Hippyshopper

SpoonFed Art

With a name like SpoonFed Art you can figure it's about indie work, but it's actually more obvious than you might think. To fight her own eating disorder, LA designer Karin Collins started making pendants out of spoons. Receiving much flattering response, she decided to start selling them, and donate part of the proceeds to the National Eating Disorders Association. The gallery was updated as of 12 Feb, with prices starting at $85 USD. [GT]

SpoonFed Art

More fashion and accessories

Bottle Cutter brings recycling home

Why buy recycled glass when you've got glass to recycle right at home? Oh yes, there's the pesky problem of turning it into a form that is more useful to you than the typical nippled missile shape. Solution: the Bottle Cutter from the Green Directory's shop. It cuts the glass off safely so you can turn around and make drinking vessels, ashtrays or vases. £31.50 and you get 35 bonus points. [GT]

Bottle Cutter

More Recycling, Do It Yourself

Give your office a green makeover with Remarkable recycling

I seem to have a bit of a bee in my bonnet about plastics recycling. Maybe it's just that now I've finally found out how and where to do it, the possibilities seem endless...or perhaps there's just something satisfying about knowing that your all-important notebook or ruler has got a new lease of life and been spared from  the fate of landfill hell...

Either way, this week I'm mostly being easily impressed by yet more funky things-that-used-to-be-other-things from Remarkable - one of the first companies to make recycling cool. Check out their site for more of their simple-yet-stylish stationery, and why not think about persuading your whole office to go eco?

Heal's Recycle Bags: seal and carry

The Heal's Recycle Bins Set Of Three not only make sorting easy (and modestly stylish) but the flaps also have a nice magnetic seal so that you don't have to look at the trash once you're done with it, and carrying straps so you can easily transport them to the central bin. The earth tones are reminiscent of the planet you're trying to improve, and should fit in nicely with any decor. Plastic, 48.5cm D 29.5cm W, £35 per set. [GT]

Heal's Recycle Bins Set Of Three

More Recycling

Recycled Glass Placemat

This weirdly attractive placemat with separate slab for silverware is made entirely from recycled glass (except for the little metal bits, which are presumably shaved off Bender while he sleeps). However, at $42 each, I can't help remembering that I was in a five-and-dime type store earlier today and saw rather beautiful recycled glass bowls for £1.25 each, and imported all the way from Spain at that. Come on, guys, $42 for a recycled placemat? [GT]

Placemat, Turquoise [via GreatGreenGoods]

Related stories: Recycled glass carafe and tumbler | 'Green' and gorgeous recycled glass | Brilliant recycled beer goblets

The green welly brigade

There are over 50 groups of plastics, each with hundreds of different varieties, and knowing how to dispose of them ecologically can be daunting. But the good news is that all types can be recycled, and few have made this point more strongly and creatively than Smile Plastics, whose recycled plastic sheets are being turned by designers into stylish, everyday objects as well as stunning works of art.

Technology has a lot to answer for when it comes to our heavy reliance on plastics, and many of Smiles' materials are derived from the increasingly colourful (and shiny) world of computers, personal stereos and mobile phones. But it's their latest sheets, made from shredded kids' wellies that really caught my eye. Showcased at last year's [re] Design exhibition at London's Truman Brewery, the squishy, tactile 'wellie sheets' look a bit like abstract impressionist paintings, bursting with colour. They can be used to make table cloths, bar coverings, bathroom mats and even flooring. Personally, I'd rather like one on my wall...

If you want to know more about how and where to recycle plastics, Waste Online have a no-nonsense guide here.

We covered Smile Plastics about this time last year, but they were too good to let you forget about.

Revolve recycled plastic coasters

No concerns about whether these Revolve recycled coasters and rulers will match your decor: they're made of marbled-together plastic bottles that have a rainbow pointillism that'll go with any scheme. £2 per single coaster or £8 for a pack of four; the rulers come in 15cm for £5 or 30cm for £60. (No matter how delicious they may look, do not eat.) [GT]

Revolve recycled coasters and rulers

Related stories: Popoutz recycled plastic bird feeders in glam colors | Recycline's Preserve recycled plastic goods | Spacefruit recycled plastic necklace and bracelet

Ethical footwear finds its feet

Mention “trainers” to your average green shopper, and you’ll more than likely be the lucky recipient of a gratis lecture on third world sweatshops, animal-derived materials and polluting production methods. And if that isn't enough to shock you, the inflated markups on most well-known brands will.

