the space and give it even more of a living like you're indoors outdoors kind of feel.

This crafter has a range of these rugs in different styles, colors and sizes to suit every need.  Definitely worth grabbing your organic fair trade coffee and poking through.  Happy shopping!!

This is the greenest chicken I've ever seen!  It's called Bock Bock chicken and it's hand made by Ecoleeko.  It's made with soft all natural materials that are hand dyed with care.  The fabric is a bamboo fleece, the stuffing is kapok fibers and ground walnut shells and it's even sewn with organic cotton thread!!  Talk about an eco-friendly kids toy.  This is probably about as green as it gets!

Ecoleeko has a whole range of stuffed animals, bean bags, rattles, balls, bath puppets and tagged blankets made with the same sorts of all natural materials as seen in Mr. Bock Bock.  The owner even details how the paperwork involved in invoicing and receipts is recycled, as well as the packaging. 

This is definitely a company owner that you know you can trust your children's safety with.  In recent years there have been so many scary recalls on children's toys and cloths that have parents wondering what exactly is safe.  Check out Ecoleeko for gifts and baby essentials instead of a big box store where items are made overseas under dubious safety regulations.  Handmade supports local businesses and shows companies that we are concerned about child and planet safety!!

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!!

The star attraction of this bench -- these wooden foot forms called shoe lasts -- were actually found by the side of the road.  They were in an Ontario fishing camp on the road side with a sign that said "firewood for cottagers".  The shoe lasts were then transformed into this incredible bench called "Last Place" by Brothers Dressler.  The brothers behind the designs are twins Jason and Lars Dressler who are woodworkers who are motivated to create the smallest footprint possible in their incredible works.  They explore reuse, repurposing, design and art all while keeping an eye on sustainability.  They even make their products so that they are easy to take apart at the end of their useful life and reuse the pieces!  Pretty incredible that they would even plan for the eventual demise of their pieces.

The benches in this series are available only in extremely limited quantities because of the salvaged nature of the components.  The shoe lasts themselves show the true workmanship of the profession of cobblers in decades past.  Although the artistry of cobblers is now extinct, these woodworkers wanted to pay homage to their work while showing a respect for the form and function of the molds.  I cannot imagine that someone would actually use these for firewood!!!

Check out the gorgeous hand crafted mobile from Etsy crafter atomicmiss.  The mobile is hung by natural jute fibers with bamboo or willow branches forming the bird perches.  The birds themselves are made from a variety of fabrics and stuffed with organic filling.  She's got a huge range of fabric patterns available and is open to customizing the mobile to suit your decor.

Items such as this one are clearly crafted with love, care, an eye for detail and design.  A mobile such as this one would bring years and years of enjoyment to a child whereas a licensed mobile bought from a big box store would be junked within a year or two.  This elegant, nature inspired mobile could hang in a children's room for years to come!  Handcrafted items such as this that are themed after nature instead of the latest cartoon are a much better investment.

This design was created by the artist making a mobile for her friend's baby.  When the design turned out so beautifully, she was inspired to make more and offer them for sale in her Etsy shop.  I'm so glad she did!

Check out her shop for some more great eco-friendly finds.  I especially love her range of coffee cup sleeves made from upcycled fabrics.  They are lined with felt to help keep in the heat and can save 6-8 pounds of carboard over the course of a year for an average consumer who buys coffee to go!  It's much better to bring your own cup but if you just can't, these sleeves would make a huge (and stylish) difference.

I found this amazing graphic designed by Nathaniel Kerksick on my favorite design website NotCot.  We are going through an extremely strange time right now economically, socially and politically.  The recession has caused so many businesses to fail.  People's homes are being foreclosed.  Bankruptcies are common.  Malls everywhere have empty storefronts.

This design helps us to remember that small businesses are falling by the wayside, completely forgotten by people both socially and politically.  Huge corporations like the auotmobile manufacturers and banks are being handed millions and millions of dollars to sustain business simply because they are "Too big to fail".  The local businesses too need our support.

Local companies are those that are run by our friends and neighbors instead of by huge multinational corporations who are raking in giant bonuses while being flown around on their lear jets.  Buying locally can make a huge difference for the good of our planet as well.  Local companies involve less traveling for goods to reach our door.  The carbon footprint of stores such as WalMart are huge since many of their products are made overseas.  There are also safety concerns of products being made far away under less strigent environmental controls.  How many toys have been recalled lately for lead or other chemicals being found in them?  And what about the workers overseas who are making pennies to produce the goods that we think that we "need".  What are their futures like?  Is this kind of a business model really sustainable??

Making huge amounts of cheap products being sent thousands of miles only to break within a few weeks of use is how many of the big companies currently operate.  Remember that every time you make a purchase, you are voting with your wallet for the practices that you want to see continue.  Remember that those local companies are too small to fail.  What will happen to our world in the small companies become extinct??

