Hi Lauren and Christine!

Fun day with the Olympians

Do you remember when this happened? Where has the time gone?

Light Your Way

One of the best ways to add warmth and character to a room is by choosing an appropriate light fixture.  There is a wide variety available today and I’ve found some wonderful uses of recycled products incorporated into the lighting designs.

One crafter came up with this idea to use paper mache techniques and plaster old lace onto a balloon.  After left one night to dry the balloon is popped and a bulb and cord are inserted.  For more details on how to make this lace lamp yourself, visit the Dos Family Blog.

Here is another example of creative recycling, this time from the online store,   Green and Greener.

Fun Fabrics

A wonderful discovery found at Etsy this week.  For the playful animal lovers, this textile is made to order and the fabric is 100% U.S.A cotton.  Designed by Sian Keegan of Brooklyn.

To see more of her work click here

Jennifer Nelson from Delaware printed this fabric by hand using woodblocks and water-based permanent inks.  The material is an organic cotton and hemp blend and is safe for ironing and washing.  This is ideal for DIY sewing projects, especially for kitchen items.

More of Nelson’s goods can be found here.

Pleased to Meet You!

Hi and thank you for visiting willowsandwind. I’m glad you have found me here and that you share my interest in sustainable design.  I am located in Burlington, Ontario where I live the terribly exciting (read busy) and resourceful (frugal) life of a student.  I study Communications at Seneca College in North York  and this site came about as a project for my class called Internet Social Media.  I was asked to create a blog and brief on ANYTHING I wanted, and after a little bit of deliberation I decided on a topic that combines two of my passions: art and the environment.

With this blog I will scour the web to find you some unique and lovely examples of how people are creating home furnishings from either recycled or renewable materials.  This way, instead of spending hours searching thrift stores, flea markets, antique shops, trendy “green” boutiques, and craft fairs for that perfect find, you can stumble upon it here in less time then it takes you to find your keys!  Along with finding hot new (and old) items, I’ll post relevant interviews and stories about the industry.

I encourage comments  and also please drop me a line if you have suggestions or feedback, or if you just want to chat – sdick1@learn.senecac.on.ca

So grab a hot mug of tea, pull up a chair, and explore what willowsandwind has to offer.