On this day, we stop and think about this earth we are living on. We consider the damage done to it in the past and seek new ways to remedy the damage done to it presently for a future that is more green. On this day, we plant trees, we talk about saving the bees, and recycling, reusing, and reducing. On this day, we celebrate the earth and strive to be more conscious of the impact we have on it. However, for some handmade businesses, Earth Day does not just occur April 22nd. It occurs everyday.
Originally posted on Acorn Tops Tumblr: On Fairy Wings and Acorn Hats There is a magic to reusing and re-purposing and using a child-like wonder of the world to re-imagine the way we use certain items. An earring without it’s pair turns into a door knocker. Broken tea cups turn into a garden. On this day, we stop and think about this earth we are living on. We consider the damage done to it in the past and seek new ways to remedy the damage done to it presently for a future that is more green. On this day, we plant trees, we talk about saving the bees, and recycling, reusing, and reducing. On this day, we celebrate the earth and strive to be more conscious of the impact we have on it. However, for some handmade businesses, Earth Day does not just occur April 22nd. It occurs everyday. Businesses like Seeds of Inspiration craft and create with ecological consciousness everyday of the year. Their impact on the environment is considered in many of their products. Their pet toys, for one, are made using recycled denim. They have bags of denim jeans friends and friends of friends outgrew and would’ve thrown away otherwise. Their dash saches and scented specialty pillows are organic. Some of these ingredients, such as some lavender for instance, come directly from their garden. Tanza Botanicalscreates organic herbals salves. Then of course, there is the round robins of fabric between Seeds of Inspiration, Acorn Tops, and Jessie’s Custom Greetings. Scraps of fabric from Seeds of Inspiration’s products go to either Acorn Tops for our Raggle Taggle fairy dolls or to Jessie’s Custom Greetings to use on their cards. The scraps of those scraps are then returned to Seeds of Inspiration to create handmade buttons for a new product! Nature is a great source of inspiration for many businesses. In learning the plight of the honey bees, Lainie’s Lathers created honey soap! According to Handmade in South Bay’s Interview with Samantha Haymes, her handmade business, The Crowned Heart, “is chocked full of things I love which includes beautiful things gifted to us by Mother Earth.” This is evident is her beautiful crystal and gem jewelry, for example and the way her art “utilizes and harnesses nature’s energies” (The Crowned Heart’s Shop Announcement). Earth Day does not just exist one day a year. Earth Day should be and for many handmade small businesses is everyday.
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Originally posted on Acorn Tops Tumblr: On Fairy Wings and Acorn Hats It’s a girl fairy garden! Featuring Hypoestes and Creeping Thyme! A baby ducky swimming by the Hypoestes! A baby pacifier is found at the start of the path. What’s that back there? A baby rattle and… A baby bottle! A baby carriage in the creeping thyme!
Originally posted on Acorn Tops Tumblr: On Fairy Wings and Acorn Hats Let’s talk collaboration! I don’t just mean two business working together on a single product, like Jessie’s Custom Greetings and Seeds of Inspiration’s Mug Hugger Greeting Cards, or my collaboration with Seeds of Inspiration on our needle felted mushroom fairy bottle, (though I am a huge fan of both). I’m talking a different type of collaboration, that not only benefits both businesses but this beloved planet on which we live. The beauty of an organization like Handmade in South Bay is you have a community of like minded business entrepreneurs who are able to rely on each other for things like support and promotion, but also materials. Sometimes this means sharing suppliers, splitting shipping costs with someone who uses your same supplier, or sharing supplies. That’s the collaboration I’m talking about. Any one who knows Seeds of Inspirationknows they use fabric. They give Acorn Tops the scraps. Using those scraps, my raggle taggle fairy dolls are made. The scraps of the scraps then goes back to Seeds of Inspiration for their handmade buttons for a new product they’re working on. Between the two of us, our products are made and the earth weeps with joy over our clever reusing and recycling. Always remember, sharing is caring! Originally posted on Acorn Tops Tumblr: On Fairy Wings and Acorn Hats Lorax Inspired Fairy Garden! Thrift (Armeria martima Rubrifolia) make the perfect Truffula Trees! ”And Truffula Trees are what everyone needs!” The Lorax himself! He speaks for the trees! The UNLESS stone because ”UNLESS someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not!” And a Dr. Seuss hat to top it off! "It’s not about what it is, it’s about what it can become." - Dr. Suess
Originally posted on Acorn Tops Tumblr: On Fairy Wings and Acorn Hats The original idea of the fairy door is to sit at the base of a tree. It welcomes the fairies to the garden and to make a home if they so wish. However, this seems rather exclusive. What about people who do not have trees or a yard, for that matter? Currently living in the third floor apartment, my mom found an easy solution to this predicament. She has decided to invite the fairies to her bookshelf, because after all what is more magical than reading? A customer decided to follow suit with her Wander door! Some have put them around the baseboards and walls of their rooms. One of my first ever customers put her fairy doors around her raised garden bed and added a stone path to them! Last year, customers told me that they were buying dog fairy doors in honor of a beloved furry companion that had passed away and they were planning on putting the door over the spot their dog’s ashes were buried.
Originally posted on Acorn Tops Tumblr: On Fairy Wings and Acorn Hats The Cat’s Meow is certain to draw fairies! Featuring rosemary and succulents, it is easy to care for and has everything a fairy would love! Some interesting and colorful rocks to explore! Some of a fairy’s best friends are aerial creatures! A bird flies in the succulents! A furry friend plays with the bees by the rosemary! A birdhouse welcomes any and all!
Originally posted on: On Fairy Wings and Acorn Hats One of the reasons I love what I do is the freedom to create what inspires me and to incorporate what I love. This allows me to geek out as part of my work. Tardis Fairy House anyone?
The other benefit is creating what I love and being able to use what I love to make a difference. Items inspired by the fantastic book, The Fault In Our Stars by John Green, are sold to help This Star Won’t Go Out. This foundation helps children with cancer and their families. Other small, handmade businesses like Seeds of Inspiration gives 10% of their proceeds to a new charity each quarter. This quarter all proceeds go to Paws for A Cause. In the past, they made special scented apples for Reading is Fundamental. Jessie’s Custom Greetings has been working with Packages for Patriots, giving 10% of their proceeds, as well as buying one of her handmade cards to send to troops. Cholie’s Hart makes special crocheted caps for San Pedro’s Relay for Life. When the proceeds do not go to an organization, foundation, or charity, I also can make a difference through various forms of “protest art” like my Beehive Fairy House that reads “SAVE THE BEES.” If I do not give money, I can spread awareness. Sometimes the difference I can make with my art is not just in giving money or spreading awareness,but in the smiles my products can create. Two adults see a Where The Wild Things Are Inspired Fairy House, smile, and start reminiscing about childhood memories or a child gets excited about seeing a Thomas The Tank Engine Door or a Fairy Door of their favorite superhero. Sometimes the biggest difference I think I make, is in the creation of smiles or making someone’s day. I might not have a lot to give, but at least I can give that. |
On Fairy Wings and Acorn Hats
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