New DIY project: Organic Seed Necklaces

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

FANTASTIC FIND! 

This afternoon I discovered a How-Tuesday on Etsy's Storque outlining how to make Organic Seed Necklaces from the seeds of melons this summer.  What a fabulous and creative idea!  LOVE IT! 

Maya Kuzman is the brilliant mind behind this wonderful tutorial and project :-).  Maya has an etsy shop, Little Treasures, and also goes by Sewella :-).  Her shop is filled with delightful finds :-).  My favorite is still quite possibly these necklaces that she shows us how to make.  Bright, colorful, natural, and organic-- they are a great way to dress up your summer wardrobe and be a little funky! 

You can check out the Etsy Storque How-Tuesday tutorial here.  Below I outline the project. 

Supplies you’ll need:

• Melon or watermelon seeds
• Markers or nail polish
• Wooden beads  
• Fishing line or a cotton thread
• Thin embroidery needle

Directions:

1. For the melon seed necklace, scoop out the seeds with a spoon. Wash the seeds in warm water with mild washing detergent to remove the slimy fibers. Then let them air dry in the sun. I usually place them on a cotton napkin so they won't stick to it when dried. It's helpful if the seeds are big because they are easier to manipulate.

2. When piercing the seeds, it is best if you do it in the middle; if you make a hole near the edge, the seed might split.

3. Once the seeds are dry, I love to add a little color. For my necklaces, I used ordinary markers — you can also use nail polish for a more finished and glittery look. I painted half of the seed because I like the effect they create when strung together. 

4. With a thin embroidery needle, string the seeds on fishing line or cotton thread. You can introduce wooden beads (for a more organic appearance), plastic beads, crocheted flowers, etc.

5. Tie a simple, yet secured, knot and you're done. Choose your favorite colors, string the seeds and make yourself some organic jewelery!

Extra Tips:

• Keep your necklaces in a dry place and do not expose them to moisture. My oldest melon seed necklace is about 15 years old and looks as if I made it yesterday.

• Pumpkin and squash seeds are not appropriate for this type of project since they tend to dry, shrink, chip and break. However, watermelon seeds can be used instead.

• If you have plain wooden beads and want to color them, stick them on a toothpick stuck into a corkboard (or Styrofoam board). This makes it much easier to paint the beads.

ENJOY!!!  And have fun playing with your food this summer :-).

Happy Earth Day... one of my creative inspirations :-).

Happy Earth Day everyone!  Earth Day was celebrated in my home to the same capacity as nearly every other holiday as we grew up.  Now that I am an adult it has taken on such a powerful symbol to me.  I could attempt to list the environmental (and social-environmental) problems which are near to my heart and which I care about but, alas, the list would go on for quite some time... and when we got to the endangered and extinct animals, I would feel necessary to list pictures of each one so that people could see the faces of the devastation. 

This is my creative inspiration, because I often find art to create using recycled, upcycled or reused materials!  I also love to highlight living art in what I do.  Finally, it is an inspiration because often, the earth... alive and well... is an inspiration to many of the projects that I create. 

I encourage you all to check out Etsy and search for things like "recycled", "upcycled", "reused", "green" (albeit that is also going to bring up the color), "natural", "organic", "earth friendly", "fair trade", "botanical", "plants", "nature"... and so on today!  (And to continue to do it the other 364 days of the year :-)... just to see what is out there!) 

Be well... Live a colorful life... and keep a rich and colorful planet :-).

Weekly Creative Inspiration Feature and Fellow Etsian Feature in one! For one Rockin' Philanthropic Woman!

Lilac- Vegan Olive Oil Soap by Shower Treat Soap

Creativity.  How are you creative?  Let me share the ways!

Every so often, approximately each week, I will have two features on my blog.  One feature will be a Creative Inspiration Feature.  Here I will share a person, project, organization, or experience that I feel has inspired my creativity and that I feel can inspire the creativity of others. 

The other feature will be a Fellow Etsian Feature.  In this feature I will choose a fellow artisan on Etsy whose work inspires or moves me who I feel deserves recognition. 

This week... something special has happened.  The Creative inspiration is a fellow Etsian.  Thus, this weeks two features are combined.  It is no doubt that by the end you will understand why.  Let me start with creativity... and then move into the wonderful artisan who is this week's inspiration and fellow Etsian. 

Creativity can be defined in many ways.  Some define creativity as a process of making something with our hands.  Some define creativity as a way of thing.  Others define creativity as a way of being, of thinking, a way of life.  I believe all human beings are creative.  My experiences and interactions with them have taught me this. 

This entry is a suggestion for you to think of creativity differently-- for you to expand your definitions of creativity.  It is also a feature of a fellow creative artisan and Etsian who I feel encompasses a creative energy that I respect and admire. 

Many of us think of creativity and we think of the arts.  Many of us instantly think of the fine, and usually visual arts first.  Certainly those require a certain kind of creativity.  Today I'd like to ask you to think about the other sorts of creative powers that we each hold within ourselves, and that we each use on a regular basis. 

