I’ve recently become obsessed with knitted, knotted and voluptuous necklaces like this organic cotton piece by Necklush. Sustainable designer, Lara Miller, recently turned me on to the line and I love what they’re doing joining scarf and necklace into the happy marriage that is…the snecklace.

Necklush is a really fun wardrobe staple that can be manipulated in so many ways: you can twist it, knot it, pull strands out and wrap it or wear it like a scarf or belt.

Go to the site to see the different lengths, thicknesses and colors you can purchase – when not participating in today’s giveaway for a dusty blue with brown printed one. You will want more.

Celebrating their one year anniversary on Etsy this year, we salute Brooklyn designers Troy and Stephano, the designers of Necklush, for their fabric ingenuity and savvy street vibe they’ve given us for the past 52 weeks. We expect another year of creativity from you two, so don’t disappoint.

In the meantime, may the power of the Necklush move you to leave a comment below to enter to win. For official rules and all that jazz, click here.

Magda Rod recently took her LA boutique Visionary on the road.

We are a society used to getting immediate gratification so why wouldn’t we want clothing as quickly as we can get a Big Mac?

The shift in consumer desire to want more now has led us, over the years, to the current state: body care and electronics being sold in vending machines, a craving to know more about where your friends are 24/7 through social media and those energy drinks to help you move faster to get everything, you know…now.

Eco-designers and boutiques are not exempt from this Nowism.

From Pop-up shops in major cities where designers can have a temporary storefront (and for a short time only!) to Etsy sites (once scoffed at by many designers I know) to create limited editions with their end-run fabrics, the race is on.

These pop-ups offer what Trendwatching.com calls “temporary brand manifestations that add an element of surprise, urgency, and must-have/must-see to shopping, dining, entertaining, lodging, exhibiting and so on.”

And with this quest to quench the insatiable with what’s new NOW, we don’t have to wait until January to buy our spring dresses at our favorite boutique before they’re bought out. We can buy them now. We may even be able to ask the seller to modify them for us.

The lines have become blurred. What kind of an effect does this have on your own purchases where once you planned seasonally? And when it’s eco, immediately, how eco is it?

Some words of advice: With all that is Nowism being forced down your throat, keep yourself in check with what you really need despite the hype and yes, even the immediacy of the vending machine.

Can you imagine designers promoting something like pencil skirts in all sizes in a machine in your city? Would you buy one?

Shoes they come and shoes they go, but once in a while you want something that stands out.

There will always be the perfect black pump, the brown or black tall boot and the go-to flats with your very own toe impressions (they’re that go-to). But this fall women are ditching the usual suspects and perusing their favorite shoe hot spots for the shoe of the moment, the oxford.

Worn with pencil skirts, skinny jeans or flat front men’s trousers, this versatile shoe puts the Kate with the Hepburn and the Amelia with the Earhart.

Derived from the Scottish and Gaelic “brogues,” (or wingtips in the U.S.), oxford shoes have risen in rank this season from being a traditional men’s shoe to a stylish women’s power piece, heeled and ready for action. And this trend doesn’t seem to have an end in sight, with Spring 2010 models walking down the runways clad in them for Isaac Mizrahi, Rachel Comey, Phillip Lim and Derek Lam.

A trend that transcends more than one season? Yes!

After perusing my favorite shoe haunts at Etsy, I found what I wanted, and lots of it (see images above)…if only I were a size 7 instead of a 9! Are big-footed women a turn of the century phenomenon?

The only other oxfords I found that were somewhat sustainable are the Melissa oxford shoe, available in all colors of the rainbow. Melissa’s latest collaboration with famed Brazilian designer, Alexandre Herchcovitch, has produced these must-have classic rubber brogues that will keep heads turning and you skipping away in glee.

Images: milanvintage, small earth vintage, Maiden rapture vintage

When I was young, still living at home, I’d leave the house for a run and hide my key under the potted plant near the front door. I’d never try this trick today.

Instead, I might use one of these simple Wrist Cuff Wallets I found on Etsy. They couldn’t be cuter or cheaper ($5) or easier to DIY.

Find any old cotton tee or sweat shirt and a couple of cool stamps like this deco flower and old Woodie truck and your do-it-yourself is done!

Tuck a key and a twenty inside the cuff and hit the road, or send your kids to school with their lunch money. Whatever the use, they’re too cute to not have one or two.

Easy to launder and comfortable to wear, my faves are the purple chrysanthemum (top image) and the olive green tree.

It wasn’t the answer I had hoped for, in fact it threw me. And when I finally landed it was clear I had my next topic for EcoSalon. Is ceramic an eco-friendly material?

Not really.