So, how are you to combine your New Year’s exercise regime with that other resolution about ethical shopping? With the best will in the world, those veggie-leather Jesus sandals just aren’t going to cut it at the gym…

Fortunately for you (and your reputation), green footwear has quietly been shedding its beardy-weirdy image, and a number of hot designers are now offering stylish and practical trainers to rival the more familiar mass-produced ones. Leading the way is Worn Again, a UK-based design collective dedicated to making shoes from all sorts of materials, from car seats to reclaimed jeans. The website features a limited edition range of trainers made from firemen’s uniforms, so why not get yourself a pair of shoes that may have saved lives instead of ruining them?

Wee need your help...

If you thought urine was green, there may be something wrong with your eyesight. Or quite possibly your internal organs; either way you need to see a professional. But the truth of the matter is that your wee is  worse for the planet than you might think, containing a cocktail of chemicals including phosphate and nitrogen, which loos then mix with vast quantities of water. The result is an awful lot of liquid being wasted because the chemicals are difficult and costly to remove.

To help raise awareness of reducing our personal 'pee print', New Scientist recently ran this article on 'Pee cycling' which profiles some solutions that separate the offending liquid from the main sewage stream, allowing water to be recycled and the remaining chemicals to be used in products like fertilisers, instead of treated as waste. A prototype "no-mix" toilet has been developed, and is being tested in forward-thinking countries like the Netherlands and Switzerland. But will it take off in the UK? The main question in my mind is whether British males will take to one interesting feature of the green toilet: since it diverts waste down two separate pipes, both men and women will have to sit down to pee. Which leads to another important question: could this be the end of the loo-seat argument that has divided the sexes for centuries?

[via New Scientist]

Wardrobe Surgery for green fashion junkies

Fed up with high street stores churning out cheap copies of every style from Bollywood to Burlesque at a top-end cost to the environment? Tired of wading through mountains of moth-eaten ‘vintage’ tat in dreary second-hand shops to find that one item that will set you apart from the crowd?

If the answer to either of these questions is ‘yes’, then drop your (unbleached) linen and get thee to Junky in London’s Brick Lane to witness the latest concept in edgy, recycled clothing. Founders Annika Sanders and Kerry Seager are pioneers in ‘wardrobe surgery’ – the art of turning the kind of old clothes that Oxfam would normally sneer at into stylish, contemporary tailored garments, each one a unique piece. Clothes can be bought ready-customised in the store, but the duo will also get to work on your knackered old coat or indeed any unwanted Christmas presents from well-meaning relatives, creating something truly unique.

Recycle mobile phones to aid fund raising

By now you have absolutely no excuse for letting old mobiles loiter in your desk, but if you still are, trot over to Green Phones where you can send it in for recycling by freepost, have a chance to win £500 by sending it in, and get its value donated to charities, schools, hospices, or your club fund raiser. Far better than it collecting dust! [GT]

Green Phones

Related stories: Send empty ink and dead mobiles to TheRecyclingFactory | Solar Mobile Charger | Moto's biodegradable mobile

Vodafone tells you where to shove your old mobile

Vodafone research shows that only a third of people in the UK has ever recycled their mobile phone, even though four out of five of us know that it is possible. Urk. This statistic sounds even worse when you consider that 15 million mobiles become redundant each year.

Vodafone is making it easier for you to do the right thing with instore recycling banks and Freepost mailing envelopes (sent to contract customers when they upgrade).

Donating your phone raises money for Vodafone's chosen charity - the National Autism Society, and the phones are sent to Fonebak for recycling. If at all possible, they are refurbished for use in underdeveloped countries (mobiles are very handy where there is no landline infrastructure).

Related: Moto's biodegradable mobile | Five ways to recycle your old mobile | Nokia prototypes easy dis-assembly mobiles

What to do with post-Christmas Waste

Kate at GreenGirlsGlobal has a great post on what to do with your post-Christmas trash. The vast majority of it not really being trash, of course; most wrapping paper can be composted or re-used next year; holiday cards can be recycled or turned into next year's gift tags; the tree can be replanted or put in green waste. [GT]

Ideas For Your Post Christmas Waste

Related stories: Resolutions for 2007 #10: Paint one-time events green | "Dreaming of a Green Christmas?" debate | Review: Simply Green: Giving

