etsy find: flattened wine bottle serving tray

photo credits: dpholkdesigns

as part of the eco-friendly theme on simply lovely, my etsy find is a cute, creative, eco-friendly product that shows you just how lovely it is to be green.

this product is made by dpholkdesigns, a glass artist and musician from west virginia. dpholkdesigns creates these eco-friendly serving trays by melting an olive green or clear wine bottle in a kiln. he then decorates the bottle with ceramic beads and attaches a cheese spreader to complete the tray.

so in addition to being a cute and stylish tray, this product shows that there are many great ways to recycle what you have.so by recycling, you're not just helping the earth, you're promoting art.

never has recycling been so delightful.

green living is the best living: part i

photo credits: gaithersburg home consultant

an introduction to green living 
 
looking for a way to add a little loveliness to your life? try going green. there is nothing more satisfying than knowing that you are giving back to your earth. and for all those climate crisis skeptics out there: even if you don't buy into global warming, you can still care about the earth. after all, for everything this earth provides you, why not give it a little love in return?

many people scoff about being eco-friendly. i have heard many people refer to it as a way for companies to make extra money by just raising prices on "eco-friendly" products. however, the fact of the matter is this: the reason why the prices are higher are that the companies incur more cost in making products that are eco-friendly. it's not just a way to exploit consumers' goodwill and love for the earth. and you don't have to spend an extra thousands in order to be eco-friendly. i know that in this economy, it's hard to scrape up the extra cash.

so for part i of my eco-friendly series, here's a few easy tips for those of you who are looking to go eco-friendly:

•  recycle, recycle, recycle! it's a lesson that we've been learning since we were young, but yet one that many people still don't follow. so give it a try. reuse, reduce, recycle. 
• conserve water. when washing dishes or brushing your teeth, don't leave the water running unless you're using it at that moment. avoid baths- they use too much water. keep your showers short. 
• lighten up. use compact fluorescent light bulbs (CLF) in your house. not only will these lights help the environment, it helps keep your energy bill lower as well.
• sustain yourself. try growing some of your favorite fruits or vegetables. not only will you save money when it comes to groceries, but you'll avoid getting food grown with chemicals. 

if you're looking for a way to go green, try these easy tips. i know it's all common sense and is preached to us daily, but it's easy to forget these rules and the importance of them. so here's just a reminder: it's great to be eco-friendly. give it a try. the earth will love you for it.

etsy find: print tentacle theatre

photo credits: nutandbee

as i previously mentioned, etsy is one of my favorite guilty pleasures. but have i disclosed that it is a pleasure i like to partake in daily? yes. my internet history can attest to this- after all, it basically owes its entire existence to the lovely etsy.

well- today, i was browsing etsy's treasury. the treasury is- in a nutshell- a place where you can search lists members have created of items with a set theme, or even just random things they love.

i saw one titled 'right in the tentacles or release the kraken, which one sounds more naughty?'. and while that caught my attention, it was the octopus theme that drew me in. just like i am in love with all things owl, i have to admit, i have a strange adoration for all things octopus. while an octopus ring may sound tacky to the majority of the population, the idea of a ring shaped like a octopus curling around your finger sounds quite charming to me.

it was in this creatively named treasury list that i found my 'etsy find' for today: this delightful '4x4 print: tentacle theatre'. the creator is etsy's nutandbee, who is a "chocolate-nibbling, kitten-nuzzling, cardigan-wearing full-time crafter from New Zealand".

as you can see, this print features a lovely light olive green octopus engaging in the fine play of puppet theatre. i'm not quite sure why the octopus is saying "mew!", though. i'm chalking it up to nutandbee's self-proclaimed love of kitten-nuzzling. that and the fact that the octopus is holding an orange cat puppet.

i find that there is something about this print that just makes me want to be a kid again. i'm quite sure that this is because any grown person will get odd looks for hanging this in their home. thankfully, i'm not quite normal, and anyone who knows me would not be surprised to find this hanging somewhere in my condo. after all, there is something quite delightful about this picture, and it just makes me smile every time i glance at it. so here's to little delights that make you smile. after all, i believe that that is what life is about.

etsy find: hand carved pebble owls

photo credits: CraftyGuys

one of my favorite guilty pleasures is etsy. i absolutely love everything that this website is about. for those of you who have not heard of etsy, it is a website that allows artists to sell their handcrafted items. in addition, it is a great place to find vintage items for your home, but i digress.

i love to spend hours looking at what some of the great artists on etsy can come up with. if i ever won the lottery, i could spend half of it on the art that i have found on this website.

today, my favorite find is the "one of a kind hand carved and hand painted pebble owls" by CraftyGuys. i have always been a fan of owls, and the first second i saw these, i knew that one day i would have to find a place for them in my home.

i don't really know what it is about these that i just find irresistible. or- i guess i should say- i can't figure out which of the 100 reasons it is that has caused me to fall absolutely in love with these. these are just adorable. i love the creativity and talent that has gone into making these owls. i love their big eyes and their heart-shaped nose. and i just love how charming and lovely these owls are.

you can find these owls available for sale here. i hope you enjoy these as much as i do.

photo credits: CraftyGuys

photo credits: CraftyGuys

pure love for norman love

photo credits: the nibble

while spending this past summer with my mother in fort myers, florida, i was introduced to norman love chocolates. before norman love, i thought that godiva was the most decadent guilty pleasure you could find. and while i will always be a godiva girl, i have found pure love for confectioner norman love.

his chocolates taste every bit as good as they look. and his originality and creativity does not stop with just the artistic design of each chocolate- he has come up with all sorts of creative flavors for the chocolates. three of my favorites have been champagne, vanilla cupcake and caramel apple.

norman love is incredible. they truly, truly are. if you would like to view their website and see just what it is that i am so obsessed about, you can find it here.