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!

Checkout her informative blog and store where she has partnered with many retailers to offer organic and earth friendly products.  Her blog offers advise and tips for people trying to live a green lifestyle.  Focus Organic  is a great resource for all us “greenies” out there!  Congrats to Stefanie and enjoy!!

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.

This company was founded by hardcore outdoor enthusiasts who began to question the impact of all the gear they purchased to enjoy the wild, wild world.  Out of this concern for the environment, Ecologic Designs was born.  Under their Green Guru and Green Goddess lines, this environmentally aware company offers surf board bags made from billboards, messenger bags made of billboards, hemp and inner tubes and clothes crafted from bamboo…………and this is just a short list of the functional, green products they carry.  Next time you are on the hunt for gear for your active lifestyle, check out Ecologic Designs to lessen your impact on the environment.  

Unfortunately, the day is drawing to a close.  I have decided, however, that Moms deserve to be honored more often than just on one day.  I am extending Mother’s Day by having a giveaway for some lucky mom.  You can win this pictured t-shirt from 2Monkees by entering a comment on this post before Friday, May 16th at midnight.    This shirt is printed on organic cotton and is available in size small to xl.    So if you want a chance to extend Mom’s Day and express your inner Earth monkey, just add a comment at the end of this post.

(If you have something a little more sparkly in mind for yourself, don’t forget about Ananya Studio’s 40% off everything sale.  Checkout their sterling silver and semi-precious stone fair trade jewelry.  Just enter csale in the coupon code box at checkout to receive your discount.)

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!

Sarah, the talented creator of this work of art, features many  different products in her shop- hand dyed yarn, recycled tags, paintings, and recycled envelopes.  It seems that most of her art features bright, bold colors with amazing detail.  Sarah donates 50% of the proceeds from the sale of her yarn toward the scholarship program for a wonderful girls summer camp in Maine.  Check her out to bring a little color and sunshine into your life.

This talented artist from Portland likes to start her one of a kind creations on some type of recycled material.  I love her bright colors and unusual, somewhat retro looking compostions.  Her etsy shop features her original collages, pen and ink drawings and original watercolors. Learn more about Vivienne, her creations and her vintage collections at www.vivienneart.blogspot.com.

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. 

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.