December 27, 2011

Winners of Our Countdown to Christmas!

We had a fantastic number of entries for all 5 of our Countdown to Christmas Giveaway Extravaganzas! Thank you to all of our fans and sponsors for your support and we hope you had a wonderful Christmas!

Here are the lucky winners!

Day 1: Paper Jam's Giveaway~ Congrats to #29! All Wired Up Too!


Day 2: Twitch and Whiskers~ Congrats to #14! Natcs!


Day 3: The Wooden Bee~ Congrats to #23! AIK!


Day 4: Mello Stuff~ Congrats to #2! Sarah!


Day 5: Collagical~ Congrats to #15! France Irish! 


Thank you so much again to all of our generous and holiday-spirited sponsors! We're so happy you Love 2 Upcycle! 


We hope all of you have a fantastic New Year!




Would you like to Sponsor a Giveaway on Love 2 Upcycle? You don't have to be a member of Upcyclers to be a sponsor, all Etsy sellers of upcycled or eco-friendly products are welcome! But of course, we'd love for you to join the team!

December 26, 2011

Sustainable Contributions

Every Sunday we feature a few upcycled shops that stand out for their commitment to upcycling. 

We have been busy posting giveaways and celebrating the holidays so our Sustainable Sundays feature has been missing and will be back after the first of the year.

Until then, here are some amazing shops that have given back to our handmade, upcycled community!

'Upcycled Contributions' by thewoodenbee

Upcyclers featured for their team contributions. Search for more upcycled creations with our team tag: teamupcyclers

Hand-wired Soda Tab Earrings...
$12.00
recycled wood fleur de lis
$6.00
vintage sewing buttons Stamp...
$4.95
Peace Sign Mosaic Vintage Re...
$70.75
serpentine jade and copper p...
$40.00
Recycled Wrapping Paper Flow...
$12.00
Air Plant on Birch, elegant ...
$35.00
Alphabet Photography Black a...
$45.00
Sea glass earrings - Olive b...
$20.00
Button Earrings Reclaimed Wo...
$5.50
T Shirt Necklace / Black / L...
$10.00
Pressed Herbs- Peppermint (1...
$15.00
Nemadji Pottery - Beautiful ...
$20.00
Whale, Upcycled
$20.00
Cottage Picture Frame - Rust...
$16.00
recycled XL wine bottle cani...
$52.00

I look forward to upcycling with you all in 2012.
Thanks and Happy New Year,
Bee

December 20, 2011

Countdown to Christmas Giveaway Extraganza~ Final Day!!

This is it! Our 5th Giveaway starts now and will end at Midnight on Christmas Eve~ also ending our Countdown to Christmas! And this time I'm sponsoring the giveaway from my shop~ Collagical!

I thought since many of you have probably been shopping 'til you drop, this backpack charm would be perfect!


This charm jangle is all about the BLING! Shop til you drop with your upcycled Visa charm and bring Fifi along too, don't worry she's tagged with love...the shoes, the bag, a Cosmo and some nice big shiny 'rocks' and you've got the look! Clip this jumbo lobster clasp to your favorite designer bag or a fab hobo- anywhere you want...every charm is on its own individual small lobster clasp so you can rearrange the charms any way you like, and there's room for more of your faves!

I guess I should also tell you a little about me, too!  Although I was born in the big Apple and started out living up north, Florida is my heart and home...my three daughters are "GRITS" (girls raised in the South!) and since I was sweet sixteen in '76, so am I! Now I have three granddaughters, also GRITS, and 4 little grandsons, who I guess you could call GRITS, too, just change it to guys, right?

I have always believed in upcycling, recycling, repurposing and I hate throwing anything away. Maybe it has something to do with being born in the Year of the Rat~ "pack"-rat that I am! But I love my studio full of whimsical vintage and recycled materials of every media and material imaginable! In there, I can let my creativity flow and the ideas take form. Many of the items in my shop are upcycled or preloved vintage treasures waiting to be reloved.





 

I started our Etsy team of Upcyclers to establish a virtual community of like-minded artists and vendors who Love 2 Upcycle, and have been blown away by how many have joined and share their ideas and passion for the movement with us! And a movement it is, not a trend~ and a necessity if we are to conserve the precious raw materials and resources on our planet.

