Online for just a month now, have you had a chance to check out Crafting a Green World? A part of the Green Options Media network, I’m the blog’s editor and head writer. Recently, two more writers have signed on, both of which are amazingly creative women: Melissa Stadja of The Stanley Family Lodge and Tara Hogan of Ink + Wit.

What are we all about? We feature everything from eco-patterns, supplies, and creators to book reviews and event/sale notices. Crafting a Green World (CAGW) is your #1 resource for organic, natural, and recycled crafty projects, products, media, and businesses. Whether you are a novice, a pro, or somewhere in between, Crafting a Green World has the sustainable crafty content you are looking for.

Tara will begin posting in the new year. Meanwhile, Melissa and I have been writing some great content for CAGW, all of which has been met with a wonderful response. Here is a peak at what we have been featuring over at Crafting a Green World.

+ Natural Crafts Featured in New Magazine: “Could this be a dream? A seasonal hallucination brought on by all those sugar cookies and colorful icing? No - it’s true! A new magazine has premiered on newsstands that features …”

+ Jewelry Making with Vintage Finds: “Etsy is a great shopping resource, especially for crafting supplies. When you’re looking to make your own jewelry and want one-of-a-kind beads or findings, vintage is the way to go. Making use of vintage …” (more…)

In the three months since I added my name to the Anthropologie mailing list, I’ve received four catalogs (Stitch Book, November 2007, Giving Book, and December 2007) in my mailbox. From a sustainable standpoint, one could see these happenings as an eco-nightmare, but I think of it more like visual heaven.

Though the latter three catalogs left me drooling and dizzy with ideas, the Stitch Book caught the bulk of my attention due to it being filled with … stitched stuff! OK, let me be a bit more specific - the Stitch Book is full of sweaters of all shapes and sizes, all featuring impeccable knitted and crocheted designs.

Out of all the available goods in the Stitch Book, the Joona Handknit Hoodie (on the cover and in the image to the left) had me the most entranced: a Little Prince & Piggy original, handmade over the course of 100 hours using several skeins of lush mushroom yarn. Designed with irreverently gathered sleeves and an oversized hood.

Can Anthropologie’s goods really be considered sustainable? That’s a good question and it’s one that I don’t have the answer to. I recently found out that they previously carried a few goods by one of my all-time favorite eco-brands Stewart+Brown (four of which are on-sale on the website). But carrying four tops made of organic cotton doesn’t change the lack of sustainability of the rest of the goods. Seeing how much wool and leather is featured in the catalogs makes me squirm (including the aforementioned hoodie). (more…)

Does anyone really need another excuse to slather on the icing or “double-dunk” our desserts?

How about helping to save our planet’s oceans?

Oceana; a California, Oregon and Alaska-based non-profit; and Warren Brown; host of Food Network’s Sugar Rush and owner of Washington D.C.’s CakeLove Bakery; have teamed up this holiday season to give bakers and eco-concerned citizens “a unique and meaningful way to give to loved ones while helping protect the oceans for future generations.”

How does it work? All you have to do is adopt a marine creature via Oceana’s website. There are four different creatures to choose from in each of the four categories: Protect Coral Reefs (Clam, Crab, Octopus and Seahorse), Fight Global Warming (Penguin, Polar Bear, Seal and Snowflake), Protect Sea Creatures (Dolphin, Shark, Turtle and Whale), and Eliminate Unsustainable Fishing (Oceana Ranger, Salmon, Seagull and Starfish). For the small sum of $250, you can adopt all 16 available creatures, along with buying a gift for your whole family in one shot. (more…)

“I draw, paint, sew, and make prints in my studio in Portland, Oregon … and I love to get email.” Betsy Walton is a woman after my own (and everyone else’s) heart! The quoted sentence is from Betsy’s short-but-sweet biography on her website. Who doesn’t love to get a nice e-mail?

