Modish: the blog

Eco-Friendly Find: Fanisong Jewelry

I was thrilled to find this email awaiting me one morning last week, introducing me to Fanisong Jewelry's new eco-friendly line- my eco-find day couldn't come soon enough!  The jewelry is just gorgeous and features original nature photographs under glass- but what's so eco conscious about that?  All the pendants are made from 100% recycled glass!  Pretty cool, huh? 

You can find the whole recycled glass series right here- there's lots of inspiring, colorful images to choose from and you can also pick your own ribbon color for added personalization.  Thanks, Fanisong, for your nature inspired and nature friendly necklaces!

Eco-Friendly Find: rikrak

Today's eco-friendly find is colorful and cheerful, creating lovely wallets, business card holders, fabric wraps, iron ons, coasters, bibs, scarves and more (more? yes, more!) all from repurposed vintage fabrics- they're eco-friendly and cool and a lot of the designs are customizable.  What is this wonderful place, you ask?  It's rikrak!  Check it out!

Eco-Friendly Find: Pouch

Today's eco-friendly find is a little shop called Pouch, hailing all the way across the pond from Bristol, UK.  The entire shop is filled with handmade bags, belts, stuffed owls and much more all made from vintage and re-purposed fabric.  They're fun, fresh and affordable in colorful designs and recycled from found materials- they're eco-rific!

From garbage to gorgeous!

Well, let's just continue with the eco-friendly trend all week long as I introduce you to Garbage of Eden Design, creator of accessories made from up-cycled plastic- her pieces make use of the garbage that we would otherwise throw away everyday like plastic newspaper and grocery bags- sweet! 

The results are fresh and exciting, in bright bold colors that are fun for the spring in an eco-friendly wrapper that's fun for everyday of year!  Check out more designs in the Garbage of Eden shop, and check out their featured artist on etsy interview this week to learn more!

Eco-Friendly Find: Re:made

Continuing with our weekly eco-friendly finds (which I try to post every Wednesday, just fyi), I discovered this new artist on today's front page on etsy- Re:made.  They make old things new again crafting skirts, dresses and tote bags out of pretty floral pillow cases, and making cute leather bracelets from old belts.

Everything they create is made from something else, reusing and recycling with vigor to bring new things into the world without using up anymore of earth's resources.  Re-make yourself over with a pretty new diddy from Re:made, and keep your fashion eco-friendly!

Earth Day Jewels!

I'm pleased to announce that one of my faaaavorite jewelry artists, pequitobun, finally has their own dot com, officially launching today!  It was designed by Aeolidia, who also made my beautiful shoppe site, and looks wonderful!  On the site you'll find stunning, unique jewelry that is not only pretty, but earth-friendly too with many pieces utilizing vintage elements, reclaimed from lost and forgotten jewelry, combined with new gemstones and pieces to give them a revamped, modern style.  Below you'll find some of my favorite revamped vintage pieces from the site, but be sure to check lots more out at pequitobun.com!

Earth Day Totes!

Happy Earth Day everyone!  It seems everyday should be "earth day" really but it's still nice to have a recognized day that brings focus back to the environment and offers advice to people on how they can make little changes in their everydays to be more eco-conscious. One of the simplest and easiest changes you can make to be greener in your daily life is to forget those paper and plastic grocery bags, and instead, bring your own shopping totes.  And what's even better than a fashionably funky reusable bag?  A reusable bag that was made from recycled/sustainable materials, that's what!  So, here are 9 lovely choices for you to consider toting around with you, all made from recycled or organic materials (there's a few sale items included too!)

1. Plastic Blows tote by Black Sheep Heap- 100% recycled cotton- $15
2. Hand painted canvas totes by Bonna Bag- 80% recycled cotton, 20% recycled plastic bottles- $25-45
3. Bicycle tote bag by Rock Paper Scissors- organic cotton- on sale for $21.75, today only!
4. Recycled army bag by Katrina Kaye- recycled tote with vintage fabric- $38
5. Felt tote bag at Zanisa- recycled wool felt- $95
6. Recycled sail tote by Reiter8- recycled sailboat sail- $75
7. Reversible daisy market tote by Pouch- reclaimed vintage and new fabric- on sale for $36, today only!
8. Reversible Doppio bag by Diengie- recycled burlap coffee bean bag- $60
9. Fairgrounds market bag by Tree of Life|Style- salvaged vintage fabric- $25

Meet Bob

My friends, let me introduce you to Bob.  Bob is 90 years old and incredibly talented- he's been making one-of-a-kind rings since 1937 (which is about the time you can see him in the photo below) out of antique celluloid he gets from combs, piano keys, toothbrush handles, hand mirrors, etc.  The results are awesome and inspiring and can surely only come from someone with over 70 years experience in making them!

