Last hurrah!

Well as I may have mentioned before I recently when from going into work everyday to working from home ( I was quitting all together but made a deal with the devil). So what am I doing with all my free time? Don't seem to have much free time for anything lol! I really don't know where the days go and I try not to "craft" in the evening when my husband is home which doesn't leave much time! I swear I got more done when I was working lol. I am sure it will all fall into place soon, or at least I hope so.Thus weekend signals the last hurrah before school starts- I'm not going back but my lovely daughter is starting 8th grade which with that comes drama lots of drama! So like always we headed up north to our cabin in the woods, time to sit back relax and enjoy the fresh air.

I have always wanted to go on a guided mushroom hunt but have yet to do the research on where one might be but nonetheless its the start of my mushroom obsession. I first wanted to eat them but after learning more about them unless you are 100% sure what mushroom it is don't eat it you could die... Enough said I will be loving them from afar lol. So my hubby went on a walk with me to look for mushrooms. Not sure what any of them are but here are my findings.






This isn't a mushroom but the cutest thing ever in it's green& brown scenery.























My hubby & the dogs on our mushroom walk. We have to watch for hawks so they don't swoop down & grab the dogs.


My other favorite thing to do while up here is garage sales. It's a bit tricky because there are no subdivisions just houses off dirt roads. I did score some goodies! These vintage curtains that just had that musty yummy smell to them. When I bought them the lady said " oh those will keep the drafts out" I said " I'm not using them as curtains I'm cutting them up and using them as liners in my totes" a bit of horror on her face then a quick reply " I never heard of that I'm glad you found a use for them". Here's my score.








A view of our scenery! I love it up here so much! Ya know this is plan "B" if me not working doesn't work out we will pick up & move up here to our tiny cabin. The girl isn't happy there's a plan "B".

Michigan Goods

June 11th Heart of Michigan @ 203 w. Grand River Howell, MI 48843
(517) 548-5454 is having their Grand Opening! I will be doing a fused plastic demo from 11-12 as well as having my goods for sell there! The store will have all kinds of great stuff from Michigan Artists. My friend Wendy from RecycledLps.com will have her awesome LPS goods there as well.




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My heart belongs to Michigan

I was asked to make some RePurposed totes for gifts that would be given at our Girl Scout Encampment this year. I wanted to make them a little bit more special & since our Girl Scout council is Heart of Michigan I thought I needed to put those two things together!

I love the idea so much and to be honest I've seen it before but it never really make me even think about applying it to my fused plastic until I was presented with the task above. I know my Heart is in Michigan so I know others must be to and maybe they want to wear it on their tote! Here is the link to get one ( I only have one up but I can make a custom one if this one isn't tickling your fancy) http://www.etsy.com/listing/75168095/my-hearts-in-michigan-repurposed-fused






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Plastic Bottle Lights Tutorial

I whipped these Plastic Bottle Lights awhile ago and use them on my tent when I do craft shows & it seems to draw the folks in then they meet me and never leave lol! Just kidding but they are intrigued by the lights nonetheless & always ask me how I made them. I'm sure you could figure it out by looking at them how to make them but I put together a little step by step just for those who might need a visual. I even did a video tutorial but it doesn't want to upload to blogger so I am taking that as a sign that I should! Oh and the very very best part of these lights is that they are Solar!!

This is a booth I did last year with my friend Wendy @ RecycledLps.com

Almost Famous

It seems lately every time something happens and I get excited it doesn't follow thru so after the last let down I decided to keep my mouth shut until the proof was out! So back in December I got a call~ wait wait let's go back further~ I had a show in Fenton, MI and there was this lady at my friends booth what seemed like most of the day and I chatted with her on and off but not really about my goods, she was very excited about my friends upcycled vinyl purses. So the show was wrapping up and that is when she saw my goods and my book so we chatted this time about my stuff and how I began and blah blah well she said that she had a reporter friend that she was going to tell about me because i was a local person. So I didn't really think about it because sometimes folks have the best of intentions but things don't come to fruit~ then she called me and let me know she passed my info on to her friend~ really how nice is that to call and let me know not to many folks out there like this fabulous lady! so again I didn't put much stock into it because he had to want to talk to me~ he called and set up an appointment to come to my house along with a photographer! crap now I have to clean my house!!!!!!!! so they came and all was fab. then the article came out this past Sunday in the livingston Press & Argue (michigan paper). I read it online then went to pick up a copy and to my surprise my mug was on the front page! whoot whoot~ ok not the most attractive picture but I'm not going for Ms. Michigan! and the article inside was wonderful too~ hubby said it doesn't get any better than that for a newspaper article! very excited and I have gotten a lot of calls and emails!

You can read the article here  http://tinyurl.com/4r4sagn

Holiday Waste

So now that the holiday's are over (with the exception of New Years) what are you going to do with all those cards you received from thoughtful folks that were thinking of you this Christmas? throw them away? I think not! at the very least recycle them but maybe first you should tear then in half and flip them over and use the black sides for notes, list, to-do's! then when your done recycle them!

Did you remember to recycle all that wrapping paper & boxes?

Mail Trash

So yesterday the gifts I purchased online start to pour in and I am thinking what am I going to wrap them in? I am not sure if I have enough packing paper saved up from the year to wrap everything so I had seen that there was a tutorial on how to turn a tyvek (those postal envelopes that you can't tear) envelope into something not sure didn't read the tutorial but I am sure this is how it turned out! so I went down stairs (hobbled because I pulled my lower back garbage picking on Monday!) and whip up this cute bag from a priority envelope! it could so be used for a Thank You gift and you could just circle the word Thank you that is printed all over the inside of the bag! but for Christmas it to will work since it's red right? So now I am looking at the mail in a whole new light!

