Are you looking for an eco-friendly product for the fashionista on your shopping list this year?  Check out Beads for Change.  This program employs women of Uganda who live in hillside slums.  They are refugees after decades of war in northern Uganda.  Their only previous means of supporting their families was to crush rocks for approximately $1 a day.  Imagine having to feed, clothe and house your entire family on a dollar a day…  I simply can’t.  Their reality is completely unimaginable to me.

This program teaches their employees to make beautiful beads out of used paper that would otherwise end up in a scrap heap.  They make these beads into necklaces, earrings and bracelets that can be purchased and worn worldwide as a way of supporting women and the environment.

This program not only provides training and employment for the women involved.  The crafters receive a professional wage and training on financial management for long-term success, budgeting tips, savings tips, entrepreneurship training and micro-finance training.

Each piece of jewelery comes with a tagged picture of a woman who’s life you are helping to change.  You can pieces individually, have a house party to promote the products to your friends or even do a fundraiser for your child’s school or team activity by purchasing these beads.  It’s amazing how a purchasing decision can make such a huge difference!!

Their pom pom pillows can really help spruce up a boring couch as well.  I can only imagine how soft and comfy these pillows would be — just as soft and comfy as your old favorite tee that’s perfectly worn in.  They’d also be great in a reading nook, bedroom or kid’s playspace.  Can anyone say pillow fight??  lol  My kids would be fighting over who would get the pom pom in the great continuing saga of Pillow Fight Wars 2011.  Yup, we are rampant pillow fighters around here.  Only to be interrupted by the occasional tickle fight.

These are a great way to repurpose all of those old tees that clog up vintage clothing stores and even worse, landfills.  Stylish, classy, soft and fun…Definitely worth checking out for your Christmas shopping this year!!

This is upcycling in it’s truest form — taking something that is headed to the landfill that no one wants and that has no value whatsoever and turning it into something beautiful, valuable and useful.  Her work is truly incredible and ranges from vases, side tables, lamps and frames being made out of unwanted books.

Each piece is truly unique making it a one of a kind object to treasure and enjoy for years to come.  The past life of the written words on the pages shines through the new forms of furniture truly making these pieces readable in instances.

I think that these would make great gifts for any book lover, librarian or student.  The best part is that from a distance, you can’t even really tell what the new objects are made from.  Only upon closer examination does the true identity of page after page reveal itself.  Check out the far away shot of the reading lamp in comparison with the close up shot.  The details of the undulating pages in curved form are truly mesmerizing.

I really think that this is an up and coming artist that people will hear more from soon.  Her vision for taking something so ordinary and mundane as a used book and turning it into very useful and pretty household objects shows a talent and vision that so many are sadly lacking.  This lack of vision can clearly be seen when nearly any landfill is visited.

It really makes you think out of the box — or maybe more out of the shell — at how you look at things.  Is it garbage or art?  Waste or masterpiece?  I’m definitely going to check out more of his work in the future…Strangely compelling pieces made out of virtually nothing and turned into something eye catching, intriguing and occasionally bizarre…  Just how I like it!

I totally dig the ribbon cable earrings that could signify your love of colour, electronics, geekery or even symbolize your support for the gay and lesbian community.  At only $18 these are surely a conversation starter that not every other person will be wearing.  Want a choker or necklace to match?  No worries — they’ve got that too!

The artists are the Girl Geek Boutique are actually engineers so if you want to know exactly how the electronics in your piece would work, they encourage you to ask.  That way you can add more geek to your chic when people comment on your fantastic piece.

Another piece that I’m over the rainbow about are these cascading resistor dangly earrings.  At only $39, they’re a great option for gift giving as well.  I think these would make an awesome gift for women working in the electronics industry and am definitely going to have to recommend this store to all the guys at my Dad’s electronics company.  Not to worry though, they have pieces suitable for men as well including business card holders, rings and cufflinks that will scream geek and tree hugger all at the same time!  Two of my favourite things all rolled into one:)

The antique wood is lovingly cleaned and sanded to become something entirely different and altogether new.  The previous life of the piano’s musical past shines through the pieces as well as the mechanical and architectural feel of the pieces themselves.  Great gift for music lovers, music learners, piano teachers and even engineers.

The owl pictured on the left shows the artist’s general feeling of whimsy and the wisdom inherit in reuse while the heart shaped pins with figures pictured on the right show that the pieces truly could become a new part of your everyday existence by being worn day to day.

