Featured Artist: Andrew's Reclaimed Wood

Andrew uses reclaimed wood and reworks it beautifully in simple and practical designs of items for your garden or home.

I especially love the succulent planter boxes made from old-growth reclaimed lumber which Andrew tells us has tight grain, nice patterns and colour finely sanded with a beeswax finish.  The holes are just the right size for easy transplant from a standard small pot. Looking at the products of his labour you can really tell he loves his work.

Andrew and his wife Melissa run the business from Seattle in the USA and they have an Etsy store where you can check out all the designs from beehives to pencil cups, soap containers, shelve and woodpecker feeders. "We build almost everything here using woods we source by dismantling and re-milling ages-old piers, fences, barns, and other structures slated for demolition."
See their blog for latest specials and more about this enterprising team.

Unique art idea - no paint or canvas

Living mosaic art from Succulents Galore

Maybe you can design your own succulent wall or table planter like the one pictured or maybe you would like to buy a kit.

There are long lasting cedar kits that come complete with 25 cuttings for planting, moss and soil.
The planter measures 10 1/2" x 10 1/2" and is 2 " deep. It has been designed to be planted and hung on a wall or fence. It also can be placed on a table as it makes a terrific focal and conversation piece. The kit come fully assembled. Instructions are included for planting the succulent cuttings. See more details...

Original wall art that you could create

Repurposed vintage maps are used to create a beautiful one of a kind unique decor piece from ElizabethSt

The looping waves of paper create a flower-like piece of wall art. Perfect for the quirky collector, the travel enthusiast, the lover of unique art. Don't you just love the colour and the design? I also adore how it has upcycled the old maps.

I have seen something similar made by children out of cardboard rolls and thought this was a great idea for children to experiment with.

Recycle my heart

A society is defined not only by what it creates,

but by what it refuses to destroy.

John Sawhill

Yesterday my grandson and I took advantage of the beautiful summer Sydney day and walked the calm waters of Kurnell beach. We found lots of white sun bleached shells and a small amount of sea glass. My grandson had not seen this before and at first thought it was dangerous but I showed him how the sea water and sand had swirled it smooth. We found clear glass and brown and my personal favourite - bright green - which seems rarer. I am hoping to create something with this glass soon.
Glass can take up to 1000 years to breakdown which is why it is wonderful to reuse it.
The simple yet elegant Transparent Heart in the photo has been cut from the side of a Newcastle Brown Ale bottle.
We loved wandering on the sand and feeling the breeze blowing on our skin and finding small treasures and will return again soon.

Making macrame

 macrame owls by Jolanta Surma

Aren't they beautiful? Jolanta has been focusing on creative macrame for a long time. I have been doing macrame longer than her but only do simple cords that children can learn. (I don't have a lot of patience)

I keep to easy to complete knotting like the hemp cord on this real 4 leaf clover pendant.

If you would like instructions, online, for beginner's macrame please visit Elaine's site.

WHAT IS MACRAME? A type of textile-making using knotting of threads. The main knots used are the full hitch and double half hitches and the square knot.
Macrame was done as long ago as the 13th-century when Arab weavers knotted the end threads on rugs, towels and shawls.

Things that might interest you

We are having fun making this little fellow

and

lovely little boats from natural materials
at moment to moment

Thinking of creating something like this

Going to bake a 1 cup loaf with wholemeal flour using this recipe

Look for these in the garden with Bowerbird Blue and Baby Bees House

And paint these while they are still flowering everywhere

Enjoy your holidays everyone

Creating a lizard garden

Design and create a lizard attracting garden for your home or school:
Blue-tongue lizard, Skinks and Geckoes love native plants, rocks and leaf mulch and large pieces of broken bark.

Materials needed:

• sunny position.
• well drained, weeded soil
• mulch
• grasses such as Common Wallaby Grass and Tussock Grass
•  gardening tools
• bark and logs

Resources:
Search for participating garden centres in your local area that have native plants.
Wildscape is a great resource to help you create your lizard garden if you are in Victoria.
Flora for Fauna all states, also a great resource funded by the National Heritage Trust.

Eco friendly finger paint

INGREDIENTS:
4 tablespoons sugar
2/3 cup cornstarch
4 cups water
1/2 cup earth friendly dishwashing liquid
Food coloring*

MAKE:
Mix the sugar and cornstarch  in a saucepan.
Stir in the water.
Heat for 5 minutes, stirring constantly until the mixture is clear.
Remove from the heat.
Pour in liquid soap. 
Cool.
Divide into 4 containers and add colouring.

