new work

Recycled lumber wrap purse. Interior pockets. Adjustable shoulder strap. Wears like iron...

 

 I love the zipper end detail - glad I figured that one out!

Gotta add those grommets anywhere I can - love 'em.

DIY fabric labels

Along with the purchased vs. D.I.Y. biz card debate that rages in my head every now and then (see previous post)... is the custom printed vs. D.I.Y. fabric label dilemma!

On the one hand: it would be so nice to just conjure up one of those websites that sells custom printed fabric labels, fill in the blanks with the info I want to have on my labels, press enter, and shazamm! - my custom printed labels will be on their way with nothing more for me to do except wait for their arrival, open the package, and USE THEM!!!

But on the other hand... I'm going to pay a big price for the convenience of those ready-made labels- not just in terms of actual moola (which is quite substantial from my calculations), but also in terms of design flexibility. You see (call me crazy if you must!), but I like to change-up the font I use for my business name. Often. Well... maybe 'often' is too strong of a word. How about somewhere between 'never' and 'a lot'....

I also use several different styles and sizes of labels: folded, sew-in the seam; single, sew around the edge; great big funky labels for a particular line of bags; two lines of text, single line of text... you get the picture! So to purchase 250 (usually the quantity you need to order to get a half decent price) labels in each of the sizes and styles I use... Well, that really would be crazy! And totally beyond my budget.

So, that's why I now own stock in the company that makes ink-jet printer compatible, iron-on transfer paper (haha, mostly kidding!). But I do buy a couple of packs of this stuff every month or so, along with a yard or 2 of unbleached, 100% cotton muslin. And so armed, I then set about creating my very own, D.I.Y., custom printed fabric labels! And so can you!

It's pretty straight forward so I'm not going to go into too much detail: Design your label using whatever program you like (I like MS Word), print the labels on the transfer paper, iron onto the fabric of your choice, peel off the paper backing, cut your sheet into individual labels!

Tips: Use a finely woven, light colored, 100% cotton fabric and machine wash and dry it before you begin. Don't forget to print the labels in 'mirror image'. Use a really hot iron, and don't use your ironing board for this - use a really hard, flat surface that can take a little heat (I use a piece of sanded plywood with a press cloth under + on top of my project). And iron, iron, iron... Just when you think they MUST be adhered by now, iron some more!

And while I've tried several different brands of transfer paper, the best and only one I ever use is the Up&Up brand by Target. A pack of 6 sheets costs $8.99.

Oh, and did I mention these labels are really inexpensive to make? Depending on how many labels you print per sheet and the cost of your fabric - I average 36 labels and use $4.99 per yard fabric - it comes out to about 6 cents per label!

D.I.Y. rules!!

recycled biz cards

While I absolutely LOVE the business cards I sometimes order from moo.com (especially their mini moo cards!), I find that the cost is just more than I am willing to pay for something that I will end up giving away. At roughly 25 cents for each card, when I'm handing out 100 or more at each craft show, well, it adds up!

That's why I came up with a way to print biz cards myself, and for (darn close to) FREE! 

I gather paperboard boxes (cereal, cracker, six-pack, etc.) from my local transfer station (or friends and neighbors!), open 'em up and flatten, and then use the nice big self-inking stamp that I got online at stampxpress.com (go to their 'eco-friendly' stamp section) to stamp my custom logo on the blank side of the boxes. 

I've made THOUSANDS of these cards and my investment (if you can call it that!) was a $15 stamp and a $5 bottle of ink. Super easy, inexpensive, and best of all: RECYCLED! Which is, as you know, what I'm all about!

new work

Laptop bags made from repurposed upholstery fabric, faux leather, Army surplus strap.

Repurposed burlap drapery fabric, faux leather.

Upcycled denim, repurposed upholstery fabric, Army surplus strap.

Find these and more in my online shop

new work

got your moose yet?

The animal-friendly way to bag your moose this season:

on a tote made from recycled lumber wrap! Get yours here

*No moose were harmed, mistreated, pestered, or annoyed in the making of this tote bag!*

let the games begin

This past Friday I set up shop at the Belfast Art Market in Belfast, ME. It was a perfectly gorgeous first day of summer AND a very busy first show of the season!

new work

recycle those CD's

Since January 1st, I have been doing my usual 'new year cleaning' and had rounded up a number of CD's that are too scratched to play or have been written over so many times they're useless. I had thought about reusing them for some crafty project (oh no! not another one!), but thankfully soon lost interest in THAT idea...

So what to do? Recycle them of course! A quick Google search of 'cd recycling' brought up a few options - I chose The CD Recycling Center of America because a) it is close to home, and b) it's FREE (other sites charge a fee).

This is what they have to say:

"Each year, billions of CDs and DVDs are manufactured, while millions of these discs end up in landfills and incinerators. If you use, sell, promote, distribute, or manufacture compact discs, it is your responsibility to promote how to recycle them. Compacts Discs, when recycled properly, will stop unnecessary pollution, conserve natural resources, and help slow global warming. Spread the word to help us save the world we all live in."

They also recycle floppy disc's, VHS tapes, cell phones and inkjet cartridges. Yeah! 

And they have this great little video about the whole process - from how to sort your media and packaging, to how the plastic is processed for resale and reuse. It really is a fascinating process!!

new work

Burlap cross-body purses. Materials: repurposed coffee bags, cotton duck cloth, webbing, nickel hardware. 

Available at The Center for Maine Craft, W. Gardiner, ME. Coming soon to Waterfall Arts, Belfast, ME and Common Street Arts, Waterville, ME.