Recycle your Holiday Lights!

Almost every household has a string or two or three, like mine, of broken lights. Those strings you don't know what to do with.

You change one bulb, two, three, change the fuse and nothing happens, you get frustrated and add it to the pile. Instead of throwing them in the trash a few organizations including charities, recycle incandescent light strings. These places take the light strings apart and recycle most of the parts like the copper, glass and plastic.

Why have that stuff leeching pollutants into the earth when the materials could be used again?

Google 'recycle Christmas lights and your zip code' for drop off locations in your area.

In my city of Seattle I can take my lights to Whole Foods & Woodland Park Zoo.

treehuggervintage informed us that Walmart in St. Louis, started taking old holiday lights this year.

If you are unable to recycle your lights in your area you can mail them.

This program recycles your lights and benefits children plus give a 10% discount on purchases.

Visit:

Recycle Christmas Lights for the Kids Campaign

Another program:

HolidayLEDs.com

They send you a coupon for 15% off on purchases.

HolidayLEDs.com
Attn: Recycling Program
2500 W. Argyle St.
Jackson, MI 49202

Please post this information on your blogs, let everyone you know there is a better way to dispose of those light strings.

Want your Christmas & Holiday cards to go to a good cause?

Instead of throwing out or recycling your holiday cards-- donate them to St. Jude's Ranch for Children-- the kids use them to create new cards and sell.

May you all have a happy and green holiday season!

Take The Pledge!

Buy Handmade!

Support Independent Artists.

Some years ago, after an accident, I searched high and low east to west, web stores, catalogs...for a cool cane to make lemonade from a lemon. I wanted something unique and distinctive. Everywhere I went I saw the same dreary medical cold metal canes or boring plain wood. I had a total of 2 color choices; black and brown!

I wanted to ditch the cane that was given to me by my insurance company but of course I could not do that.

Finally I thought, Why not just make it? I love to paint, so what is the problem?

I found all sorts of cool paints with glitters, gold, silver....I began making stencils of Celtic Knots and Chains that I loved. I had so much fun making my cane that I began doing it for friends and relatives.




Pretty soon people were asking me to make them and sell them at local Art stores.

Just in time for the Holidays! I have a silver one in my store.

My canes are hand painted wood acrylic silver paint on black.

They last many years, protective clear coating has been applied.

Why wear a cold boring metal cane that everyone else has? By purchasing this cane, you are not only supporting an artist (me) but your cane will age gracefully and give you many many years of pleasure.

I always receive so many compliments on my canes all over the world, too many to count!

An impressive piece of wearable art.

Complete with rubber bottom.

Approximate 37 1/2 inches long.

Wear it in good health and with attitude!

So take the pledge to buy handmade and request that others do the same for you!

Thank you, Happy Holidays and most of all have fun!

Giving Thanks

Purging inventory, computer images....all sorts of stuff, my own little fall cleaning...

Here is one of the dresses I sold a few months ago that reminds me of fall



As I prepare to sit around a cozy table filled with gastronomic delights and very good friends who love to cook, thank goodness! I cant help but think of some of the loved ones who will not be here with us.

Last night I was going through some vintage I will be adding to the store and found a travel bag tucked away at the back of the closet where it was placed the day we moved into the house. In it many letters from my mom who passed in 2004. My son and I moved from NYC in the early 80s, no matter what we did mom would never leave NYC but we always kept in close contact with her, this was before the days of cell or internet phones and the phone companies knew just how to get you on long distance charges so mom and I wrote each other quite often.

After she passed I read her letters occasionally, specially during the holidays. The letter I read last night was the one she sent us Thanksgiving of 1996 the one where she finally moves in to her own home and is able to have a big dinner for the family, a large dining room with a big table for everyone to sit around, nothing made her happier.

Today we will be moving a big table into the living room of my friend's house so everyone can sit around it.

Mom was very thankful for so many things, she worked very hard for many years as a NYC teacher in order to be able to realize her dream, this after raising four children practically on her own.

When I visited her she always had the guest bedroom ready for me, complete with feather pillows. I never told mom I am allergic to feather pillows.

I am thankful for having found her cards and letters.

I wish a happy Thanksgiving to everyone, ending this post with a few of my favorite Thanksgiving quotes, feel free to add your own.