So there you have it, I've tooted my horn enough, now let's get on to entering the Giveaway!

First, be sure you are a follower of this blog, Love 2 Upcycle~ not a follower? Just look to the left and click. Voila! You are a follower. But you haven't entered yet.

Now, you can choose 4 of the following ways to enter, up to 4 times!
1. Check out Collagical, favorite my shop and add me to your circle.  Then tell us here in a comment about your Favorite item in Collagical

2. Become a follower of my blog~ Collagical!
3. Become a fan of Collagical on Facebook!
4. Tweet or share this Giveaway!
5. Pin one your favorite items from Collagical to Pinterest!
 

Remember, only 4 entries count, and each one must be left in a separate comment! If you don't have an email listed on your bio, leave it here in one of your comments. Deadline to enter is Midnight, December 24th, Christmas Eve!

Winner will be randomly drawn using Random.org's generator.

Good Luck and Merry Christmas!
Would you like to Sponsor a Giveaway on Love 2 Upcycle? You don't have to be a member of Upcyclers to be a sponsor, all Etsy sellers of upcycled or eco-friendly products are welcome! But of course, we'd love for you to join the team!

December 19, 2011

Countdown to Christmas Giveaway Extraganza~ Day 4!

Are you ready for Christmas? We're counting down the days and hope you'll take a little break and enter our 4th Giveaway, this one is from Mello Stuff~ owned by a pair of creative sisters one of whom you should recognize~ Mel.

Mel is one of the leaders of Upcyclers, and, in fact, she's also one of our charter members. I am also proud to say that I can now call her my friend, whose encouragement and support for myself and our team has been a constant source of strength for me. Her kindness and willingness to reach out to our members and to myself is what she sometimes forgets is critical to our success, and occasionally disparages herself for being "low-tech". I have reminded her and many other members that being tech savvy is not the most important part of what we do. It is the creative upcycling process and the opportunity to bond with like-minded artists/upcyclers that is valued most in our team. That is why we are such a wonderfully diverse Etsy team~ each with our own strengths, talents and purposeful goals. And it is during the holiday season that we should take time to remember those that we love and appreciate the most~ not just by giving material gifts, but also by giving heartfelt thanks!

So THANK YOU, MEL! And thank you for generously sponsoring Day 4 of our Countdown to Christmas Giveaway Extravaganza!

Melissa and Lori {Mel ~ Lo Stuff} upcycle broken jewelry into amazing new wearable art that makes a bold and innovative fashion statement. Popular and imaginative steampunk style and altered art techniques are incorporated into their unique, one-of-a-kind jewelry. Necklaces, bracelets, rings, brooches and barefoot sandals can be found in their Etsy shop.

Such is the piece you have a chance to win now! A tiny butterfly earring that lost it's mate has found a new home among watch parts, silver chain, polymer clay, and acrylic paint assembled on an adjustable silver ring.





Mel and Lori are the perfect compliment to one another~ Mel designs and hand-assembles their jewelry using every imaginable implement, including hard to find gemstones and vintage watch parts. Lori is "quality-control central", keeping Mel organized and listing the artful, upcycled creations online in their Etsy shop. Together they have successfully developed a niche for themselves on one of the world's most popular handmade venues!









So by now, I'm sure you are convinced that Mello Stuff is the source for wearable art! If you'd like to take advantage of this opportunity to win their tiny butterfly steampunk ring, now is your chance!

First, be sure you are a follower of this blog, Love 2 Upcycle~ not a follower? Just look to the left and click. Voila! You are a follower. But you haven't entered yet.

Now, you can choose 4 of the following ways to enter, up to 4 times!


1. Check out Mello Stuff
favorite her shop add Mello Stuff to your circle.
2. Tell us here in a comment about your Favorite item in her shop
3. Become a fan of MelloStuff on Facebook!
4. Tweet or share this Giveaway!
5. Pin one your favorite items from Mello Stuff to Pinterest!

Remember, only 4 entries count, and each one must be left in a
separate comment! If you don't have an email listed on your bio, leave it here in one of your comments. Deadline to enter is Midnight, December 23rd!

Winner will be randomly drawn using Random.org's generator.
Good Luck and Merry Christmas!

