More green outlets

You've heard of etsy, but how about the Greek contender, Yiouco which features only items that have been created through upcycling, recycling, or reuse. Featured in Springwise, this site uses a similar easy storefront model. Currently, there are no fees, but they will institute a fee structure in Spring 2011.

Retail therapy is calling... What better thing to peruse on another icy, snowy day in the northeast.

--till next week, Restore, Recycle, Refresh & Renew.

Closet clean out

New year, new you! Rcently, I have started to clean my closet out in January. It is an odd time I know. Most people clean out in the spring and fall when they change over. I do that too, but more recently I have gotten into the habit of cleaning out in January and donating clothes in honor of MLK day. It all started several years ago with my on air clothes swap through Nexus Radiio.

This year I was able to clean out and consign to a new gem in Northern Liberties, Once Worn. This consignment shop rocks! The Demographic is ripe for my cast offs and i have found some great finds there too. I have a smashing pair of Michael Kors knee high lace up black suede boots that I scored for $60. Truly from "These Boots Are Made for Waliking." I get paid monthly, on time and so I am converting some of my best stuff to cash, helping local business and recycling! Win, win, win.

I was also able to donate career clothes to my favorite local charity, the Career Wardrobe. They. Have a clothing drive every 3rd Wednesday of the month and since they have also started a retail reuse shop, this donation has gotten much easier. I get a tax break, help women in need who are returning to the work force and recycle! Win, win, win.

Today I got news of a Local women's clothing giveaway to benefit Darfour. This could be my next win, win win if only I can find some more items to get out of my closet;)

-- till next week Restore, Recycle, Refresh & Renew

Lost gloves - what to do?

I hope it is 10AM somewhere since I missed my self-imposed post time today! Oh well here we go.

It is winter in my neck of the woods and that means lost gloves and found gloves. Artist Miyako Kanamori serves up the perfect solution to recycle the singles. Instead of Sock friends how about Happy Gloves Charming Softy Friends Made from Coloful Gloves! 

Using simple cuts and stitching and a lot of the Japanese concept of kawaii, Kanamori fashions an entire neighborhood of friends and accessories out of one or 2 knit gloves. 

I just got this book yesterday and kismet had me find a sad glove this morning. I hope to turn that sad glove into a happy glove this week. Riffing on Kanamori's concept and adding my darker twist, I think my first Happy Glove friend will be a punk or gothic rat - my sad glove is covered with skulls;) 

What a great way to reuse those solo gloves. Thumbs up (pun intended) to Kanamori. Keep your eyes out for lost gloves and turn them quickly into found friends.

--till next week Restore, Recycle, Refresh & Renew

Eco-ornaments

Need some last minute quick gifts? Get some citrus and get cracking. One of the first ever eco-gifts I made was a scented ball for my mom's closet. Grab an orange. Poke it with cloves - free-form or in a pattern of your choosing. Wrap with a ribbon and leave a tail to make a loop. Hang over a hanger and the scent will permeate the clothes in your closet.

Another favorite of mine is to take the skin of citrus fruit and cut it into shapes of stars, suns, moons, whatever you fancy. Let the skin naturally dry. Coat with watered down white glues to keep the stirring critters away. Wrap with jute or raffia and hang on the tree. You could add cranberries and popcorn as well, or even beads.

These make great hostess gifts and stocking stuffers too - so get your vitamin C and your gift giving going. Good for your body and good for the environment.

--till next week Restore, Recycle, Refresh & Renew

Aqua Accessory

Tired of carrying that clunky water bottle around - especially when it is empty? Enter an elegant solution to your aqua arsenal - the Vapur. This freezable, dishwasher-safe and BPA free, foldable-when-empty bottle is da bomb! Packing .5L of water the Vapur is available in 6 fashion colors with an additional special Halloween edition in orange/green. At $8.95 each you can get one to clip on to each of your purses without breaking the bank.

Fashionable, eco-friendly and light weight. Thumbs up for the Vapur.

--till next week Restore, Recycle, Refresh & Renew

How far does your fashion travel?

Yesterday I took some international colleagues on a walking tour of Philadelphia and it reminded me of a great lesson in living sustainable. BUY LOCAL. While many of the products might come from a great distance away, many local retailers work with local producers and even if the product has made a long journey the consumer has not. Buying local save fuel and energy on the buyers end and supports the local economy and these are all parts of creating a sustainable life.

Smak Parlour is one of the best examples of local in Philadelphia. Abby and Katy are grads of the Drexel d&m program and they opened Smak Parlour after gaining some valuable experience in NYC. When they began, they produced their own garments in store - definitely local and supplemented their designs with a highly edited selection of accessories. They have moved their production off-site (it is still local) and have worked to include other local designers. 