Resolutions for 2007 #10: Paint one-time events green

One-time events don't have to mean long-term trash.  Branchhome picnicware is made from potato starch plus vegetable oil, and utensils made from Cereplast, are derived from corn.  Both biodegrade like one might expect but provide the convenience of what is essentially plastic.  Also check out Danny Seo's Simply Green: Parties for tips on how to host a green event.  If you're having it catered, ask about the provenance of the foodstuffs, and make sure everything is the way you expect (as catered events are held to different laws than a regular meal is - though sometimes even the supposed organic places nod).  Organic Buffet, Duke of Cambridge Organic Pub and Maison Plasse: French Organic Gastronomy Home Delivered all take their organic catering pretty seriously. If guests are asked to contribute food or drink, give them tips on where to buy the hippy stuff.  Be patient and friendly with the non-hippy element; they'll come around once they see it's possible to be green and still enjoy life to the fullest.  [GT]

Original stories: Fair trade, compostable, biodegradable dishware made from sugar | Cereplast brings biodegradable picnicware | Review: Simply Green: Parties | Monday unethical celeb: Julie's Restaurant fined for claiming non-organic meat is all-green | Organic Buffet affordable fresh catering | Duke of Cambridge Organic Pub | Maison Plasse: French Organic Gastronomy Home Delivered

Manufacturers to cover cost of car scrapping

The End of Life Vehicles Directive came into force yesterday.  If you've got a car to scrap, it means you don't have to pay for someone to take it off your hands any more since manufacturers are now responsible for it.

The idea is that fewer cars are scrapped since the car companies have to fork out for it, although in my still-recovering-from-seeing-in-the-New-Year state, I'm struggling to work out why making it easier for people to get rid of cars should reduce the numbers being scrapped.  I think it might be something to do with setting targets to recycle parts rather than crush and dump them.

Predictably, the car companies are squealing.  The Guardian's report said the companies reckoned the law would "bankrupt them" but I'm sure some clever bean-counter in Chelsea-Tractors-R-Us HQ will find a way of passing the costs back onto the consumer.

Car companies pick up costs of scrapping and recycling [The Guardian]

Related stories: Cows hurt environment more than cars | Carrentals.co.uk | HUMMER O2 makes its own oxygen

Photo credit: car {more than just a rusty car} by R@punseLL used under the Creative Commons Attribution Licence

Eco Reuse labels

Ecotopia has produced sticky labels to make reusing packaging super-easy. They cost £1.99 for a pack of fifty.

It's not a new idea (Traidcraft have been selling them for years), but I love the bold design on Ecotopia's. Plus, the slogans should be pretty good at encouraging others to follow your good example: "Don't chuck it! Reuse it!", "Save trees, use these" and "How many times can you reuse this packaging?" I particularly like the note of challenge in the last one...

My only problem (apart from deciding which slogan to order) is that I can't see whether the labels are made from recycled paper or not.

Related: Paper rucksacks | Elephant poo paper | ViaStone: rock, (inkjet) paper

2006 roundup #11: The year of DIY solar

In 2006 we learned to make some pretty impressive goods at home: wallpaper paste, non-toxic wall paint, a solar oven capable of baking bread in midwinter, a solar heater costing under £200, and, my personal favourite, a one watt solar panel costing only £1 which is sensitive enough to generate power even in areas as overcast as Wales.  All of these DIYs are affordable, reduce your ecological footprint, and are within the technical capabilities of a normal human.  Between the hippy urge and the democracy of the internet, what were once inaccessibly technical projects are now getting within the reach of the regular home handyman.  (Not to mention the savings, and better air quality indoors from skipping the toxic paints and glues!)  [GT]

DIY Wallpaper Paste |  Make your own eco-friendly paint | Build your own solar oven | Build your own solar heater for under £200 | DIY Solar - even in Wales!

2006 roundup #22: Recycle your mobiles and ink tanks for cash, already

Ink cartridges and dead mobiles piled up around us, to the point where a whole exhibition called Dead Ringers? hit downtown London.  And why not, considering that we toss a whopping million and a half mobiles annually (1712 per hour!), despite that they all contain valuable metals that should be recycled.  Nokia prototyped an easy disassembly phone, but in the meantime, you can always sell your mobile (and empty ink tanks) to The Recycling Factory, and they'll see the guts find a good home.  [GT]

Original stories: Dead Ringers? | Send empty ink and dead mobiles to The Recycling Factory | Nokia protoypes easy-disassembly mobiles | There's gold in them there recycled mobiles (sorry)

