BAGS BY MELISSA .....Environment Hero

Back in January I did a blog post 'Until Plastic Bags are Banned' drawing attention to the harm plastic bags are to the environment and even more so, what they do to our animal friends. Until a permanent fix is in place, we have a responsibility to do whatever we can to keep as many plastic bags out of the landfill.

There are multiple shops on Etsy that take this responsibility very seriously. I refer to them as 'Environment Heroes'.


Let me introduce to you .....
Environment Hero - Bags By Melissa

Q: What is the creative process you use to decide what to create for your Etsy store? I never really start out with a vision for a finished bag or wallet. It just sort of happens. I start out with a finished piece of fabric and then collage over it. I can find inspiration anywhere from bread bags to fortune cookie bags or sushi grass. I love to watch the bags take form.

Q: Are you selling your products on any other online venue other than Etsy? Not at the moment, but perhaps sometime soon. Etsy is the only online venue that I am currently using to sell my bags, but I do post many of them on my facebook page and have gotten lots of good response and ideas that way.

Q: Do you have any interest in selling your product in an actual store/market place? Absolutely. For a potential customer to be able to handle and try on a product would definitely have its advantages. I did have my bags in a shop here here in downtown Greensboro. I did a few holiday Bazaar's here also. I have a few places that have shown interest in carrying my bags locally and plan to get on that right after the Holidays.

Q: What are your favorite things to make with plastic bags? My favorite things to make with bags are purses/handbags. I get a lot of satisfaction out of turning trash into something that I see as beautiful. Often my handbag will catch someone's eye and they are wowed when they find out what it is made of. I also like to make wallets, business card holders and checkbook covers.

Q: Take a wild guess on how many plastic bags you have used to-date for your creations? It would be a very difficult guess as to how many plastic bags I have kept out of the landfill. Each bag that I make takes at least 8 bags just for the foundation and then I add on several layers. Best guess is that it is up over a thousand, maybe two. I bring my own bags to the grocery, and when I need more, I hit the recycle bin. I wish that more people would think to recycle their bread bags, news paper bags, food bags...etc.

Q: What will you do when plastic bags are officially banned in the U.S.? I am not really worried about what I will do when plastic bags are banned in the U.S. It would be better for the planet. We are currently drowning our oceans, our forests, and our back yards in them and I do not think that I will find a shortage of plastic bags anytime soon. If there is a shortage of them in our near future, I am a pretty resourceful person and will find a way or another passion.

Q: For someone to get to know you, how would you describe yourself? I am a Mother, a Massage Therapist and an Aesthetician. I have always had a passion for crafting and for re-cycling. y My home is decorated in found, refurbished objects. I was home from work about two years ago with acute tendonitis when a friend told me that you could make fabric from plastic bags. I was living in a town in Louisiana that did not recycle and had a mountain of bags that I did not know what to do with. My first couple of attempts at fusing were hysterical. Determination, trial and error is about the only advice that I can give. I gave up on the idea for a little while and started to crochet things made from plarn (plastic bag yarn). When I moved to North Carolina, my sewing machine came back out of storage and I went back to the ironing board. Once I got the hang of it, it did not take long for my creative juices to start flowing. I have always been the sort of crafter that only gifted. When I started making bags, the really fabulous friends that I have here encouraged me to market them. I was reluctant at first, but it has really been loads of fun. It makes me happy when I sell a bag to see the smile on the purchaser's face and how happy that they are with their new "green" bag. They also feel that they are doing something for the planet by carrying one of my creations.

Here are a few additional creative designs for you to enjoy:

Don't forget ........ Green is the new Black!

I hope you enjoyed meeting Bags By Melissa as much as I have.....

Please come back and visit soon so you can meet the next Environment Hero!!!!

Recycle by Recreating to Reuse

How cool is it that one minute you're drinking an icy cold diet coke out of a plastic cup and some minutes later that same plastic cup is a fashionable tote? Check out the picture, it says it all!!!

One of my 2010 resolutions is to raise the bar expanding awareness of keeping plastic out of the landfill beyond just plastic bags. So when I had this little beauty in my hand, I just couldn't throw it into the recycle box.

This cup was going to become the true definition of - 'Recycle by Recreating to Reuse'. Which also happens to be my 2010 motto.

You ask just how eco-friendly is this tote? You already know what the front and back panels are (see Coca Cola cup in pic above), in addition to that I crocheted around the panels with clear plastic yarn; gave it a pop tab closure and to ensure a strong base, the bottom of the bag is supported by 3 floppy disks (I did remove the silver clasp and magnetic disk.)

