Hippie Must have

Summer is here! I can't speak for everyone but for me summer is about being barefoot.  There is nothing i enjoy more that lazing in the sun, reading a good book with my bare feet in the cool grass.  It is because of this that recently I have become a little obsessed with barefoot sandals.

These beautiful items of jewelry are perfect for weddings on the beach to chilling in the garden.  These ones specifically are made by 4mydolly.  The thing i love about her barefoot sandals is she gives you options, you get to choose the color of the thread and the beads and even offers two bead colors!   Although that now leaves me with the predicament of choosing between silver thread  with grape colored beads or black thread with gold beads, so many decisions.

The best thing is they look like real jewelry but are stretchy, making them easier and more comfortable to wear.  Which comes in handy because you can wear them with your flip flops, pumps or heels for a funky new twist.

There are loads of different patterns, methods and materials that can be used to make barefoot sandals.  For all of you talented people who know how to crochet check out this tutorial.  I think these Barefoot sandals are just beautiful and really quite simple to make. 

Whether you buy a pair of barefoot sandals or make your own I can guarantee these are a hippie must have for the summer.

Reduce. Reuse. UPCYCLE.

Earth Gathering has really got my thinking about the different things people can do to help look after our planet.  Most people have a trash can or a box specifically for recycling.  Recycling is very important, but even better is Reusing!  By Reusing an item yourself you save time, energy and fuel, as well as producing less emissions.

As an Artist the idea of upcycling is both fascinating and beautiful to me.  I love that you can take something that originally would have been thought of as trash and turn it into something useful and creative.  For example my Owl piece was an upcycled plank of barn wood. Even though the wood had dents and paint splatters on it, it didn't matter because it gave it character.

Funnily this piece sold at Earth Gathering.

Here are some more artists i found on Etsy.com that Upcycle -

Upcycled Word is an artist that works in a Library.  All of her creations are made from unwanted or unloved books that needed a new home. 

Upcycled Book Earrings

Beer Can Darl upcycles vintage recycled Americana.  I particularly love his use of vintage beer cans to create maps of America and famous quotes.

United States Map - Vintage Upcycled Beer Can Collage

Smokin Axe creates beautiful Guitars out of upcycled Cigar boxes. Even the guitar necks are made from recycled and re-purposed engineered wood.

Las Cabrillas 3-String Hollow-Body Electric Cigar Box Guitar

I do not know, personally, what attracted these Artists to Upcycling. It could have been the interesting characteristics of the items they use, it could be that they enjoy hunting for those uniquely aged objects that need a new home. What ever their reasons they are all helping the Earth by not contributing more unnecessary waste to landfills across the world.

Earth Gathering

Earth Gathering is an annual event that happens on the weekend closest to Earth Day.  It is a day long event promoting earth friendly art, music, food, products and ideas. This weekend was my first official juried show and I'm not going to lie, I was nervous!  The drive down to Chillicothe was eye opening, I have never really ventured into Appalachia before. There was a great variety of people from Amish to Hippies and everyone had a smile on their face.

This was the first time myself and Lindsay had set up our booth together. We were surprised at how full it looked! Next time we will defiantly be bringing another table! Luckily the overall look was much more cohesive than we first imagined.  Although in the beginning sales were slow around about 2pm things really began to pick up. I was happy, although a little sad, to see the first piece of Art I ever burnt found a new home.  It really created a sense of pride in me, that someone I have never met deemed my Art good enough to gift to someone they loved.

Lindsay's son Jaden had a fantastic time in the Kids Craft tent! He made me a rain stick, Lindsay a collage type magnet thing and grandpa got a new bird feeder. All of the projects the kids did that day were made from upcycled art supplies, what a great way to teach the next generation that our home is precious! 

We had the pleasure of meeting some real characters at this festival, bought some honey, listened to some very talented musicians and had delicious Mediterranean food in the most unlikely place. One of the great characters I got the pleasure of meeting was Lindsay's dad John Sanders. He was kind enough to open his home to me as a tag along daughter. Johns home is the most interesting I have seen in a while and really reminded me of my own home back in England. Big Thanks John, the food was great and I had a fantastic time. 

Like I said, "Some REAL characters!"