unfaithful blogger

OK. I must confess. There's another blog in my life... It's the Etsy Trashion Team blog- and at the moment it's the object of my distraction.

Not that I don't love my own blog... I just like to spread the love around a little!

As I mentioned, I'm a member of the Etsy Trashion Team- and right about NOW you are asking yourself "My goodness, just what is trashion?!". Well, get your mind out of the gutter- it's nothing like that...

What it is is: "...a group of Etsy sellers who focus on recycling and upcycling all kinds of discarded and found materials. We are creative artists and crafters who are dedicated to making trash into treasure!"

And naturally we have a blog. And just as naturally I felt compelled to add one more task to my overflowing 'to-do' list and offer to be a guest blogger. Happily actually.

As some of you might have suspected by now, I am really into recycling and repurposing. In fact, I could probably talk 'trash' to you all day long! But why not let someone else have the floor for once... and that is just what I am doing in my TrashTalk series over at the Trashion Team blog.

Each month I'll  be interviewing a different Trashion Team member and getting a 'behind the scenes' glimpse into the trashion artists' world- their inspiration, insight and ingenuity- complete with photos!
Check out Octobers interview with perfume designer and trashion artist Magickal Realism.

the perfect business card

I know this might sound a little wacky to some of you who might not be as fanatical as I am about recycling, but... I have been dilemma-tizing for weeks about buying card stock to print my business cards on! I just can't stand the thought of purchasing brand new virgin paper, and then hoping that after I'm done printing and cutting and handing out the finished product, it just doesn't end up in the waste stream- un-recycled!

I know, I know... all who receive one of my business cards will treasure it and always hold it dear...
But just in case, why not eliminate (most of) the problem, and print it on TRASH to begin with? The idea is beyond brilliant- check it out here

lights! camera! action!

Woo-Hoo! I did it! I made it through my very first television interview without passing out from shear nervousness or babbling incoherently (at least I think I sounded somewhat intelligent)! Thankfully it was a recorded interview and not LIVE.

So this little slice of prime time media coverage came my way via a wonderfully observant reporter from the local NBC affiliate WLBZ Channel 2 in Bangor, Maine who had been dining at Finelli Pizza in Ellsworth. He spied my handmade recycled tote bags for sale there and thought that they were so totally cool that he just had to do a story about them (and their creator) for the evening news! The next day I got a call asking if I'd be willing to talk a bit about my business and especially my recycled tote bags. On camera...? Like for TV...? Ahh, yeah. Why, sure... Great, see you on Friday!
Well, good gravy! You would have thought I was awaiting my very first Brazilian-wax, given the way I was losing sleep and carrying on about this!
Turns out it was painless. Fun, actually! (the interview- not the wax)

Scott is an incredibly easy-going reporter AND camera-man. He is also really good at making you feel comfortable. Yup. He does it all- And at the same time! (He also promised- at my request -not to do any profile shots, and if I said anything really dumb, he would edit it out.)
But best of all, he didn't laugh at my dog when she came out to greet him wearing her clown collar- actually it's called an e-collar, one of those cone like rigs that keeps her from ripping out her post-op stitches. But really- it makes her look down-right comical. I mean, even I can't help but chuckle when I look at her! Well, Scott thought she was just the sweetest thing (she is) and ended up capturing Piper in all her cuteness on video, too.
The piece is tentatively scheduled to air Monday or Tuesday of next week- but stay tuned to this blog for an update on exactly when it will air. I will also post a link to it as soon as it is available!
And thanks again to WLBZ Channel 2 for giving me this wonderful opportunity to promote my business!
Check out and buy your own recycled tote bag (and lots of other cool stuff) here ...

paper or plastic?

Earth Day is is right around the corner and I know there are millions of earth-lings out there just sitting around wondering "What can I do to help save this planet?". While I'm not certain that what I am about  to suggest will single-handedly halt the destruction of our home turf, I think it is a small step in the right direction. Alright, here it is... (I know you're gonna love it)... B.Y.O.B. Yes, that's right. Where ever you go, just B.Y.O.B.! To the thrift shop. To the library. To the grocery store. It'll be fun! It will make you feel sooo GOOD! And everyone will think you are just SO cool, and they'll want to B.Y.O.B. too!
What is that you say? How can public drunkenness help save the Earth? My, my, Silly Rabbit. Is that what you thought I was suggesting? Well, put down the bottle of Cuervo and listen up:
What I am proposing is that you Bring Your Own Bag!
Where ever you go where you might be offered a shiny new bag to carry home your latest finds, respond (righteously), "No thank you, I brought my own!" And it doesn't have to be some fancy-shmancy, logo-laden, hemp one either (which was probably imported from China anyway).

Here are some suggestions:

• used onion bags (the mesh ones) are wicked strong and you can easily add handles to them- just weave or tie some fabric, rope, whatever, through the mesh.
• pillow cases- if you are the least bit crafty you can turn one into a neat tote by cutting off the upper 1/3 (open end), cut in two, fold length-wise to form two handles and sew onto the remaining 2/3 of case. Embellish with paint, stamping, pockets.
• recycled grain/flour bags- Especially a nice sturdy paper bag. Like this one. 100% handmade by me in my tiny one-woman-studio in the Maine woods.
• or if you're pressed for time and sewing skills, just grab a handful of the THOUSANDS that your mother has accumulated over the past, oh, I don't know... two weeks! (Mum, are you listening???) Stash them in your car and you can B.Y.O.B where ever you go!

Yeah, but will this small act really help? You bet! Reusing a bag meant for just one use has a BIG impact:

• a reused paper or plastic bag needs only be used 11 times to have a (drastically) lower impact than 11 new bags (kinda obvious, huh?)
• when 1 ton of paper or plastic bags are reused, more than 27 cubic feet of landfill space is saved (less obvious)
• in Downeast Maine alone, one less grocery bag per person would reduce waste by.. well, a WHOLE BUNCH! (friggin' awesome...)
  

And finally, in answer to the age old query "Paper or Plastic?" Consider this...
Paper is easier to recycle, accepted at most recycling centers and just better looking than plastic!
But really, the fact is: The difference between paper and plastic recycling is tiny compared with reusing those same bags.

So Happy Earth Day! And please reuse responsibly.

sum of its parts

Where does your mind go when someone starts spewing statistics? If it's anything like mine, it goes numb. Although, not so when viewing photographic artist, Chris Jordan's vast, emblematic images.
In his 2005 series, Intolerable Beauty: Portraits of American Mass Consumption, the impact of our collective consumption (seas of discarded cell phones, crushed automobiles) is breathtakingly documented, and shockingly comprehensible.
Jordan's newest collection of mind expanding images- Running the Numbers - seeks to make real, and humanize, the seemingly faceless sums and totals that we'd otherwise never see.
Prepare to have your perception altered.