Miss Modish- Mojo Maker

Eco-Friendly Find: Megan Leone

Megan Leone is a lovely lady from Newburyport, MA, running a one-lovely-lady company crafting gorgeous accessories from vintage and reclaimed materials. Her motto: "fashion from the ashes : recycled - reimagined" pretty much says it all.

I thought I'd give Megan a special shout-out today, because through the end of the month (you've got 3 shopping days left, people!) she's donating 25% of all sales from her Etsy shop to a very good cause. I'm quite partial to her line of reclaimed leather earrings, but there's lots of loveliness in that shop, from bracelet clutches to chunky rock rings, and more. Go, shop, and help Megan help a lady in need.

Liz Grotyohann is a co-founder of cosa verde, a marketplace for handmade, environmentally-conscious goods.

Eco-Friendly Find: Mohop

This is my first year living in Portland, and it began in November. I came prepared for winter. For rain. I came totally unprepared for how looooooooooong of a wait it would be for summer. Friends back East are taking shelter in the a/c, and I've barely turned off the heat! And my toes are dreaming about sandal weather. Super, super cute, mohop sandal weather.

With soles handmade from sustainably sourced wood, and a neat elastic loop system that allows you to change out the ribbon ties—for infinite color and style combinations in one sweet pair of shoes—how can you go wrong? Find them on Etsy and the lovely mohop site.

Liz Grotyohann is a co-founder of cosa verde, a marketplace for handmade, environmentally-conscious goods.

Eco-Friendly Find: My Bearded Pigeon

Are you a traveler at heart? Have a bad case of wanderlust? Notoriously always planning your next getaway? Good. Then you can join me in lusting after these cushion covers from My Bearded Pigeon — I know if I owned one I'd be spending hours sitting on the couch, poking pillowy destination after destination, plotting my trips.

These cushion covers are printed on 100% certified organic fabric—and are 100% original. Cath of My Bearded Pigeon has all her fabric custom-printed—these fabrics do not exist anywhere else on earth. That's kinda cool, no?

In choosing photos today, I couldn't decide between my new home (Oregon) and my old home (New Jersey)... what would you pick?

Liz Grotyohann is a co-founder of cosa verde, a marketplace for handmade, environmentally-conscious goods.

Eco-Friendly Find: Leathery

It is no secret that Portland is a dog-friendly city. And while I don't have a canine companion yet, all the friendly faces at the dog park near my house are definitely trying to change that. So maybe it's the cute puppy pictures, but I'm loving these dog collars, crafted from vintage belts and leather bits by cosa verde friend, Leathery.

Rachel of Leathery works with vintage belts, upcycled, and sustainably processed, vegetable-tanned leather—itself a byproduct of the meat industry—all stitched on a non-electric sewing machine! Even better? She learned her leather-working skills during an apprenticeship at a cowboy boot company—how cool is that?

p.s.—She makes accessories for humans, too.

Liz Grotyohann is a co-founder of cosa verde, a marketplace for handmade, environmentally-conscious goods.

Eco-Friendly Find: DeafCatStudios

I'm a closet geology geek, so the trend towards big, gorgeous stones in jewelry gets me pretty excited. And I am loving the rings from Portland designers Tom and Lisa of Deaf Cat Studios.

Not only do the rocks they select, well, rock, but the gold and silver used to make their rings is recycled and sourced from an eco-conscious supplier.

Liz Grotyohann is a co-founder of cosa verde, a marketplace for handmade, environmentally-conscious goods.

Eco-Friendly Find: SewnNatural

Jen C. of SewnNatural has been a friend of cosa verde for a long time now, and I always love checking out her shop. She makes absolutely darling eco-friendly toys and clothes for kids, but what has caught my eye with summer fast approaching are her gorgeous, vintage-inspired picnic blankets...

Crafted from all-natural fibers in found or reissued vintage prints, these blankets roll and button with a strap for easy storage and carrying, and will brighten up any picnic at the park or day at the beach!

Liz Grotyohann is a co-founder of cosa verde, a marketplace for handmade, environmentally-conscious goods.

Eco-Friendly Find: Native Drops

This might sound like the premise for a new Portlandia sketch, but living here I feel like I see a lot of feather earrings. And a tiny part of me wonders if I can pull off wearing a pair of long, long, dangly feathers, like this wispy and sustainably farmed set from Native Drops...