Each ring is entirely unique, assembled from 20-150 different pieces, and just too cool for words!  Geometric and funky with vintage styling, one of these would be well worth the $70-90 price tag as each one is painstakingly made be hand, without a mold or melting of any sort, and takes about a day to make.  Head over to his friend Constance's website to see all the rings he has for sale, and thank you so much Constance, for introducing us to Bob!

Eco-Friendly Find: Bombus

It can definitely be argued that people have lost some sort of personal connection by corresponding simply through email and text messages, having entire conversations in abbreviated text speak (which, as a writer, I absolutely H8! :) but not only is it more convenient, it's actually more eco-friendly (potential brain tumors not withstanding) to write an email or send a text than to send some paper through the mail.  But alas, Bombus is here to help us get back to the wonders of the written word and old school correspondence with their notecards and envelopes made from recycled books, atlases, maps and more:

They also create gift items like the paperweight cubes and plates you see above, all decoupaged with re-used images, stamps, and other recycled items.  Find more fun stuff at Bombus and start writing in full sentences again!

Learn your etiquette well

Five and Half, creator of some of the best eco-friendly journals around (filled with sustainable sugarcane and recycled paper) has a cute new set of skinny "exercise books" called the Science of Culture set.  Created with vintage imagery and sage quotes from the Science of Culture, an etiquette handbook from 1923, you can fool your friends into thinking you really do have manners!

You get the set of three, each filled with 25 pages of sugarcane paper, that you can use to expand upon the cover ideas of why "there is danger in the emotions aroused by music" or make some bullet points on how to "discuss the theatre intelligently" (or you can just hide all your dirty little secrets in them.)  Find them only at Five and a Half! 

Eco-Friendly Find: Hassenpfeffer Inc.

Kid's aren't the only ones who need something soft and cuddly to squeeze every now and then- here are some "grown up" toys for big kids who like a little softness around to brighten their day:

Not only are these cuddlies as cute as can be, they're also made from high quality vintage materials, recycling cast off clothing into treasures that will keep you company for years and years to come.  Find them (along with more friends!) at Hassenpfeffer Inc!  Schlemiel!

Eco-Friendly Find: Yellow Owl Workshop

I am loving these card designs by Yellow Owl Workshop!  Not only are they hip and fun, they're hand screen-printed on 100% recycled paper (that comes from a hydroelectric powered mill) with non-toxic, water based ink, and even the envelopes are 100% recycled! 

That's a big step when it comes to eco-friendly correspondence and it'll let you keep in touch the old-fashion way, and still remain tree free!  Find more cards, prints and recycled journals at Yellow Owl Workshop!

Eco-Friendly Find: Nightjar Books

I'm kind of a journal collector- I have so many that have been written on for the first, oh maybe 20? pages and then I get a new journal that I'm excited to start writing in or I just get too busy to write anymore- still, it's fun to look back and see what was on my mind during those little stages of life- the times that compelled me to write it out and hash out situations.  I think it's time I start journaling again, and with these beautiful blank books by Nightjar, it seems my half-filled journal collection is about to get even larger.

They're each made from re-claimed/vintage covers or recycled kraft covers and filled with heavy-stock recycled paper, perfect for drawing, doodling, writing and re-discovering after many years.  Find them over at Nightjar Books!

Eco-Friendly Find: Orangyporangy

Orangyporangy isn't a delicious kool-aid flavor from the 70's, no, it's better!  It's a line of clothing and handbags, much of which is made from re-purposed fabric from the 70's, 60's & 50's- it's recycling at its best, and that tastes even better than kool-aid!

What you see here are shoulder bags, clutches and pouches made from vintage textiles like old curtains, tablecloths and sheets given a modern and utilitarian twist.  There's also beautiful skirts in the vintage remix line that combine vintage fabrics with new ones for a pretty layered look, and simple a-line skirts made entirely from funky vintage polyester fabrics.  Fashionable and earth friendly, drink up some orangyporangy today!