I used bigger pop tabs as the anchor for each strap. This will give it the added support when it's being filled it up with whatever you want - e.g. groceries, books, a picnic lunch or packing it for a trip to the beach.

Let me know what you think ... please leave a comment!!!

Come back and visit soon because there's more creations like this that I'll be introducing this year!!!

FANTASTIC PLASTIC ....Environment Hero

Back in January I did a blog post 'Until Plastic Bags are Banned' drawing attention to the harm plastic bags are to the environment and even moreso, what they do to our animal friends. Until a permanent fix is in place, we have a responsibility to do whatever we can to keep as many plastic bags out of the landfill.

There are multiple Etsy shops that take this responsibility very seriously whom I refer to as 'Environment Heroes'.

Let me introduce to you ..... Environment Hero -

Q: What is the creative process you use to decide what to create for your Etsy store?
Plarn (plastic yarn) has become an increasingly popular material to work with. I started playing around with it about 4 or 5 years ago. Once I discovered the possibilities behind making wearable forms I was pretty much hooked. I am always looking to diversify, but for the time being the plarn accessories take up the majority of the shop. I have a few grocery totes as well.

Q: Are you selling your products on any other online venue other than Etsy?
Not at the moment, but perhaps sometime soon.

Q: Do you have any interest in selling your product in an actual store/market place?
Absolutely. For a potential customer to be able to handle and try on a product would definitely have its advantages.

Q: What are your favorite things to make with plastic bags?
I really enjoy the freeform accessories. Taking something like a plastic bag and making something sculptural and chic is a satisfying venture. It also just seems a little funny. Not to mention that moment others have when they see what you’re wearing isn’t yarn or hemp. Working with something that is intended to be worn provides an extra challenge. Aside from working with what can sometimes be an awkward material, I’m working with the body. I like knowing that each accessory is totally unique. Since I’m not working from a pattern each time I make something new it can become more complex with even more skillful construction. Good times.

Q: Take a wild guess on how many plastic bags you have used to-date for your creations?
I’m not sure I could guess. A lot. To give you a reference, many of the cuffs are anywhere from two to five bags. The necklaces are about double that. I have made larger items that took hundreds of bags. Also, I have a few large baskets of plarn skeins. This stash consists of hundred of bags. A decent amount for a one woman operation. Although, as we all know this is not even a dent in the massive amount of bags that still make their way to the landfill.

Q: What will you do when plastic bags are officially banned in the U.S.?
Well, when I run out… I run out. I suspect it will be a little while yet, particularly for those of us here in the Midwest. I have friends that save them for me. This keeps me fairly stocked up. There are always materials to be repurposed. Despite the current green movement, we are consumers. There will always be some waste. I’m a scavenger. I will adapt and find other materials to work with.

Q: For someone to get to know you, how would you describe yourself?
I’m an artist and college art instructor, both which I thoroughly enjoy. I prefer summer to winter, the city to the country, and dogs to cats. I have a tendency to speak my mind even when I shouldn’t. I love word and strategy games and can be a bit competitive. I watch a lot of movies and if I love them I will indeed watch them many times. I’m a scavenger and a collector and a domestic. I’ll make something out of anything that lands in my little paws.

Here are additional jewelry pieces for you to enjoy:

I hope you enjoyed meeting Fantastic Plastic as much as I have!!!!

Sunshine but Windy Day Plart (plastic art) Yarn

As I was looking around my plastic bag collection, the Dollar General bags jumped out at me. I had to figure out what to do with them - something different. As the wheels were churning in my head, I noticed my Louet wheel sitting there looking sad and lonely.


That's when I decided, it was time to introduce another plarn color combination. I thought the yellow with black (Dollar General) plastic yarn and white with black (Winn Dixie) plastic yarn would be a perfect match. It reminded me of a sunshine day.




I looked outside my window and saw how windy it was and decided that my new concoction needed to reflect that as well. That's when I decided to throw into the mix the Raffeta. After it was all spun, this was exactly what I envisioned it would look like.

My spinning of this was a little different than normal. I plied the plastic yarn with the raffeta using different alternating combinations. My combinations were:

• holding the yellow plastic yarn and raffeta while spinning the white around it;
• holding the white with raffeta while spinning the yellow around it;
• holding the yellow and white plastic yarn and spinning the raffeta around it

I wanted to make sure that all 3 colors stood out and not one dominated more than the other. I did discover that while spinning with raffeta was fun it was also challenging because it kept getting caught in the spokes on my wheel.

