Scraps!

I started putting up my recycled line of gift tags today. Check them out at my Etsy shop. Order anything from my shop with this coupon code: "IREADBLOGS" and you'll get free shipping on your order, which will cut down most orders by 50%!

This batch was made with a box for an old pizza stone. I'm working on getting biodegradable ribbon, but what's below will have to do until then. Enjoy!

Redecorating My Craft Corner

Cleaning out my house and allowed me to carve out a great space for my crafts. I'm hoping that with all my crafts organized and in one space, my creativity will flow freely. Here are some photos of the first steps to putting this space together. Next is a seating area once the room is completely organized and coordinating boxes for a sleeker touch.

A few books made it onto my craft shelf next to my ribbon box, along with one of my favorite photos. This was taken in the "blue" courtyard during my high school years. My friend Holly and I are both have our then boyfriends, and now husbands, on our backs!

My way to garden I suppose. I desperately want a green thumb, but it hasn't worked out so far for me. But I loved decorating with garden accessories on this message board alongside a few of my most prized possessions, song lyrics that my husband wrote for me and a bookmark given to my by a middle school teacher.

The top shelf of the bookcase will house some trinkets from an amazing summer camp that my husband and I were fortunate enough to lead in 2009. The paint brushes have dried neon paint from a significant night during the camp.

Check out my Etsy shop: today is a sunny day

Tampa Food Truckin'

Just a few shots from the October Food Truck Rally. Fire Monkey Truck lived up to the hype. Delicious! Corey trusted me with my Cuppin Cake selections this time. Beautiful weather and great food made for a superb Saturday.

Spider Monkeys (fried plantains) and Gorilla Balls from Fire Monkey Truck

What Cuppin Cake was serving up.

Pumpkin Patch and Apple Pie cupcakes. Corey and I couldn't decide which one was better.

That's us

It was so nice out that we didn't want to go home. We stopped at Starbucks on our way home to read for a bit.

While I was reading Start Something That Matters by Blake Mycoskie (founder of TOMS Shoes), I doubled one of my gift tags as my bookmark.

Crafting

I took my crafting outside last weekend. It was so great! I packed up everything in my repurposed 45 carrying case and took my creativeness outside.

pssst.... this is an sneak peak of my recycled gift tags.

See what gift tags I have for sale now by checking out my Etsy shop, www.todayisasunnyday.etsy.com.

ATL Road Trip

I did some exploring in Atlanta this weekend.

Packed up and ready to go. I'm very fond of this pin. It went on my jacket when I was in elementary school. Now it's on my long-living JanSport. They really do fix bags for free! Mine had 'zipper disease' (JanSport coined term for zippers that will unzip unannounced), a torn side, and ripping strap. Great read: The Hippie Guide to Climbing the Corporate Ladder.

As expected, we found a rock climbing gym.

This vegetable disaster held up some traffic on 275. Tomatoes we all over the roadway. This is only about 10 percent of the spill.

The next batch are from an excellent pizza place we found.

This amazing sink was in the guy's restroom. My husband took the photo. Ha!

Red Hat Society

If you are under the age of 50, chances are you don’t know much about the Red Hat Society. You might see these groups of ladies wearing mismatched red hats and purple attire shopping at the mall, having high tea, or taking up a large corner of a restaurant. I remember seeing them when I was a teenager, and thinking this was all very silly and all very silly looking.

Until I learned a little bit more about them. The Red Hat Society started by accident really. A friend was inspired to give the gift of a framed poem and yada, yada, yada, they soon had 18 ladies going out for tea dressed in purple dresses and red hats inspired by the poem. So what does their organization do? Nothing, really. And that is the part that I really enjoy. It solely exists for women to pursue fun and friendship; that’s it. And I love it.

As I grow older, I’m beginning to see the ultimate value and sheer importance of harnessing solid friendships. When times get tough, you turn to the friends who are already there. Because of my schedule, job, and lifestyle, it’s no longer convenient to spend time with friends. They aren’t just down the hall at work or a member of my church that I’ll see after service.

You silly red hat wearing ladies inspired me again. And while I’m not about to go out and buy a pink hat (for junior members under 50, really silly, right?), I do plan on making my time with ladies in my life intentional.

Here are some photos of my delicious breakfast with Kristen. Cinnamon roll pancakes were on the menu.

Upcycled

Today I'm especially inspired by the recycled products I've seen out there. For me, these products are not only great for the environment because they have been made from recycled products, but they are just downright chic.


Crazy Crayons

Now that my friends are starting to have kids, it's likely they will be seeing these crafty crayons during Christmas time. Through the National Crayon Recycle Program, Crazy Crayon has collected and upcycled over 73,000 pounds of craft stubs and art-box misfits into beautifully crafted materials. My favorite of their products is the EcoStars. I wouldn't know, but they claim the star shape is a perfect grab for little hands. You can see and order their products from their Facebook page.

Wine Punts

After finding this site, I knew it made #3 on my Christmas list this year. The hardest decision I'm trying to make right now is clear or olive. Definitely olive! No, no, what about clear? Anyway, this company carefully crafts the bottom of wine bottles, donated from participating restaurants, into 12 ounce or 16 ounce sized drinking glasses. The site boasts their wine punts hold up better than traditional glassware and I can imagine why. Fun fact: the punt (the indentation) in the bottle was an outcome of the glass making process. Some argue it was never "fixed" because it gave structural integrity to the bottles. Whatever the reason, it just looks downright cool. Wine Punts offers wholesale programs too for restaurant and shop owners. I know I'd be talking about the glassware if my seltzer water came to my table in this.

Nike's ReUSE a Shoe

While the end result may not be something stylish you can buy, I think Nike's ReUSE a Shoe program is incredibly cool. Over 25 million pairs of shoes have been collected since 1990 to be made into running tracks and sports courts as part of their community investment programs. If you want to learn more about how the program works, visit nikereuseashoe.com. You'll find a cutesy video about the recycling process and where drop off locations are globally.