For those of you who live in the US, I’m sure that you’ve heard that the economic stimulus checks have started to go out this week. I’m also sure that plenty of you are going to do exactly what the government doesn’t want you to do, put it in savings or pay off debt. I know I plan on doing that with most of mine, but before I deposit mine in my savings account, I plan on treating myself and supporting some independent design as well. According to the U.S. Government, that certainly would be the most patriotic thing to do (written with a certain amount of tongue in cheek sentiment).

So, I plan on doing my civic duty and here’s some of the goods I have my eye on. What are you planning on doing with your check? Whether we agree with the strategy or not, the checks are on their way, so are you planning on supporting indie design?

I’ve had my eye on the carved resin necklaces from Hotcakes for some time now, ever since I first saw them in person at my local indie brick & mortar shop, Bloom. I’m attracted to their bold statement and graphical pendants.

I really, really , really love the screenprinted bags from Jenna Rose. The Rooftops Porter Bag in natural cotton canvas is the one I’ve been coveting.

I featured the handmade journals by Five and a Half earlier this year and ever since I’ve wanted one. I always carry a journal around with me to record thoughts, to help me stay organized and to sketch new designs.

I’ve been a long time fan of the Bella Lucce line of skin care products and the Wildberry goodies are among my favorites.

I have a pair of the Mohop bent ply sandals and now I’d like to get their newest addition, the Wedge Sandal.

The Split Pod from Whitney Smith Pottery would look so lovely on my desk and now that’s spring, I could use it to bring a little bit of color in from the flowerbed.

The only problem with getting one of the recycled skateboard necklaces from 2ReVert is, which one to pick?

These cross-stitch pieces from Chez Sucre Chez would look fabulous in my new office.

The Mimosa Earrings from Prismera Design are just absolutely stunning. I really feel that I need to own them!

Andre is so sweetly melancholy and cute! From Morninglori’s cast of adorable little characters.

The porcelain cup and saucers from Bailey Doesn’t Bark are so lovely in all their quirky simplicity.

I’m also thinking of adding one of the Chair series of prints from Desire to Inspire to my office.

For today’s Indie Artist Fixx I’d like to share my interview with super talented artist Dolan Geiman and his girlfriend and business partner Ali Walsh. I’m very happy to be able to share Dolan’s work with you, since I’ve been a fan since he burst on the scene in 2005. Whether he is creating colleges, shadowboxes, art decor, sculpture, paintings, rescued wood assemblages and more, Dolan infuses his work with his unique perspective of the world. He is a southern boy living in the big city of Chicago and his work is in large part based on this dichotomy, themes of both nature and contemporary life can be found throughout his work. Learn more in my interview below with both Dolan and Ali.

1. What’s the name of your business and what do create and sell?

Dolan - Dolan Geiman. I create contemporary art and décor, ranging from framed collage to sculptural works on wood.

2. Tell us how you got started with your indie business.

Dolan - My mother helped me get started as she has always been a professional artist. I learned a handful of things from her before I moved to Chicago, but I still needed some help developing the business side of my work. When I met Ali, she was really excited about working on something new and she was very motivated to work outside of the gallery spectrum.

Ali – I attended undergrad at the University of Chicago. While doing coursework in chemistry, physics, and other pre-med requirements, I found myself increasingly interested in Chicago’s cultural community versus summer internships in labs or hospitals. I interned for the Museum of Contemporary Art, I spent my spring and winter breaks volunteering for arts organizations. I even dabbled in PR work, mentoring with a freelance public relations consultant for arts organizations. Dolan and I met at an interesting juncture in my life – I had lived in China and had aspirations of promoting Chinese artists in the States but needed more money, experience, and connections to really do anything serious with my interests. I started working with Dolan and, essentially, began learning more about the art world, arts administration, and business start-up by way of promoting him. We made a great team from day one. We are very fortunate that we can make a business relationship, especially one of artist and manager, work within the confines of a personal relationship as well.

3. What are your inspirations in your art and in life?

Dolan - If I could just grow a beard and live in the woods, I would be very very happy. So I would have to say that Mother Nature keeps me going every day….which is a lot to say, living in the city. Every chance I get I try to go out to the woods or at least stick my feet in a river.