2006 roundup #23: Binvention makes old grocery sacks sexy

We also saw a bunch of sexy eco-gadgets in 2006, but none quite so sleek as the Binvention, an aluminum prototype (only 100 made, and surely all sold out prior to a huge order being done), which takes the plastic sacks we've all got hundreds of floating around, and gives them a useful home as recycling bags.  The Binvention in particular impressed because it did a dirty job and looked great doing it, and at a great price to boot.  But, if you must have a gadgeted-up version, there was the ecopod e1 Home Recycling Center, styled by BWM Designworks.  [GT]

Original stories: Making recycling sexy with the Binvention | ecopod e1 Home Recycling Center

2006 roundup #29: Patagonia wants your underwear

In 2006, everything is up for recycling grabs, from old soda bottles (but we'll talk more about Terracycle later) to your very underwear.  Hippy company Patagonia put out a call for your old Capilene base layers to be returned to their stores for stripping, dissolving and reuse in brand-new hiking gear - but only if it's really, really too worn for any human to reasonably wear again.  The other message: don't buy new if what you've got already does it.  [GT]

Original stories: Patagonia wants your underwear | TerraCycle sells your garbage back to you - as compost

2006 roundup #31: Logmaker burns, Umbrella stand waters

Often we end up with heaps of stuff we should recycle, but it would be nice if there were something we could do in our own home.  The Logmaker gives us an option for those piles of old newspapers: stuff them in there and it reverts to something not unlike the chunk of tree it once was, suitable for placing in some warming glowy fireplace (and do scatter the ashes on your garden afterward).  Gadgets like this, with a long life, an obvious application, and which are fun to use, are absolutely the best.  The Eco-friendly Umbrella Stand was another one - the spike you hang your umbrella on which enables the water to drip into the plant, saving you mess and reusing the water.  We really need more like those in 2007.

Original stories: Logmaker, Logmaker, get me a match | Eco-friendly Umbrella Stand

2006 roundup #32: From the Solio to the TREAD

The TREAD iPod and laptop cases, like the Gription Firefly, generated quite a lot of blog buzz in 2006.  They also sold like crazy, which is good for several reasons.  One, they're incredibly sturdy, and an all-around solid product.  Two, they involve recycling truck tires (which raised the big question: why Columbian truck tires in particular?  Did anybody get an answer on that?) into a useful product.  Three, they're a UK home solution.  Devised by Better Energy Systems, the same company that gave us the Solio, we expect great things to come in 2007. 

Original stories: Special weekend report!  Meet TREAD, the new product from Solio | Ethical celebrity sighting: Clinton gives out Solio chargers | Review: GuyotDesigns Firefly, Bottles, Gription

TerraCycle sells your garbage back to you - as compost

TerraCycle starts with a green product: vermicompost tea (that is, compost tea made by worms) - and goes greener. The bottles are reused plastic soda bottles (filched from recycling bins; since the bottles come in four consistent sizes it was possible to automate refilling). The spray tops were thrown away by other companies. Even the boxes are misprints that other compnies threw out. The result is a green-minded, organic product that is actually much cheaper than the alternatives and, unlike typical compost tea, has a shelf life of two years instead of days. Read the excellent profile at INC Magazine. [GT]

The Coolest Little Start-Up in America: What could be cooler--or sweeter--than selling garbage packaged in garbage? [via designverb]

Related stories: 163 things you can compost from PlanTea | Moto's biodegradable mobile | Should HarperCollins compost OJ?

There's gold in them there recycled mobiles (sorry)

Today's horrifying statistic: less than 1% of discarded mobiles are actually recycled, despite being loaded not only with precious metals, but toxic sludge.  Hopefully by appealing to basic human nature - greed, that is - that can change. The U.S. Geological Survey estimates that a whopping 500 million unused mobiles are lying around in desk drawers, which can be converted right into cash by companies such as The Recycling Factory. (And while you're at it, sell off those used ink cartridges you've got lying around too.) [GT]

Recycled Cell Phones—A Treasure Trove of Valuable Metals [via WorldChanging]

Related stories: Moto's biodegradable mobile | Send empty ink and dead mobiles to the Recycling Factory | 5 ways to recycle your mobile

RECYCLED BICYCLE FURNITURE by Frida Ottemo Kallstrom

Commenters justly point out that the stool version of Frida Ottemo Kallstrom's bicycle recycling project looks unspeakably uncomfortable - sitting on a bicycle seat at the best of times is a trying proposition! That said, the lamps are absolutely adorable and really do bring the whole repurposing idea into the quirky yet elegant headspace they should inhabit. For another bicycle retread (so to speak) see the recycled pot rack at Fort House Rehab. [GT]

Frida Ottemo Kallstrom's bicycle recycling project [via Inhabitat]

