Sale in my Etsy store!

Hurry! There's still time for sending Halloween greetings!

And, I have just the thing for you! Halloween stationery and stickers!

The best news is....they're all on sale! Check out my Etsy shop!

Still time!

There's still time to order some Halloween stationery or stickers! This black stationery set, complete with matching envelopes and stickers has just the right amount of spooky atmosphere! Visit my Etsy shop for this set and other Halloween items!

How wonderful!

I received the most delightful package in the mail yesterday....all the way from Surrey, England! It's a beautiful, customized stationery set from Giulia Mauri of The Card Tree.

I just love my writing set and can't wait to write some letters!

Thanks, Giulia!

How-to Make a Purse from a Magazine Page

I am always looking for different and exciting ways to reuse all the stuff I have.

This how-to is great at Henrietta's Handbags and Purse Patterns is great.

The site gives instructions for making a purse from magazine pages.

While you're there, go to the Site Map and scroll down to the Free Handbag Patterns and Purse Patterns link. There are several other eco-friendly ideas there. The site also sells purses and handbags made from a variety of materials.

Note to crafters: Please read the FAQ section on the Henrietta's site. The patterns are copyrighted, and crafters must sign an agreement to share the revenue you make.

The Card Tree shop is one of my favorites!

When I first saw Giulia's TheCardTree shop on Etsy, I fell in love with it! The shop is full of beautifully elegant notecards, cards and writing sets....all made from recycled paper! And, then there are the eco-friendly Fair Trade Organic Cotton tote bags, painted with some of Giulia's images.

Then, I saw some of Giulia's other art work. My favorite is The Card Tree, a watercolor. Her other works are beautiful, too, but maybe it is my own love for letter writing that draws me to her The Card Tree, see it to the right.

I sent Giulia a few questions about herself and her art, so that you, too, can get to know her better. Here are her answers:

Q: Tell us a little bit about yourself….where are you from? What kind of art do you create? Etc.
My name is Giulia Mauri, I'm 23 years old and I come from Castelfranco Veneto, Italy. I studied Art at High School at Nove (Vicenza, Italy) and then graduated in Visual Arts from the Univerisity of Art & Design of Venice. At University I followed many different courses like history of dance, history of cinema, history of music, modern history and philosophy. I am pleased to have a solid background in which I can relate to my Art.

Q: What kind of art do you create?

Through watercolors I mainly tell stories of people - real and imaginative. I like to describe my feelings about those stories using colors and shapes. I do lots of monochrome paintings, and I'm very attentive to define characters' posture and their manners. I love working as a CD Cover Designer. I have done one project of this kind so far and it was a lot of fun! When designing for things such as CD Cover, Art is applied to everyday life objects and items. That's also why I like to create things to sell at The Card Tree shop, like writing sets, cards and reusable cotton bags.

Q: Many of the items in your Etsy shop are made from recycled materials…why did you choose to use recycled paper in your projects?
Actually all the paper goods in my shop are made of recycled paper.
I have chosen to make my arts and crafts totally Eco-friendly because it is an effective way to save the planet; plus it makes me feel good!
When buying or selling recycled paper items, you can effectively save the remains of the forest that we have left in the world. Trees are a limited resource, and we have to teach our children to appreciate and protect them.

Q: What inspires your artwork?
I get inspiration from stories and tales that draw my attention and certain colors - like red, turquoise, blue and green. I am also very lucky to live in a very beautiful area: surrounded by the nature and the animals. Nature is a great resource of inspiration, it is constantly changing with the weather and the seasons...

Q: What types of things do you think people can do in their everyday lives to be more "Eco-friendly"?
I was going to talk about Reduce-Reuse-Recycle, but I figured why not visit www.Etsy.com?!

Q: I see that you have several writing sets in your shop, do you write letters regularly? What kind of a response do you get?
I love writing letters but I also understand that this might seem like an old fashion way of communicating. To me though, it's very personal and I just love it. In a letter you can fit so much more about yourself, than the ordinary card or postcard.
My friends love receiving mail from me, they say that my letters always hold a secret inside. I love receiving mail too, after about 10 years of correspondence with friends around the world I have boxes full of memories...

Q: What can Giulia Mauri art fans expect to see in the near future?
As my little Eco-friendly craft business grows, I would like to get my cards professionally printed on Eco-friendly cards and inks. I'd like to get involved in other Music-Art projects and get my personal web site up and running. This will have a gallery to view all my art works.

Q: I appreciate your taking the time for this interview! Do you have anything else you'd like to add?
Thank you very much Carla for giving me the opportunity to talk about my work!

Nothing is trash!

I just love the concept of not throwing things away!

I found this great blog on how to make a purse from potato chip bags or candy wrappers. Take a look at her detailed directions! http://candywrapperpurse.blogspot.com/

On the purse-making blog, she references this Web site that explains how to make the chains she uses for the purses — http://www.gumwrapper.com/build.htm. It's not hard...I've done it! While you're looking at Gary Duschl's Web site on how to make the gum wrapper chains, click to his Main Page (link is at the bottom of his page) and see what he's done!

With tricks like these, we can save almost anything and make something useful out of it!

New Etsy mini on page

Today, you'll find an Etsy mini for MyCozyCreations on this page. My Etsy mini is on her blog, too. Visit it at MyCozyCreations.blogspot.com

The lunchbox napkins and cloth tote bags are definitely earth-friendly! And, they're cute, too!

While you're at Etsy, visit my shop and see the new Halloween items I listed yesterday and today, as well as the new repurposed envelopes! Keep checking back for new items as often as I can get them posted!