Published on September 1st, 2008
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Today in the U.S. is Labor Day. A national holiday to remember the creation of the labor movement and to celebrate workers, giving a day off to those who provide the labor that makes the country run.
Labor can be found in one part of the three-legged stool of sustainable development and the triple bottom line - Economic, Social, Environmental or People, Planet, Profit, and as crafters trying to be environmental conscious it is a topic that directly effects us. The labor movement was responsible for the 8 hour work day, the right to breaks, healthy working conditions and fair pay.
For many of us trying to turn our hobby into a business, long hours seem to be the norm; often juggling a day job with our craft business. The gains made by the labor movement are all things to keep in mind when toiling away the midnight oil, updating blogs, getting shipments ready and answering customer questions.
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Published on August 3rd, 2008
Last week, I let you know my strong feelings about the need to ban vinyl from the craft world. This week, I want to explore what that means in real time and explore some potential alternatives.
First and foremost, I see clear vinyl used most extensively in hand made items. It is found in wallets, ID holders and things like ipod cases. Unfortunately, I have yet to find an alternative for clear vinyl. So it stays on the Eco-Crafter’s List of Demands.
Second, many crafters use vinyl to make bags; many, many bags. The vinyl fabric that is used in these bags is bright and colorful. It comes in many different colors and is a relatively inexpensive material. It is also used because people either can’t afford leather, or are morally opposed to using leather.
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Published on July 28th, 2008
Here at CAGW, we try and direct fellow crafters to materials to use that are gentler on the environment for craft projects. From fabric and yarns to scissors and notions there is a plethora of options out there for the eco-conscious crafter.
On the flip side, these are limited options and often our craft supplies leave you wondering how safe and green are they. We’ve even started a list of demands for things that we wish we had.
Well, I am going to add waterproof, clear, flexible, “fabric” to that list. Many crafters use this in their projects for many purposes. Unfortunately, this “fabric” is vinyl or polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a type of plastic (number 3 to be exact) and I am calling for an outright ban on this poison plastic.
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Published on July 2nd, 2008
Mooove over acrylics, milk paint is back. In recent years, this medium has been popular for historical furniture reproduction, and even as a natural alternative to latex for interior walls, but have you considered using it for your latest DIY creation?
Found in everything from cave paintings to King Tut’s tomb, this handmade substance was a predominate component in decorative art for at least a few millenia, until the industrial revolution came along. Casein, the protein found in milk, makes an extremely durable binder for pigments to adhere to most porous surfaces. The rustic finish is not usually desirable for fine art, and it fell out of favor all together with the advent of convenient, but far more volatile, canned paint.
High demand in the home improvement market for water-based low or no VOC coatings has brought eco-friendly technology to mainstream retail stores, but I have yet to see it available in the small sizes that artists and crafters lean towards. Read the rest of this entry »
Published on June 20th, 2008
I feel like I just found a unicorn! Trying to find a one stop shop for eco art supplies is like finding a needle in a hay stack. Even if you have some earth friendly crafting supplies here and there in big chain stores, what we all yearn for is that one store that has a delightful eco minded collection and nothing else toxic to dig through. It’s such a buzzkill to have one recycled paper pad in a store full of stuff so nasty and smelly and noxious that I am hurrying out of there for some fresh air.
Before I rant anymore about how silly we humans have gotten with our toxic craft inventions, I think I shall go ahead and share this mythical creature I found. Eco Art Works! (Oh my gawd, I hardly know where to begin because this online store has such a cool and interesting selection, every single item is a green crarfters treat.) Eco Art Works crosses barriers between the artist, the crafter, and children to bring a full range of eco art supplies from non toxic professional watercolors, pastels, and paints to organic yarns, beeswax modeling clay, soy crayons and paper making kits. If you aren’t dizzy yet from this Bigfoot-like 
sighting there’s even more, so hold on to your chair… Read the rest of this entry »
Published on May 29th, 2008
In Part 1 of How Safe and Green Are Your Crafting Supplies?, I went on a quest to find out about the safety of my test case crafting product, fusible web. (As you’ll recall, it’s a synthetic product that’s like a cross between fabric and glue, and it works as an adhesive when you iron it.)
Though I was not 100% reassured by what I found, there are at least some safety regulations in place for arts and craft supplies, and fusible web does meet those standards. So let’s move on to my next challenge: assess the environmental impact.
The environmental impact of many products is pretty evident. Oil is a non-renewable resource and it creates toxins when you burn it, so I think it’s a no-brainer to bubble in “No” on the sustainability question in the answer booklet. Bottled water exchanges an efficient public delivery system for an inefficient private one and creates a massive pile of barely recyclable containers.
