Etsy Sale of the Week! July 28, 2008

This week I am offering an amazing sale in the 2Monkees store.  Buy any three items in the store and receive one free scrabble tile pendant of your choice for free.  There are so many to choose from, I am sure everyone can find one they just can’t live without.

How does it work?  Just go to 2Monkees and select the three items you would like to purchase.  At checkout, leave a message to the seller with your choice of scrabble tile pendant.  It might be best to leave me your top three choices in case your tile has been choosen by someone before you.  That’s it!  It is that simple and then you will be sporting a brand new scrabble tile pendant made from recycled scrabble tiles.

WoW! I am so Excited! July 27, 2008

I just had to share…..I can’t believe it.  Two stores bought my handmade items this week to sell in their stores! Here is one of my recycled domino tile pendants.  I am really enjoying using scraps of paper and old game pieces to create beautiful jewelry for people.  I just found a supplier of fair trade pewter pendant blanks that I can embellish with paper and other found objects.  The possibilities seem endless!  Check out my latest creations at     2monkees.

Star Of The East July 11, 2008

  I am absolutely in love with this unique collection of jewelry from Star of the East on etsy.  Star of the East is a mother and daughter team (Estella and Esther) who currently reside in Turkey.  After Esther suffered a devestating accident on the job in the Netherlands, she was no longer able to work at her job as a civil engineer.  She and Estella decided to relocate to Turkey, one of their favorite vacation spots.  Both women had always been interested in handicrafts but about 2.5 years ago they began producing jewelry- and what beautiful jewelry do they make!!!

This ring is made from an actual sea urchin that they found while combing the beach in Turkey.  In a million years, it would not have occured to me to make jewelry with a sea urchin but I LOVE the results.  I am enchanted with the different colors and settings they have employed in their designs.  I have some birthday money I was given from my parents and I have been continually checking their shop, trying to decide which piece to choose.  The problem is I want so many of them, I have not been able to make a decision!! 

Here is another piece I am thinking about….oh, the choices!!

To learn more about this talented mother-daughter duo, you can visit the Star of the East blog.  (And right now they are having a contest in which you can win one of their stunning sea urchin bracelets.)

Sea Glass Designs June 23, 2008

  WOW!  This necklace from Sea Glass Designs is so stunning!!  The color of this piece of sea glass is eye popping.  I love it in combination with the oxidized sterling silver.

In browsing through the  Sea Glass Designs shop on etsy, I am amazed at the incredible combinations of colors and silver the artist has forged.  I never realized that sea glass could be found in such stunning colors.  Vibrant blues, reds, yellows and greens are all just waiting to be discovered in this talented artist’s shop.  I also love her castings of natural found objects like twigs and starfish.    Visit her shop to find the nature lover in your life a little something special!

Lessons from A Child May 13, 2008

Yesterday, my 10 year old had a playdate with a friend from school.  Usually when these hook-ups happen, the friends are happy to let my eight year old tag along.  Unfortunately, yesterday, when the boys went down into the basement, I could hear the friend telling my little guy he could not play.  Of course, he was heartbroken and came up the stairs in tears.  Now this presented me with a dilemma.  Do I force the older boys to include the little one or do I allow them some time to themselves?  On this day, I opted to give big brother some “big kid time” by trying to engage my little one in an activity with me.

I had just received over two pounds of vintage buttons from someone on e-bay.  I had been anxiously awaiting these buttons… hoping I would receive many fabulous, unique buttons to create rings.  When I opened my package, I was so bummed to see what looked like a lot of just plain, old boring buttons!  I thought, however, that I could occupy my little guy by having him help me start to go through the buttons to look for anything that might be special.  He was skeptical at first but then after watching me start to put a few combinations of buttons together, he started to do the same.  Pretty quickly, he was out pacing me in creating combinations and surprisingly, his future rings were beautiful!     

I was amazed at what he was creating and watching him taught me a few lessons:

Don’t be afraid to try different or unusual combinations.  Often buttons he put together or the order of how he put them together would never have occurred to me.

Also, he reinforced the old adage. “Never judge a book by its cover.”  I looked and saw yucky, boring buttons.  He looked and saw beautiful creations.  (Checkout his beautiful ring at the top of this post or go to 2monkees to see more of our creations.)

As the dinner hour approached, it became necessary to stop.  We were both sad to put away our creations and found ourselves making “just one more”.  It was gratifing to spend time with my little one in a quiet, creative pursuit…..and it was nice to be reminded of the joys and creativity of a child.

