Waking Up Is Hard To Do

OK, so we sprung our clocks ahead early Sunday morning for Daylight Saving Time and lost an hour on Sunday, but why do I feel like I have been losing an hour every day since? Yes, it is nice to still be seeing the sun at 6:30 pm, but SO hard to get up in the dark. At least for me. I need that morning sunlight to program my sleeping brain to perk up and get those neurons moving! I am not a good sleeper in the best of times and not a good staying asleeper and until my body adjusts to this hour (sometime around the next Daylight Saving Time clock change) not a good getter upper either!

Some Tips To Get Moving In The Morning
1. Get a dog. As long as it has to go out- you have to get up. Juliapott
2. Get a cat. Nothing says good morning like a sandpaper tongue licking your face. Loranscruggs
3. Do yoga. It's the most relaxing way to bring your energy level up. Herbandevi
4. Place a birdfeeder outside your bedroom window. redyellowandblueink
5. Set your alarm clock. Across the room. Pilotdesign
6. Call in late. Uncorked
7. Have children- VERY effective
8. Sleep with someone who gets up earlier than you do.

Team EcoEtsy Goes MAD 4 MARCH

Eco Etsy is a global group of green good sellers who practice and spread the word about reducing, reusing and recycling. About fifty members are having a March Madness sale. Buy something from any of their shops and receive a free gift from that shop - see each shop's announcement for details on their particular giveaway! A full list of the participating shops can be found here MARCH MADNESS.

1. KnitStorm - Tea Mug Cozy
2. JenniferSquires - Purple Flower
3. Ottoman - Lichen Brooch 1
4. Shecological - Sand & Olive Plaid Bag
5. Undertheroot - Undine's Undies
6. Uncorked - Don't Be Trashy Cork Necklace
7. Polarity - Purple Recycled Magnetic Locket

Books on a Budget

To put it mildly- I love books. I mean I really love books. The problem is that I really love to not only read, but carry, touch and OWN books. I even have a library in my house, (my husband calls it the bedroom) stacked floor to ceiling. But now when I look at my books I think of the trees (and the amount of money spent on those stacks) and know I need to find a better way. So I renew my library card and plan my Saturday mornings at the library instead of the Barnes and Noble and I search for some online alternatives, too.

At Paperbackswap.com you can trade books with other users, print your postage online and get updates on newly available titles (they also carry hardcovers and the beloved audiobooks I love to listen to while I craft).

Bookmoooch.com (my favorite name) allows you to post books and earn points when one of its 100,000 moochers requests your book and you ship it out. You only pay for postage and media mail is still pretty cheap.

Bookswim.com is for the more serious reader. It lets you organize a pool of titles (like your Netflix) and receive a couple of them at a time. You pay a monthly fee of $20- $40.00 and shipping is free. And you can purchase the book if you decide to keep it.

If you seriously must have that book in your hot little hands Betterworld.com offers bargain prices, donates a portion of revenues to Books for Africa, has free U.S. shipping and offsets its carbon footprint with carbonfund.org. So there are some serious choices out there for bibliophiles to go green right now!

1. Drink In Words earrings from rhymeswithmagic
(artist Heather IS a librarian)
2. I Read Banned Books cork necklace from uncorked
3. I Read Banned Books recycled magnetic locket set from polarity
4. Turn off Your TV and Read pins from barrelofmonkeys
5. Mister Donkey brooch from yaelfran

Win Your Favorite XENOTEE! She Puts the T in Etsy!

And the winner is: (do you see your name?) Marbella Designs - I hope you enjoy your Xenotee!!



Noelle of Xenotees is one of my most favorite Etsy people. She is funny, clever and gorgeous and makes a great t-shirt! Her designs are totally unique and clip-art free and will make your friends totally jealous!

Noelle donates $1 from every t-shirt sale to the Flat Iron Wildcats of Philadelphia. There is a huge stray cat population in Philadelphia & she is dedicated to making sure that there are less unhappy animals in this world (and more creatively decorated people!).

