Ditch those Q-tips for DIY Super Soft Plushies!

I have to admit that I use A LOT of q-tips/cotton swabs and other disposable cottony things found in the bathroom. I use q-tips for my ears and to remove my eye makeup, cotton balls for toner, nail polish remover, etc.

What a waste! Sure, q-tips and cotton balls are super convenient but they are also disposable products that eat up our resources to produce, transport, and landfill! 

Remember to pick up the q-tips with the paper sticks - not the plastic! Please, not the plastic sticks. Those are the WORST. Please and thank you. If you feel like getting super eco-chic, you can pick up some organic cotton swabs.

So while some people do choose to reuse their q-tips, I'm just not that extreme. As soon as Paul wakes up from his nap, I'm going to use this as a reason to justify the re-using of aluminum foil. That is tame compared to q-tips! 

I decided to go the other (and usually better) route of reducing. Sure, I still need q-tips to freshen up my ears but I made these incredible soft plushies (yes, I did completely make up that name) for everything else. In fact, they are so soft that it feels a 100 times more luxurious to use the plushies instead of a cotton swab! Seriously, my face rejoices when these plushies caress it. My favorite type of eco-chic swap! 

 Plushies can SO easily be made from scraps of material if you are a crafter. I had to buy the pink cuddle soft material but the red/pink polka dots are from my scrap bag. 

Then I sewed the wrong sides together using a decorative petal stitch...Note the always present Soda Stream bottle in the background. The bubbles keep me inspired!

Then just make a grid - but always have 2 lines of sewing so you can cut the piece up in to smaller plushies. I basically split the fabric and then made 6 plushies out of the 2 columns. Mine are about 2x2 but I'm going to make some bigger ones with my left over fabric. 

Now pop them in a cute container and you are all set! You just might find yourself wiping away the day's grime at lunch...before dinner...whenever your face needs a pick me up!

I wish I could show you super cute photos of my bathroom...but just to be honest, my bathroom is barren. Rugs, towels, and an incredible reed diffuser...For whatever reason, this room is completely ignored decoration wise...We are moving to a new apartment soon and I'm thinking turquoise and coral. Very beachy and bright! 

Crafty Mart finds that made me swoon!

Did you happen to make it out to Crafty Mart? 

Yes? Good for you - there were some fabulous crafters! 

No? Add it to your calendar for next time - You know it will be on the Eco-Chic Events Calendar!

I was able to squeeze in a quick trip before dealing with some water hanging out in my basement. Ugh. I know. 

Here are a few of my favorite things from Crafty Mart (and a peak at the amazing talents in Northeast Ohio!).

KYEbags makes this adorable clutch...it's bigger than it looks and would make the perfect summer clutch. It would hold everything I need! Cell phone, sunscreen, wallet, snack, chapstick, more snacks...She also uses vintage fabrics for some of her designs - yay repurposing!

Rusty Chain Jewelry had whimsical necklaces...including one called Moneybags with a very debonoir mustache and eye piece that I loved! That one isn't featured on her Esty shop but here is a necklace after NEO's very own heart!

Psycho Reindeer had the perfect shirts for the t-shirt-loving peeps in your life. A few just plain made me laugh out loud including this one I bought for both Paul and one of my bros.

I meant to focus on more vendors, especially those who have an eco-chic flair, but I was in a hurry...that flooded basement was calling my name. Crafty Mart is getting bigger and better every time so make sure to go out and support your incredibly talented neighbors here in NEO!

PS - Paul, this post should be a big hint for future presents...just sayin'.

PSS - Paul is a very accomplished gift giver...so he really doesn't need hints.

How did I NOT know about Heartsy?!

Do you love Etsy?

(hand up in air) I do! I could peruse through the pages of Etsy for hours finding inspiration, gift ideas, and items that I lust over.

BUT (and isn't there always a but?) the prices for handmade, created with love items is high...especially when you eyeball an item and think to yourself, "I could make that!" 99% of the time though, I don't. So I've saved money but my life is calling for that cute, swoon-inspiring item.

Disclaimer: I ABSOLUTELY believe that crafters and creators of all sorts deserve to be paid appropriately for the love and time that went in to creating their wares...It's just not too friendly to my budget now.

