Teacher Appreciation

Great Teachers Make Great Schools


On National Teacher Day, take time to honor local educators and acknowledge the crucial role teachers play in making sure every student receives a quality education.

The next National Teacher Day will be celebrated on May 3, 2011.
Give Your Child's Teacher A gift to remember!

Have your Jars Customized!!!!

Recycle/Reuse/Upcycle

Three R's of CDs in the digital age: resell, reuse, recycle
by Ashley Cullins
April 07, 2011



Ashley Cullins/Medill

CDs can be used as easy, light-reflecting candleholders.

A cathode lamp is one of millions of ideas for projects made with used CDs.
Cullins -Etsy

"Kusudama is traditionally a Japanese art of paperfolding that results in a beautiful ball of flowers. This particular piece is a modern update of my own invention, utilizing a single hemisphere and repurposed CDs!" - Cybele
Cullins - Reckless

Ashley Cullins/Medill

Reckless Records sells used CDs starting at $1.99.
Related Links
CD Recycling Center of AmericaMRC Polymers, Inc.GreenDiskReckless RecordseHowEtsy - CybelesqueEtsy - Oddartist

CD sales slowed 12.8 percent from 326.2 million units in 2010 to 373.9 million in 2009, according to Billboard.com. Meanwhile digital track sales managed a one percent increase that same year.



Not everyone has given up on CDs. “I really like listening to an album from beginning to end, “ said Beth White, 30, a lawyer from Ravenswood. “My primary source of music is my iPod, but there are certain albums where I like to listen to the CD or the actual album.”



But what can digital music junkies do with their defunct disks? Reselling, reusing and recycling are all viable options.

Resell

Consumers can resell CDs in good condition to stores such as Reckless Records in Chicago. The store accepts all genres of music, but the disc must work and come in its case with the original artwork inserts.

Customers can bring in any volume of CDs and the staff will look at the items individually to determine a value on the spot, said Robbie Hamilton, floor manager of the store at 26 E. Madison St. The customer can choose to accept cash or store credit worth an additional 20 percent. So if Reckless decides your Backstreet Boys CD is worth $5, you can choose $5 cash or $6 store credit.



Hamilton said the digital revolution has hit sales of CDs harder than DVDs, while the business overall has remained consistent. The collection at Reckless includes not only new and used CDs, but also vinyl records, DVDs and even cassette tapes.

Reuse

CDs can be reincarnated into simple drink coasters and candleholders, or incredibly creative artwork and furniture. A quick Google search for “uses for CDs” generates about 80 million results.



Cybele, a single-named artist from Las Vegas, makes Japanese-style folded paper flowers out of maps and attaches them to CDs to create unique art. She has been making and selling them on Etsy.com for several months. “I saved all the AOL discs that our mailman used to deliver all the time,” she said. “I also use them for my Miniachair Tableaux.”

She recommended fellow Etsy user “oddartist” who melts down CDs and other media to create bowls and jewelry.



Lifehacker.com features a cathode lamp made from CDs. It’s “a mod bluish torch with which any geek would be proud to light his mother's basement,” according to the website.



EHow.com offers instructions for making driveway reflectors, sun-catchers, clocks, curtains and chandeliers.



Recycle



CDs and jewel cases aren’t generally accepted in community recycling programs, according to earth911.com. But consumers don’t have to choose between storing them indefinitely in a dusty attic and sending them to a landfill.



MRC Polymers Inc., 3535 W. 31st St., accepts "post-consumer" plastics, including CDs.



CD Recycling Centers of America in Salem, N.H., offers a mail-in option for consumers who can’t bring their used CDs to a local recycling center. The CDs, jewel cases and paper inserts must be separated and can be mailed in any quantity. There is no charge for the service, but the consumer pays shipping. The CDs are destroyed and new items are made from the recycled plastic resin.



GreenDisk considers CDs technotrash, along with VHS tapes, batteries, small electronics and hard drives, and also provides a recycling service for a fee. Consumers can mail in their used CDs and GreenDisk will erase the disks and rewrite and re-label them for redistribution. Fees are based on the content and weight of the items being recycled.



Next time you stub your toe on that box of long-unused CDs, consider reusing, reselling, or recycling them.




Featured Etsy Shops
Cyberlesque
Oddartist

Recycle/Reuse/Upcycle

The Blue cobalt dish was just completed. I turned a blue cobalt water bottle into a beautiful amazing dish. The dish is cleaned,sanitized,fused,slumped,etched and wire wrapped with beads. I LOVE it! Let me know what you think.

Recycle Glass

How do you reuse/upcycle different items in your everyday life?