WHAT YOU GET:
One lucky winner will get one awesome Xenotees t-shirt of their choice (under $22.00)!

HOW TO WIN:
Visit Xenotees Etsy Shop and check it out. Then come back here and LEAVE A COMMENT mentioning your favorite.


For additional entries:

(5) Blog about this linking to this post and to Xenotees.
(5) Twitter this post
(5)Follow My Blog (I am very lonely)

Let me know if you have done these things so I can give you additional entries.

DRAWING:
A winner will be chosen at random on March 9th! Good Luck!

Xenotees is also offering a 15% discount on any purchase through March 31st- simply place an order and write 'uncorked' or 'polarity' in the comments to seller section!

Olive is SO jealous!

My Next House Will Be An INVISIBLE TREEHOUSE

I always wanted a treehouse (so did my daughter) and this invisibile one would be just perfect for us! Using the old architecture trick of mirrored glass the Swedish firm Tham & Videgard Hansson Arkitekter have designed this amazing way to get lost in the woods!

This Week's New UNCORKED Listings

This week's new items in my Uncorked Etsy shop which offer free shipping through next weekend are my EQUESTRIAN RIDER piece 'heels down' - which is dedicated to all the girls out there who got their horses and those of us who didn't (remember when we really, really wanted a horse!) and my FOXY piece which is dedicated to all those Foxy mamas out there and wannabe Foxy mamas. I am thinking the FOX is about to be the next big thing! Both are now available in my Uncorked shop with free shipping.

Buy Your Wine With CORK Stoppers

About a year ago we organized a cancer benefit at the infamous Stone Pony in Asbury Park, NJ for a wonderful 27 year old man and great family friend. The Stone Pony people were amazing with us and if you grow up in New Jersey you most likely will have some great memories of the place. They are now going to recycle their corks through me and I am very excited about it! Most wine cork stoppers come from Portugal, one of the oldest countries in Europe. It is a huge part of their economy (and that of the other 6 Mediterranean cork-producing countries) and a vital source of rural employment. The forests support a fragile, bio-diverse ecosystem. The cork oaks in Portugal alone offset 10 million tons of carbon every year and are also important producers of oxygen.

The producers of plastic tops and metal screw caps are working hard (and using higher non-renewable energy consumption and producing more toxic chemicals) to increase their market share within the wine industry. Uncorking a wine bottle can be a bit of a hassle at times (I know I always have to hunt for my corkscrew) but what would your party be like if you just get to unscrew the top of your wine like a bottle of diet pepsi - without that energizing cork pop sound to get the party started!

If you really must buy your wine with plastic caps - remember they will end up in landfills even when recycled unless there is a specific program in your area to recycle them. Aveda, the beauty supply company, offers a program to recycle plastic caps. Send them by mail to ACA Waste Services, 40 Eads Street, West Babylon, NY 11704

I am hoping everyone will continue to support the 300 year old cork industry by buying your wine with cork stoppers! They are biodegradable (toss in your compost pile- chop them up and they will degrade faster) or can be sent to me for recycling (I collect them from many of my local bars and restaurants for a great program called ReCork America) - if you send me some I also promise to make you something very cool and send it to you!

LOVIN' WATER 4 ELEPHANTS

This weekend's special in my Polarity shop is my new vintage circus locket set. This piece was inspired by Sara Gruen's wonderful book Water For Elephants about Jacob Jankowski's experiences with a traveling depression era circus. If you haven't read this book, I highly recommend it. The locket is available for a limited time with 5 interchangeable lids (this is like getting 5 lockets for $16.00 - what a great way to do more with less and save some green while spending green) and FREE SHIPPING. The locket is made from a little recycled auto part and the locket lids are guaranteed to stay on perfectly with a very strong magnet! The perfect locket for that special little picture. Your satisfaction is guaranteed. I love this little set and am hoping you will, too!