Would you like to Sponsor a Giveaway on Love 2 Upcycle? You don't have to be a member of Upcyclers to be a sponsor, all Etsy sellers of upcycled or eco-friendly products are welcome! But of course, we'd love for you to join the team!

December 18, 2011

Countdown to Christmas Giveaway Extravaganza~ Day 3!

You still have time to enter our first two Countdown to Christmas Giveaways~ and now you have another chance to enter and win our prize for Day 3!

Since today is usually Sustainable Sundays and Bee from The Wooden Bee so kindly features our members, we will be featuring her instead! And she is generously offering a set of her DIY wine cork coasters kits! I was lucky enough to win a set on her blog, and I loved them. They are easy to put together in their well-crafted wooden frames and a wonderful way to reuse wine corks!


Bee and her husband hated to see the waste of precious scraps of beautiful wood from maple, cherry and other species and decided to do something about it~ they partnered with a cabinet company and began upcycling these scraps into beautiful one-of-a-kind, handmade creations for your home. The Wooden Bee set up shop on Etsy, the perfect venue for artfully made goods, and have been successfully selling their wooden decor and wine cork kits for over a year now!


Upcyclers, our Etsy team whose members Love 2 Upcycle, are proud to have Bee as one of our leaders and value her efforts to further the upcycling movement. Her articles on "Greener Shopping" are packed with valuable and well researched information for every consumer. She also posts upcycled tutorials and, as mentioned earlier, her weekly series, Sustainable Sundays, which have become one of our most popular features. Her constant guidance and support on our Etsy discussion threads are a source of encouragement for everyone!

The Wooden Bee has several creations made especially for the holidays and others that reflect their love for family and the home! Here's a little peek~ be sure to check out their other products too!






It's simple to enter our Giveaways and you can enter each one if you'd like!

First, be sure you are a follower of this blog, Love 2 Upcycle~ not a follower? Just look to the left and click. Voila! You are a follower. But you haven't entered yet.

Now, you can choose 4 of the following ways to enter, up to 4 times!

1. Check out The Wooden Bee favorite her shop and add them to your circle.
Then tell us here in a comment about your Favorite item in her shop!
2. Follow Bee's blog: The Wooden Bee
3. Become a fan of The Wooden Bee on Facebook!
4. Tweet or share this Giveaway!
5. Pin one your favorite items from The Wooden Bee to Pinterest!

Remember, only 4 entries count, and each one must be left in a separate comment! If you don't have an email listed on your bio, leave it here in one of your comments. Deadline to enter is Midnight, December 22nd!

Winner will be randomly drawn using Random.org's generator.

Good Luck and Merry Christmas!

Would you like to Sponsor a Giveaway on Love 2 Upcycle? You don't have to be a member of Upcyclers to be a sponsor, all Etsy sellers of upcycled or eco-friendly products are welcome! But of course, we'd love for you to join the team!

December 17, 2011

Countdown to Christmas Giveaway Extraganza~ Day 2!

Today's Giveaway features an upcycled "REcap" bracelet from Twitch and Whiskers!




And yes, those are marker caps! Pretty amazing, huh? But that's the wonder of upcycling and the way Mei-Ling's imagination works! She takes common tossables and trinkets and turns them into upcycled jewelry...She loves giving new life to old objects with a twist of whimsy! Mei-Ling is an elementary school teacher and jewelry designer with a passion for hunting and gathering treasures. After years of collecting, she claims a "light bulb flashed on and she found a fun use for all her goodies!"

Her Etsy shop, Twitch and Whiskers, is full of one of a kind, handmade creations designed with color and reuse in mind. She features her "REcap bracelets", "Thimbilism necklaces" and many other designs.









The variety of jewelry you'll find in Twitch and Whiskers is fantastic and Mei-Ling loves to share her creative process on her blog of the same name~ Twitch and Whiskers, and her REcap bracelets have also been featured on Earth 911!

And now you can enter today for a chance to win one of her upcycled, whimsical REcap bracelets!

First, be sure you are a follower of this blog, Love 2 Upcycle~ not a follower? Just look to the left and click. Voila! You are a follower. But you haven't entered yet.

Now, you can choose 4 of the following ways to enter, up to 4 times!

1. Check out Twitch and Whiskers favorite her shop and add them to your circle.
Then tell us here in a comment about your Favorite item in her shop!