Ali – I find inspiration in my parents whom also have a personal/business relationship and built a company from scratch that provided a very comfortable life for myself and two sisters. I also find inspiration in businesses outside of the creative sphere and thinking of ways to reinvent their means and methods into our own tiny company. I’ve always had this insane work ethic which, I admit, borders on unhealthy at times. At least, six years later, I’m working around the clock because I love what I’m doing with Dolan so much. Maybe I’ll also exhaust myself to the point that country living with Dolan sounds pretty darn appealing.

4. Are there any pearls of wisdom you’d like to share with newbie indie business owners?

Dolan - Everyone always told me to save money along the way, to just put some aside for later in life. I think that’s a great sounding idea, but it’s not practical at all for young business owners who are just getting going. So I would say, instead of being constantly worried about money, just be more focused on what you are really good at and what you enjoy. Ironically, that sort of mindset makes your company grow, become more profitable, and more sustainable overall.

Ali – I’m happy to field questions from anyone in the creative field. While our travel schedule sometimes limits my availability, I do my best to respond to all inquiries via phone or e-mail.

(Continued)

I’d like to share my latest Indie Fixx project with you…it’s called the Indie Fixx Galleria and will debut next Monday, May 5th. The Indie Fixx Galleria is a juried gallery of independenet crafters, designers, artists and the indie boutiques that carry their work. A galleria is an enclosed courtland of shops, otherwise know as a mall, and I like to think of the Indie Fixx Galleria as an ‘Indie Mall’. It will be another way for you to browse and shop indie.

If you are a designer or indie boutique and want to learn more about how to be involved with the Galleria, just send me an email.

Otherwise stay tuned for the Galleria next Monday! I’ve got some great stuff lined up for you.

The Purl Bee is the shop blog for Purl Soho, an online and brick & mortar smörgåsbord of fabric, notions, fiber, patterns and other crafty stuff. If you haven’t visited the shop before, beware you will not be able to resist buying something…I know I love their selection!

To tempt you even more, each week a new tutorial or project is shared on The Purl Bee using products from the shop. Today for Tutorial Tuesday, I’d like to share my one of my favorite tutorials from those featured on The Purl Bee —it’s for a Cute Japanese Coin Purse. The pattern and the frame and pattern are for sale at Purl Soho.

Materials List:

1. One Inazuma Antique Gold Purse Frame #772 (This includes a paper pattern and the paper string you will need.)
2. 1/4 yard of lining fabric. Pictured purse is made with Shot Cotton in Lemon
3. 1/4 yard of exterior fabric. Pictured purse is made with Jen’s Garden in Black but it might be a little easier to use a lighter weight fabric.
4. One heavy paper bag
5. Craft Glue
6. A Hera Marker
7. A thin knitting needle or awl
8. A pair of pliers

These materials will make one 3.5″ X 3.5″ purse. You will have a lot of fabric left over. You could probably six or seven purses out of two quarter yards of fabric.

Read more of the instructions here!

Also, make sure to join the Tutorial Tuesday flickr group and share coin purse crafts or any pics from any other completed Tutorial Tuesday project.

Each month I donate a portion of the proceeds from Indie Fixx and the Indie Fixx Shop to a different charitable organization. The organizations I choose vary from those that provide humanitarian support, focus on the arts, provide for environmental stewardship, are concerned with animal welfare and other issues and causes that are near and dear to me.

This month, I chose to donate to the Rainforest Action Network’s Protect-An-Acre Fund mostly after reading and hearing how biofuels may actually be contributing to global warming rather than helping to alleviate it. Founded in 1993, Protect-An-Acre’s goal is to protect the world’s rainforests and the rights of their inhabitants by providing financial aid to traditionally under-funded organizations and communities in temperate, tropical and boreal forest regions.

Protect-An-Acre is very different from rainforest buy-an-acre programs, which don’t necessarily address the real problems of the region and the people who actually live on the land. Instead, Protect-an-Acre works to protect threatened areas and to empower the indigenous inhabitants of the targeted areas by helping them gain legal recognition of their territory, establishing protected reserves that recognize the rights of local communities, developing locally-based alternative economic initiatives, assisting in community organization, promoting environmental education and practicing resistance to destructive practices such as logging, fossil fuel development and large-scale infrastructure projects in forest areas.

Read more here.