Ceramic is certainly not 100% eco-friendly, although it does boast an honest list of good intentions.

But first the aforementioned answer, which comes from Whitney Smith, a ceramic artist on Etsy. I asked her about the eco-friendliness of her work. Here’s what she said:

Hi Kim, I wouldn’t consider my process eco-friendly. Pottery production uses a lot of energy, and many of the ingredients in glazes and the clay body itself are toxic and cancer-causing in their raw form, and are mined from the earth. I take steps to reduce harm to the environment and myself and employees in my relatively low-production studio, but as a general rule it is impossible to make eco-friendly pottery, though I have seen people make that claim. As far as energy usage, I know some people have employed solar panels to reduce usage, but kilns use so much energy that solar panels are a minor offset at best.  Wood burning and gas fired kilns pollute the air. I know PG&E, my energy provider, claims that over 50% of the energy provided to Northern Californians is wind energy, but who knows? Thanks for asking!  Whitney

I’ve heard the term “eco-friendly ceramics” tossed around by at least a few of the artisans whose work we’ve featured here at EcoSalon. (Perch! and Heath Ceramics, to name just two.) What do they mean and how can they claim eco, while Smith speaks of the polluting process and a serious footprint?

Needless to say, I was stumped. I wanted to reply with, “But, but, but…other people say their ceramics are eco?” Instead I bit my tongue and hit up Google.

It took me just under 5 minutes to find an environmentally friendly ceramic memo board and this ceramic teapot made with “sustainable materials.” Really?

Clay is an organic substance, for crying out loud. It comes straight from the earth, but as I’ve learned, this doesn’t mean it’s anything near green. Can any object made of clay, baked at degrees in the realm of the thousands ever be considered remotely green?

Perhaps.

For instance, what if non-toxic, low-impact glazes are used? What if the artist’s studio is footprint-free? And what if there’s a type of clay (there is) that only requires one fire in the kiln rather than two?

That, we can fairly say, is progress. Perfection? Does it really matter, as long as there’s an authentic and consistent path toward better, cleaner, safer?

Upon further investigation, I found this post by Laura Zindle, an artist based in Vermont. She states – emphatically, I might add – that her own work is not even the lightest shade of green and further, she’s infuriated that that others are making such preposterous claims.

Zindle has done some of her own research, asking her most knowledgeable colleagues to comment. Their thoughts show candor and passion about the art of ceramics, their own green leanings and how difficult it is to make ceramics 100% sustainable.

What most of them do agree on is the importance of staying informed and educating oneself about the options. The problem, which seems to be a common thread through any and all movements working toward sustainability, is that changes cost money.

John Hull, one of Zindle’s colleagues and a “lifelong educator and potter,” responds to her inquiry with the pragmatic suggestion that “being more green is better than less green.”

You and I work at home. We don’t drive to work using fuel…that’s green.
Your products are functional and don’t get thrown away…that’s green.
When they get broken and are disposed of, they don’t have a negative environmental impact…that’s green.
Your construction process doesn’t use energy (electric potter’s wheel, ram press, etc.)…that’s green.
You fire to a relatively low temp in an efficient kiln emitting no harmful gases (as in reduction)…that’s green.
Your kilns help heat the house and work space…that’s green….and on and on,
BUT…energy use, mining and transporting of materials and all that is a question.

Actually, most of the ceramic artists I have researched claim some level of lessened environmental impact, ranging from total eco-friendliness to simply using non-toxic glazes. For example, Steve Harrison and Janine King have lived and worked green in Australia for years. Davistudio, Emily Murphy and, of course Amy Adams and Perch! are also on the path.

Zindle’s website now claims her work is “hand built and slip cast with low fire white earthenware and glazed with non-toxic low fire glazes”. Even a cynic can see the light.

There’s plenty of greenwashing going around, and the world of ceramics is hardly unique in this. A consistent definition of what it means to be green in ceramics needs to be established.  That being said, an honest dialogue is occurring within the ceramics community, which is clearly a move in the right, green direction.

Unquestionably, ceramic is better than plastic. Ceramics are also handmade, and therefore tend to be high in quality. Ceramics are recyclable and artists like Sarah Cihat prefer to use the old and make something new. Vintage ceramics from companies like Bauer are collectibles and are very functional. Personally, I’d rather have Bauer than anything new from Neiman’s.

But I still would love a Whitney Smith cake stand (second image).

Main image: lepiaf.geo

Art is an intensely personal experience. What whets your appetite might leave me longing for something slightly different. Or the piece I prize and display in my home could inspire in you nothing more than a really bad headache.

But something tells me that Tracy Melton’s Tree Ring Paintings will strike almost anyone’s fancy.