I guess its time to stop buying new glass for my glass projects and start using what is already available. Glass does last forever. I might as well use it. My current project is cobalt glass water bottles and actually they can be used as vases with out even redesigning them.
Ive decided to slump and etch mine. My first one is slumped into a shallow bowl shape and decorated with beads and etch work! So Fun! I love the reusing the items!

Stone Carving

http://landing.newsinc.com/shared/video.html?freewheel=69016&sitesection=ndnsubss&VID=23385963

Stone Carving Video
An extinct art form?

New Glass Product... Green Glass and the Lady bug

This Bird feeder is created out of a beautiful hand cut, green glass and hand cut red and black glass for the lady bug.It has yellow glass accents running through the piece. It sits on a 16" fabricated wrought iron stand. The glass it self is 6" in diameter and 4.5" deep.

Crystal Phan's Jewelry from Etsy featured in the News

Congratulations to yet another Etsy seller in the News! Great article in

Wilkes Barre Times....Paper Heroes


Crystals  ETSY SHOP:
 Crystal Phan's jewelry

The Baltimore Sun features Kristen Christy from Little Acorn Products

Congratulations to Kristen Christy from Little Acorn Products on Etsy. She was featured in The Baltimore sun!
Check her shop out her Birdhouses are beautiful. Great decor for children s rooms.

Hibiscus and Butterfly Bowl

Hibiscis Bowl 2" x 4". Drawn, Etched and Painted by hand.

 

New Glass Products!

The Daisy Bowl

This bowl has Daisies etched around it with yellow painted centers.
Very Cute and would make a great gift. it is 2'high and 4" in diameter. Many uses.

Red Pepper Bottles
The Red Pepper bottles are each etched and hand painted. They are about 6" tall. Great bottles for infusing Olive Oil.

L.A. Times features Etsy shop

Gifts inspired by Lent (or Mardi Gras): Lust

March 4, 2011 |  8:31 am

Through Mardi Gras on March 8, we're giving you gift ideas, inspired by the Seven Deadly Sins, that you'll be regretting come Lent.
What would a piece on lust be without a mention of Hef? You can still get your hands on a copy of Hugh Hefner’s Playboy, a six-volume, limited-edition set (packaged in a Plexiglas case, $1,300 at Taschen.com) that includes a facsimile edition of the very first Playboy in 1953 with its Marilyn Monroe cover and centerfold -- arguably the sexiest one ever. Each numbered set is personally signed by Hef and comes with a 7-by-7-centimeter swatch of his certifiably worn signature silk pajamas.

And for those who are too shy to make the first move, how about a little pillow talk? Alexandra Ferguson fun felt pillows, made of recycled water bottles, establish house rules with slogans such as “Let’s Make Out” and “One Track Mind” (16 by 16 inches square with insert, from $89 at Etsy.com). The appliqués are cut by hand, so no two are alike –- a truly one-of-a-kind present.

With all the ho-hum of daily life, who doesn’t need a spritz of aphrodisiacs to heighten the mood? The boldly carnal Lust fragrance by Gorilla Perfume at Lush is laden with love notes — seductive jasmine hand-blended with ylang ylang, rose, vanilla and earthy sandalwood ($33 for 30 milliliter spray, $14 for 9 milliliter spray and $13 for solid perfume stick at Lushusa).
Now that will give you something to take to confession.
-- Ingrid Schmidt
Photo: Alexandra Ferguson fun felt pillow. Credit: Etsy.com

Wine glasses......Decorate your drinks

Wine glasses are necessary for a romantic evening in, favorite wine with your dinner or entertaining your friends family and coworkers.
Choosing the right wine, the correct wine glass isnt difficult. Always have large variety on hand. no two palettes are alike But keep this in mind:

Red wine glasses

The Bowl: Wider
The bigger flavors in reds need to spread out. The wider bowl also lets in more air, which releases bold aromas and flavors.

The Opening: Wider
Dip your nose into the wider bowl to get a load of more complex aromas.

Tip: When pouring wines, keep the wine level to the lower one-third the glass. This leaves lots of air and swirl room, both of which enhance the enjoyment of your wines.

BIG REDS (Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz):
Get a big bowl and a big opening.

SOFT REDS (Pinot Noir, Merlot):
Get a big bowl that narrows a tinge at the opening.

White wine glasses

The Bowl: Narrower
The smaller capacity helps keep temperatures cool longer.

The Opening: Narrower
The lighter aromas waft well in a narrower glass.

SPIRITED WHITES (Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, Chardonnay):
Get a bowl with a little room that narrows slightly at the opening.

DELICATE WHITES (Riesling, Pinot Gris, Gewurztiminer):
Get a narrow bowl and a narrow opening.