* Natural food coloring suggestions:
Yellow - tumeric
Orange - saffron
Pink - beetroot juice
Red - Cochineal (E120) made from the cochineal insect
Blue - Butterfly pea (Clitoria ternatea) a flowering vine

Great outdoor ideas for children

Really all we need is the great outdoors or even just our back garden or park to explore but if you would like to make or buy gifts to enhance or encourage the appreciation of our earth, sky and sea we have collected a few ideas here:

• Portable Flower Press to make from b.organic
• Gardening kit - of small trowel, gloves, spade and seeds
• Backpack from onya - lightweight & endorsed by Planet Ark
• Fishing Line - biodegradable fishing line
• Tent - Pyramid 4 - Hemp from Green Outdoor
• Torch - look at Hand Winding Portable LED Torch Flashlights or solar
• Compass - see a solar one
• Sleeping bag - 5 eco friendly ones
• Beach bucket and spade
• Eco friendly sand pit
• water canals and boat set
• boats to float on lakes and streams

PHOTO:  Tents at en:Joseph A Citta Scout Reservation
en:Category:Images of the Boy Scouts of America

eco friendly easter bunny

The cutest little Easter Bunny you ever did see! She is such a pretty Easter yellow. She has two big bunny ears, a little pink nose, a fluffy tail. She fits perfectly into Her yellow felted Easter Egg... soft and snuggly and ready for your special easter love.

She has been needle felted from 100% wool.
She is big and stands about 3.5 inches tall.
She is Waldorf inspired.
She is Child Friendly and LOVES to play with children.
She is all natural, eco friendly and non toxic.
Her egg has been wet felted and stands about 4.5 inches tall.

Find her and her brothers and sisters at Fairy folk

Barking Boys Toys

These guys make all natural wooden toys and use non-toxic, eco friendly paints, sealed with shellac. All of the items are handmade and they even use all recycled materials in our shipping.

This Tree of Life wooden puzzle has eight pieces in bright fun colors, perfect for little hands.

Hand Knitted Organic Australian Merino Beanie

Beanie handmade in organic Australian merino wool. It is very soft & cute for babies and toddlers from around 1 to 2 years of age.  The stripes are dark green and purple and navy with a lime green top knot.
Visit the designer

Toys support Queensland's flood relief

1 softie toy of your choice can be purchased  from Pocket Carnival to help others in need.
You can choose from:
Little Bear (new!)
Bunny in Orange
Rainbow Frog
Lion in Snowshoes
Bunny in Green
Mermaid in Green top
Mermaid in Orange top

$25AU from the sale of this softie will be donated to the Queensland Flood Relief Appeal

More info about the Queensland Floods in Australia here
Pocket Carnival is illustrated, designed, imagined & created by Penny Eager & Chris Clark in Melbourne, Australia. Visit their website  or  blog   or join them on facebook. 

Cubebot by David Weeks

"Made of sustainably harvested cherry wood, clever Cubebot rises from a simple paperweight to assume a variety of action poses. His mighty “elastic-band” muscles and durable limbs can withstand playtime with kids ages 12-150. Folds into a perfect cube when it is time to rest."  See more of this design at eco - artware.com

David Weeks, the designer, also designs furniture, lighting, home accessories and commissions. See his latest lighting  catalogue and read his blog

This adorable real 4 leaf clover pendant is on a hemp cord with wooden beads and a loop and bead closure. It is handmade for children by Christine, who likes the natural, rugged quality of hemp, at

IdahoHempWorks      She found the 4 leaf clover herself - special!

Creative crayons

Unleash your child’s creativity with these easy-to-use, affordable, art-inspired, & eco-friendly crayons!
We like them as:

• they are made of quality, recycled, non-toxic crayons
• they will not roll off the table
• they are chunky and easy to grip for little fingers
• each crayon is unique

They are Li'l Grippers Chunky Crayons (3) - Jumbo Hearts with GLITTER from Gourmet Play. Look at all the beautiful colours.

eco products for creative kids

Stubby Pencil Studio offers eco friendly kids art materials and school supplies like crayons made from soy - not petroleum; stationery, greeting cards, sketchbooks and journals made from 100% post-consumer recycled paper - not virgin trees; pencils made from sustainably harvested wood and recycled newspapers - not dying forests.
You'll find unique gifts for children, non-toxic toys, classic games, educational books, children’s craft kits, and reusable bags.

Looking for art ideas to do with children? At early play you can find free fun techniques for young kids.

Looking for recycled craft ideas? Try Recycled Crafts Box or Green Crafts for Children