I like how the raw and natural elements sync perfectly with the modern and graphic in these little treasures. The colors are bold while the imperfect contours of the wood retain the earthy and natural.

Tracy Melton, a nature buff and full time artist from Knoxville Tennessee, creates his Tree Ring Paintings using reclaimed wood from dead Elm trees. He cuts pieces ranging from 3 to 8 inches in diameter and approximately 2 to 3 inches thick, then sands down and clear coats each piece, finishing with colorful acrylic paint.

The backs are hollowed out for hanging – group three or four together or cover an entire wall. Any set of 3 paintings, each measuring 5 inches or less in diameter, is $32.99. Sizes up to 8 inches in diameter run $52.99 for a set of 3.

Something about these paintings should strike your fancy, but see for yourself at Melton’s website and Etsy store.

Every time I browse EcoEtsy to see what our favorite artists are up to, I’m reminded that their resourcefulness knows no end. In the minds of these creative individuals, a clock can be much more than just a face, hands and numbers. Made from the most cleverly recycled materials, the unique timepieces below are functionally funky works of art.

When was the last time you actually played that backgammon set buried deep in your closet? As it turns out, this dusty old game’s geometric shapes and contrasting colors make the Board Game clock a fun accent for modern interiors.

You can continue your board game collection with the Candy Land Time lunchpail clock from Imotime. Sweetly vintage!

A temporary brain drain caused me to recycle my newspaper on the fifth of November like it was any other day. Unfortunately, it wasn’t. Thanks to Makin Time, I can still have a keepsake from this monumental moment in history: the Obama Headline clock (shown at top).

Are you ready for the next verse in my ode to EcoEtsy? This week, I found handmade décor for your walls, tabletops and shelves you’ll love.

I’m a big fan of rustic furniture, but it’s much more difficult to find decorative accents with the same raw appeal. The Eco-Friendly frame in Tuscan yellow (shown above) is finished with VOC-free shellac to retain the natural appearance of the (sustainable) wood.

Looking for a truly original, retro-modern wall hanging? GreenWorks artisans salvaged scraps of car interiors on their way to the landfill for their Recycled Seat Belt wall art assemblage, a modern weave of metallic strips that shimmer subtly.

Passing food around the table at big meals might become an outmoded tradition if the Turnadaisy butler keeps on spinning. Place your delectable dishes on this functional piece, and all of your guests can fill their plates with just a whirl.

]]> http://www.ecosalon.com/ecoetsy_favorites/feed/ 0 http://www.ecosalon.com/it%e2%80%99s-not-a-hand-me-down-handbag-%e2%80%93-it%e2%80%99s-a-hoakonhelga/ http://www.ecosalon.com/it%e2%80%99s-not-a-hand-me-down-handbag-%e2%80%93-it%e2%80%99s-a-hoakonhelga/#comments Thu, 26 Feb 2009 12:00:13 +0000 Kim Derby http://www.ecosalon.com/?p=9823

You know the feel of your boyfriend’s really worn, totally weathered and super sexy leather jacket? Kinda like butter, right? That’s what I think of when I see the recycled leather handbags by Hoakon/Helga. I think of butter.

Well, not exactly. But Hoakon/Helga bags are really soft and sumptuous to the touch, not to mention ultra-hip and eco-friendly. Handcrafted using vintage and recycled materials, no two bags are the same. Click on any of the designs shown on the website and you’ll get a gander at all the past bags created in that design.

Gone are the days of looking like every other lady with a logomania luxury bag. What a relief!

Another noteworthy fact about these leather bags is their price, which is not only reasonable but remarkable. A mere $85 for the Willow, my current favorite, as well as the Monarda.

So, if you’re intrigued by the repurposed possibilities and are in the market for a handbag, check out the entire Hoakon/Helga collection, and then shop for your favorite at the Etsy store.

Timing is everything. And sometimes timing is just plain bad. To wit, I recently bought a pendant lamp for my dining room, installed it and was really pleased breaking bread below it…and then I came across the petal lamp shade.

Now I’m experiencing a serious case of buyer’s remorse.

The Petal Lamp Shade has approximately 200 “petals” that were individually cut from recycled PET bottles, heated and engraved with subtle patterns. They dangle 21.6 inches from a stainless steel disk. Lovely.

The designer’s Etsy profile says she is an architect in Ankara, Turkey. I haven’t seen her buildings but the objects she creates from old soda bottles are amazing. Check out the Blue Bowl, Flower Bowl No 5 and Flower Napkin Holders.

Go to gulguvenc’s Etsy shop to check availability and prices. She also has a blog.