Remember to shop Etsy to support local artisans working on a small scale to produce uncommonly unique pieces that are built to stand the test of time.  Shopping with your heart can really make a difference when done on a global scale as producers will only make what consumers will buy.  If we stand up to big box stores and refuse to buy their goods which are made with unfair wages in unfair conditions overseas, they will eventually stop making it.  Companies will only do what is profitable.  Let’s make shopping small, fair trade and eco-friendly the only way that companies can produce.  Look for organic, recycled and natural products instead of just buying whatever is cheapest:)

There are literally hundreds of choices available in the market place when it comes to a nursery chair.  There are a couple of key points that you want to keep in mind before you make your big purchase.  First of all, having low armrests will help with proper positioning for breastfeeding your new baby.  Breastfeeding is the best nutrition that you can give your child and it is sometimes difficult to get going between milk coming in, positioning and attaining a proper latch.  Having a chair that helps things get going in the right direction is definitely going to be a bonus.  A low stool, not an ottoman that is chair height, can also help to get the optimal positioning for those first few crucial weeks of nursing.

Secondly, you’ll want to ensure that your chair rocks or glides.  There’s a reason that parents have been using a rocking motion to soothe their babies for centuries — it works!  Rocking a fussy baby is a natural reflex for new parents that can help to calm even the fussiest of newborns.  And hey, if it doesn’t work for the new babe, it might just help you to reach your happy place!

Thirdly, the chair absolutely must be butt tested.  This is not something to buy sight unseen.  Different chairs will feel more or less comfortable depending on personal tastes and preferences.  Remember that this is a chair that you could potentially spend hours on end in — it absolutely must be comfortable.  Take a nursing pillow with you to see how your arms line up on the arm rests with the pillow.  Do your feet touch the ground?  Is it easy to rock?  Does your back feel supported?  These questions all become critical when choosing the right chair for your nursery.

Lastly, consider how you can make this purchase one that is responsible for the environment that your little one will be inheriting.  There are many shades of green out there but make sure you choose at least a color of green in the spectrum.  I’m not saying that you need to revamp a find from the Salvation Army used furniture store (although that would be great!) but at least consider a few simple things before making your decision.  Where was the chair made?  What kind of wood does the chair use?  Is it a sustainably sourced wood?  What kind of chemicals are in the fabrics and cushioning of the chair?  Will the chair still be useful to your family beyond the life of the nursery?  Asking yourself a few simple questions before buying whatever catches your eye can really make a big difference.  Good luck making your decision and making it through all those long, sleepless nights falling in love with your new family member.  Keep in mind that the time really does pass by too quickly — cherish your little one as you spend sleepy nights together in your new chair!

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!!

This site, like most of the CSN store sites, has an easy to use function on the main page’s tool bar called “Go Green”.  All of the eco-friendly options available from that site are shown with the simple click of a button.  That makes it easier for those of us trying to live our lives in an earth friendly way to shop.  I really respect a site that offers their customers easy and clear ways to find exactly what they’re looking for.  There are many green options for you to change your lifestyle with your buying power.

When you click the “Go Green” button and look for laptop messenger bags, you get quite a lot of cool options.  One of my favorites was this recycled sail messenger bag by Ella Vickers.  Her company saves over 20,000 yards of sailcloth every year from landfills and upcycles them into gorgeous bags.  She is inspired by her days of sailing as a first mate on an American Cup winning boat.  Her first bags were made by herself and for herself.  She carried them to the regatta and people around her literally bought them right off of her arms!  Each bag is slightly different depending on the sail it came from.  This gives your bag a sense of individuality and personality that anyone would be happy to pack around.

Another green option available on CSN luggage site is the Tubus bag made by the Krejci company.  The founder began by making bags out of grey industrial felt but then received a bag of old deflated innertubes as a gag gift at Christmas.  This joke gift sparked her creativity and the new line of innertube bags was formed!  This material, much like the sailcloth, proved to be extremely durable and practical.  It also gives the bags an eye catching look.  I love products like this that speak of their previous lives.  It will lead people to ask you about it and open up the door to talk about recycled and repurposed materials.  This is a great way to help deliver the message of changing choices to promote a healthy planet through simply carrying around your messenger bag!

I look forward to another review opportunity with CSN stores in the upcoming days.  Maybe next time I’ll be reviewing eco-friendly toys or eco-friendly cookware.  That’s right, you can buy that through a CSN store too!  Definitely worth checking this company out.

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”.

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.

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!