Fusible web, though, isn’t as immediately apparent to me. Obviously, any product that is manufactured (unless it’s Cradle to Cradle certified, Autumn reminded me) uses up resources and thus isn’t as environmentally benign as going without or re-using something that was already made. But beyond the issues posed by using any manufactured product, is there anything else going on with fusible web that is praiseworthy or less so? Read the rest of this entry »
Published on May 26th, 2008
Felt is one of those materials that reminds me of my childhood. It brings me back to story time and felt boards. Oh, remember felt boards?! The boards were covered in felt and then people, trees, houses and many other things, also made of felt, were stuck to the board. They were a great prop that aided in telling of a story.
Today, felt is a cheap material that comes in many colors. Mostly used for kids crafts and plushes, not all craft felt found in big box craft stores are 100% wool. Most are made of some synthetic fiber blend such as acrylic or polyester.
So what to do when you want to use felt in your projects and not use fiber made from plastic? There are several options to green your craft project and feel good about your materials:
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Published on May 22nd, 2008
In Autumn’s post The Eco-Crafters List of Demands, she asked crafters for their thoughts on how to make commerically sold craft supplies more friendly to the planet and the people who live on it. One question she asked particularly stood out to me:
What items have such scary warning labels that you are asking yourself, “Is this project worth giving myself brain damage over?”
One of the products that immediately came to my mind was fusible web. Fusible web is a synthetic fiber that melts when you heat it. Brand names for these products include Steam-A-Seam, Stitch Witchery, and others. If you’re not familiar with it, think of it as thin sheets of fabric infused with glue. If you need two pieces of fabric to stick together, or you’re working with a fabric that needs a little extra support to either stand up or hold still, then you may end up using your iron to attach some fusible web to your project. You’ll often find fusible web in applique, t-shirt quilts, and used as interfacing in clothing.
But honestly, I’ve never tried to research it and figure out whether it’s a product I can feel good about using. Can it hurt me by touching it? Is it safe to heat glue with an iron and breathe at the same time? I have educated myself about food, personal care products, and clothing, and made (not enough) changes in my life based on what I found. So far, though, I haven’t given my crafting products much scrutiny beyond my varied attempts to use my local thrift store as a craft supply shop.
So just how easy is it to find out whether a product is safe and eco-friendly? Using fusible web as my test case, I set out to get some answers. Some of what I found may be old hat to y’all, but I learned quite a lot. In today’s post, I cover safety issues ; watch for Part 2 about environmental issues next week. Read the rest of this entry »
Published on May 8th, 2008
Autumn recently posted The Eco-Crafters List of Demands, asking green crafters what they would like to see stocked in the craft store of their dreams. Katherine Cota of Spindle Bell had quite a few suggestions:
My ideal craft shop would have EVERYTHING! I love it all. I would especially love a great supply of pretty recycled papers and unique recycled beads. Non-toxic glues/adhesives, glass etching solution, paints. Unique synthetic yarns AND more stylish (affordable) knitting needles/crochet hooks.
Katherine also mentioned that she had stopped shopping at mainstream craft stores, but had concerns about the independent online retailers as well. How do you know their business practices are any better?
I can definitely sympathize with Katherine. In my fantasies, I can walk down the street and shop at a grocery store where everything is organic and either local or fair trade. Anything I see that I want, I can have without worrying if I’m doing something bad to the planet or people. Put a craft store next to that grocery store and I would be in heaven.
While we wait, though, I thought I would round up some recycled and fair trade beads we can all feel good about: Read the rest of this entry »
Published on May 5th, 2008
Cork is just one of those materials that I never give much thought to. It just keeps my wine fresh and makes a great organizational board. Lately, however, I have seen cork popping up more and more on Etsy and discovered that it is actually a great environmentally friendly product. Here is what I learned:
Cork is harvested from the outer layer of bark of the Cork Oak tree found mostly in the Mediterranean. The bark is harvested every ten years, with each harvest producing a softer batch of cork. By keeping these trees in production, they provide homes to wildlife in about 1800 acres of cork forests and provides many jobs to the people of who harvest the cork by hand. Cork is also 100% recyclable! Of course they can be used for these cool crafts, but companies like Yemm & Hart also collect donated wine corks to make products like tile flooring. This sustainability and ability to recycle make cork an environmentally conscious crafting choice!
These images are just a few cork crafts I discovered on Etsy! Check out their shops for even more!
- Classic Chair Cork Coasters from Annacote
- Cork Beehive Brooch from Ottoman
- The UN-DIamond Cork Ring from Uncorked
Tell me about your cork crafts in a comment!
