Eco-Crafting Carnival and Good Contest!

I have two wonderful items to tell you about this morning!

The first, is the Carnival of Green Crafts, which has been kicked off over at Crafting A Green World.  They’ve linked to yours truly, but I invite you to go and spend some time looking at all the other wonderful featured crafters–ESPECIALLY in the paper arts (“Paper Talk”)!

The second, is a great contest hosted by my friend Shaz.  I’ve talked about Shaz’s beautiful totes and bags before…but now you have a chance to win one, and all you have to do is help feed hungry people!!  See the details on her blog about Free Rice, where they’ve figured out an free, easy, fun, and educational way that you can help donate rice to hungry people. And now, as an added bonus, you will get one of Shaz’s stunning creations if you donate the most rice by Sept. 1!  A true WIN-WIN situation all around!!  And all you have to do is spend a couple of minutes clicking the mouse!

The crafting world has potential to be a big waste producer, but at the same time, can also be a wonderful source of upcycling and recycling!  Buying handmade products enriches our cultural capacity and can help sustain people in many different ways.  Let’s all work toward maximizing the potential GOOD crafting can do.

Ellen’s Birthday Book

When my projects are properly inspired, I can get more elaborate than resorting to my trusty Paper Source letterpress tags and some cool paper. My dear friend Shaz, maker of these extraordinarily beautiful bags and other crafty stuff, has an adorable daughter who just turned 1 year old! I don’t live near Shaz, but I wanted to mark the occasion in some meaningful way. That’s when I decided to start a birthday book for Ellen. Every year, around her birthday, she will receive a new page for her album, scrapbooked by me, that reflects the past year in some way. This (I hope) will also ensure that I’m staying in good contact with her mama!

This year, Ellen received a beautiful table and chairs set which Shaz painted pink and green. She also took this great photo of Ellen having tea with her daddy. I nabbed the photo, had a print made, bought an album with removable pages, (although mine had stripes) and scrapped away!

Here is the full layout. (Sorry, the color is a little off–natural light was uncooperative that day):

Here is a detail of the teapot applique I made. I found the template here, and reduced it 50% on my copy machine, traced it on vellum and added a rub-on transfer flower, ornamented with a “pearl” in the center (Crystal Stickers “Pearls” by Mark Richards (Style #1952 5 mm)).

The paper, which had these great flocked pink birds (“Oh So Moody/Birds” Heidi Grace Designs for Fiskars), was the beginning of my inspiration. I added the year with some bright green rub-on transfers.

OTHER MATERIALS/PROCESSES: For Name: “Old Claude” letter stamps from Paper Source (I can now stamp anything for anyone named Ellen, Elle, ,Nell, Len, Lee, etc…), stamped with Color Box pigment (“pistachio”), then heat-embossed with “Rainbow Sparkle Lite” embossing powder from JudiKins, on “Blossom Clover Chart” paper from Paper Source. I cropped each letter, and outlined the letters with a fine-tipped magenta Sharpie.

The “1″ is hand-cut (duh) from the reverse side of the “Blossom Clover Chart” paper, and pasted on “cupcake” paper (Doodlebug Design)*

*Be warned, if you use this paper, you will likely “glitter” for several days, as will all the furniture, and your cat.

It has arrived!

I’m very, very pleased with my beautiful new grocery tote from SewShaz.  I can’t bear to put wet lettuce in it (I’ve got some nasty plasticky ones from Trader Joe’s for that, so I think this is going to be a book bag (much more aesthetic than the hoard of “McGraw Hill” bags I have)!

If you haven’t already, check out her Etsy shop…these bags are fabulous AND your money goes to help support worthy causes!