Blaahg

I am thoroughly creatively blocked this week. I've been wandering around my work space looking at stuff and just feeling antsy. I attempted to make SOMETHING yesterday and it turned into a tote bag that looked like a loaf of bread someone had dropped from the third story. Also, it was beige. Boo.

This happens.

I think part of my brain runs on pictures*, and when I get stuck, looking at cool stuff can be inspiring. So instead of wasting more material on awful projects, I'm looking at things on the internet (Yay Internet!). Category: Green Things You Can Keep in Your House. Go.

1.

Mixed Bag of Three Small Air Plants by ToHold

These air plants are tillandsias and are members of the pineapple family. And also, they are super cool. Air plants collect all the necessary water and nutrients through their leaves instead of their roots. In nature, their roots are used for anchoring purposes, but in your house they can hang out almost anywhere and be totally happy. Mine are perched near the stereo.

2.

Wally One by Wooly Pocket

I love the idea of vertical gardens and someday I will have a living wall. Or maybe a green roof. Or maybe both! Or maybe I should just move to a forest in a much warmer state? Too bad I love Minneapolis so darn much.

3.

Ok, so these are on the internet, but technically I made them. But they fit the category, and I love the photos (taken, obviously, by the mega talent Studio Blue). The pots are great; one of my favorite plants is potted in one in my living room. And sometimes it's good to look at past projects you're actually proud of, and remind yourself that not everything has to end up beige. (Seriously...what was I thinking?)

*The rest of my brain probably runs on music. My smart friend suggested this as a cure: The King of Limbs

Toys...

Remember how I said how much I love Valentines'? I got carried away. I kept the party going basically all weekend. This included class valentine making with the kids, lots of white school glue, an entire bolt of pink tulle, and all of the following things in the shape of hearts: toast, PIZZA (I know!), marshmallow Peeps, and TWO desserts (one so ugly we can't talk about it, and then red velvet whoopie pies that turned out the opposite of ugly).

Why? I mean, I know why, but really? I'm full of sugar sadness today, so let's just look at some pictures of cute things and try not to think about cake. Oh look! This one shows how I feel:



And this one is just cute:

And both of these are available in my Etsy shop.

Grey Squirrel on Etsy

Just listed this guy in my Etsy shop...



Visit the listing for full details.

Eggs!

This is just a small digression so I can show you what I'm excited about this week:


Those are eggs and my chickens laid them. Aren't they beautiful?

If you didn't know, we keep chickens in our backyard. It started as kind of an experiment several years ago, and now the hens are as much pets as they are egg-providers. (We only eat the eggs, as they--unlike the chickens--do not have names.)

Keeping chickens isn't cheaper than buying grocery store eggs, but it's a lot more entertaining. And the to-your-plate distance doesn't get much shorter than your own backyard.

But the real beauty of these eggs is the meaning they carry: longer days, MORE SUN. Chickens only lay eggs when they're happy and healthy enough, their egg cycle governed by the amount of light in their day. Instead of supplementing with artificial light so they lay year-round, we give our ladies the dark months off. So when the first eggs start appearing in the coop, I get really excited. In part because no grocery store egg can compare to these gems, and in part because I LOVE THE SUN.

This post is dedicated to the birds: Annie, Speedy, Aiysha, Lucky, Ruby, and Weenie.

Sweater Squirrels

In December I made a family of sweater bunnies for a custom order. They were cute. And I loved the project so much, that when a couple of close friends recently welcomed new babies into their respective tribes, I decided to make squirrel versions as older sibling gifts for the girls in each family. I didn't get a chance to photograph the red squirrels, but here is a sampling of the gray squirrel family.




This time, since I had the luxury of knowing the recipient families, I was able to customize the squirrels to individual family members. Like a tiny wool flannel for the squirrel version of a dad who wears the same.

It was this aspect that made the project especially fun, so if you've ever wondered what you'd look like as a squirrel, well, let's talk.


Acorns, in place of the bunnies' carrot, make homes and carrying-cases for the squirrel families. But hands-down, my favorite part about this whole thing: tiny curling squirrel tails.



At the moment these custom creatures are only made to order, but I can't even express how much I love making these. Any inquiries on the orders can be directed to my email: bekah@recyclingisrad.com.

Wristlets on Etsy

Happy February! Once we get to this month, I can imagine March, which is followed by April, when even in Minnesota the snow will start to melt. Grass! I can picture it, the scrubby little light at the end of winter's tunnel. Word on the street is that the groundhog predicts an early spring, and that he's got a 38% accuracy rating. Glorious.

Plus, it's almost Valentines' Day, a holiday I adore for all it's staggering cheesiness. I love cheese! And heart-shaped food. And anything involving glue, (required for the making of valentines...I also love valentines!). It's the perfect holiday, really.

So, I'm excited. Clearly. Though it is highly possible we will get an Armageddon-level crusher of a snow storm next week and my good mood will be spoiled. In the meantime, I posted some new wristlets on Etsy. And here they are!