The designs from Treehouse28 prove that comfortable clothing doesn’t necessarily mean boring. The eco-conscious creations from designer Alix are yoga comfy wear that can totally be worn off the yoga mat. They are so lovely and ruffley, not fussy or frou-frou ruffley, but more like happy textured interest ruffley. Alix designs and makes all of the pieces from scratch and strives to incorporate her passion for uniqueness, beauty, simplicity and comfort into each one, plus each piece is completely custom made for maximum comfort and fit.

by guest contributor Jessica Gonacha

This week’s interview is a real treat for me—Rebecca’s Herbal Apothecary in Boulder, Colorado is one of the things I miss most about my hometown. Rebecca was kind enough to give us a glimpse into her thriving shop in downtown Boulder, a shop that encompasses both the indie and eco-friendly way of life and is brimming with love and goodness!

1. What fueled your decision to create eco-friendly products?

I wanted to bring botanical medicine to the people. Botanical medicine is really the people’s medicine and I want it to be accessible to everyone, so I decided to create a place where you could go to get everything you need in one shop.

2. What does ‘green’ mean to you, and how do you support green business practices in your shop?

We support local providers and farmers as much as possible in order to reduce the cost and environmental impact of shipping far distances. We also make most of our products right here in the shop, which also helps reduce gas consumption. We recycle all of our packing materials and often return things like packing peanuts to UPS for them to reuse.On a more macro level, our goal is to empower people to get connected with botanical medicine, which directly connects people with the earth and fosters eco-friendly attitudes.

We also encourage people to bring in their used bottles for us to refill rather than buying new bottles of our products. It cuts down on packaging, and we are moving more and more in this direction.

3. Do you have a favorite product that you’ve created?

My favorite product line that is unique to our shop is our infused coconut oils. Our best-selling product is definitely our precious face serum (note from Jess: it is truly fantastic stuff!), and the bulk herbs are the heart and soul of the shop.

4. Who or what are your eco heroes/inspirations?

Tammi Hartung, the author of 101 Herbs That Heal, is one of my biggest heroes. She is a plant warrior! She saw issues with plant populations and helps plants that are at risk She has truly touched my life. Another hero is Rosemary Gladstar. I gush every time I meet her! She is part of the founding of United Plant Savers and her texts are very accessible to the community.

5. Do you have a favorite eco tip for your readers?

Yes, to focus on what is ABUNDANT around you. To learn about dandelion is good for everybody— plants that are the most abundant are the ones that are the most likely to be helpful.

GREEN CHALLENGE: It’s the season for spring cleaning, when we declutter our houses and get rid of unwanted books, furniture, clothes and more. Make sure to take all your unwanted stuff to your local thrift shop, freecycle it, have a yard sale, sell it on half.com or whatever way you can creatively recycle it instead of allowing it all to end up in the landfill. Post any of your own used stuff finds on the Indie is the New Green flickr group!

Treat yourself to some lovely vintage baubles from Eclectic Eccentricity. Made from vintage and vintage-inspired pieces, the designs are fun, whimsical, girly and just a little bit eclectic.

**Sponsored post**

Shop Coquito Designs for gorgeous & dramatic jewelry designs featuring interesting textures and bold color matchings.

**Sponsored post**

This post started off as innocently as any other Fashionably Indie post – tracking down a feature-worthy small fashion brand and giving you, the readers, the nitty gritty on tis background and how to add their pieces to your wardrobe.

Upon finding Fables by Barrie a few days ago, I was quickly derailed. What was once a simple blog post became an exciting interview that I must share with my fellow Indie Fixx’ers. Drawing inspiration from the “classic” TV show Hee Haw and the sunny shores of San Diego, Fables by Barrie isn’t your everyday clothing line – it is all about being yourself (go figure).

Their Spring 2008 line is drawing many to Etsy, but their past collections are just as drool-worthy, available via their website’s store. Being an indie brand, designer and founder Barrie Kaufman is always open to doing custom pieces, a number of which have made appearances in some chic photo shoots. Keep read to find out more about how this brand came to be, its unique influences and why 1970’s jeans are the best.

When did you first become interested in starting your own fashion brand?

I’ve always been interested in fashion, I spend lots of my free time sewing and transforming vintage pieces into something new and more exciting. I decided to start my own label when things just came out better and better (with PLENTY of practice and mistakes corrected) and when I would wear my creations out and people kept asking where I got my items, it was just perfect timing.