My purchase yesterday was a necklace produced by a local designer using baubles and gew gaws scavenged from antique jewelry. Sustainable all round and very lovely as well. 

--till next week Restore, Recycle, Refresh & Renew

Broken Brolly Follies

I've always considered the start of school the start of a new year so I like to have a good closet clean out at the end of the summer. This year I've found a plethora of broke brollys (umbrellas luv). I've been thinking about how to reuse them and I have had a pretty interesting idea which I had hoped to get to for my Etsy shop this summer, but alas it wasn't meant to be. I'm not going to tell you what it is so you will have to stay tuned;)

Featured in Springwise Newsletter on May 12, 2010, I did find an excellent umbrella re-use project and it is even local to me! Recycling Zychal is a Philadelphia based company that gives broken brollys new life as doggie rain or bad weather coats, kitty catnip toys or human hoods. According to her site, Taryn Zychal hand makes each item and donates $1 to the Morris Animal Refuge for each broken brolly she receives as a donation to her company. 

Environmentally friendly and animal responsible what more could you ask from the brolly that gave her life for you to save that Burberry trench;)

--till next week Restore, Recycle Refresh & Renew

Not your grannies gardening clogs!

Clogs have been a wardrobe staple for centuries. Originally worn as an outer shoe to protect more delicate shoes from sludge and mud, the humble clog is having a hey day in the Fashion arena. Finding the right pair can be tricky. 

Enter Maguba.The fashion sense comes from London. The mass customization fits right in the web 2.0 world. The product itself is true to Swedish tradition. According to the website, each pair is made in a family owned operation with respect to staff and environment, using wood, leather and water-based paints. Most materials are source in Sweden and Europe to keep the carbon foot print small and for each pair sold, a donation is made toward reforestation.

Responsible, ethical, fashionable. Get your custom pair today.

--till next week Restore, Recycle, Refresh & Renew

Spring DIY

Spring Cleaning? It's time. What to do with all the stuff you need to get rid of? 

The Instructables website offers up some great ideas for re-use. According to their website, "Instructables is a web-based documentation platform where passionate people share what they do and how they do it, and learn from and collaborate with others." In effect it is a community of doers who constantly create, share and collaborate on DIY projects.

Lots of old tees? Turn them into comfy shorts for a great beach cover up, lounge wear or pyjamas. Turn a loveable old hard back into a purse. You would be amazed at how easy these projects are. With step-by-step instructions and photo documentation it's hard to go wrong.

Now that you've made a start, let your imagination run wild and create your own reuse project with those book pages. Break down the steps. Take the pics. Join the Instructables community. Share. Repeat.

--till next week Restore, Recycle, Refresh, Renew  

New Season New Tote

Summer is on the way and your vacation is just around the corner. Time to consider your carry all options. Whether you choose to laze on the beach, hike in the mountains, picnic in the park or shop the high street you are going to need a worthy tote - all weather, packable, reusable and sustainable for an affordable price.

You say: "Impossible."

I say: "Not only possible but readily available."

Check out the Recycled Street Banner Bags at Poketo! All the way from Korea, these bags are made from recycle street banners in Seoul. Produced by a South Korean non-profit, eco-friendly shop that specializes in one-of-a-kind, hand-crafted items generally made from castoffs. These re-purposed banners are whipped into one of a kind colorful, reusable, weather ready totes available at a very affordable price.

While not 100% eco, the re-purposing of materials and use of local production are good choices and off-set the transportation from Korea to you to some degree.

--till next week Restore, Recycle, Refresh & Renew

Shoes.com Promotes Green

Shoes.com sends an eco-friendly shoe promotion to their email subscribers. Featuring styles from 9 eco brands, there are styles from Fashion, Comfort and Athletic collections.

3 companies offer styles that rock your inner-Fashionista.
Jambu's story:
"Inspired by the beauty and mystique of the rainforest, Jambu™ Footwear is designed to guide you in style and comfort on your next personal journey – at home or across the globe. Let Jambu™ join you as you zip line through the rainforest, stroll the beach, navigate the city, or travel the world. Be you with Jambu™.

JAMBU™ uses only 100% recycled, recyclable and re-usable packaging. Jambu™ outsoles are made with partially recycled and re-usable compressed rubber. In this small way we hope to preserve our great outdoors for future generations. Renew with Jambu™."

Corso Como shoes are available through many major retailers - Zappos, Piperlime, and Nordstrom's among others.

From the Zappos website: "About Corso Como Corso Como women's shoes are hand-assembled in Brazil in the most elite boutique factories. Every design is manufactured with the finest material available in the marketplace. The Corso Como footwear collection features innovative silhouettes that will complement your fashionable lifestyle.