Luckily, if the non-feather-wearing-side of my consciousness wins out, there are plenty of other eco-friendly lovelies in her shop... all crafted from reclaimed leather and responsibly farmed feathers. And crafted with charity, too—Native Drops donates $1 to charitywater.org for every purchase, supplying safe drinking water to people in developing nations.

Liz Grotyohann is a co-founder of cosa verde, a marketplace for handmade, environmentally-conscious goods.

Eco-Friendly Find: CalviRee

The work of Patty of CalviRee has been making me smile ever since she joined us over on cosa verde a few weeks ago. What perfect fun combinations of color and texture to tote around and welcome the warmer weather...

Patty works in waxed canvas, choosing a canvas that has been finished in an environmentally-friendly and non-toxic way, and embellishes her line with found and vintage fabrics. Waxed canvas is long-lasting and weather resistant, and develops a softness and patina with age, much like leather, and I personally am enjoying the combination of its neutral tone with the bright and lovely plaids and stripes above.

Liz Grotyohann is a co-founder of cosa verde, a marketplace for handmade, environmentally-conscious goods.

Eco-Friendly Find: creatorB

I was just logging into Etsy to grab some images from a shop I'd "hearted" earlier today, when a picture of this mobile on the front page stopped me short. So long, whatever it was I was going to write about... hello, tiny paper houses.

I'm in love. It's beautiful, simple art that is also low-impact. Just paper and string, it has a big presence—I'm sure it looks amazing in person—and at the end of its life, this lovely object can simply be placed in the recycling bin. Hooray for simplicity. And for tiny paper houses.

Liz Grotyohann is a co-founder of cosa verde, a marketplace for handmade, environmentally-conscious goods.

Filed Under Great Gardening Idea

This year the theme for Earth Day (from the Earth Day Network) is "A Billion Acts of Green." I don't suppose they're talking about money or jealousy, either. If you're looking for your own act of green, I've got a few suggestions for you: compost, reuse materials as much as often, and don't think, just plant!

I love the idea of making a modern planter out of an old file cabinet. I think the first time I saw it was back in '09 on Design*Sponge. Amy Pennington has revisited the idea in Apartment Gardening and my motivation to actually make one is that much stronger. Of course, the incredible illustrations by the always-awesome Kate Bingaman Burt make the instructions that much easier to follow.

 

Here are the instructions from the book in full and here's how BaldManMod did it (as seen on Design*Sponge).

Are you getting your green on this Earth Day? Any plans include plants? Tell me what you're getting into!

Renee Garner has a passion to make things grow, although her brownish thumb wants her to believe otherwise. When mud pies aren't on the menu, you can find her doodling the days away at Wolfie and the Sneak.

Eco-Friendly Find: Appalachian Joinery

Like Jena, I have been taking advantage of the Portland sun (when it does deign to come out) to do a bit of dabbling in the garden. This is my first year with some space of my own, and I have veggies on the mind. I know harvest time is a good ways away, but what better way to serve up all the deliciousness that I've got planned than one of these sustainably harvested boards from Appalachian Joinery?

The wood for the boards is sustainably harvested or slavaged, and each piece has a lovely organic shape—with the natural edges remaining from the way the board was sawed. I love that the product descriptions tell the story of the tree that each board came from. And those photos modeling the wares with some aesthetically arranged veggies? Well, let's just say I am anxious to get back to the garden to ensure I'll soon be doing some arranging myself!

Liz Grotyohann is a co-founder of cosa verde, a marketplace for handmade, environmentally-conscious goods.

Eco-Friendly Find: Monkey & Squirrel

We're just finishing up a DIY kitchen remodel—one that involved a lot of sanding, painting and love to make what we had look a whole lot better. Which is probably why I love the sentiment behind these refinished cast iron hooks and ornaments from monkeyandsquirrel...

Jenn breathes new life into these super-cute pieces that she finds at salvage shops, cleaning them up, repainting them in lovely shades and adding just the right bit of distressing to renew these little lovelies to their rightful vintage (or vintage repro) glory. Hooray for second chances and cute, functional wall adornments!

Liz Grotyohann is a co-founder of cosa verde, a marketplace for handmade, environmentally-conscious goods.