Eco-Friendly Find: Funk Divine

Finding cute clothes can be hard enough, but cute clothes that are eco-friendly too?  Well, that's just impossible, right?  Well, not with Funk Divine!  Bringing you city friendly, casual clothing out of San Francisco with a little bit of hip-hop edge, Funk Divine clothing is made primarily from hemp, a sustainable, durable natural resource that is very low polluting, can be grown organically and leaves little impact on the earth.

As you can see, this hemp clothing isn't the typical "hippie" style stuff you might expect- it's fitted and stylish, screen-printed with beautiful scarab/Egyptian themed graphics.  You can see the full line, including styles on natural colored garments, in the Funk Divine shop, and learn more about hemp and why it's eco-friendly on their website.

Eco-Friendly Find: prix-prix

Style, utility and earth-friendliness all come together so nicely when left to the hands of prix-prix.  The prix-prix label is home to wallets and business card cases made from vintage neckties that have seen better days, giving them new life to enjoy. 

They also create lovely hand block-printed notebooks, using the underside of cereal boxes as the covers, and filling them with 100% post consumer recycled paper.


The results are unique and stylish and a great example of how you can "up-cycle" everyday things that may be in your closet, or in your cupboards, into useful creations.  Find many more designs at prix-prix!

Eco-Friendly Find: Ruby Pearl

Miss Ruby Pearl was a gun totin', hog riding, sailor talkin' grandma that inspired her granddaughter, Sunny Haralson, to create a line of clothing that embraces women of all shapes, with sizes that range from 2 to 22, and encourages them to dress with individuality.  Each dress she creates is one-of-a-kind and made from vintage slips that she either finds at thrift/antique stores or that people send to her in droves.  She then embellishes those slips with layers of lace and fabrics from vintage scarves and kimonos, re-using and recycling clothing from the ages, incorporating the stories of many women into unique new pieces.

Find more from the Ruby Pearl line in their etsy shop, including really cute little girl dresses, and see a little behind the scenes action of the artist who creates them in this video, here.

Eco-Friendly Find: Broken Plate Pendant Co

I've long since known about the Broken Plate Pendant Company but I just realized that having known about them for so long, I may have ignored writing about them here...for shame!  So to make sure you've been introduced, the Broken Plate Pendant Company gives new life to old dinnerware, smashing up vintage plates and creating necklaces, brooches, rings and other jewelry items from them.  It's an awesome way to recycle old, unused plates that would otherwise collect dust, and so far, I haven't seen anything else like them (thank goodness!)

This is just a little sampling of some of the awesome patterns and prints you can find at the Broken Plate- visit their shop for the full line and go green with your jewelry!

Eco-Friendly Find: PICA PICA

I first discovered PICA PICA when I saw one of their recycled vases on the etsy front page and thought, wow, that's my next eco-friendly find!  Little did I know then that when I clicked into the PICA PICA shop I'd find not only those beautiful vases made from recycled magazine pages, but also wonderful bowls made from the pulp of recycled waste papers and covered with old maps, jewelry featuring old stamps and library cards, even beautiful art pieces created from vintage curiosities.  PICA PICA, you are eco eco!  Hurrah!

Eco-Friendly Find: Cubist Literature

We all know that shopping at thrift stores is one of the best (or at least, most fun) ways to recycle, but Cubist Literature has taken thrift store finds to the next level by shaking things up- he repurposes found items, like turning a sweater into a set of scarves, and adds felt appliqués onto others, giving old things a new life and some c.lit style spunk.

Cheers to c.lit for not only recycling clothing, but making that clothing truly reflect his own style by dismantling, reconfiguring, and adding- it should give you inspiration for the things you find while shopping that are close but not exactly what you're looking for...remember, you can make them what you want them to be!  And extra cheers for the heart appliqués- we can all use a little more love in our lives.  Find more shaken up, recycled goods along with art and other handmade creations at Cubist Literature.

Eco-Friendly Find: Cakehouse

I love to find goods that are handmade using vintage materials- creating something new from something old is good for the earth and also good for the psyche!  If you've ever felt attached to an old pair of sheets, are hanging on to an unmatched pillowcase from your childhood, or even have a favorite skirt that you just can't fit into anymore, well, now you can have them transformed into fun cloth napkins that you can use and re-use over and over again.