 Purchase your wine glasses at Glass City Gifts . Glass City offers an incredible selection and quality stemware etched and decorated by hand.

Chinese	Choose slightly sweet or off-dry wines. Rosès and Gewürztraminers are the best, followed by Rieslings and Chenin Blancs. With Tea or Peking duck, try Cabernet, Merlot, Pinot Noir and Zinfandel.
Japanese	Choose very cold, off-dry, fruity white wines or any sparkling wine.
Thai	Rosé is the best choice but Rieslings can be a good bet. Gewürztraminer is a risky choice, can be good or bad.
Vietnamese	Best advice is to choose very cold, fruity, slightly sweet Rosés and Gewürztraminers.
Mexican	Very cold, fruity, full-bodied Sauvignon Blancs and Rosés work well. Chili heat will drown Rieslings and Gewürztraminers. Gamays and Pinot Noirs perform well, too.
Indian	Choose full-bodied sparking wines and reds such as Merlots and Zinfandels. Drier, full-bodied Rosés work well also.
Middle Eastern	Fruity wines, both red and white, work well. Choose the drier Rosès and Rieslings.
Barbeque	Wines need to be both fruity and rich, Zinfandel or Rosè make good choices. Try Sauvignon Blancs with seafood.
Fried Foods	Sparkling wines are terrific. Any crisp, dry, fruity wine, white or red, works well too.

Chardonnay:Usually a medium to full-bodied, dry wine.	Poultry and game birds, veal and pork, rabbit fish and pasta preparations which feature cream and/or butter, mushrooms.
Sauvignon Blanc (Fumé Blanc):Medium to light-bodied and dry.	First courses, seafood, ethnic dishes—pastas, curries, salsas, spicy sausages, vegetable dishes, luncheon salads, olive-oil based dishes, tomato sauces, goat cheese.
Chenin Blanc:Light to medium-bodied, normally off-dry to semi-sweet.	Braised Chicken, sushi and other Oriental dishes, poultry, pork.
Gewürztraminer:Light to medium body, usually semi-sweet, occasionally off-dry.	Spicy cuisines such as Chinese, Mexican, and Indian, mild sausages, fruit salad.
Riesling (Johannisberg Riesling, White Riesling):Light to medium bodied, semi-sweet to off-dry.	Crabmeat, appetizers and finger foods, pork, salads.

Pink Wines (Rosé, White Zinfandel, Cabernet Blanc, Blush, Blanc de Noirs):Vary in color and sweetness. Choose the most current vintage.		Best with smoked foods, quiche, pork and ham,Mexican and Thai food. Can be served with all food.
Sparkling Wines/Champagnes (méthode champenoise / fermented in the bottle):Crisp and bubbly.	Brut:Dry. Traditionally a blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.	Appetizers and first courses, fruits and nuts. Fuller bodied variations go well with any fish and chicken.
	Blanc de Noir:More fruity than brut, but still dry.	Appetizers	, with lunch, desserts.
	Blanc de Blancs:More delicate than brut.	Caviar. Anytime.

Treasuries

My glass was just added to 3 new Treasuries today. Here is one. The other two are on my Treasuries page. Take a look the items listed in them are beautiful.

Glory-of-the-snow blue

Glory of the Snow is one of the first Spring flowers to blossom. Here is my Glory of the snow done in fused glass.
It measures 10" x 6".
I will be making it into a sun catcher. More pics to come....

Thirsty Thursday Drinking glasses

These are the glasses I will be cold working in the sandblast cabinet. Creating new designs on them.
The green shot glasses will be shamrock shots. Getting ready for St. Patrick's day.



I will etch fish on to the martini glass.

Etched Leaves on glass vase

Here is my Tall vase with long tulip leaves hand drawn and etched around it. A couple of the leaves are bent over and the rest are straight. the vase is 12" tall. I'm going to add a little color to this one. Some green and yellow accents will look good. this image is before the paint and after the etch process.

Starting the day on my blog.

I just figured out I can have every channel I need to start the day, right on my blog. News updates and Etsy on Live Stream/FB and Twitter. So I grab my coffee and check in with news, weather and then onto the Etsy Virtual labs. Watch Etsy Live right from my blog, This is perfect.

Its early morning and I'm brain storming for some new unique handmade ideas. Paying extra attention to recycling and giving back. Watching the etsy virtual labs are wonderful and inspiring. You should take a look.

The people on there are amazing and their handmade creations are very inspiring. you should see how much time and care go into these items....how cute I just watched them make these little books.they would be good for stocking stuffers, gift toppers or just for jotting down notes.................OK, I need a coffee  refill.