I noticed you are from Iowa - how did you end up in San Diego?

Iowa was a fantastic place to grow up (a super small rural town of 200); the people are nothing but sincere and willing to help out their neighbors. I attended film school at the University of Iowa, hoping to start a career in film as a camera person, and eventually direct documentaries. I made the big trek to Los Angeles upon completing my degree, worked on random productions when I could, and eventually fell into wardrobe. A job opportunity opened up for me in San Diego doing costumes for cheesy telenovelas (Spanish-language TV soap operas), and made me realize that there was so much more in doing my own line, that I dreamed about all day and night, so San Diego became the home of Fables.

Who/what are your design influences? Do you set a theme for each collection? What is the inspiration behind your most recent collection available on Etsy?

I try to keep each collection themed as much as possible, but my mind frequently runs wild with new ideas all the time, so there are always odd-ball pieces, and when there are runways shows ahead, I always whip up a few costume-y pieces last minute, to get some of the creative build up out to share. My current collection was mostly inspired by old reruns of Hee Haw, totally honest. I love that old country feel of the clothes, with a modern twist, of course!!

Are you currently both the designer and seamstress or do you have others helping you out?

I do most of the seamstress work myself, with the current line in production, I use one seamstress at a time to pick up some of the slack, but I really prefer to have complete control of what we put out for the public. I have a fantastic intern who helps out immensely.

Why the switch from the name “Cornfed” to “Fables”? Despite the name, how long has your line be around?

“Fables” was a new concept. When we were “Cornfed”, we used a lot of vintage pieces, but with the demand for a consistent product, we decided to change the name to give the company a mini facelift. We think the new things are whimsical and give a storybook type of vibe, hence Fables by Barrie. Also, our first photo shoot ever was with fantastic models, but we put animal heads on them all to give it more of an animal kingdom feel, so it worked out lovely.

What fashion trend are you dying to revive? Which one would you love to leave buried forever?

High-waisted everything! We’re so tired of the super lowest of low pants, we know the trend is picking up, but we would love to see it stick around forever, its so flattering on most gals. With the creative designs of our line, we like to add a little sparkle and special vibe to our products. It’s so often that out and about you see so many girls with matching or close to identical outfits. We love individuality and promote standing out in a crowd.

Victoria Everman is an eco-writer, model, crafter, yogi and attempting locavore. Perpetually looking for fresh ways to share her unquenchable green knowledge, she writes her own blog at Victoria-E.com and is head writer/editor for CraftingAGreenWorld.com. She will be imparting her fashion wisdom with us every other Friday on the Indie Fixx Guest Blog with her column Fashionably Indie.

Contest Alert!

In honor of Earth Day on Tuesday and today’s Fashionably Indie column, you could win a copy of the new book, Green Chic: Saving the Earth in Style by Christie Matheson. It’s a smart little green guide that helps readers realize that saving the planet and being fabulous do not have to be mutually exclusive. Filled with eco-fashion tips on how to make your wardrobe more eco-conscious, ways you can still pamper yourself without being so wasteful, beauty secrets that are better for the environment and more.

How to win it!

Leave a comment below with the name of the publisher and you will be entered into the random drawing for the book Green Chic: Saving the Earth in Style. The contest ends on Monday, April 28th at 11:59 EST and one winner will be chosen to win a copy of the book. Comments will be kept secret until after the contest is over.

The Bust Spring Craftacular is this Sunday, April 27 from 11 am to 9 pm at The Warsaw in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, 261 Driggs Avenue. Be there, or be oh so square! Featuring 50 indie craft vendors, a 90’s themed prom, raffle, spiked punch, photo studio and more! More info.