Recycled Soda POP Art

Those plastic bottles awaiting recycling can be easily turned into a piece of cool SODA POP FLOWER ART for your walls. Cut the bottom from each bottle with a pair of scissors and then re-cut the bottom 'flower'. Drill a hole in the center of each 'flower' and add a screw and a couple of different size washers. You can also skip the drill and hardware and glue on colorful various size buttons. Arrange your 'flowers' within a frame (I like to let the 'flowers' spill out from the frame)- I have held mine together with glue dots (with is easiest), but they can be stapled, sewn or tied. You have a quick little recycled POP ART piece for your walls!

Between the Folds - The Art & Science of Paperfolding

I am anxiously awaiting an inspiring little film for all us math geeks due to hit New York City in May called "Between The Folds". It documents the stories of 10 fine artists, mathematicians and theoretical scientists who have abandoned their careers to forge unconventional lives as modern-day paperfolders. The film also shows how paperfolding or origami (which literally translates in Japanese to fold paper) is being used to encourage peace in the world (yes, peace) as well as its practical applications in scientific research and development. Check out this little preview and keep your eyes posted for its arrival in a city near you.

Adorable New Mini Lockets in Polarity Shop

I added a few new mini lockets to my Polarity shop today. Each is made from a little recycled auto part (cleaned up like NEW) and comes with 3 interchangeable magnetic lids that are guaranteed to never fall off when worn! You will love them. They are totally addicting and a great way to do more with less!

2ReVert Celebrates 1 Year on Etsy

2ReVert is celebrating their one year Etsy anniversary with a $200.00 product giveaway! 2ReVert creates one of a kind jewelry pieces out of 100% post-consumer recycled skateboards (ie old, used, broken skateboards). Enter through their blog. 2ReVert is crazy in love with the earth and keeping things out of the balefills, landfills, and incinerators. I own a pair of their amazing earrings and they are pure perfection! I can get some serious air on my ali oops when wearing them ...seriously...

A Brief History of Brief Moments

I have always been a little afraid of dolls. I'm not going to freak out around your Barbie or anything (well, maybe your Bratz but that's another story), but if you've got one of those old fashioned, eyes that shut when you move it, hair like Drew Barrymore in Firestarter kind of dolls, then I'm not going to stay in the same room with it. No way baby! So when I saw these amazingly adorable (ie terrifying) doll pictures on Etsy I just had to investigate the fearless photographer who had snapped them. After admiring Brief Moments amazingly eclectic and wonderful little corner of Etsy I decided to ask Maribeth about what inspires her and this is what she shared with me - "At first, I thought this was an easy question to answer. Everyday moments inspire me…but then when I really thought about it. Everyday moments are the comfort and peace in my life. Yet, when it comes to being truly inspired, I realized it wasn’t everyday moments that inspire me but instead I’m inspired by change. Change helps me remember what matters most, and it pushes me to adapt and move forward. The change doesn’t have to be earth-shattering or momentous. It can be as simple as rearranging my living room furniture or going on a day trip to a museum. But it does have to be…different, and that difference can be positive and it can be negative. And truthfully, I’d much rather have the positive, but I have to admit, the other has its benefits too. So, though everyday moments are the foundation of my day, change is what fuels my creative life and keeps making me strive to think outside myself and outside my little corner of the world." Hmmm, I notice she didn't mention her scary dolls.

WIN One on My Necklaces at Lillyella!

Nicole is not only the artist behind the most romantic, addictive (I dare you to buy just one piece!) jewelry on Etsy - Lillyella, but she writes the most addictive blog! This week I am her featured artist! Check out my interview with Nicole (you will even find out which super power I secretly covet!) and enter her blog contest to win YOUR CHOICE of necklace from either of my shops. Thank you Lillyella!