Craft Appeal

Someone on Etsy suggested I check out this site called Craft Appeal so I did and posted something and I won!! Sweet huh? here's my Award.

Eco-Friendly Award | Art & Crafts Awards | November 2010

Recycle~Upcycle

One of my items today made it to someone's Treasury! So when I went to check out the Treasury ( which can be found here http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4ce5d0d1aeef8eefdd137a8b/trashed-up-for-real?index=0 )
I found these cool Newpaper bags~ I have wanted to make these but just haven't had time and now I don't have to at a great price for 3 of them! and she even uses that strapping that is around newspapers for the handles~ very clever!  Check them out~

http://www.etsy.com/listing/62273870/handmade-set-of-3-newspaper-gift-bags?ref=tre-4ce5d0d1aeef8eefdd137a8b-8

Happy Accident!

The other day I was getting all the Gift Cards cut up for assembly when I made a circle but it didn't get all of the image I wanted so I decided to cut out more of the center~ it didn't come to me right away ~ it was as I sat organizing the circle into the combo's I wanted when it hit me to use the "O" and I couldn't be happier with the results! not this open's up another world of possibilities!

New Purse

I have whipped up a T-Shirt purse this weekend~ well two of them so far but only one made the photo shoot! It's made from a Wolf T-shirt and I love how it came out! you can find the pattern here if you want to make one yourself or you can purchase one in a few days when I post it on my etsy site!
http://www.etsy.com/listing/56482797/bucket-bag-pdf-sewing-pattern

It's a great way to use up those old t-shirts!

Project's in Work

Well I got into a Nov show and waiting on word for the December one but I do have a truck show in December so that should be good for some Christmas Cash!

Today I got all my Wristlets prepped and ready to be assembled! My friend cuts my patterns for me and I pay her so wait that means I have an employee! I'm moving up to being a real business!

Flower Pot

My god son and his siblings had their yearly birthday party so I wanted to make something special for their mom that would represent me and my love for them so I had the idea to make flowers from plastic bottles with stems made from plastic silverware and the pot was a soup can collage pauged then filled with plastic caps for the filler~ oh the best part was a picture of each one of them in the center of the flower~ you can see a picture of it on my Facebook Fan page just search Radical Recycks. So I was so loving how it turned out I decided to just make some with nothing in the middle for decoration~someone had given me these old Avon containers that I had not come up with anything for yet so they  made the perfect pot & instead of plastic caps since they were a bit to big for the pot I used those glass pebbles that I have had floating around my house for years now!! I used a plastic fork for the stem since i couldn't glue the steam to the flower. How cute would these look at a wedding shower for the guest gift!

Gift Card Score

Look what one local store collected for me! Yes, they (won't say who) are helping keep plastic out of the landfill~ I can't get everyone to do it so I will be very excited for the ones that do! Now off to make something with them (already got necklaces down but maybe some earrings and bracelet to match!)

This is how long it takes for things to decompose if just out there as litter~ it will never ever break down in a landfill as dirty is put over the trash which does not let any sunlight it to do it's job of breaking things down but the dirty ends up mummifying it! I got this from Keesta.com

Here’s how long it takes for commonly used products to biodegrade, when they are scattered as litter:

cotton rags 1-5 months

paper 2-5 months

rope 3-14 months

orange peels 6 months

wool socks 1 to 5 years

cigarette butts 1 to 12 years

plastic coated paper milk cartons 5 years

leather shoes 25 to 40 years

nylon fabric 30 to 40 years

tin cans 50 to 100 years

aluminum cans 80 to 100 years 

plastic 6-pack shower holder rings 450 years

glass bottles 1 million years

plastic bottles forever 

No Pictures :(

I have no Camera it's driving me up a wall! *& I can can't find any of my back up's~ oh take that back the one I found is no longer in working condition! My daughter claims not to have it but everytime I find it I discover over 100 pictures that she has taken of herself on it! So I have been using my phone which is a great camera but then you have to email them to yourself and for whatever reason that didn't seem to be working out for me the other day when I took over 50 pictures of stuff that I needed to post! Ok breathe deep and hopefully it will turn up!

Sprouts

My beans are sprouting! I just read an article in Urban Farm on growing micro greens indoors which of course got me excited~I just imagined my house with all these sprouts all over the place but then remembered I don't live alone so I will just sprout one jar at a time! Its amazing how quickly they grow and are ready to eat in 4~5 days now how to trick hubby into eating them!

Yummy Paper!

I love paper & have to control myself when its back to school time & the paper is piled high. While @ Target this year I found tree free paper! Its actually made from stone. It feels so odd silky smooth yet heavy. I have yet to write in it for fear I will never have it again!
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Sweet Treats

Just got home from Denver yesterday! It was fun filled with adventure, food & conversation ~ I miss my BFF already! while out there we found Gigi's cupcakes and they were so Yummy!! Cupcakes joints are popping up all over the place they are super hot right now and I hope they stay hot!.

It's about time Lady!

Well my freind has been on me that I need to make myself a purse to use as it's the best form of advertising! My friend Wendy from http://www.recycledlps.com/ cares around one of her album purses and someone noticed it and did an interview with her for national geographic! If you love it flaut it!

My problem is everytime I made one that I wanted I ended up selling it! the last one I drew up plans and everything just had some finishing touches. Then I did the Maker Faire and sold more than half my bags the first day so I had to finsih it up and put it out there for sale~ It was the first bag to sell the second day! So finally I made one for myself and here it is!