Enter Heartsy.

It's like Groupon for Etsy. Swoon. Squeal. LOVE.

I literally just found out about this yesterday so I haven't bought a deal yet...Have you?

Why is this eco-chic? Many sellers on Etsy have a focus on upcycling, repurposing, recycling, etc. Supporting these sellers means supporting the environment.

Etsy Eco-chic Hint: Want to reduce shipping pollution or support your local economy? Use the "Shop Local" link to find sellers in your area!

My favorite Etsy finds...

Click on the photo to go to the seller's shop!

Happy Eco-Chic Easter!

I had lots of Easter plans to make up fun, eco-chic Easter baskets for my family get-together...But now Easter in canceled.

BUT FOR THE BEST REASON POSSIBLE! My little brother is coming back from Afghanistan this weekend!!!!!!! (Exclamation points X a million) So we are going to greet him when he lands...And, maybe, if there's time, I will have Easter treats in hand.

But here were some of my fun plans for Easter...which can now inspire you!

Naturally-dyed Easter Eggs

Dyeing Easter Eggs is a tradition in many families...but it can be done without all of the nasty chemicals...Aren't these eggs gorgeous?! Thanks Boulder Locavore!

Just plain pretty.

I was definitely planning on shredding my own leftover paper for Easter basket "grass" - love the newspaper idea from homeroad.

YUM!

These look so delicious that I'm planning on MAKING the time to bake these delicious treats. They combine 2 of my favorite treats - chocolate and whopper eggs. Thanks Two Peas and the Pod!

And I am all over the pennants...I can't wait to do a Spring/Summer one for my new apartment!!

{Click on the photo to go back the creator's blog!}

Ruffle pillow

I love lots of pillows...cutsy, flowery, soft pillows to cuddle up with while watching movies, reading, blogging, or lounging hard. But I could never pay for them...$10-20? Forget about it! I would rather craft up a few of my own...with a focus on upcycling, of course.

So here is my ruffle pillow! It fits perfectly with my bed and Shadow loves snuggling next to it...which is only a small problem since he has black fur...and the pillow is white. Oh well.

I started off with a thrifted bed skirt, some leftover ribbon, and my trusty rotary cutter. I cut out two squares for the pillow and then 2 inch strips of fabric for the ruffles. Lots of strips.

Speaking of which, does anyone know how to sharpen a rotary cutter? Or who might be able to do this? Please and thank you!

Then, I sewed them on in a pleated-ruffle style. I tried to do a messy row of just pushing the fabric through this way and that...but getting it perfectly messy was too stressful for me (sounds counter-intuitive right?). So I pleated. And pleated. And pleated again.

There is a photo at the bottom of the post of the back of the pillow...it's super easy to make pillow covers to change as your mood desires.

Then I scooped up this pillow for $0.50 from the thrift store...and I washed it, in hot water, multiple times. I'm pretty confident that it's clean.

Then I shoved the pillow inside of the case...and it was a done deal! Another cute addition to my bed. The pillow was super easy to make (less than an hour) and came in to my life at the perfect time...I've been spending way too much time in my bed. Snacking, reading, blogging. It's just so comfortable on rainy days! I tried to convince Paul to eat dinner in bed...but it just doesn't have the same romantic ring as breakfast in bed...And grilled cheese crumbs would be gross. I even removed a few pillows from the shot below...but I made the blooming pillow as well last fall...love it!

Here's a shot of the back of the pillow...

This is a project that I actually completed awhile ago so I've deleted the blog that inspired it...I'm sorry! Let me know if you recognize it so I can give credit where it is due!

Spring Stashbust!

We all have a stash of something. Maybe your stash is shoes or Fiestaware (wait - those are both mine). If you do anything at all crafty, you not only have a stash, you have a STASH. Every new projects seems to need a trip to the craft store...for supplies, doo-dads, fabric, flowers, beads, stamps, paper...the list goes on and on. People have shelves, closets, basements full of STASH.

Sometimes I spend so much time shopping for the items, I run out of time to do the inspired craft! Or I simply lose all of my motivation. That's even worse. Due to this and my busy life, I actually craft a lot less than I would like! At this moment, my stash is split up between my apartment and my old house...They will be combined at sometime soon and then I will completely run out of stash storage space in my new place. And be warned when you look at the photos, my STASH is really just a stash. It's teeny tiny compared to others...but really...do I need a cabinet of fabric? I think not.