So...Your Compost Bin is Starting to Thaw

OK, so I know we're not really thawing yet up here in the Northeast (hopefully you have been adding to your compost bin though). Next winter I want to try an indoor worm composting bin, but now that spring is just a few weeks away (and this prospect still makes me kind of uneasy) I will just work with what I have collected. Anything that was living at one time is great for compost piles such as leaves, vegetables and grass clippings. The microbes responsible for breaking down your compost pile need a balance of nitrogen and carbon. Nitrogen comes from green materials such as food scraps, manure, and grass clippings. Carbon comes from brown materials such as dead leaves, hay, wood chips and shredded newspaper. A ratio that contains equal portions of both and is well mixed (every couple weeks) works best. In the frozen winter mixing doesn't really work (and lets precious heat escape), so the best thing is to have your compost bin near your house (the easier it is to get to the more you will use it) in a dark bin in direct sunlight and fill it with brown material; leaving a hole in the middle for you to add your green materials as you collect them. When you add the green material (food scraps) cover it with a couple inches of brown material and just keep repeating this. After the spring thaw, you will turn the compost and water it as you normally would. An important thing to remember when composting is that you need those brown materials to add carbon or your pile will start to smell... bad. My pup Olive loves to roll around in our backyard compost pile if it starts to smell and believe me this is not a good thing. This year we have collected a couple wooden pallets and will be making a new outdoor pile that will keep Olive out!

Things Fall Apart So Things Can Come Together

Last year when my hubby and I were thinking we needed to spend more time together- we decided to take a pottery class (there is a bit of irony in this because pottery is actually a very solitary, almost mystical activity). I had never worked on a wheel before and he had just a tiny bit of experience many years ago. I found it hard. Of course, he picked it up right away, became teacher's pet (I will always believe the instructor had a little bitty crush on him) and drove me crazy offering up tiny bits of advice in his oh so patient teacher-voice. He was almost effortlessly making strong, interesting pieces while my own work was inconsistent, prone to collapse and reminded me of the hand-built stuff my daughter brought home from camp when she was seven. Although we used the same glazes, his always seemed to end up reflective of nature's simple beauty (or so enthused the other students) while mine more reflective of the stuff on the nature trails that you try not to step in. This experience has given me a deep appreciation of the amazing work that potters do and Etsy has many amazing masters. Recently I came across the work of Jeff Campana (CampanaCeramics) and was simply blown away. Through a process of dismantling and reassembling his pieces- he creates the most striking fault lines that add a fascinating dichotomy of fragility and strength to his work. I have always loved the things and places within us that are damaged and scarred and the concept of those things being healed over and made stronger in the process. I hope you enjoy CampanaCeramics as much as I do. I had to purchase the beautiful lavender vase for the V-Day flowers that had better be coming my way from my own Mr. Potter ...

Climbing out of the Box

At first glance this picture scared the heck out of me- some kind of genetic engineering had produced a more space effective watermelon! Yikes- what's next?! But the story is actually a great example of thinking outside the box (or inside the box in this case!). Small Japanese grocers had a problem. Watermelons, big and round, wasted a lot of space. Farmers told the grocery stores that watermelons grow round and there is nothing that can be done about it. But one Japanese farmer took a different approach. He didn’t assume the problem was impossible to begin with and simply asked himself how it could be done. It turns out that all he needed to do was place the watermelon into a square box when it is growing and it took on the shape of the box! This has got me thinking about my own assumptions, habits (I have saved myself so much time in my studio lately by asking myself if there is a better way I could be doing something), being able to look at problems from a fresh perspective and seeking the possible even in the face of what appears to be the impossible!

Olive's First Sleepover

After being advised there would be no boys, no drinking and no prank calling- Olive put on her favorite Lucky Fiona collar and headed over to Ruby's 4th birthday sleepover party. Ruby brought out her favorite recycled toy from WoofPurrCreations and the girls had a great time. They finally collapsed about midnight, although I've been told Ruby's folks didn't get much sleep.

My Bubble Popping Addiction Intervention

Since kiddiedom I have always loved to get a package wrapped in bubble wrap and being able to pop and stomp away. But now that I am a regular user (the glass test tubes I ship pretty much require it) of this plastic eco nightmare (plastic will never biodegrade in a landfill) - I have found a source for the latest biodegradable wrap. A new wrap called Bio-Bubble is oxo-biodegradable; which allows the wrap to break down into water, carbon dioxide and some biomass for mico-organisms in a year or less (that should be enough time for my packages to arrive!) when exposed to sun and water. I am so excited to get my test tubes shipped out safely without having nightmares about the piles of plastic bubbles I am creating! If you don't have any of this addictive wonder around to pop- here is a fresh sheet ....