Studio 410 May 8, 2008

For years, I have been seeing artists create beautiful and useful items from old silverware.  However, it was not until I came across the unique jewelry from Studio 410 that I felt compelled to actually feature these creations on Our Great Green Globe.  I absolutely feel in love with this rustic looking necklace.  The combination of the oxidized silver, handmade or recycled charms, and the inspiring saying, SEEK BALANCE, FIND HAPPINESS, is perfect!  This necklace is so beautiful, it would be difficult to tell that the main piece is actually a vintage sterling silver spoon.

Susan Richards, the artist behind Studio 410, lives in Okanagan Valley in British Columbia, Canada.  She is a multi-talented artist who likes to create with her two dogs and cat in her studio.  (In fact, you need to checkout Studio 410 Pets, Susan’s new etsy store featuring eco friendly pet beds, felted wool tug toys and felted wool balls.)  Even your beloved furry friend should be lucky enough to be treated to one of her creations!

And the Winner Is….. May 3, 2008

The winner of our soap-on-a-rope giveaway from Ananya Studio is Michelle B.  (My eight year old son helped pick the winning number.)  Congrats and Enjoy!  Thanks to everyone who left a comment to enter and keep checking back because we will be starting a new contest sometime next week.

Ananya Studio is also now offering 40% off all our fair trade sterling silver and semi-precious stone jewelry.  We are trying to clean house a little bit to make room for new stock.  Just enter csale in the coupon code box at checkout to receive your discount. 

Don’t Forget!!!! May 1, 2008

  Mom’ s Day is quickly approaching!  Don’t forget about Ananya Studio’s 30% off sale for Mother’s day.  Just enter mom in the coupon code box at checkout and receive 30% off your entire purchase of beautiful sterling silver and semi-precious stone fair trade jewelry.  (And this discount doesn’t only apply to Mom’s day gifts, feel free to pick up a little something for yourself!)

Also, don’t forget!  Today is the last day to enter the Bath Products giveaway.  Just leave a comment at the Giveaway post to be enter to win a cool, hip soap-on- a-rope. 

Garbage of Eden April 30, 2008

  Every once in a while, I feel the need to add a little bling to my life.   I found these cool, bright colored bangles from Garbage of Eden on etsy.  An armful of these skinny bangles made by wrapping recycled plastic around a brass bangle is the perfect summer accessory!

Stephanie, the talented artist behind these cheerful bangles, strives to ”design useful and good lookin’ new objects out of materials that would otherwise just sit in a landfill, the streets, or your backyard.”  All of the bags used in these bracelets have been donated to the artist from friends, family or strangers who responded to a post on Brooklyn Freecycle.  What a great way to get the community involved in recycling! 

Not only are these bangles good for the enviroment and the community, but Stephanie donates 10% of the price of your purchase to one of these charitable organizations: Just Food (www.justfood.org), Added Value (www.added-value.org/), Time’s Up (http://times-up.org) and others. 

To learn more about this unique artist, visit her blog at www.garbageofedendesign.blogspot.com.  She offers tips about running a craft business, recycling and shares her love for all things creative!  It is an informative read! 

Trillium Artisans April 23, 2008

On days like today, when Portland is weighted down under depressing, cold grey clouds for what seems like the thousandth day in  a row, it is difficult to remember why I love Portland and choose to raise a family here.  Then, however, I stumble on something like Trillium Artisans and my love for Portland all comes rushing back. 

Trillium Artisans is a Portland group with a primary purpose to help small, low income crafters form sustainable, profitable businesses for themselves.  As part of the program, Trillium artists have access to product reviews, retail and wholesale opportunities, small business counseling, peer networking, and guest speakers.   Also, artists agree that of the products they sell through Trillium,  the items will be constructed of at least 50% recycled or reclaimed materials.    I love this program because it is supporting independent artists who are committed to helping our environment!!
 

Trillium began in 1999 as Eco-biz  and eventually combined with a business-planning program called the Entrepreneurial Training Program.  Trillium is currently funded by the City of Portland Bureau of Housing and Community Development, New Belgium Brewing Company, and the Oregon Arts Commission through the National Endowment for the Arts.   This innovative program has grown so much that artists now have their own retail store in Southeast Portland.   If you are not blessed enough to live in Portland (I guess I actually do love Portland), you can also purchase products through their website or on etsy.  Both the store and their website offers a range of beautiful, creative crafts that reflect the diversity of this group of talented artists.  When you visit their shop or website, you will find garden art, jewelry, scarves, clocks, hair accessories and too many other enchanting products to list.