There are oodles of folks out there who draw, paint, sew, and make prints; especially in Portland; so what makes Betsy special? If you have seen her work then you wouldn’t fathom asking that question. “I was hooked … on the soft vibrant color palettes she chooses, the dream-scapes she cleverly creates and the way her characters peek my imagination,” is what Jolayne of Urban Preschool had to say.

Along with running a successful Etsy.com store, Betsy Walton frequently features her work in gallery shows and most recently had her art mentioned on Domino Magazine’s website (#13). “I’ve always been interested in the ways art can have multi-layered meanings,” Betsy said to me during our interview. “I think my drawing style comes from both an aesthetic preference for clean lines and a reflection of my state of mind when I am working, which tends to be somewhat meditative and contemplative.”

Without furthur adieu, I share with you the intelligent and introspective interview I recently had with Betsy Walton. Read on for details about her casting off the shackles of cubicle life, what all those years in offices taught her, the joys of sewing, her connection with nature, meditative creation process, and what is coming up next.

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Do not fear - the Portland Series is here! There are still oodles of other creative and eco-conscious individuals in Stumptown to chat with, so this series is far from over. Now is as good a time as any to announce that I am officially moving from San Francisco to Portland in June of 2008! My time in the Bay Area has been a blessing, but lower costs and curiosity draw me to Portland, and I am not one to ignore my instincts. Now … on to the interview …

What do comics, craps and coloring books all having in common? They form the childhood of today’s artist extraordinare, Tripper Dungan. Raised among the glitz and glamour of Las Vegas, Tripper hightailed it out of there the first change he got.

After a short stop over in San Diego, Tripper found himself in Eugene, the “other” creative capital of Oregon. Artistic exploration ensued, leading to the creation of a shadow puppet troupe and a menagerie of unique paintings.

Arriving in Portland a few years later, Tripper is now working on establishing his ultimate masterpiece and residence, The Cartoon Bungalow. “Here is where it all comes together with strange and silly music, prehistoric cartoons, and an environment that will host the unraveling of minds. Within these walls there is no cap on the silly jar; that is to say if you do a front flip in a flip flop just don’t stop ‘till the beet drop,” says Tripper.

Read on to find out more about Tripper’s creations (did I mention they were 3D?), shadow puppet shows, inspirations, eco-actions, and robots … everything is more interesting with a few robots.

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It’s quite easy to get so caught up in all the holiday hub-bub that we forget about just how good our lives actually are. Being born and raised in the States has given me an unimaginable number of freedoms and a unique perspective on life. All in all, most of us have food to eat, a place to sleep, clothing to wear, a job to earn money, and loved ones that care about our wellbeing.

Just 52 years ago, things were different. It’s more than difficult to fathom just how much our national culture has changed in this short time. It may not seem like a short period for humans, but the planet has been around for billions of years, so think of it that way.

On December 1st, 1955, Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a bus in Alabama to a white man. Her actions brought international attention to the unfair segregation of African Americans in everyday situations. Rosa’s infamous “quiet strength” led to the birth of the historical Civil Rights Movement and people of every color and creed owe her an immense debt of gratitude.

Passing away just two years ago at the learned age of 92, Rosa once said, “I would like to be known as a person who is concerned about freedom and equality and justice and prosperity for all people.” As a memorial to her dedication and perseverance, Organic Style has released a special bouquet of red “Freedom” roses. (more…)

Is it possible to catch two different colds in the span of two weeks? I am certainly starting to think so. Though I suppose it would be even less fun to have a runny nose and sore throat during the summertime, I am a lot less eager to bake holiday cookies or wrap presents when I have to stop every 3-4 minutes to blow my nose.

Curled up with a steaming cup of tea, these back-to-back colds have given me a chance to catch up on a lot of reading, including the latest issue of Body+Soul:

Have it all! In our latest issue, get expert advice on saving money, staying positive, finding more time, breaking a food rut, and many more of your holiday and 2008 resolutions. In the spirit of having your cake and eating it, too, we have holiday eating strategies, and 10 ways to fight off a fever this season.