These adorable napkins are made by Cakehouse, re-fashioned from second-hand sheets, pillowcases, bedspreads and more and hand-printed with cute critters using water-based inks.  Custom orders are welcome so you can give your own fabric finds new life and dress your table in style.  These are not only helping the earth by turning "trash into treasure"; if you replace your paper napkins with these, you'll be saving trees while you eat!

Eco-Friendly Find: Cotton Bird Designs

Creating something new from something old provides an end product that is usually one-of-a-kind, always unique and earth friendly too!  That's why I love these hand-stitched paper birdies from Cotton Bird Designs, made from old maps and sewing patterns, vintage images and illustrations, old newspapers, playing cards and more...

A great way to recycle old/unused/scrap papers is to make art from them, and that's just what these birdies are!  They'll keep your books company on a shelf, watch over your computer on a desk- wherever you see fit to place them, they'll be right at home and a little reminder for you to keep thinking of innovative ways to recycle.

Eco-Friendly Find: b green design

Yay, the first eco-friendly find of the new year!  I hope to make these a weekly thing so that we'll build up a wealth of places to shop handmade and shop green at the same time by the end of the year. 

This week's pick is yet another company that I discovered via Poppytalk Handmade, called b green design! 
They're a design collective who "create products based on what they give back, not what they take."  A good ethos with good products to boot!  Their first initiative is to give back to the same great organization that the last eco-friendly find did, Trees for the Future.  You buy one of their plywood art pieces, baby tees or handy totes, and 50 trees will be planted in Honduras helping to re-build our forests.  Talk about tree inspired design!  Check out the b green site for more info about them and to keep up with this and their future initiatives.

Eco-Friendly Find: Nugaard Designs

Sooo, one of my new ideas for the upcoming new year is to discontinue my "site of the week" feature (which I haven't been doing lately anyway since we've been in gift guide land) and instead, replace it with an eco-friendly find each week, highlighting handmade items that are both stylish and good for the earth!  Instead of waiting for January, I figured it'd be nice to just start it now, so without further ado, I introduce my first Eco Friendly Find, Nugaard Designs!

The Nugaard Designs Leaf Collection is truly eco-chic!  Using actual naturally fallen leaves dipped in either sterling silver or 18k gold, you can take a piece of nature with you where ever you go and make a style conscious statement. 

The truly earth friendly part of buying a piece of this collection though is knowing that with your purchase, a tree will be planted!  Joining forces with Trees for the Future, by buying a lovely pair of earrings or a necklace, you will also be planting a tree somewhere in the world, aiding in the effort to combat our rampant deforestation- talk about a bonus!  Find the Nugaard Designs Leaf Collection at Three Lovelies and learn more about Trees for the Future while you're surfing along.

Handmade Gift Guide: Eco-friendly gifts

When it comes to shopping, there really is no better pairing than something that's both handmade and eco-friendly, in my book.  It seems to me that the people who are conscious enough to seek out specifically handmade goods are the same people that seek out items that are good to the earth.  It is impossible not to take part in our consumer society without running to the hills to become a hermit, so I advocate, consume!  But consume consciously, moderately, and consider the effect that the items you're purchasing will have on the people who created them and on the world around us.  So, for anyone and everyone on your list, here are some gifts that are good to both their loving creators and our earth.  (You can also find lots more eco-gift ideas along with discounts in the modish gift guide!)

{Handmade organic fair-trade cotton shopping bags- big red bow at Keep Calm Gallery :: bag and tees at Be Green Shop Green}

{Handmade postcards made with vintage wallpapers and fabrics, by Present & Correct}

{bomber jacket and smooth jazz dress made from reclaimed thrift store clothing and dead stock fabric, by Ruffeo Hearts Lil' Snotty}

{cute wallets/coin purses made from salvaged vinyl banners, by bird vs. bird}

{keychains and jewelry made entirely from discarded and recycled elements, by Mollie Dash at Modishoppe}

{notecard sets made from vintage atlas world maps, tied with a vintage button, by Bombus}

{cozy wristwarmers made from re-claimed sweaters and embellished, by coo-koo-ri-ko}

{wonderful stuffed creatures made entirely from thrifted and recycled fabrics, by Lizette Greco}

{one of a kind ceramic planters with succulent gardens, by Greenware Design}

{retro camera robot sculptures by Cat Bishop}

{Ooh-la-la-lavender sachets made from vintage hankies, by BananaSaurus Rex}