2. Follow Mei-Ling's blog: Twitch and Whiskers!
3. Become a fan of Twitch and Whiskers on Facebook!
4. Tweet or share this Giveaway!

5. Pin one your favorite items from Twitch and Whiskers to Pinterest!

Remember, only 4 entries count, and each one must be left in a separate comment! If you don't have an email listed on your bio, leave it here in one of your comments. Deadline to enter is Midnight, December 21st!

Winner will be randomly drawn using Random.org's generator.
Good Luck and Merry Christmas!

Would you like to Sponsor a Giveaway on Love 2 Upcycle? You don't have to be a member of Upcyclers to be a sponsor, all Etsy sellers of upcycled or eco-friendly products are welcome! But of course, we'd love for you to join the team!

December 16, 2011

Countdown to Christmas Giveaway Extravaganza!

Upcyclers wants everyone to have a fantastic holiday season~ and we wish we could give all of our followers and fans upcycled gifts this year! Unfortunately, we'll have to rely on Santa for that!
But, what we can do is offer several giveaways this week during our Countdown to Christmas Giveaway Extravaganza! Each sponsor will be featured throughout this coming week before Christmas with a fantastic gift for each lucky winner~ And today will be the first!

The rush is on to wrap all those wonderful gifts before Christmas! The Wooden Bee offered some fantastic green solutions that might help: Upcycled Gift Bows & Tags & Upcycled Gift Wrap Ideas!  Our first sponsor also has the perfect solution~ Jacqueline from Paper Jam on Etsy is giving away a set of 8 Teabag fold Gift Tags or Ornaments!


Jacqueline has loved crafting since she was a child and some of her fondest memories are of spending snow days with her mother and little brother crafting. An avid recycler, she started searching for a way to step UP her efforts, which lead to her becoming an UPcycler! She created these intricate origami creations from JUNK MAIL~ What a fantastic use for something so useless! Wouldn't we all like to get rid of our junk mail!

Now she has expanded her materials to include old magazines, books and gift wrap as well, creating paper hearts and roses and even Kusudama flowers!




If you'd like a chance to win her set of 8 Upcycled Teabag Folded Origami Gift Tags now is your opportunity to enter!



First, be sure you are a follower of this blog, Love 2 Upcycle~ not a follower? Just look to the left and click. Voila! You are a follower. But you haven't entered yet.

Now, you can choose 4 of the following ways to enter, up to 4 times!

1. Check out Paper Jam on Etsy favorite her shop and add them to your circle.

2. Tell us here in a comment about your Favorite item in her shop!

3. Become a fan of Paper Jam on Facebook!

4. Tweet or share this Giveaway!
5. Pin one your favorite items from Paper Jam to Pinterest!

Remember, only 4 entries count, and each one must be left in a separate comment! If you don't have an email listed on your bio, leave it here in one of your comments. Deadline to enter is Midnight, December 20th!

Winner will be randomly drawn using Random.org's generator.
Good Luck and Merry Christmas!

Would you like to Sponsor a Giveaway on Love 2 Upcycle? You don't have to be a member of Upcyclers to be a sponsor, all Etsy sellers of upcycled or eco-friendly products are welcome! But of course, we'd love for you to join the team!

December 11, 2011

Sustainable Sundays: Fox Designs Jewelry

Each Sunday we select one item to feature from over 1,500 sustainable shops on our Upcyclers Etsy Team! Any Upcyclers shop on Etsy that is actively selling, promoting and participating on our team is available for selection.

This week's featured shop and item...
Recycled PIANO String Bracelet by Fox Designs Jewelry

This is a gorgeous copper bracelet made out of a recycled piano string. This is a great unisex gift idea for the music lover on your shopping list! This string was taken from a piano that was destroyed by a flood. What a gorgeous upcycled find!

Fox Designs Jewelry is located in Columbus, Ohio.
Shop Stats:
Opened Jun 20th, 2009
19 items for sale
375 sales
Feedback: 167, 100% positive

It is always hard to pick one upcycled item from all our active shops each week! Here are this week's runners up:

Hand Painted Record Mandala by Folk Heart Records

Recycled Christmas Light Earrings by EdytheAnne

Upcycled Apron Set by KnotSewTrashy

You can find more sustainable creations on Etsy by using our official team search tag: teamupcyclers when shopping this holiday season.

