Re-Bound: Creating Handmade Books from Recycled and Repurposed Materials

I love reading. It is one of my favorite things to do. I especially love reading old weathered books. I don’t know why I prefer them broken in, but it just adds to my reading experience. Lately I have been trying to find books that will teach me what I can use at home to make myself and my home greener. While typing recycled into my search box Re-Bound: Creating Handmade Books from Recycled and Repurposed Materials came up somewhere towards the end of my page. This can take my love of reading even further. This is an excellent way to share your love of reading with others or make the perfect gift for someone even fix a book that may have been damaged.

Description:
Re-Bound is a beautiful book on bookbinding with a fun green twist-all the projects use recycled and upcycled materials. This book shows you how to take everyday materials from around the house, flea markets, thrift stores, and hardware stores and turn them into clever and eye-catching hand-made books.

MATERIALS:
Fibrecraft Foam Sheets
(any colors you want to make your monsters and garden)
Cloth, buttons, any odds and ends you can find to dress up your monsters and garden
Sparkling Glitter Shakers(if you have)
WASHABLE MARKERS
Glue-On Googly Eyes
Recycled Construction Paper
Pipe Cleaners Assorted Colors
Multicolored Poms
Recycled Scissors
Natural Children’s White Glue

DIRECTIONS:

First cut out the shapes for your monsters, flowers, plants and trees. If you have stencils or want to make stencils go ahead! You can use them for future projects. After getting your pieces cut out figure out what pieces you want to glue to which. You can either glue everything on to a paper or box or make everything loose to rearrange over and over again.  Then begin gluing everything together.  You can even tie things together if you have ribbons lying around.  You can sew buttons and other odds and ends to them.  You can use anything you find lying around the house.  You don’t even have to use foam to make your monsters, use news papers or magazines, use cotton balls if you don’t have pom-poms, what ever you want to decorate.  Use your imagination!!!

ECOIST’S NEW OFFICE SET

I am pretty sure I write about Ecoist.comon a regular basis but I can’t help it! They come out with new products all the time. I am having a difficult time keep my collection up to date!! Not only are they currently running an amazing contest where you could win a $500 shopping spree but they have now come designed an eco-friendly office set that I know I must have! Check it out for yourself!

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION:
 This 3 piece set includes 1 pen holder, 1 business card holder and 1 clip holder. Made from recycled Newspaper coated with a natural water-resistant laminate. Handmade by Brazilian Fair Trade Co-Op, tidy your desk and the environment.

Wabisabi Green Eco Art Pillows

I love decorating my new home and as I repeatedly mention I am trying one purchase at a time to “green it up” any way I can. Lately I have been lamenting over the fact that my bedroom isn’t up to par. I have been dreading buying new sheets, blankets and pillows because of the small zoo of animals that think my bedroom is their palace. I decided to get over it and begin the fun of decorating. I wanted to go all out this time and get the little things I never really thought to purchase before. Decorative pillows were high on this list. That is where I found these EcoArt Pillows by Wabisabi Green. Besides being hand printed with water based inks, using sustainably harvested kapok fiber or ecofibers from recycled plastic bottles it is also MADE IN THE USA! I love finding eco-products made right here at home. Not enough products are made in the USA anymore for a number of reasons but when I find them I make sure to keep a list! Check out Wabisabi Green today and see what they have to decorate your home!

Papyrus Lime/Slate EcoArt Pillow
A decorative green throw pillow hand printed with a stunning papyrus design.The modern Papyrus pillow available in a stylish lime/slate color combination provides a cheerful garden accent for your home.This design goes well with many the Branch, Frond and Rosette pillows.

Cover:
Soft organic cotton twill hand printed with environmentally safe water-based inks. The back cover is solid slate.

Insert:
100% hypoallergenic fill in unbleached cotton shell. Choose from luxurious silky organic kapok fiber sustainably harvested from the rain forest or soft and fluffy ecofiber made from recycled plastic bottles rescued from landfills. Designed, hand printed, and fabricated in the USA

Product Care:
Machine wash cold, gentle cycle. Tumble dry low. All pillows are constructed with a hidden zipper for easy removal and cleaning.

Shop The Latest Eco-Fashion Sneakers & Sandals Available Now at SimpleShoes.com

I used to have these sneakers in high school! They were my favorite! The soles of the shoes were speckled with different colors and they were canvas. If I wasn’t wearing my Converse these were it! After a while finding them became extremely difficult. I was beyond disappointed. Then when I started watching Curb Your Enthusiasm I saw Larry David in what looked like my favorite old style! I am not sure if those were the brand of  his sneakers but I am almost positive! Larry David’s now ex-wife is an environmental activist so I was hoping Simple Shoes were back in action, and so they are!!
In my sneaker search I found these comfy slip-ons. They come in a variety of colors and to top it off they are soo very environmentally friendly!

