Beam Me UP

Aerosol spray cans are virtually useless once the contents are used up. You have the option of recycling the bottle or you can get creative and repurpose the can to make a hanging light like these creative kids from Ljubljana, Slovenia.

The ZEK CREW "produces random and conceptual visual interventions".

Throw it, Pot it, Drop it, Grow it!

SEEDBOMs are the friendly bombs that grow, tools for Eco-Warriors and Guerrilla Gardeners. Handmade from a mixture of eco-friendly, locally sourced, organic and recycled materials such as used egg boxes, shredded office paper, compost and a selection of easy to grow flower varieties and native wildflower seeds.

They contain everything you need to start growing flowers practically anywhere. Use SEEDBOMs to interact with your environment, join forces with nature and brighten up dull and lifeless places in your area by throwing them into derelict land, neglected spaces, fenced off eyesores or even your neighbour’s messy garden and watch them grow!

Unfortunately, SEEDBOMs are currently only available in the UK. “Etsy is a US site but people in the UK can still order from the site and their payment will be changed into UK pounds through Paypal. I would love to sell in the US but cannot at the moment due to the fact that there are regulations in place for the exportation of seeds and it would be irresponsible of me to send UK native seeds to the US. I only hope I can move things along fast enough to be able to sell a version of seedboms in the US soon as like you say it is a popular idea and I am getting a very good response from people in the US.”
Information and Images courtesy of SEEDBOMs

Taking a Bite out of Fashion

When one thinks of reusable fashion, human teeth might not be the first thing to come t0 mind. Of course anything can be re-purposed in this day and age and artist Polly Van Der Glas may be redefining the saying "diamonds are a girls best friend."All of her pieces are handmade in Melbourne, with sterling silver, human hair and human teeth. Human teeth are locally donated and sterilised, and human hair is either locally donated or sourced from India and China. Teeth are particularly difficult to come by, so any donations are gratefully accepted.

Vintage Fashion Updates for 2010... A Look Into Retail

Having been in the vintage clothing slash recycled apparel industry going on 10 years now we have been able to see the fashion trends come and go. Each year we get further and further away from the classic 1950's vintage look, even further from the 1940's dapper look and closer to the grungy 1970's and 1990's look. Not the "Flower Power One Love" look, or the "Greg Brady Pant Suit" either...but raw "Rocker Style."

What am I talking about? Well think about it... each month a crafty mom or stylish boy feel that they should open up an online vintage store, and they began to attempt to source designer dresses from the 1950's or Rock Tees from the 70's. That doesn't mean that they are still not desirable, but face it, there is just not that much of it out there any more, especially to base a successful business plan on. Those of us who have been collecting and supplying recycled vintage apparel know that in most cases the Japanese kids bought up the pieces for most of the incoming fads long before hipsters in the US or UK had any idea what would be the next cool thing. It is safe to say that if it has been desired by an international market for over twenty years then it is going to be rare. It is not like you can just sit there and reproduce an actual vintage piece. Contemporary designers attempt to each season, but it not the real thing, not to mention it defeats the whole purpose behind vintage. So if you are planning on opening a vintage boutique this year and you want just the rare hard to find vintage, then keep on dreaming.

It is time to take your creative abilities and focus them on how to market a variety of recycled clothing products to a large market. And not one or two pieces to a fickle clientele. Vintage Retail Shops that understand this have been doing quite well though the global recession. All kinds of people from all walks of life wear and constantly urbanize designs from the past. Hip-hop artists like the Black Eyed Pea's and Erika Badu, to Folk artists like Jack Johnson and Donavon Frankenreiter continually add vintage recycled products to their wardrobe. How about up and coming artists like Lady Gaga Gaga and Cold War Kid's wearing vintage fashion pieces from the 1980's and 1990's. The sky is the limit. Why not let these guys do your marketing why you provide the recycled product?

Now that we are coming into a a new decade... 2010, we are twenty years from 1990, just as music recycles itself, so does fashion. Do not attempt to build a business off of hard to find rare items that will keep you looking for product instead of selling it. Remember there is plenty of other styles, outfits and pieces that are desirable and marketable just under your nose.

Shop Notes: Vintage Clothing Gift Certificates

So now you have a Vintage Clothing Retail Boutique of your very own and you are wondering why your sales seem to have gone backwards during this Holiday Shopping Season instead of moving forward. You notice that the other retailers in your area are claiming that they are selling allot more clothing and accessories than usual, yet you can't seem to understand why you are not. Sure it could do with the fact that no-one likes your store because your employees act like they are better then everyone else, if that is the case you should already know that by now. It may have to do with your lack of marketing or ability to make sure that you have a new selection of vintage clothing for your customers each week. It could have allot to do with a number of factors, but before you start changing everything up trying to figure out what is wrong, please don't forget the obvious. That is that people don't usually purchase vintage clothing as gifts. Sure we as collectors call it "Premium Recycled Vintage Apparel," but to the laymen it is still "Used Clothing"....and i hate to even say this but in most of their minds,"isn't that stuff you find in a thrift store?"

Sure they are off-base and hopefully you have trained your sales staff on how to answer such questions, however this does not mean that the consumer is going to get it and do all of their shopping with you. What you need to do is offer them incentive. Explain to them that each piece is unique and one of a kind, then give them an opportunity to purchase a Gift Certificate for their loved one. This way they don't appear "cheap" as they may call it, but instead a little cultured. The person receiving the gift certificate can redeem it for whatever they want.