Happy Upcycled Shopping! Christmas is almost here.
~Bee
The Wooden Bee
inspired to recycle wood
www.thewoodenbee.etsy.com

December 6, 2011

Tuesday's Treasuries~ It's Christmas Time...

Just a bit of coziness for the winter season and some upcycled ideas for giving!


'"Warm 'n Natural"' by sarahsquiltsncrafts

Teamupcycler's items...I'm getting that "curling up in a comfy chair with a good book" kind of feeling!Please consider adding the treasury to your favorites, fb and twitter for greater exposure. Thank you!


Mustache Matryoshka Dol...
$53.00

SALE 10 Prim Feedsack C...
$9.99

Breath of Fresh Air - C...
$15.00

Messenger Bag / Sling B...
$127.00

Red side table
$90.00

Mini Brown Upcycled Lea...
$11.00

Vintage needlepoint pil...
$8.00

Buffalo Skull Plaque
$45.00

UpCycled T Shirt Tee Le...
$10.00

upcycled yarn Raku
$36.00

Felted Wool Mittens Fle...
$30.00

Leather Key Chain Cuff,...
$14.00

Life of the Party - Kus...
$20.00

Upcycled Woven Tote - S...
$32.00

Steampunk Necklace, Vic...
$20.00

Vintage Upcycled Alice ...
$40.00

'Recycled into a gift' by dekoprojects

Some of well upcycled creations that could be great gifts.If you like recycled jewelry, visit my shop:http://www.etsy.com/shop/dekoprojects?ref=pr_shop_more


Fabric flowers --- 10 a...
$15.00

OOAK Recycled Magazine ...
$36.00

Upcycled Metal Lamp - A...
$280.00

Garden Totem Bird Feede...
$45.00

Wine Bottle Earrings, R...
$22.00

Copper Guitar String Br...
$25.00

Lampwork glass Pandora ...
$20.00

Bulletin Cork Board - &...
$122.00

Red Rock Pendant Neckla...
$17.00

Recycled Wool Mittens f...
$29.00

Soda Tab Bracelet - Sim...
$7.00

Blue Skyy Vodka Recycle...
$14.00

Recycled necklace, sust...
$48.00

Steampunk Pendant Bronz...
$22.00

Multicolor Infinity Sca...
$25.00

Gold Bracelet with Vint...
$20.00

'Plarn on!' by coolclimates

plarn, or plastic yarn, has so many incredible possibilities!


Knit Plarn Purse
$20.00

Plarn -- Handspun Plast...
$21.60

Recycled Plarn Day of t...
$12.00

PDF Crochet Pattern - W...
$3.50

plarn coil basket - blu...
$15.00

White Eco-friendly hand...
$29.99

Beach Recycled Plastic ...
$17.99

FREE SHIPPING (EU) Plan...
$29.00

Grocery Bag Yarn
$43.00

Plarn Tote - Blue, Tan,...
$69.00

Set of Four Upcycled Pl...
$5.00

Spring Flowers Plarn Ha...
$108.00

Target Plarn Hat
$25.00

Small Plarn Tote Bag
$15.00

Pink and Tan Plarn Flow...
$16.00

where to next, crochete...
$25.00


'Upcycled gift guide' by ananemone



Recycled T-shirt yarn -...
$8.75

Rectangle Colorful Hand...
$45.00

Paper Flower Earrings -...
$15.00

Turquoise Jewelry Leath...
$65.00

Small T-Shirt Envelope ...
$12.00

WORRY DOLL Shrine Wall ...
$15.00

Cotton jersey scarf nec...
$17.00

Brooch - Recycled Plast...
$9.50

Upcycled Blue & Light G...
$10.00

Crochet rug. Upcycled p...
$15.00

LED Light Earrings Lemo...
$15.00

FREE Shipping Hot Ice C...
$65.00

Cashmere sweater in dus...
$54.00

Wooden Bangle Bracelet ...
$18.00

Sliceable Apple and Pea...
$17.00

Upcycled Apron Hand-Emb...
$28.00

Remember to shop small this holiday season~ Support Handmade, your local shops and the Upcycling movement!