Fractal Artist Diaspora Comes Uncorked

I am so excited about my newest artist collaboration. Fractal art is a new way of looking at space and form. Through the medium of the computer and all of its associated peripherals a new vision of the world has opened up. It is as if a new type of camera has been invented! An amazing shop on Etsy featuring abstract fractal art is Diaspora. Hal is the incredible artist behind Diaspora. Hal's fractals will remind you of your most wonderful dreams and night skys with fireworks and resounding JOY and all those things in life that are explosive and powerful and make you feel ALIVE! Hal's work is now available for your walls at Diaspora and for your body at Uncorked.

PUCKER UP People

I happen to know that REAL men wear cork and REAL women love to wear little recycled auto parts. How do I know this you ask? Well, let's just say a little naked guy with an arrow told me.

Paper or Plastic = A Gift from zJayne

I was having a bad week, a very bad week (I realize that bad is a relative thing and you are going to have to trust me on this, but it was a bad week). So, this morning I am eating my breakfast, thinking about my bad week and realizing that I had memorized the back of this cereal box already (this was not what made my week bad, but it is a sad day when you realize something like this) and thinking I need to start buying a new kind of cereal when the doorbell rang and my mailman, as is his custom when I have a package, tossed my mail onto my porch which caused Olive (the biter) to jump off the arm of the chair where she likes to spend her mornings dangling over the heater, and bark.This got me moving (and away from my raisin bran) and I was SO excited to find a gift from my Etsy buddy Jane Pierce (aka zJayne) on my front porch. Jane is an amazing Ohio artist who creates beautiful art with meaning. She salvages found objects, once loved jewels and other treasures into one of a kind defining images that make a difference to the people who are fortunate enough to experience them. She is also the famous 'T-Shirt Market Bag' maker on Etsy. When I had admired her Red Cross market bag (made from a t-shirt) she gifted it to me along with an amazing and adorable bird wristlet bag (made from a t-shirt sleeve). Jane reminds us that the answer to paper or plastic is neither and that it takes as much petroleum to make 14 plastic bags as it does to drive a car one mile. Her bags are so sturdy and well-made, roomy and amazing (and cheap!) that everyone sincerely needs to own a few! Check out zJayne's amazing Etsy and 1000markets shops. Thanks Jane - I have already used your amazing bag to stock up on some new cereals! It is never leaving my car.

Social Responsibility for Java Lovers this V-Day

More than 150 million people in the U.S. drink at least 1 cup of coffee a day. This represents a huge opportunity to have an environmental impact. If you are a coffee drinker- what can you do? 1. Make your own coffee at home - keep that throwaway cup out of the landfill, save the energy that we call money that is in your wallet and have some control over where the coffee you are purchasing with that energy and putting into your body comes from - buy beans with the rainforest alliance seal of approval and avoid supermarket brands with poor environmental records. 2. If you are an addict of Starbucks or your local coffee shop - don't forget your travel mug! And learn more about the business practices of the places you patronize. Is Dunkin Donuts still using styrofoam coffee cups and Nestle genetically engineered coffee beans?

If you love Johnny like I love Johnny....

These amazing My Little Ponies are from designer Mari Kasurinen from Finland! I love her Captain Jack Sparrow and Edward Scissorhands! She has a collection of Star Wars favorites, 80's movie characters and an incredible Pan!

Wouldn't you love a peek inside Mari's brain??

The Amazing Walrus Tusk on Etsy

This week I am introducing you to Jennifer’s incredible Etsy shop Walrus Tusk. If you spend any amount of time on Etsy you have come across her intricate and amazing pieces of beadwork. Jennifer was brought up in the far north in Fairbanks, Alaska where she learned from craftsmen how to adorn the body with beautiful pieces of bead work. She now lives and works in the desert in Arizona. The dry desert air creates such a different environment where she cannot help but be inspired.