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=38762662

I haven't quite decided what type of bag/tote to make with this yet. But one thing I know for sure, what ever the finished product ends being, it will definitely be ooak.

Aundrey's Country Crafts did a feature on Plastique Recreations

I was so humbled when Audrey's Country Crafts did a blog feature on me.

This was all part of a continuing series she was bringing awareness to on Recycling/Upcycling. Please check out the article if for any other reason but to see how great her blog is: http://audreyscountrycrafts.blogspot.com/2010/01/where-are-you-from-tell-us-bit-about.html

While you're at it, please also take a moment to visit her country Etsy shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/AudreysCountryCrafts . You'll find some very creative handmade items. Here's my just one of my favorites:

She makes bags and I make blue jean yarn. We're all winners!!

Thank you again Audrey's Country Crafts for the great feature!!!

Until Plastic Bags are banned ---

History of Plastic Bags - Fifty years ago plastic bags, starting first with the sandwich bag, were seen in the United States as a more environmentally friendly alternative to the paper bag. Now an estimated 180 million plastic bags are distributed to shoppers each year. Made of filmy plastic they are hard to recycle and easily blow into trees and waterways where they are blamed for killing marine life. They also occupy much-needed landfill space.

Since then we have discovered that what started out to be a great idea has now become an environmental menace. For a more detailed timeline history of the plastic bag, I found this in my search: http://www.google.com/search?q=history+of+plastic+bags&hl=en&tbs=tl:1&tbo=u&ei=f4VGS5nBMo61tge_uZn9AQ&sa=X&oi=timeline_result&ct=title&resnum=11&ved=0CDMQ5wIwCg

About 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags are used worldwide every year, according to Vincent Cobb, founder of reuseablebags.com.

Why should plastic bags be banned? There are so many countless reasons, just do a google search and you'll find enough reasons. The biggest reason for me is about 100,000 animals such as dolphins, turtles whales, penguins are killed every year due to plastic bags. Many animals ingest plastic bags, mistaking them for food, and therefore die. And worse, the ingested plastic bag remains intact even after the death and decomposition of the animal. Thus, it lies around in the landscape where another victim may ingest it.

Last year, more than 354,000+ bags -mostly plastic - were collected during an international cleanup of costal areas in the United States and 100 other countries, according to the Ocean Conservancy. Plastic bags were the fifth most common item of debris found on beaches.

Here's more interesting reading I discovered on the harm it does:

• http://www.sandsifters.org/7.html
• http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-519770/Banish-The-Bags-The-Mail-launches-campaign-clean-country---planet.html

With all that we know of the harmful affect plastic bags have on our environment - the saturation of our landfills and not to mention what it does to animals - I ask, what are we doing to remedy this proverbial hole we have dug for ourselves??

Well, several countries have banned or taken action to crack down on the use of plastic bags. A few of the countries include Australia, Bangladesh, Ireland, Italy, South Africa and Taiwan. Mumbai (formerly Bombay), India, also has banned the bags.

Also, during a recent visit to Canada, Canadians as well were serious about recycling. We made multiple trips to the grocery store and I pleasantly observed patrons carrying their own grocery bags into the grocery store. Some were cloth and some were plastic bags that were being re-used.

All this is reason enough why I am definitely in favor of plastic bags being banned. However, until that happens, my primary crafting will continue to be with plastic bags. My ultimate objective is to keep as many plastic bags out of the landfill as I possibly can....

I'm not alone in this endeavor. There are several excellent shops on Etsy as well that craft primarily with plastic.

Let me ask you this, do you know or realize how many plastic bags are used just to crochet or knit one market bag?? Approx 40 to 50. I can't even begin to tell you over the years how many plastic bags I've kept out of the landfill from what I've made as gifts, charity items, etc..

Just think of how many plastic bags each shop alone on Etsy have kept out of the landfill - either plastic yarn or plastic fusion.

I also think these shops should be commended for their efforts. So, over the next several months I will be doing a feature on each of them displaying their beautiful creations. This will let you get to know who they are and what they are all about.

Here a just a few of those shops that will I be featuring:
http://www.bagsbymelissa.etsy.com/

http://www.ecobylimitz.etsy.com/

http://www.fantasticplastics.etsy.com/

http://www.inyourhands.etsy.com/

http://www.recycledbyme.etsy.com/

http://www.saribellum.etsy.com/

Do me this favor, please check back soon because I don't want you to miss it!!!