You read that smart business owners offer gift certificates. You know from experience that you appreciate gift certificates. Now you're wondering how to create your own gift certificates.

No matter what your business is, even Vintage Clothing Boutiques can create their own gift certificates, with real value, and encourage your clients to buy and use them as gifts.

Suggestions on How to Create Your Own Gift Certificates

There are a number of different computer software programs that will assist you in making a gift certificate of your very own. If you know how to use a couple of different programs than you have way more options.

1. Microsoft Publisher: This program allows even a novice to create small business gift certificates. The software provides a gift certificate template to get you started. Simply start Microsoft Publisher. A "New Publications" window opens on the left. Click the top choice, "New Publications for Print" and then click "Gift certificates" in the new window. You will have a choice of 35 different small business gift certificates, ready for you to customize. Select a design you like, and click areas to type in your information. If you don't like the gift certificate color scheme or font, go to the task pane on the left and choose a new one.

2. Microsoft Word: This software, too, offers gift certificate templates. In Word, under "File" click on "new" and type "gift certificate" into the task pane on the right. These 30 templates offer all-purpose as well as specific occasion gift certificates. Select a line of text, and customize your small business gift certificates.

3. Adobe PhotoShop: This graphics program allows you to place a photo of your business or product on your small business gift certificates. In PhotoShop, under "File" click on "new" and enter the dimensions of your gift certificate. A common size is about 3.5" height by 7" width. Leave a margin of at least 0.25" on all sides. Color blocks are good, and can be added to your gift certificate easily in this program. Make it clear in writing that this is a gift certificate. Add your business name and address. Type the word "Number" with a line or box in which the number can be entered. Indicate that "This certificate entitles (space for a name) to (space for your offer)" or type the exact offer. You will also want a line that tells the recipient that the gift certificate is not redeemable for cash, and that its redemption value does not exceed a given amount. Provide authorization and expiration spaces, and print.

4. PageMaker: For clearer type, you may want to design the graphics of your small business gift certificates in a program such as Adobe PhotoShop, and then import those into PageMaker. Add the copy in PageMaker and print. You can line up 3 on a page by copy/pasting your gift certificates.

5. Giftango: This is not software, but a website where you can download and modify free small business gift certificates.

Gift Certificates for Online Businesses

You can create gift certificates for online businesses, too. Check first to see if the shopping cart service you use makes provision for gift certificates. They will be able to tell you how to create your own gift certificates for online shoppers.

Uses for Small Business Gift Certificates

Small business gift certificates are appreciated by both the gift givers and the gift recipients. They are easy to give and fun to spend.

Use small business gift certificates to introduce your business to new customers. You can potentially bring in a loyal customer or client who will be with you for years. Say thank you to loyal customers with gift certificates Add gift certificates to your regular line of merchandise.

Use small business gift certificates for private bookshops, boutiques, beauty salons, nail salons, restaurants, spas, candy stores, flower shops, etc. Use gift certificates online for any kind of business you have.

Authentic Gift Certificates, Presentation

Think about the presentation of your gift certificate and how it differ from others. We have created gift certificates for Vintage Boutiques by laying out a design in Adbe Photoshop, then cutting out a shape out of an old recycled cardboard boxes, then gluing the GC to the cut out cardboard. This gives the Vintage Gift Certificate a card stock backing which makes it look very nice. We have also used old denim jeans pockets for envelopes to put the Vintage Clothing Gift Certificate in for presentation.

Generic Gift Certificates

If you decide not to create your own gift certificates, you can purchase generic gift certificates. They will be less effective as an advertisement, but can still bring customers to your store.

Build Your Own Dress...Like Legos

The people over at Ecoterre asked the question, "How cool would it be to be able to construct and reconstruct your clothing everyday according to your mood just like legos?" Refinity’s “Fragmented” clothing lets you do just that with their colorful and customizable snap-on pieces that let you decide how long, short, wide or thin your outfit should be – no sewing necessary! Besides being totally cool, the concept is definitely one that is taking center stage in the eco-fashion realm because it reduces textile waste and allows people to easily remodel their clothes instead of throwing them away.

Designers Fioen van Balgooi and Berber Soepboer created their Fragmented Textiles collection as an experiment in applying cradle-to-cradle principles to clothing production, use, and disposal. Made from Cradle to Cradle-certified wool felt in a range of vibrant colors, the Fragmented Textiles are based on jigsaw-puzzle-like zero-waste patterns that are designed to use every last scrap of cloth.

Fragmented Textiles was recently on display at the Beyond Green, Good Design symposium gallery at the World Fashion Centre in Amsterdam. Curated by Ingrid Horsselenberg and Annouk Post of I&A, the exhibit was further evidence that the Dutch are definitely the ones to watch when it comes to combining fashion-forward design and playful attitudes.

This is taking what recycling designers are doing over at Particle Clothing to a whole new recycled level of how clothing can be reconstructed and refurbished into new outfits.

Images & Information Courtesy of Inhabitat & Ecouterre

Rocking Chair Powers Its Attached OLED Lamp

The Murakami chair's attached lamp is powered by kinetic energy produced from the chair's rocking back and forth—deliciously simple and elegant. Oh, and that lampshade? Not a lampshade. That's the actual OLED light source, shaped like a lampshade. The OLED lamp even senses when it's light or dark out, and if it's light, stores the energy produced by rocking in a battery pack until nightfall. The chair, designed by Rochus Jacob, rightfully shared first prize at the DesignBoom Green Life Competition, which you can read more about READ MORE