Often we have to come up with creative solutions to challenges which are presented to us.  "Creative thinking" is what we sometimes hear it called.  Those of us who love puzzles-- whatever form they may come in-- we too are creative!  The ones who lay on their backs in the grass in the summer and watch the clouds pass over and imagine them as animals, or president's faces, or famous historians, or magical creatures... creative personalities for sure!  Those culinary inspired individuals who love to experiment in the kitchen, or bake us tasty treats and play with new flavor profiles-- also creative!  Individuals who garden and turn an overgrown brushy area into a beautiful sanctuary that many would dream to sit near- green creative minds!  Accountants who can figure out creative ways to save us money when doing our taxes-- also creative!  The list goes on, and on, and on!  Finally... there are those who devote their lives to helping us find alternative ways to healing our bodies, becoming healthy and well beings, and providing us with products to use when we choose to pamper ourselves.  These too are creative artisans! 

I love being creative in this last way... amongst many others!  I infuse honey to use in my tea when I am not feeling well.  I also infuse it to use on fish and chicken :-).  I infuse olive oil to dip breads and to make my own white sauces for pastas.  I make bath salts using essential oils.  I enjoy making all natural goat milk soaps that smell lovely and are nourishing for my body.  I enjoy sharing all of these things with others, but I equally enjoy using them for myself in healing rituals as I soak in a long hot bath, or do things as simple as wash my clothes in a detergent that I know is good for both myself and the earth that is supporting me. 

Today I would like to feature a fellow Artisan and Etsy Seller who devotes much time to making many products to help individuals nourish their own bodies, and help care for our earth.  Laura is the creative mind behind Shower Treat Soap.  Her creativity enables others creativity-- her creativity enables the web of creativity to continue.   She has been offering eco-friendly handmade soap products since 1997!  Ninety-eight percent her products are vegan friendly, which is not only amazing, but also inspirational!

Rosemary Lemongrass EO (essential oil) BIG BAR Vegan Soap  by Shower Treat Soap

She opened her Etsy shop in 2006 and on Etsy alone she has had nearly thirty five hundred orders since then!  More telling is that Laura has a 100% feedback rating-- her customer service and satisfaction speaks for itself.   While I was reading through the comments left on her feedback it was clear that she did not only meet her customer's satisfaction- she clearly surpassed them!  This woman is a compassionate artisan and is loved by her customers-- that is clear in her feedback!  It is also clear that she is talented and dedicated, along with passionate about her craft! 

Shower Treat Soap is located in lower southwestern Michigan, in Vicksberg.   Living nearby in Kalamazoo, I have often visited the area and I love it.  It is always amazing to me to see what wonderful creative things are coming out of my fellow West Michigan artisans.  Even more amazing, EVERY item she makes is made from scratch!  She uses no bases.  That is a lot of love and a lot of amazing good energy going into her products!  Having a similar passion for natural products, for soap making, and for the earth-- I can imagine that lovely West Michigan gives her a lot of inspiration for the wonderful natural scents and colors used in some of her products. 

Natural Laundry Detergent by Shower Treat Soap-- Fantastic!

Natural Laundry Detergent by Shower Treat Soap-- Great!

              
Laura makes the following products and sells them at Shower Treat Soap on Etsy.   

*Vegan cold process olive oil soap              *Vegan powdered laundry detergent
*Natural dishwasher detergent                     *Liquid pump hand soap
*Luxurious body wash                                 *Whipped cream soaps

.... In addition they also sometimes sell lip balm. 

Vegan Olive Oil Body Wash and Hand Soap by Shower Treat Soap

 

You can also follow Shower Treat Soap on Twitter, Facebook, and on their own Blog!  I highly recommend the blog myself!  All three are linked here-- just click.  Otherwise the web addresses are found directly below. 

 Twitter:  www.twitter.com/showertreatsoap
 Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/showertreatsoap
 Blog:  http://showertreatsoap.blogspot.com/

 And there is more...   As if that isn't amazing enough, Laura of Shower Treat Soap donates five percent of every sale to Women for women international.  This is helping to enable that creativity and sustainability spreads even further.  Laura is an inspiration to me, as an artisan, and as a social activist, for many reasons.  This is certainly one of them.  Women for Women International is an amazing organization that helps women who have been the victims of war, civil conflict, and other strife and conflict gain access to the tools and resources that they need to move from the current situation that they are in to one of success, sustainability, and self-sufficiency.   They provide financial support, job training, rights education and awareness, leadership education and more.  This is, again, a wonderful organization and a wonderfully generous contribution that Laura and Shower Treat Soap are making.

Women and Children in the Garden. 
Photo from Women to Women International's Afghanistan Farming and Agriculture
Photo Gallery.

A Bosnian Microcredit Client feeding the sheep she was able to purchase through the program.
Photograph from Women to Women International's Bosnia and Herzegovina Classroom and Job Training
Photo Gallery. 

Congratulations to Laura of Shower Treat Soaps for being my first featured Creative Inspiration and first Featured Etsian in one!    Laura, and her Etsy shop deserve every ounce of recognition.  Please bounce over to her shop and take a stroll.  Perhaps pick up a thing of detergent... or pack of samples so you can give a try.  You will not be disappointed!  Also swing by her blog-- you will also seriously enjoy what you find there as well.  Finally, if you feel so inclined, please also fly on over to the Women for Women International website and take a look.  Consider how your creativity could help out this, or whatever other cause you feel most connected to. 

As I wrap up another entry, I want to encourage you all to begin your week by telling yourselves that YOU ARE CREATIVE!  WE ALL are creative :-).  It is in our creativity that we find inspiration, peace, fun, our inner child, our spirit, our intuition, and even our logic :-).  Be well, be imaginative, be free, and... spread your creative wings.