ooo!

minnie — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 22:56:23 -0500

love that dress. maybe i'll make myself a dress for blogher! an excellent idea. mine wont be as fancy as that one tho.

Assuaging my guilty, crafty conscience

Lisa Stone — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 22:56:00 -0500

Yes, you two would be gorgeous!

I cannot commit to finishing a dress of my own before the conference, but I have to than you for the wonderful defense you've given me for continuing to take up massive amounts of closet space with the crafts I feel too guilty to throw away...

Thank you Debra!

Lisa Stone
BlogHer Co-founder
Surfette

such creativity

amygeekgrl — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 11:53:12 -0500

so creative! that dress is amazing and i love the necklace made from a shampoo bottle. beautiful.

Amy
Crunchy Domestic Goddess
BlogHers Act contributing editor

I want it too!!

debra roby — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 09:16:05 -0500

We could both wear them to a BlogHer cocktail party! The stunning pair we'd be!

Sent that photo to all my friends with small granddaughters, because couldn't you see little girls twirling in that? I'd be twirling. Guess these little girls should master walking first, though.

Debra
A Stitch In Time
Deb's Daily Distractions

That dress is stunning!

sassymonkey — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 08:01:20 -0500

I want one! Of course, I don't have anywhere to wear it. ;)

Sassymonkey and Sassymonkey Reads.

Recycled and Green Crafters: Communities and Blogs

debra roby — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 00:52:27 -0500

Recap: as part of the Healthy Body, Healthy Mind, Healthy Wallet series, each of my Saturday posts will examine a different way to look at recycled artists and crafters. This week: discussion and inspiration of green or recycled craft from communities, forums or blogs.

You can find all kinds of inspiration at Craftster. There are regular recycle/reuse swaps and challenges (the Going Green Swap sign ups just closed). In a recent search, i found the following finished projects among the most inspiring:

Mixymo shared her Dress of Many Scraps. I love this simple, stunning piece:

I started by cutting fabric into petal shapes, then ordered them by
size. Then I sewed them to strips of cotton drill (that sounds SO much
simpler than how it really was), and sewed those strips together. Talk
about hard work! Then I sewed the whole skirt part to a top I bought.

Japaya admitted that she is obsessed with recycling, and sees potential jewelry in everything she uses. Her gorgeous green necklace using a shampoo bottle as one of the elements is proof. She DOES see jewelry in everything.

Crafting a Green World is all about the green with several bloggers who write about DIY projects and more. In a recent post, Autumn Wiggins wrote about a panel she is presenting at Craft Con 2008 on the environmental impact of the craft culture:

I wish to acknowledge the ingenuity of those who upcycle and re-purpose, but also paint a realistic picture of the rising tole our manufactured supplies take on the planet. It’s blatantly obvious as you stroll through the aisles of any corporate run craft store that popular hobbies require substantial amounts of imported and unsustainable goods.

We need only make ourselves aware to begin a larger effort of demanding earth friendly supplies.

Jean Railla, founder of Getcrafty.com, guest blogged on Murketing a wonderful piece called What Would Jesus Sell? She questions, in part, the idea of the Handmade Pledge because, although it short-circuits the mass produced and imported disposable goods

I can’t help thinking: Isn’t shopping, no matter how wonderfully crafty and politically correct still, well, shopping? Can you escape the so-called sin of consumerism by buying handmade? Isn’t the whole point of modern crafting Do It Yourself — not Buy from Someone Who is Doing It Themselves? Not to be a total hypocrite; I shop Etsy and artisan crafters as well as buy the crap from China just like everyone else. It’s just that I see a new trend, which is moving away from crafting and towards consuming. What’s next? “Hip Craft” aisles at Wal-Mart?

Linda Peterson reports her impressions from the winter Craft and Hobby Association Winter Convention, including the TOP TREND:

Green..... Reclaimed....Organic. These were some of the words that seemed to be constantly in front of me as I walked the General Crafts area of the show floor.

While you may think of Green as a decorating color, this type of green relates to products and techniques that are Eco-Friendly. According to the CHA designer Trend Team, they report that this "green movement continues it's momentum as the top trend". Look for new products coming to your craft stores that reflect this organic feel especially relating to needle crafts. I believe this trend will continue to grow as people become more aware of the benefit of "green" crafts to both themselves and the environment.

Still, if you are looking for brilliant examples of bloggers who use their imagination to repurpose items into inspiring craft, check out: LIno Forest .. the home of Betty Jo Designs.. where she makes jewelry out of recycled linoleum!