Clean lines, bold colors and eye catching graphics are what dominate this line by reiter8.  This company makes a range of bags, purses, wallets, pillows, totes and even Christmas stockings out of used sails.  The company name was chosen because it means to say or do again which is exactly what they are doing with these sailboat sails -- reiterating their value.

These are a great eco-chic find for every green design fan looking for something different.  Many of their items feature the original sail seams as part of the design -- check out the green stitching on the blue star pillow for example.  Better yet, if you have an old sail taking up valuable storage space, donate it to reiter8 for them to reuse.  They'll even send you a bag made out of the sail that you send.  Pretty cool keepsake if you ask me!

They've got their own Etsy store and blog running which would definitely be worthwhile checking out.  They've even got durable luggage tags made out of the small bits of sail left over.  Great practical use for small pieces of the material instead of just wasting it!!

This alarm clock by Bedol is not only gorgeous in form, it's gorgeous in function as well.  There's no batteries and no plug in because it's completely powered by water!! 

It comes in 5 colors -- pink (pictured here), purple, charcoal, blue and green.  The shape of the alarm clock mimicks the only power source necessary for it to function -- water.  The body of the clock is shaped like a single drop of the most precious resource our planet has to offer.  It's transparent so that you can see the water inside of the clock and sits on a base which is actually the cap.

To fill the clock, you twist off the cap base and pour regular tap water into the droplet portion.  Replace the cap and voila!  No need to do anything else.

Some users report that the water needs to be changed every 6 to twelve weeks but this doesn't mean you need to readjust your settings.  There's a microchip inside that will keep track of the time during fills.  Empty the water onto your plants and replace with fresh tap water.

There are lots of articles online about how exactly this works.  I'm no scientist but it has something to do with using ions in the water to generate a current.  There are two metal poles inside of the clock that the ions generate a charge between without any chemicals whatsoever.

Just the kind of thing I love -- stylish, functional, waste free, chemical free and eco-friendly!  This would be especially perfect for people who travel a lot.

Daniel Michalik has an incredible range of furniture made entirely from cork wastage from the bottle stopper industry.  Cork is an extremely important element in eco-friendly design because it can be harvested from trees without cutting the tree down.  The trees will continue to grow even long after the cork has been harvested.  Cork can be used in many design situations from furniture construction to flooring applications.  It's pliability makes it an extremely versatile material that is sustainable, recyclable and in supply in a great abundance.

This lounge chair is made entirely from cork and is called the Cortica.  This piece shows the materials incredible ability to bend in two different directions simultaneously.  This bent sheet is 72" long to cradle the recliner's entire body and allow total support.  The cork suspends the seated person so that they feel entirely weightless.  The bends in the material allow the resting person to rock from side to side as well as forwards and backwards.  In this manner, the user becomes entirely buoyant as if they are floating on the ocean.

Cork is 100% natural waterproof quality as well as the feeling Cortica gives the user sparked the imagination of the designer.  He set off with two test subjects, two cork lounge chairs and a camera to the nearby local beach.  The resulting movie is pretty incredible to watch and can be seen on his web site.

His work is incredibly resourceful, full of humor and functionality while still making other designer's drool with envy.  Daniel Michalik is sure to be featured here again and I'll certainly keep an eye on his up and coming designs.  His work is currently being featured at Voos Furniture design.

These old teacups light up beautifully when illuminated from within by soy candle wax.  Etsy crafter TwilightSpells has come up with a truly ingenious way to repurpose old but still beautiful teacups into very usable candle holders.  The patterns on the cups look even more beautiful by candlelight.

She calls these creations Vintage Twist Tea Cup Candles and I think they'd be absolutely perfect for Valentine's Day or any other time when you're trying to "set the mood".  This artisan put together a love of vintage tea cups together with a new found awareness of the benefits of soy candles over traditional wax candles which are made from a byproduct of crude oil.

She picks up the tea cups from a variety of places -- second hand stores, charity shops and markets so all of these cups have been used.  She has many single tea cups for sale in her shop as well as some doubles so that you could have a matching set!

There is quite a range of patterns and they all look quite gorgeous lit up.  She has pictures of the cups both lit and not lit so that you can get a good feeling for what it will look like in a variety of situations -- whether stored in your china cabinet or lit on the table.  There's a huge range of styles as well from traditional portraits to floral tea cups to cups that are quite simple or modern.

The floral tea cup candles, in particular, would make a great gift for a loved one this Valentine's Day.  This would make a much more sustainable statement of love than that of fresh picked flowers which will soon wither and die.

I think that this is a fantastic idea for repurposing what you already have or what you find second hand and turning it into a natural and sustainable product that is very usable.  Definitely check out the range of candles that she has available.  Remember that supporting handmade items is a way to reduce consumption and waste!