Corso Como shoes are made of naturally treated leather. A soft leather lining is also used, which allows your feet to breathe while reducing humidity. All Corso Como women's shoes, women's boots, and women's sandals offer superior quality, fit, and comfort.

Corso Como shoes promote the idea of style with a conscience. As an advocate for various environmental and social causes, Corso Como donates a portion of every sale to charity. Further supporting their eco-friendly philosophy, Corso Como shoes uses fully recyclable boxes and tissue."

Owned by Chrysler, LLC (hmm?) J-41 footwear's tagline is 'Adventure On'. J-41 summarizes their brand: "Combining a highly-functional design with exceptional style,
J-41™ Footwear sets a pace well above the crowd. From leisurely outings to more intensive activities, J-41™ is a high performance “go anywhere” shoe that looks and feels great. A roadmap — gently imbedded in our soles — symbolizes the unique and very special adventure that each of us embarks upon."

Fashionable, comfortable and good for the planet - a no-brainer - feed your shoe fetish with one of these brands today!

--till next week Restore, Refresh, Recycle & Renew.

Green Spring Things

We certainly have been having some great full on Spring weather in the Northeast. It's time to spring clean and revitalize your wardrobe.

First sort out what you have. It's time to get the boots and sweaters away and bring on the pumps, sandals and summer dresses.

I suggest 3 piles of clothes you are putting away and then repeating the process with your Spring/Summer items as well.

Pile 1 - Keepers
Pile 2 - Maybes
Pile 3 - Let it go!

Keepers go right into cleaning and storage. The maybes need a good try on and inspection. You need to do this with each item and move it to Keepers or Let it Go! Make a list of the Let it Go! pile and package them for reuse at a consignment shop, reuse program or charity shop, or arrange a clothing swap with your friends followed by a trip to one of the stores listed.

I suggest you do this at the beginning and end of each seasonal change. Once this is done, you have a good picture of the items you need to replenish and then you can make responsible choices.

Here are some items you may like to pick up:
A smashing new umbrella for your inner Anglophile. Beat April showers with a brolly from London Undercover.

A Claudi Garzesi recycled necklace from Recycled Planet Store.

A coin purse from the Go Green collection at Ecoist.

Clothing from Stewart & Brown.

A Market/Beach bag from Rising Tide Fair Trade.

Bandeau and boy shorts from Daughters of the Revolution.

Shoes from Terra Plana - no stranger to How Green is Your Closet?

Enjoy the purge and the binge - Happy Spring!

till next week - Restore, Recycle, Refresh & Renew

Iceland Inspired Scarf Part 3

We've made it back from Iceland and now it is time to get serious about finishing our scarves. Here's an inspiration from uncommon goods and here's what you do:

1) Layout your t-shirt pieces in 2 strips of 8 squares. Arrange them until you are satisfied with the sequence on each set. Then place one set on top of the other so you can see what is underneath.

2) When you are satisfied with your arrangement, use a running stitch or a back stitch to connect the squares on each side. You can use various colored thread - we used metallic which was grand.

3) Select a couple of squares with interesting colors behind them and slit the fabric with your scissors to reveal the color beneath. (Note: you could do this before stitching like making paper snowflakes) You could also cut the end squares into fringe if you like.

4)Stitch the front and back together. If you use a running stitch, you can also gather your scarf to create interest.

5) Finally, add beads or other adornments as you see fit.

Voila - you have created your very own scarf from recycled and reused materials.

--till next week Restore, Recycle, Refresh & Renew

Asos Green Lounge

UK online fashion retailer Asos launched an eco-driven section on their website on February 19th. Asos features the latest trends and celebrity looks - a bit more sophisticated and mature Forever 21.It is one of my favorite sources for that bit of something different. Sign up for their email newsletter and enjoy a real treat. They sell internationally so don't fret if you don't live in the UK.

According to their blog: "...THE GREEN ROOM will fill you in on all the latest stories from the real people behind your favourite finds on ASOS.com. We'll be asking the brands who sell in THE GREEN ROOM and anyone who plays a key roll in bringing you the latest fashion that support people and the planet.

SOCIAL & ENVIRONMENTALLY AWARE BRANDS – features amazing labels that promote people and planet, from Swedish Hasbeens much-feted ecologically prepared, natural grain leather footwear to the hotly anticipated Emma Watson for People Tree collaboration.