My top ten picks from the participating vendors include:

1. Swigg
2. Jezebel
3. Brookadelphia
4. Squidfire
5. SML bags
6. Orangy Porangy
7. Sprout Jewelry
8. Hand of Fatima
9. Rar Rar Press
10. Imogene

***Edited

We’ve changed the cat’s name again, her new name is Pandora.  After getting to know her these past 5 days, it really is the most appropriate name. This is the absolute last time we are changing it!****

I swear this is not turning into a cat blog, but I did tell you that I would share some more pics of our latest Indie Fixx kitty. We have changed her name about 12 times now, but have finally settled on Lola, at least for the time being…We’ve never had this much trouble naming a cat, but this one is schizophrenic—one minute she is sweet and lovey and the next minute she is a wildly freaky spaz kitty. She does seem to fit right in around here though. She still does run like she’s afraid if we reach down to pet her and will not definitely let us pick her up, something our other cats enjoy. I feel like she may have been abused or at least terrorized by a child or something. Sometimes though, if I sit on the floor near her I am able to coax her over and she will get all rolly polly silly and get right in my lap. She will even reach up and give me a kiss. Anyway, here’s some pictures I took of her today. Sorry they are a little blurry, I still can’t use the point and shoot correctly.

This is Isabella and Lola taking matters into their own paws trying to get their own treats. Isabella, the ring leader, jumped up on the counter, got the treat bag and for about 5 minutes tried to get that damn bag open (when I took it away) while Lola watched, waiting to see if she could do it. What a couple of punks!

Since we have the new kitty who is going to only be an inside kitty, I’m looking for a planter to plant some kitty grass in for the house. Of course you know I don’t want a mundane planter, but something that’s a little quirky to fit in with my eclectic decor. I came across these stoneware guys from The Plane Jane Project and I think they may just be the thing I’m looking for.

Today’s Reader Fixx Pixx submission if from Jill of Bidwell Botanicals. Jill writes, ” I love shopping Indie! There are so many creative products to choose from, and I like knowing that I’m supporting independently owned businesses.” Yes, my kinda girl. Thanks for a great list of shops!

Keeta Collection

Pattern and Paw

Betty Belts

Specialty Cards 4U

Zev Cards

A Planet 4 Creation

Stellarocco

Mi SPA

Soapy Love

Win this prize!Hey, I wanted to let you know about my latest newsletter contest, the Indie Fixx Spring Fling Giveaway. Everyone who signs up for the Indie Fixx newsletter between April 2nd and June 2nd and includes their favorite shop from the participating shops will be entered into the Indie Fixx Spring Fling Giveaway for a chance to win a grand prize worth over $300 & made up of donated goods from 9 different indie shops.

How does it work?
Visit the shops who have donated prizes (shown below) and pick your favorite shop. Sign up for the Indie Fixx mailing list & include the name of your favorite participating shop. You will then be entered into the random drawing. The contest ends June 2nd and the winner will be notified via email.

If you’ve already signed up for the newsletter, you must sign-up again and add your favorite participating shop to be entered into the contest. You will not receive another confirmation email though.

The prize includes items donated by the following indie shops:

You are in for some eye candy today for the Indie Artist Fixx since I interviewed Alice Matsumoto of The Carrotbox. Alice has a self-proclaimed obsession with rings, but she can’t wear metals, so she went out looking rings she could wear made from all kinds of materials including glass, Lucite, plastic, jade, agate and wood. Her collection grew and she started sharing her collection online and learned that a lot of other people like non-metal rings just like her. She decided to open up a shop to sell duplicates from her collection and other rings she discovered (I might add it’s one of my favorite shops to visit). In the shop, you will find all sorts non-metal rings for sale including Alice’s own line of drooliscious glass rings. You can also check out Alice’s own collection of rings , a great page about the different kinds of plastics used in jewelry and Alice’s blog on which she shares all kinds of everyday and art rings she comes across on the Internet.

The rings are gorgeous, the product photography is stunning and the site is fun and really well-designed so make sure to visit, I guarantee you will not be disappointed. Plus, read more about Alice and The Carrotbox below.

The rings featured below are all by Alice (except the kimono rings) and you can see more here.

1. What’s the name of your business and what do create and sell?

I am obsessed with rings and run The Carrotbox, which sells non-metal rings of all kinds: glass, Lucite, wood, etc. (including glass pieces I make myself).

2. When did you get started with your business and why did you decide to open your own indie biz?

I’ve been open for five years now but I’d never planned for it to be a business! I started my site as a showcase for my personal collection of non-metal rings, which itself was started because I have weirdly sensitive skin and can’t wear metal on my fingers. People kept asking if they could buy from my gallery so, one day, I decided to sell some of my duplicate rings — and the rest just snowballed from there.