I also know the ruddy duck is her favorite bird and she loves Pan’s Labrynth and Pushing Daisies and is a coffee addict (Me, too! Although I am not sure I have ever seen a ruddy duck). Her work is stunning with amazing craftsmanship (she also makes some of my favorite treasuries!). Check her out!

6 Things You Don't Want to Know ABOUT ME

I have been tagged by the amazing Ngan of nNVe Designs (who I will never forgive). These are the rules:

link to the person who tagged you > post the rules on your blog > write six random things about yourself > tag six people at the end of your post and link to them > let each person know they've been tagged

1. I have lived in the same state my entire life, the much maligned state of New Jersey, where I somehow managed to go to 7 schools in 7 years.

2. 5th grade was my last great year of school- I won most popular, best looking, most athletic, starred in the school play, won the spelling bee, got straight A’s . The next year I lost all my charm and stayed that way until… well, I stayed that way….

3. My husband and I met on a blind date. I only agreed to go out with him because my sister promised me he was moving to Florida the next week. He had only been told I was very skinny, had just cut my hair super-short and had a scar on my shoulder- he showed up anyway. He had no money to go anywhere, asked me why I wore my hair so short and looked at me like a starving man looks at a steak dinner…. proof that love does not have to happen at first sight, although he still swears it did for him….

4. I was a bank manager for 10 years. Actually I was a bank teller for 1 year, a head teller for 1 year, an assistant manager for 1 year and a bank manager for 7 years. I was really good at it. Until a gun at my head during a robbery, a knife pulled on me during a forgery attempt and a crazy stalker customer pushed me out the door and back into myself ……

5. I am diet pepsi obsessed. I only buy the caffeine free kind from the grocery store, because it makes me feel better about myself- but sneak off to fast food drive thrus almost daily for a caffeinated one- I think the ones you drink in your car don’t count, right?

6. I do not really like cats - please do not hate me for this

7. I go to a psychic once a year around my birthday even though she is wrong about almost everything

8. Cat is short for Catherine which is my middle name. My real first name is top secret, but you probably have an old, gray-haired, maiden aunt with this name who used to pinch your checks and give you sticky quarters…

Oops overdid this- probably should delete the cat thing....
now to pass this on to 6 people - please forgive me guys!

I am tagging ButtonEnvy, Something Whimsical, Decorate the Diva, AntiGenre, ShutterKate and Fisheye

Sweetness Jewelry Is Named Just Right

One of my favorite Etsy sellers is Kelly of Sweetness Jewelry. I met Kelly through our mutual love of making treasuries on Etsy and knew Kelly for a while before I discovered her secret- Kelly is 12 years old! She makes her jewelry, takes her own pictures and runs her own online jewelry business and she does it all with an amazing 'sweetness' that makes her one of Etsy's favorites! I bought one of her amazing pieces and it always gets me lots of compliments.

When asked our OliveBites question of the week about her earliest crafty memory- Kelly answered, "My earliest crafty memory must be drawing animals on the dining room walls with black and purple crayons. I was like 3 years old." I am sure she is the only Etsy seller who can remember being 3 years old! Go Kelly!

Grace Hartigan Memorial

I recently received an email from Kat of Kat Gallery to let me know that a Grace polarity locket that she had given to the director of her graduate program, Grace Hartigan, who passed away recently at the age of 85, had been placed in her archives in Syracuse. You may recognize Grace's name and work. She was an amazing abstract painter and I thank Kat for giving her this gift and for letting me know of its final destination!

Christmas Presence!

I hope everyone had an amazing holiday! These are a few of the handmade items I gave or received this holiday season that brought a little Etsy presence to our Christmas!

The shops include DoeAndDame Shauneil BriefMoments Kootsac TheBLine LoranScruggs CurlyGirlCrochet f2images Rafya Kangas
WoofPurrCreations