Related stories: Don't bin your wheels: make them a specialbike | Urban Mover folding AND electric bike | Moulton's small-wheeler up for an award

The Sawfish: Underwater Lumberjack

When a forest is submerged by a man-made lake (especially a man-made Three Gorges sized lake) the timber doesn't just dissolve like so many pixy sticks. It stands, relatively unchanged, aside from becoming hellishly waterlogged (which makes it so heavy that it used to be unfeasible to reclaim). Now that Triton Logging has invented the Sawfish, essentially a submarine with some clamps and chainsaws, those forests are a much more viable timber option. Triton points out that this also involves much less disturbance of wildlife or need to build roads in delicate wilderness. Sure, but also, the idea of a submarine with chainsaws is just incredibly cool. (Oh, and how does it deal with the waterlogged-heaviness of the trees? It attaches airbags so they float up. And now you know.) [GT]

Triton Logging [via Treehugger]

Related stories: Click to save Swedish old growth forest | Spuds save trees | Buy Dad a present, save world

Monday's ethical celeb: Should HarperCollins compost OJ?

Publisher HarperCollins put itself in a peculiar bind: it printed 400,000 copies of OJ Simpson's book, If I Did It and then decided not to sell any of them after all. Normally this would lead to shredding and regular tossing of the confetti results, which would eventually lead to the paper becoming compost, but very slowly, what with landfills being incredibly inefficient. The solution posed by Slate is ingenious though: compost the Juice. Constance Casey suggests that HarperCollins give one copy of the book to every American organic gardener out there (positing that there are 400,000 such), have them swear to neither read it nor allow anybody else to (and especially not to sell it on eBay) and then go about composting it properly. First, tear off the glossy cover, and soak it for a few months. Shred the remainder and sprinkle about. [GT]

O.J.'s Dirty Book: How to recycle the Juice's "confession."

Related stories: Don't bin your wheels: make them a specialbike | ecopod e1 Home Recycling Center | Worn Again's Bigger Shoe

Free Nouvelle three-in-one recycling bag

Nouvelle - the recycled toilet paper people - are giving away a three-in-one recycling bag (just collect three tokens from promotional packs).

While buying recycled products is great for the environment - the waste paper used to create Nouvelle replaces 792 trees worth of virgin pulp a day, recycling is the very necessary other side of the coin.

The natural jute bags have three compartments to help you separate your rubbish, hopefully encouraging recycling. Which considering we (in the UK) have one of the worst recycling rates in Europe, has got to be a good thing.

They look pretty nice, too.

More recycling.

How to get rid of your computer the green way

Geeks-on-wheels offers IT support to the general public and small businesses.

In addition to a fantastic business name, Geeks-on-wheels has an ethical heart, too. Whenever the Geeks supply a new computer, monitor or printer, they offer to take customers old equipment, free of charge, and make sure it is disposed of according to the EU's Directive on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE).

Old computers are broken down to their raw materials, such as plastic, glass and precious metals. These then go on to form parts of cars, mobile phones and even underground construction piping.

So, next time your computer blows up, who you gonna call? (Sorry).

More recycling.

WRAP expands battery collection scheme

WRAP (the Waste and Resources Action Programme) is expanding its battery recycling trials with bins in selected stores (Homebase, B&Q and Tesco are all taking part) and community recycling points. There is also a postal collection scheme for those in rural areas, using pre-paid envelopes.

The trials will roll out in selected areas of England, Scotland and Wales over the next eighteen months.

WRAP has already introduced kerbside battery recycling trials to over 350,000 households, and these new schemes will allow an additional 400,000 households to do the right thing with regards to their dead batteries.

Let's hope it is successful; the EU Batteries Directive requires the collection of 25% of all household batteries for recycling by 2012.

Send empty ink and dead mobiles to therecyclingfactory.com

Even a two year old mobile, despite lacking this year's glamorous features, is chock-full of useful components and elements that go into next year's mobile. Likewise, the parts of ink cartridges that wear out are, by skilled hands, fairly easy to replace and turn back into useful little pots of C, M, Y or K. That's where The Recycling Factory comes in: they pay cold cash for your garbage (or you can donate it to charity, or have it applied as credit against getting more ink). Since mobiles often contain nasty chemicals that it's bad to have leach into the tip, you're doing the planet a favour as well as getting yourself a few extra quid to spend on the holidays (or hols for yourself - you needn't be perfect). [GT]

The Recycling Factory

Related stories: Don't bin your wheels: make them a specialbike | Hang a recycled circuit board on your tree this Christmas | Making recycling sexy with the Binvention

