Eco Friendly Easter Project #2: Re Purposed Petite Floral Posies

Eco Friendly Easter Project #2
 Re Purposed Petite Floral Posies

Pretty petite floral posies created from up cycled fabric. What does that exactly mean? In simplest terms this fabric "used to be" something else. I am a huge hoarder of fabric but I really enjoy purchasing thrift store finds, pretty fabric designs that I adore, that perhaps may be an old pillowcase, tablecloth, sheets, a stained t shirt, etc...

Ivory Posies created from torn sheets

Here's a fab find for just 25cents. It was a set of pillowcases in this classic red and rose toile.

I call these "petite posies" because they are unique, and cut by hand, not by a die cutter, so they vary in shapes and sizes. Simply created by cutting a variety of circles out of different materials, layering one on top of the other, and sewn with a button in the center.

Some Shabby Cottage Rose Posies

Floral & Denim Posies created from denim jeans & a torn apron

I use these for a variety of purposes. I use them as embellishments on other projects, or simply as holiday packaging (instead of a bow), or I attach pin backs to them to create unique pins.

Enjoy my eco friendly project #2, make sure to leave a comment below and share this post with friends. You can find full details on points being awarded in my original post entitled " Chirp Away" Eco Friendly Easter Give Away Contest.



Eco Friendly Easter Project #1: Jellybean Napkin Rings

Eco Friendly Easter Project #1: Jellybean Napkin Rings

Nothing transcends the term eco friendly than something that is edible. Anything which can be consumed with little to no waste is the epitomy of being eco friendly.  Old fashioned and unadulterated these napkin rings are a must do craft with the kids for Easter.

These remind me of making popcorn garland with my grandparents as a child, and whenever you can elicit childhood memories from a craft, I am all for it.

Simple as pie to create all you need is some wire and jellybeans. Just as it looks all you do is string the jellybeans through the wire. I like to do about (2) turns through. Taking a pencil, just twist the ends to make curls and wrap them around your napkins ( this part is for mommies).

Just a hint for mommies, you may want to keep an extra handful of jellybeans in stock, as more will end up in little tummies than will end up on the wire.

Enjoy my eco friendly Easter craft #1. Make sure to comment below the post to earn points for the "Chirp Away" Eco Friendly Easter Give Away Contest. Share with a friend to earn even more points. Click here to find out how YOU can join in on the fun.

"Chirp Away" Eco Friendly Easter Give Away Contest!

I think its time for a give away contest! For the next two weeks I will be doing a simple blogging contest. Each day for the next 14 days I will post a new eco friendly Easter themed craft.

Here's the details:
It will work on a simple point system.

Earn points the following ways:

• Get 5 points for each comment left below one of my projects. (One per day allowed).

• Get 15 points for sharing the post (either on facebook or twitter). ( Just leave a comment with a link to the posting. You must link back to the original post.)

• Get 20 points for re posting the project on your blog. You must link back to the original post. (Just leave a comment with a link to the post).

• Earn 25 points for becoming a follower.

• Earn 50 points for each person you refer to follow me. ( Simply leave a comment with the name of the person you referred to me).

• Earn 75 points for placing our blog contest button on your website or blog. (Just leave a comment on the blog with a link showing where the image is placed on your page. If you right click our image you can copy and paste it to your site).

I will update point totals on a daily basis and you can see your point total on the right hand side of my blog under "Chirp Away Contest". At the end of the 14 day period, the person(s) with the most points will win. I will offer a total of 4 prizes: Grand Prize, First Prize, Second Prize, Third Prize. The Grand Prize winner will receive (1) of every project featured for a total of 14 projects. First prize winner will receive a $35 Gift Certificate as well as a gift basket featuring eco friendly companies and products made in Colorado. Second prize will receive a $25 gift certificate. Third prize winner will receive a $15 gift certificate.




The contest will begin on March 23rd and end on April 6th. Winners will be announced on April 8th.
The contest is open to anyone anywhere. I will ship prizes at no cost to any US customer. Please note for international participants, I must charge for shipping. In an effort to be fair, I will cover the difference between US Shipping and the cost to ship internationally.

Cute as a Button.....Upcycled Button Earings

One of my best loved embellishments to craft with are buttons. I have been compiling buttons for years, I even take them off of old clothes.  They are one of the simplest things to up cycle. My stash of vintage buttons have been overflowing lately, so I decided to purge a bit of them.

Next to an empty house and a glass of red wine followed by a bubble bath, the only thing that truly relaxes me is to sit in my studio and create. Yesterday I had one of the worst Tuesdays in years, so in order to decompress I needed to create something so I grabbed one of my jars of buttons.

As I emptied out the mason jar I realized I had a w bunch of these tiny white shirt buttons. Little buttons are great for cards. So I did a bit of sorting, grabbed a handful of the white buttons, then a few sets of mini colored buttons. Picked up a few of the silver toned fancy buttons and to work I went. I wanted a simple craft that would occupy enough time and still fulfill my need to diversify. I decided to make a few pairs of button earrings.  Button earrings are a really simple project to do.

The first pair I made I used a medium sized pale grey blue button. They came out really cute with a vintage appeal which I just adore. Every year I do about 15 different art and craft shows and these simple earrings have always been great sellers for me, easy to display on cards, in a pretty basket.

I decided to do a set of silver toned button earrings as well. If your like me you and have a jar of buttons lying around, I'm sure you have some silver buttons in the mix. These and the older gold tone buttons make great little earrings or simple pins.

And just for giggles I made about 10 pairs of these cuties. I think these would be just precious for a young girl.

Enjoy the simple things and nothing could be easier than earrings that are "Cute as a Button".

Dumpster Dive Much?

The inevitable question always arises: Do you dumpster dive? An answer I can clearly say, YES YES YES: I freely admit I am a dumpster diver! You know the feeling when theres a great sale going on in your favorite thrift store and you just cant resist buying that shirt because it is a whopping 50% off. I get that feeling every single time I walk through the city of Denver. I just cant resist walking through the alleys in Capitol Hill checking to see what great trash I can turn into a treasure.

With that note, this blog is about my journey as an artist and designer to create as much as I can with recycled materials and turn your trash into my treasure.

I hope you will enjoy my journeys in creating shabby chic recycled treasures.