3. What’s the creative process like for you?

I try to sketch ideas when they pop into my head but I normally just end up going where the glass takes me. Besides, by the time I get to the torch, new ideas have taken over and most of what I’ve jotted down never gets made. I have to remind myself to focus on one idea rather than jumping to the next one right away. I have bags and bags of discarded styles, which is not a good thing!

4. If you could meet 5 famous or infamous people (dead or alive) who would they be?

- any ancient Egyptian ruler
- John Kennedy Toole
- Steve Buscemi
- Tina Fey
- I’m having trouble coming up with people so I’m going to go with Frederic Fekkai, as I really need a haircut.

5. Tell us one funny/goofy/silly thing about yourself.

I have a fear of cracking eggs because I’m afraid that one of these days (warning, this is about to get gross), a half-formed baby chick will fall out. I know all the reasons this couldn’t actually happen but they don’t change the fact that it WILL.

6. What’s the best thing about what you do? And the worst?

Best: it’s a tie between getting enthusiastic messages from people who genuinely love their new rings and having a ring turn out just right when it comes out of the kiln.

Worst: Canada Post’s prices. Insane.

7. What blogs and mags do you read and what shops do you shop at?

I spend way too much time on music blogs! (I had one myself, briefly, years ago.) ObscureSound.com is a good one; he puts so much thought into each post.

I’m not much of a magazine reader. My dad lives in Tokyo most of the year and I used to request Japanese fashion magazines, but then I pictured this 60+ year old man having to line up at the bookstore with a copy of non-no and I stopped asking.

For shopping, I usually stick to local shops (I live downtown in a boutique-heavy neighborhood), though I normally only go when I need something specific. I also browse a *lot* of jewelery sites for my blog, which I guess counts as window shopping!

8. Were you an artsy craftsy kid? If so, what kinds of things did you do?

My mom’s side of the family is quite artsy and my younger sister’s a professional comic artist but I don’t think I myself was that artsy as a kid — I just liked to draw and make beaded jewelery, that sort of thing. My main thing was writing more than crafting. Oh, wow… answering this question, I just remembered something I haven’t thought about in years! In fifth grade, I wrote and illustrated short “books” (really just notebooks), mostly mysteries. I think I tried to put a cliffhanger at the end of each one. I even pasted faux library slips inside so people could “sign them out.” I believe that’s what they call delusions of grandeur.

9. List 3 things you wish you had if you ever become stranded on a deserted island?

Glass, torch, kiln.

10. What does indie mean to you? You can give a literal definition, choose to be a little esoteric or a combination of both.

There are so many ways to look at “indie” but I think it boils down to personal freedom and good intentions.

11. What are you reading, watching and listening to?

I’m just finishing Kenzaburo Oe’s Rouse Up O Young Men of the New Age! I think next up will be the Daniel Manus Pinkwater anthologies I received at Christmas. He was my favorite author as a kid and I still have my old copy of The Snarkout Boys and the Avocado of Death on my shelf (any other fans out there wish they could eat a buttery potato at Beanbender’s?).

I’m watching the Stanley Cup playoffs!

Currently listening to Handsome Furs, Les Savy Fav, Beirut, The Epochs, Maps, Headlights, Modest Mouse, Delays, The Shins, Stars, Cold War Kids, Kelley Polar, Fink, Electrelane, Film School… but all I really want is the next one from Mew. As I write this, I’m playing the soundtrack to The Insider, which is moody and great for nighttime (can’t believe that film is nearly ten years old already).

12. What are your inspirations?

I love minimalism. I’m drawn toward Scandinavian and Japanese product design, graphic design, architecture, etc. I don’t know if that comes through in my glasswork, but it’s what I like to look at!

13. What’s new for 2008? Any new plans or products that you want to share?

Well… I don’t want to jinx myself

Today for Tutorial Tuesday I thought I’d share a recycled material tutorial with you today in honor of Earth Day.

From artist Patricia Zapata of A Little Hut, this tutorial utilizes those magazines that seem to breed like rabbits around my house. I try to get what magazines I can from the Library, but unfortunately my library system does not carry Bust, Venus, Craft:, Adorn (well, I won’t be getting any new issues since they folded) and the others that I like to read, so I do end up with a fair amount of mags that need to be recycled. With all the potential bowl fodder I have in my recycling basket, I can’t wait to try this easy peesy sounding tutorial since I do have a couple places in the house I could use a lightweight colorful bowl to collect stuff in. All you magazine addicts out there should try it too.