Don't bin your wheels: make them a specialbike

DJ Norman Cook thought his fave wheels were fit for nothing better than the bin - but his wife took them over to specialbike. Specialbike stripped it to the frame, replaced all the components, repainted, and returned something better than brand-new. If you've got an expensive high-quality frame, it's worth replacing the brakes, seat, handles, etc, and making it into something you'll use all the more because it fits your needs exactly. Drop by specialbike.co.uk to inquire what they can do for you, or go over to 41 Brunswick St, Hove to get all the details. [GT]

Related stories: What to do with your old bike | Solar bicycle light | Get a free bicycle MOT

Hang a recycled circuit board on your tree this Christmas

Okay, so it isn't even December yet.

And, okay, the most eco-friendly thing you can hang on your Christmas tree is probably a string of popcorn. Especially if you eat it by Twelfth Night.

However, these cute green danglies come pretty close. They are made out of recycled circuit boards and cost just £2.49 each. Available now from Ecotopia

Related stories: recycled circuit board gifts

Don't fly-tip in Mendip: put in the bin

1,300 tonnes of trash are fly-tipped across the Mendip district alone every year, costing thousands of pounds to taxpayers simply because lazy louts can't be bothered to bin their rubbish. To combat this, as part of the Keen Britain Tidy project, Mendip District Council is taking names and cracking down. Don't approach fly-tippers, they say, just make a note and let the police know. Fines for inappropriate litter dumping can go as high as £20,000! Top five weird tips in Mendip: 5) six orange bags of party hats and food; 4) a child's paddling pool; 3) the broken remains of a caravan; 2) a snooker table; 1) the trotters and heads of dead hogs - how piggish! Dumping your rubbish outside the tip adds extra work to the recycling cycle, so don't condone it. [GT]

Pigs might fly-tip in Mendip

Related stories: Boston goes solar with... garbage collection? | Review: High Tech Trash by Elizabeth Grossman | ecopod e1 Home Recycling Center

Fruit Powered Clock

Somewhat cooler looking than the typical potato clock, the Fruit Powered Clock would also afford you the opportunity to say, "I'm sorry Professor Bywater, I'm late because my roommate ate my clock battery." Alternatively, it's a good use for apples which you know have hung 'round long enough to be all mealy, but which still look too good to compost. Or you can just start attaching clamps to your bananas while glaring at the others and saying, "talk, or your friend gets it!" Bananas being the operative. $15 USD. [GT]

Fruit Powered Clock [via Neatorama]

Related stories: The water and flower power clock | Hydrogen Powered Model Car - For Kids | The eighties: chemistry sets. Noughties: solar sets?

ecopod e1 Home Recycling Center

The ecopod e1 Home Recycling Center is the second product of the name, and what the current obsession with pod as a suffix is is a mystery to me entire.  This ecopod is a mini recycling centre, styled by BWM Designworks, with a can/plastic bottle crusher on one side and a set of bins on the other for glass, paper and other recyclable items.  Shipping shortly, it goes for $328 USD, which is not bad if you want to be green but live in a tight space. 

[GT]

ecopod e1 Home Recycling Center

Related stories: TREAD Solio case nearly off backorder | Making recycling sexy with the Binvention | Recycled high couture

RE-found Objects gives you the same old stuff

Which I mean in the nicest way possible, of course!  RE-found Objects offers interesting vintage salvage or bespoke objects ranging from the rusted metal Pantry sign here for £19, to a traditional-style glass wasp trap with a Victorian sensibility.  They even have silk REminder cushions for places you haven't been yet.  Undoubtedly they're on your list and you're just efficiently gathering the souvenirs early. 

[GT]

RE-found Objects

Related stories: Eden Project's ultra green wine glasses | Oyster Clothing: Style Conscious Fairly Traded Clothing | bhive: The Organic Department Store

Brian Bentley Recycled Silverware

Old sterling flatware often has gorgeous lacework engraving and flower patterns, and it's far better to reuse it directly than to melt it down, when you get results like Brian Bentley Recycled does. Handmade in Vermont, the bracelet shown here is made from two sets of fork tines soldered together and polished to a high shine. $38 USD. Bentley also makes candlesticks, wall hooks, key fobs and other whimsical designs that retain the shape of the original. [GT]

Brian Bentley Recycled [via GreatGreenGoods]

Related stories: Tres Fair Trade Silver Bangle | R2US newsprint and silver arc flat earrings | Recycled silver jewelry