Eco-Friendly Find: SigniCASE

Despite being a web designer and occasional blogger / web entrepreneur, I am remarkably behind when it comes to tech gadgets. My phone is pretty sorry—definitely not "smart" and absolutely not an iPhone. But if it were an iPhone, you can be sure I'd be picking up one of these awesome cases from SigniCASE.

Etched from natural woods, including bamboo, these cases are eye-catching, functional, and super-fun. Hold up one of these to snap a picture and I think you'll be sure to get some smiles.

Liz Grotyohann is a co-founder of cosa verde, a marketplace for handmade, environmentally-conscious goods.

Eco-Friendly Find: Friendly Banter

I have been smitten with vintage quilts of late, so I was delighted to stumble across these recycled quilt pillows from Friendly Banter.

Each is crafted from vintage quilt squares, and would look oh-so-lovely (mis)matched with a quilted throw on a comfy chair.

Liz Grotyohann is a co-founder of cosa verde, a marketplace for handmade, environmentally-conscious goods.

Eco-Friendly Find: Stitch Happens

Mmm... wishing I had one of these stones to brighten up my desk and straighten the mound of papers awaiting my attention after a long weekend...

Stitch Happens collects beach and river stones and embellishes them with bits of vintage lacework or eco-friendly fiber crochet, turning lovely smooth pebbles into even lovelier paperweights and objets d'art.

Liz Grotyohann is a co-founder of cosa verde, a marketplace for handmade, environmentally-conscious goods.

Eco-Friendly Find: Hoakon + Helga

In just two short days I'll be heading off for a much-needed sunny, warm weekend in Florida. And how I wish I had a Hoakon + Helga duffel to pack for the trip...

The current line of bags from Canadian designer Andi—the talent behind Hoakon + Helga—incorporates vintage leather coats into its designs, pairing the sustainablility of reclaimed materials with the unique character of each worn and loved jacket to make some truly lovely luggage.

Liz Grotyohann is a co-founder of cosa verde, a marketplace for handmade, environmentally-conscious goods.

Eco-Friendly Find: the fabric society

I've been working on updating the kitchen in my little house, so between that and an itch for warmer weather, I've got future entertaining on the mind. These lovely natural and reclaimed fiber goods from the fabric society will do just fine for all those summer barbecues I'm dreaming up...

I love that natural "no waste" apron—the pockets are made from the scraps cut to shape the bib—makes me want to get cooking. How about you? Are you dreaming of summer nights and dinners with friends too?

Liz Grotyohann is a co-founder of cosa verde, a marketplace for handmade, environmentally-conscious goods.

Eco-Friendly Find: Urban + Forest

Hope you all had a lovely Valentine's Day! Myself, I was stuck with an icky head cold, so I'm taking a raincheck on candlelit dinners and the like. But that's OK... maybe I'll get myself a pair of these pretty birch candlesticks before I cash in on that candlelight.

Urban + Forest, aka virtualdesignlab, crafts these candlesticks, organic shelves and other naturally understated lovelies from reclaimed birch logs from their home state, Maine. Perfect for bringing a little bit of the outside in to your table or walls.

Liz Grotyohann is a co-founder of cosa verde, a marketplace for handmade, environmentally-conscious goods.

Eco-Friendly Find: Giddy Spinster

OK, I know these have already made the rounds a bit, after her spotlight as an Etsy Featured Seller, but I can't help myself: I need to post these lovelies from Giddy Spinster, just in case you haven't seen them yet.

Rachel of Giddy Spinster gives old heels new life as stunning succulent planters. Spiny and feminine at the same time—I love it. And there's more to Rachel's work than eye-catching allure, according to the artist statement from her shop: "The concept is about hard-working women, the increasingly artificial nature of American femininity, and the impossible images that women face in our society. It's a prickly, spiky, sticky situation..."

Liz Grotyohann is a co-founder of cosa verde, a marketplace for handmade, environmentally-conscious goods.

Eco-Friendly Find: BlueBirdHeaven

As both a graphic designer and compulsive organizer, I have a fascination with antique printer's type drawers. So many adorably tiny compartments paired with the aesthetic of an old printing shop...what's not to love? Which is why I'm shocked that I've only just discovered BlueBirdHeaven.

Jessica of BlueBirdHeaven salvages old type drawers and transforms them into incredibly lovely jewelry displays... perfect for organizing your pretties while brightening up a bedroom wall.

Liz Grotyohann is a co-founder of cosa verde, a marketplace for handmade, environmentally-conscious goods.