Here is my current STASH - Part 1.

Part 2 will be documented as soon as I can...but haven't you seen enough already? Stashes never look nice. That's why mine is shoved into cabinets and my closet...

This, along with my dedication to eco-chic crafting, inspired me to take part in The T-Shirt Diaries' Spring Stashbust!!!

This journey means that I will only use crafting supplies already found in my stash. I believe that this will help both the planet and my pocket...and motivate me to finally create some of the items on my Crafting To-Do List. Being creative shouldn't mean using resources every step of the way...I already focus on buying what I can used and upcycling items I already own (like my my upcycled flower wreath). Stashbusting will give me the reason to focus on what I have - not what I need. And maybe get around to finally sewing my ruffle pillowcases that I bought the fabric for a month ago and an apron or two that were meant as gifts for Valentine's Day...oops.

Look for the Stashbusting logo on all items that have helped cut my stash for 30 days - or until May 6th. I will post updated stash photos then along with completed projects...Can't wait to see what I accomplish!

Eco-Chic Craft: Upcycled Flower Wreath

Do you ever have trouble finding time to be crafty? To create? To explore your imagination? I do! My life is so busy that when I'm at home, I dread the thought of setting up my sewing machine...and cutting out patterns. That is my least favorite part of sewing...

Besides the cuteness of this flower wreath, it is most appealing because it is so easy to make - and very difficult to mess up! All I needed was a lazy Sunday night with The Office streaming constantly on Netflix and I was GTG (good to go).

Side note: My goal is to have all or most of my crafting adventures have an eco-chic factor to them. Ok, so this is obvious because of the name of my blog, but also because crafting can quickly become an expensive hobby that uses lots of resources. I try to focus on finding most of my crafting supplies at thrift stores, antique stores, or my stash. There will be an eco-chic inventory at the end of every craft to see how well I can hold myself accountable to this goal...

I took inventory of my supplies...For this project, you will need a styrofoam wreath, flower punches, an old magazine (Real Simple worked amazing well for me), pins, and some white scrap paper (I save old mail, forms, even resumes to print Groupons, etc on I just pulled some out of my printer stash).

[caption id="attachment_450" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="The Supplies..."][/caption]

Then, you punch. And punch. And punch. Then you get almost done with your project, run out of large flowers, and punch some more! The small flowers were almost therapeutic but the large flowers were kind of frustrating. The leftover paper kept getting stuck in the puncher.

The punching noise is very distracting for your partner who might also be watching The Office...I found that just ignoring him and punching out a little bit faster resolved this issue. But that might not work so well for you...bribery in the form of chocolate or a freshly-carbonated Soda Stream works in my house too.

[caption id="attachment_449" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Lots o' flowers punched during an episode of The Office...but not enough! "][/caption]

Do some layering and pinning...

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="255" caption="Layer them like so..."][/caption]

Making progress...At this point I wasn't so sure that I was in love with my end results. My wreath isn't quite as classy as the example that I was following but it fits my home's style a bit more. Playful and messy. More messy than playful but whatevs.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="356" caption="Another episode or two of The Office goes by..."][/caption]

And then we are finished!! You can use ribbon to hang it on the wall...

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="371" caption="Finished!! Ribbon on stand by..."][/caption]

But I haven't yet...I just used a leftover pin until it finds a forever (aka Spring) home in our apartment...and now I love it! It might be moved to my office for a playful decoration...

[caption id="attachment_446" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="Bringing Spring to our walls! "][/caption]

You can also see a mirror that we scooped up at Rogers Flea Market waiting to be painted and hung up...It's been there for, well, awhile. And is now officially on the to-do list!

Eco-chic Supplies - Styrofoam wreath (Goodwill), repurposed magazine and paper, ribbon from earlier project

New Supplies - 2 flower punches (but already have several other uses for them!) and pins (will be used on future sewing projects).

One of the best eco-chic factors of this wreath is that it will be completely recycled and repurposed when its end comes! It's the circle of crafting...

Places I link to...Check them out and let them out for more great posts!