Hem your blessings with thankfulness so they don't unravel. ~Author Unknown

"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them." ~ John Fitzgerald Kennedy

"Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others." ~ Cicero

"Thanksgiving Day is a jewel, to set in the hearts of honest men, but be careful that you do not take the day and leave out the gratitude." ~ E.P. Powell

Nothing is more honorable than a grateful heart. ~Seneca

If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, "thank you," that would suffice. ~Meister Eckhart

Brighten up a Gray Day with vintage

I love fall, the rain, the overcast skies, the crispness in the air, I dont know what it is but the same way sun energizes some people that is how fall energizes me.

"Listen! the wind is rising,
and the air is wild with leaves,
We have had our summer evenings,
now for October eves!"

—Humbert Wolfe

I understand not everyone feels as I do, these are a few of our beauties guaranteed to add some warmth the coming season.

At figure8studio

60s Suede Harlequin Patchwork shoulder purse



In our store:

Vintage Adele Simpson Wrap Long Dress from I Magnin is sure to cheer up any cocktail, opera evening, formal affair...



A Shimmery Lurex Mod 60s Dress



Are you planning on a get away this winter? This Hawaiian style 70s dress with bolero jacket is a must for warm sunny skies. - SOLD!



I LOVE this Anne Klein Lion Label Wool Dress so soft, cozy and cheery!



Many more beauties coming to figure8studio including a fantastic 60s 2 piece Malcolm Starr dress!

Do not miss out! Be sure to visit us if you are in search for extra special holiday glam!

No Wire Hangers!!

One of my passions is mid century furniture so when I first spotted the image of this table in my issue of Ready Made magazine I had to see how it was created.

If you decide to make this table you may have to tell your visitors that the legs are actually hangers, at first glance they are cleverly disguised, dont you think?



It cost a grand total of $15.00 to build out of 4 matching wooden hangers, the trick is to be sure they match as even a slight differences make for uneven legs.

You can find the plans here the digital version of Ready Made magazine

and what's doubly cool is that I have the same style rug, except mine is a cheetah :)



To be fair to wire hangers and in the spirit of recycling and re using here is another entry, a wall sconce made of wire hangers:

Brita® and Preserve® Announce Filter Recycling Program

11/18/2008: TheTake Back The Filtercampaign is thrilled to announce that Brita and Preserve have teamed up to create a take-back recycling program for Brita pitcher filter cartridges! Read the full press release here:

PDF document

In a nutshell, beginning in January, folks will be able to drop off filters at Whole Foods Markets or mail them in. PRESERVE, a U.S. company manufacturing household products from recycled plastic, will recycle 100% of the plastic casing. And the filter material will be regenerated or converted to energy.

At this point, there is no information available about Brita faucet or other types of filters.

Please write a letter to Clorox executives and thank them for helping us keep our pitcher filters out of landfills and ask if they have plans to recycle faucet filters.

Here are the names of key individuals at Clorox to write to:

- Mr. Don Knauss, Chairman & CEO

- Tom Britanik, Vice President – General Manager, U.S. Auto Care & Brita

- George Roeth, Vice President – General Manager, Food, Charcoal, U.S. Auto & Brita

- Tarang Amin, Vice President – Global Health & Wellness


Mailing Addresses:

The Clorox Company
1221 Broadway
Oakland, CA 94612

The Brita Products Company
PO Box 24305
Oakland, CA 94623-9981
Telephone: 1-800-24-BRITA

Brita Canada Corporation
150 Biscayne Crescent
Brampton, ON L6W 4V3
Telephone: 1-800-387-6940

Web links for communicating via Brita's customer feedback form:

Engish

French


An additonal note about Preserve, they not only recycle their own products but if your area does not provide recycling for #5 plastics, like yogurt containers, they will recycle them for you.

Recycle Preserve Products

Recycle #5 plastic containers

Please add Takebackthefilter to your myspace page and help pass the word to your friends!

You can tell them figure8studio.com sent you.

Save the Earth

it's the only planet with Chocolate



Theo Chocolate prides itself in being the only Organic, Fair Trade Bean-To-Bar Chocolate Factory in the United States. They are also partners with Dr. Jane Goodall.

Theo Chocolate resides right here in Seattle in the neighborhood of Phinney Ridge.

Theo Chocolate has made it to several media publications including radio, the Seattle Times, all over the world including Japan, it was even among the offerings at Arrianna Huffington's Huffington Post Oasis at the Democratic National Convention in Denver.



CLICK HERE & Treat yourself and your friends to something sweet this coming Holiday Season!

You can tell them that I sent you.