I'm a big fan of recycling, and sometimes I wish I could suppress my urges to hang onto everything because I might "need" it someday.

Case in point. I decided I didn't like my filing system, which relied heavily on manila folders to keep everything organized. It seemed that every time I tried to pull one of those folders from the drawer the contents of the folder would wind up sprawled on the floor. Yes, I admit that I overstuff the folders, but I just got tired of picking stuff up.

New filing system? Envelopes. Big envelopes. Now everything stays contained. I also started using some of those plastic things with all the slots for sorting. They work nicely for things like taxes, insurance info, etc., that need to be kept safe and sound.

Now what to do with all those manila folders? Thank You tags. I cut the edges off, found a cool typewriter font, and ran them through my printer. Punch 'em, string 'em, and voila! Fun tags. Recycled. Don't ya love it?

I'm enthralled with Enthral. I haven't previously featured other Etsy artists on this blog, although I have a list of favorites on Etsy that's over 30 pages long (I have very varied tastes and like a lot of stuff!).

But today I saw this necklace that Enthral had made from an old earring. It's the coolest use of something that might have otherwise wound up in the trash! I love being able to recycle and reuse things, and I'm always astounded at the creativity of people who come up with ideas that give something old a new life.

So you wanna see the necklace? Check it out, along with the process used to make it, here: http://enthral-enthral.blogspot.com/2007/05/buy-recycled-jewelry.html

I'm featured on another blog!

Well, at least something I made is featured. There was a post in the Etsy forums (the Street Teams section) about reusing, recycling, etc., and I posted there. After I posted, Bombus (http://bombus.etsy.com) added my little Lotsa Alphabets envelopes, created from a recycled graphics catalog, to the blog: http://re-craft.blogspot.com Go check it out! It's a great blog showing off all kinds of things made from repurposed items.

And then someone bought the set of envelopes that was featured!

Never fear. I have more.

:-)