ASOS.COM OWN LABEL – We launched our first Fairtrade cotton jersey pieces back in December, here you'll find an ever increasing number of own brand creations designed inhouse by our super designers and suppliers - there will be some basics but well be dropping a few styles with a twist on site - search 'FAIRTRADE' onsite now - don't miss out! (check out the fab Chrissie Abbott designed tee). The Fairtrade status of these products ensures that the cotton farmers have been paid a fair price for their crop. Each farming community also receives a social premium that they invest in social projects such as building schools and hospitals (see one of our next blogs for commentary directly from the Fairtrade Foundation)

BEAUTY– a range of products that pamper without using any ingredients that are damaging to the environment - and of course your skin! Includes well-known brands such as Cowshed, This Works and Neal’s Yard. Lush!"

Ahh another reason to practice retail therapy online and feel good about your choices.

--till next week Restore, Recycle, Refresh & Renew.

Late but in earnest

Well Tuesday certainly got away from me. While I should have been posting a blog message for you, I was skyping with a colleague in Hong Kong who I am working with on a cross-institution course via the internet. Anyway - onto our green topic.

So boot socks are in and the way the weather has been they seem to be a necessary accessory. Here's an easy way to get that chunky, funky look and your legs warm at the same time.

Sort through old sweaters in your home. Select one that is 100% wool. If you can't find one, ask around or hit a local thrift shop.

Felt the sweater - this is quite easy to do. Place the sweater inside a white cotton pillow case with a zipper. (I learned this the hard way) Felting without the pillow case can lead to fibers in the washer's motor and a $175 repair fee. That's one expensive pair of boot socks;)

Felting occurs through the agitation of the wool fibers in hot water. I like to let it go for about 5 minutes and check. Then I estimate - 5 more, 3 more, 2 more and so on until the felting has occurred. If you can still see the knitting loops in the sweater you need more time.

Take the sweater out and roll it in a towel to remove most of the moisture. Lay flat to dry. Cut the sleeves off the sweater. Even off the shoulder end. Voila you have a footless boot sock.

Cut slits around the top, feed through a pretty ribbon and tie them under your knee for a gathered look. Cut along the seam and resew to fit your leg for a more fitted look. Run elastic around the top in a fold over band or use garters to hold them up.

Now you've got the rest of that felt. There are so many projects - stuffed creatures, handbags, hats, gewgaws...Get surfing and get going;)

--till next week Restore, Recycle, Refresh & Renew

Ambitiously Green

Now I know you all recycle your magazines and catalogs, but on my trip to Hong Kong I ran into an artist doing it in a really unique way - she's knitting paper! That's right. Movana Chen's first project used fashion magazines and her current project uses books.

I have a long history of knitting many materials - wire, fishing line, trash bags, ribbon, etc. Since I had most recently tried to knit pre-consumer chip wrappers while working on a project with TerraCycle, I was enthralled by Movana's work. Interestingly, I used a similar process to Movana, but I never perfected it like she did.

My Process: 1) I fed the wrappers from their pre-use rolls through a shredder. This didn't work really well since the wrapper is rather thin and the shredder was powerful. I didn't get uniform shred. 2)I tried to melt the ends together with an iron - no go. I tried to find a proper adhesive - no go. I settled on a tried and true method of tying the ends together - worked but created knots and fringes. 3) Even loose tension made the wrapper tear.

Movana's Process: 1)Tape pages into long sheets. 2)Feed multiple sheets through the shredder. 3) Connect the ends with double stick tape. 4) Knit several layers of paper as one thread.

I have lots of magazines to try so I am going to see if I can give it a go. It is the perfect project for our next really Big Snow!

--till next week Restore, Recycle Refresh & Renew-- Happy Holidays

Have a Hand Made Green Holiday

So Black Friday and Cyber Monday have come and gone. You're shopped out. You still don't have all the gifts you need and the funds are getting tight. Not to mention you need a festive wardrobe update for the holiday social rounds.

I've said it before, but I'll say it again. Make It!!!!

Here is a new to me blog that has a wide range of items with easy DIY instructions - P.S. - I made this... Self-proclaimed a movement, P.S. - I made this... describes itself as "a call to action to re-imagine, re-use, and re-invent. I see it. I like it. I make it."

Recent posts feature a variety of fashion(Chunky necklaces, Art deco earrings, etc.) and home accessories (textured pottery) that are on trend and oh so easy to make, many from things you may already have kicking around. Remember what MacGyver could do with a little string, duct tape and chewing gum? Now you won't necessarily escape from the bad guys, but you can have a festive runway inspired hair bow with a trash bag, lace ribbon, gorilla tape and scissors - a quick fix to your personal fashion emergency;)

Now there really are no excuses. See it. Like it? Make it! Give it. Wear it. Use it.

--till next week Restore, Recycle, Refresh & Renew