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION:

• Men’s Gumshoe – Organic Cotton.
• Midsoles and arch cookie made of carpet padding for at-home comfort at all times.
• No glue was used in the assembly of this shoe! Thanks to a lot of stitching, it’s made with less than a thimble full of water-based adhesives – most shoes use 2 shot glasses worth of glue.
• The small amount of glue that we do use is water based, not petroleum based.
• Just another way to reduce our dependence on petroleum, and it also means no nasty smelling glue for the people who put your shoes together.
• Partially recycled shoe – the bottom of this shoe is made from a recycled car tire blended with natural rubber.
• The foot form inserts are made of post consumer recycled paper
• Shoebox made of post-consumer recycled paper, soy based printing ink, natural latex and starch based glue.
• Part of the Green Toe™ collection.

Too Little Trees: Confetti Collection Little Jots Cupcake

Since July is my birthday month, and yes I celebrate all month, I was searching for cupcake themed party things and saw this extremely cute stationary set! This set is printed on recycled paper and for every item you buy from Too Little Trees they plant a tree! That is reason enough to buy all the items they sell.

Product Description
Confetti Collection Little Jots Cupcake; Buy a book… we will plant a tree. It really is that simple. And it is true for more than just books. In fact, we are planting a tree for every single Too Little Trees product sold. So pick up a notepad, or a journal, or some notepaper, or an organizer, or any one of our other Too Little Trees environmentally friendly paper products. We’ll be planting a tree every time you do.

 
The 4th of July is almost here! Celebrate it with some homemade noise makers! You can make your own 4th of July Maraca’s from thing that are around your house!

MATERIALS:

• at least 2 plastic bottles (water, juice, yogurt etc.)

• Gorilla Glue

• Kids Classic Recycled Scissors

• rubber bands

• Biodegradable Water Balloons

• rice uncooked or dried beans or even dry lentils

• something to use as a handle (straw, popsicle stick, old pen or pencil)

•decorative elements such as beads, stickers, markers, buttons, glitter, paint or anything lying around the house like broken jewelry or hair accessories.

STEPS TO FOLLOW:

• Make a hole at the bottom of the bottle, using the scissors or a knife (this is a job for the adults).

• Pour glue on the hole.

• Put the handle in the hole. Give it a moment to make sure the handle stays put.

• Fill up the bottles half way with the rice, beans or lentils.

• Cover the top of the container with the balloon.

• Use the rubber bands to to tie the bottom of the balloon to the handle of the maraca.

• Get to decorating! Make them as fun as you want! Use anything you find from around the house. You can even use things you find outside like leaves, sticks, acorn shells!

• Let them dry so none of the decorations fall off or get smudged.

• After they have dried, PLAY WITH THEM!

We all know Father’s Day is almost here so if you are a little late on the gift purchases, I have found something your dad will love and so will the environment. The ECOnscious Three Pocket Apronis a great gift idea if you have a father that likes to BBQ over the summer or likes to make his own concoctions in the kitchen. The reason I really love this apron isn’t only because it’s made of 55% organic cotton 45% recycled polyester but because you can completely personalize it yourself! Embroider it, glue odd’s and end’s to it or even use paint/markers to make it even more special to Dad on his special day! Your dad will love a custom present from his children! You can even make one for grandpa! Out line your hand print and color it in! Use your imagination! Go Wild! Dad deserves it!

I love to decorate my desk with many a colorful item. I try to be as mindful as possible with what I purchase to brighten up my desk. I want my desk to reflect my personality. I prefer all my paper products to be recycled. I try to search out and buy recycled, recyclable or reused clips, bands, pens etc. Sometimes though some recycled items are a bit boring to look at. This isn’t as true now as it used to be which makes it a bit more appealing for people who otherwise wouldn’t care about recycled products. I found this cute little note pad that is great for a gift for a co-worker, teacher or even someone going to their first job. This Hearts Note Cube super cute and very colorful which are two of my favorite things!

Product Description:
Bring some color into your office with this self-stick note cube full of colorful hearts. Serves as a gift for friends or teachers that will brighten up any office space. The 4-color process image is superior to similar cubes with silk-screened graphics. The design is repeated on each of the four panels of the cube. The decorative top sheet provides an attractive presentation for gifts, and tears off to reveal the blank pages of the notecube. A pre-drilled pen hole in the corner keeps a pen handy. This may be multi-colored, but it is also green: printed on FSC-certified, 100% recycled post-consumer fiber. The Hearts memo cube makes a thoughtful gift on many levels, but most of all, this useful 700-page note cube lasts a great deal longer than a box of chocolates!

It has been a while since I have posted any items Made in the USA. I decided to go on the hunt! I am always looking for furniture that is sustainable which is how I happened across this little beauty!
Oompa’s side board storage unit is perfect for children or college students. It is easy to assemble and
Description:
Assembles in seconds with Ecotot’s patented, no-tools assembly method. Ideal for bedrooms, playrooms, or living rooms. Available in an assortment of colors; seen here in fiery red.
Attributes:
100% FSC Wood Rainforest Alliance Certified
100% formaldehyde-free birch plywood SmartWood
Eco-friendly, non-toxic, water-based stains
UV cured finishes minimize greenhouse gases
No tools or hardware required
All materials sourced in North America
Wholly designed and manufactured in USA
Ecotots is a Member of the SFC (Sustainable Furniture Council)
W 39 x D 23 x H 22.5 in.