The materials sure are simple enough:

- a magazine
- glue gun

Read more here…

You can read Patricia’s blog for more wonderful paper tutorials as well as check out her flickr page.

Also, be sure to join the Tutorial Tuesday flickr group and share your own magazine bowl results or any pics from your completed Tutorial Tuesday projects.

Image from The Nature Conservancy

Since today is Earth Day, I thought I would share some Earth Day tips with you. I’ve included some of the things I do to be more eco-friendly and some things that I am striving to implement. This is by no means a comprehensive list, there are plenty of other ways that you can reduce your impact on the planet and many others that may fit your lifestyle better. I’m also including lots of links and resources, so you can find out more about how can do more to become more Earth friendly. Every little bit does count!

My list of 22 things you can do to reduce your impact on the Earth.

1. Use cloth towels and napkins instead of paper ones.
2. Take a ‘Navy Shower’, which basically means turning of the water when you are soaping up.
3. Use Craig’s List, freecycle, swaptree, peerflix, bookins, half.com and others to get rid of stuff you don’t want anymore. Of course, you can always donate it to local charity shops as well.
4. Cut your grass less, use an electric mower or plant clover or another good ground cover that does not need to be mowed.
5. Use reusable shopping bags instead of paper or plastic as much as you can.
6. Hang your clothes out to dry on a clothesline or drying rack instead of using the dryer all the time.
7. Combine errands, so you don’t make as little trips in the car.
8. Reuse plastic and glass containers to store your leftovers in instead of buying those disposable containers. You have to wash them out to recycle them anyhow. Use any paper bags or newspapers you collect as wrapping paper. Cup up any 8 ½ x 11 scrap paper you collect into quarters and use padding cement to make your own notepads.
9. Buy local food and produce.
10. Eat less meat or become a vegetarian.
11. Have a home energy audit.
12. Replace your lightbulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs and turn the lights off when you leave a room for any length of time.
13. Reuse shipping and packaging materials. I reuse as much as I can in the Indie Fixx Shop.
14. Buy goods that are made from recycled material.
15. Fly less.
16. Use the library instead of buying all your books, magazines and dvds.
17. Share magazine subscriptions with friends and/or donate your magazines to the library, doctors’ offices or senior centers.
18. Plant native species in your yard and replace and avoid planting invasive species.
19. Try to make your workplace more environmentally friendly by organizing office recycling, affecting purchasing decisions, encouraging less waste and more.
20. Recycle used electronic equipment responsibly.
21. Eat out less.
22. Walk more, drive less! It’s good for you and the Earth.

Please feel free to share some of the eco-responsible things you do in your life.

Here’s a list of resources to learn more:

National Audubon Society
Environmental Defense Fund
Friends of the Earth
The Nature Conservancy
Natural Resources Defense Council
Sierra Club
National Wildlife Federation
Rainforest Action Network
American Wind Energy Association
Worldwatch Institute
World Wildlife Fund
Earthday.gov
Carbon Footprint Calculator
Conservation International
EPA
National Recycling Coalition

Earth Day coverage from some of my must read blogs:

Etsy Storque
Treehugger
Craftzine
Apartment Therapy
Crafting a Green World

We decided to go with the name La Niña for our new little Indie Fixx kitty. In addition to being a weather phenomenon, La Niña means the little girl in Spanish. It’s a pretty sounding name and seems to describe our kitty pretty well: she’s such an itty bitty little thing, but has such a capacity to cause a whole lot of trouble.

Thanks for all your suggestions and sharing your stories about your kitties. I really enjoyed reading all the comments that you left.

I went looking for porcelain jewelry for a gift for a friend (I’m pretty sure she does not read my blog) and I thought I would share with you those shops that I bookmarked. Now, I just need to pick one…which I have to tell you is just so completely difficult. I also might not be able to give up my purchase when the time comes.

1. Anne Black at Greener Grass Designs

2. Kim Westad

3. Tasha McKelvey

4. Sofia Masri

5. Round Rabbit

6. Linda Cain

7. Artistic Creations

8. Tabitha Henry