My eyes were instantly drawn to the “10 Best Cold and Flue Fighters” (page 126) headline, of course. The usual all-natural suspects are on the list: echinacea, garlic, ginger, and oscillococcinum. Ever since reading about astragalus, second on their top 10 list, I’ve seen it featured in Whole Foods and all over the web. Foods you likely already have in your kitchen (or can easily get) - olive oil, dried mushrooms, and elderberries - make the list as well, proving that you should feed both cold AND a fever (contrary to what the old wives tale claims). The article provides concise history and medical proof of each remedy, making this a must-save piece for the rest of this cold/flu season and subsequent ones in the coming years. (more…)

With no blog and no e-mail for four days, what’s a woman to do? Read, knit, and drink tea of course! Also, this freed up some time for pleasurably browsing of the web, leading me to find Switzerland’s Terra Keramik. A sucker for classic ceramics, it is more than a matter of coincidence that Terra Keramik was established the same year I was born (1984).

In a world overrun with mass manufacturing and faceless corporations, it is a true delight to find a company that still makes all of their items by hand. Terra Keramik Founder and Creative Director Felix Volger had this to say about the age-old process:

Notwithstanding our high standards and expectations, our products are handcrafted and therefore not perfect. They can be considered ‘perfectly imperfect’. Good design should simplify and not complicate. If our products can bring a little fun and joy into your life, I will be very happy.

Can a product that requires intense heat to be created ever be sustainable? According to Terra Keramik … hell yeah! In addition to using non-toxic glazes and recycled paper/packaging, the company purchases renewable energy via their local power grid. Imported for nearby Germany, the clay used to make all of Keramik’s products is formulated to require less heat during the firing process, which “reduces [the company’s] energy consumption by 20%.” (more…)

The past four days have been full of a myriad of emotions, thanks to my web host failing to fix a “500 Internal Server Error” despite contacting support a number of times. I’ve been with IPowerWeb for the past 5 years, but in just the past year, they have gone over the deep end, causing numerous problems with both my website and e-mail.

Finally sick of the issues (and on the verge of needing to renew my hosting package in February), I’ve switched to Bluehost and in less than two hours, I have gotten all of my files transfered over, my URL redirected, and my e-mail mailbox set-up (it has been down the past four days as well; I can only imagine how much I’ve missed permanently).

Unfortunately, within this down time, I’ve also had over 30 people unsubscribe from my website feed - I hope you all will come back now that I’m up and running again! On the plus side, I’ve had time to knit and read, along with coming up with a nice backlog of swank post ideas, so stay tuned for lots of great info.

1 for two months in a row!) Green Style Spotlight: UJeans: “The world’s most imperative fashion invention of all time (or at least one of the top five) has to be denim jeans. Somehow, since its nearly 200 years of being invented, manufacturers have made it unthinkably difficult to …”

2) Unearth Conscious Living’s New Home: MindBodyGreen.com: “Recycling, organic cotton clothing, paraben-free cosmetics, public transportation - you’ve probably got the basics of green living integrated into your daily life already. Having done so many …”

3) Solar Homes Help Revive Slow Housing Market: “Just three weeks ago, we told you about the sluggish general housing market and how it hasn’t been affecting the green building industry one bit. Thanks to a new article from the Los Angeles Times, more info …”

4) Refab UK’s Vintage Fabric Home Accessories: “After the blue jean insulation is fitted, the low-VOC paints have dried, and the solar panels are functioning, it’s time to focus on the inside of your new home. With air quality indoors being rated as 4 to 5 times worse …”

5) Chicago Hosts USGBC GreenBuild Expo Nov 7-9: “Started in 2002 by the infamous United States Green Building Council (USGBC), the GreenBuild Expo has quickly become the largest conference and exhibition focused solely on green building (both practices and products). Nearly 20,000 people are …”

What did you enjoy this month?

What would you like to see less/more of?