By Kelly Rand •
June 19, 2008
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We’ve already covered the mysteries of fusing plastic, but did you also know that you can knit with it too?! To continue my what to do with my overflowing bag of plastic bags kick, here is a quick tutorial on making your own plastic yarn or “plarn.”
1) Gather your bags. I separated mine by color, but why not go crazy and mix and match?
2) Start by cutting off the handles and the bottom of the bag. The result will be a nice smooth rectangle, as the bottom gatherings will have been removed.
Sustainable bag reporting continues from Part I. There are so many great choices!
Muumuu Heaven is a shop located on the windward side of Oahu, Hawaii. The family-run business got so busy producing eco-conscious and original women’s apparel from recycled Hawaiian garments, they decided to collaborate with another designer for bags to stock.
Kauai is a neighbor island, same state of Hawaii, where Denise Tjarks structures new life also from old muumuu, aloha shirts and fabric remnants. Word is spreading so fast, it’s impossible to share an exclusive not sold. But you get the idea from these two illustrations. Above is Maia, the pretty green plant print. Below that is the reverse side, an orange small floral print. Both reversible option sides are made from vintage mu’umu’us circa 1970.
By Kelly Rand •
June 9, 2008
We sure do love our tote bags around here. Target, denim and sail cloth; yup, we are definitely in love. So, to add to our never ending list, I submit to you - Conserve.
Just like Be Sweet, Conserve is a company with a conscience. Based in Dehli, India, Conserve employs rag pickers in the slums of the city to collect an abundant resource; discarded plastic bags (the bags are so prevalent that they clog water drains and cows will try and eat them.) The bags are then washed and prepared and made into beautiful fashion bags. The process they use to make the bags produces no extra pollution and uses less energy than conventional recycling methods.
Getting the plastic off the streets and made into bags is a win-win for Conserve. They offer income to an otherwise disenfranchised people and help clean up the streets. They use no dye in their bag making process, relying on the variety of colors and color combinations that is found on the streets instead.
Editor’s note: OK, most of us probably don’t really consider shopping bags an accessory. According to our friends at Life Goggles, though, Envirosax bags aren’t just functional and reusable — they’re also real eye-catchers! This post was originally published on Monday, May 26, 2008. If you really like these bags, make sure to check out Victoria Everman’s interview with Envirosax founder Belinda David-Tooze from last May. Also check out how these bags stack up against others with Life Goggles’ new reusable bag comparison chart.
Envirosax was founded in Australia in 2004 (now available in the US), and makes eco-friendly bags. Made from a lightweight polyester, they have reinforced seams in order to carry the weight of two plastic shopping bags.
The most striking feature (besides that they roll up really small) is the sheer number of cool designs they come in. The picture is of the one I’ve got, Mikado #5; however they have many designs in the Graphic Series (Mikado, Retro Graphic, Monochromatic, Flora, Amazonia, and Retro Kitchen). They also have a big Kids range (as in a big range, not a range for big kids…). My favorite being the Dogasaurus.
By Emma Henderson •
March 14, 2008
After a long running campaign to ban plastic bags in the U.K, Alistair Darling, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced this week a plan to introduce a tax on plastic bags.
Fantastic news! We can rid the country of an ugly, harmful menace and give ourselves a big slap on the back whilst carrying our shopping home in natural resuable bags. Great!
Or… is it really all that great? Am I the only one who might be a little bit sad to see them go? I won’t miss the bags themselves but I will miss the creativity they inspire.
By Autumn Wiggins •
February 27, 2008
Every time I play Monopoly with my husband, he mercilessly beats me, and proceeds to rub it in my face for a solid 12 hours.
Well friends, revenge is mine. His precious Park Avenue will someday soon find itself permanently affixed to the bottom of a mod looking purse. To add insult to injury, I also get to steal his duct tape.
By serenity_ii •
October 12, 2007
We remembered to take our bags to the grocery store last night and to use them! The bagger thought we were buying the Halloween ChicoBags and tucked them into a different bag *eyeroll*, but other than that things went decently. We ended up with two or three plastic bags in addition to the two canvas bags and two ChicoBags. My mom says she’s planning to make bags for me, too. And our Annie’s bag with Bernie on it is currently [...]
By Max Lindberg •
September 5, 2007
I couldn’t pass this one up. Reuben Miller sent this to me from his Stumble site and it just seemed like too good an idea to pass up.
Imagine, driving, or riding, or whatever your shopping cart to the grocery store, detach the bike and wheel the cart into the store. Once at the checkout, no need for bags: just load the groceries into the cart, attach it to your bike
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Who could have thought that times of war could bring us such fashionable accessories? With a little crafty ingenuity, Trina and Andy, the couple behind Amsterdam's Katrina Kaye, have transformed gas mask bags into chic urban accessories.
"The concept started as a sideline for Trina in England when working as a graphic designer. She started recycling wool and making gorgeous throws for a shop in our local village. The concept
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