Good morning faithful GLR readers! This morning I have taken myself down the street to use the available wireless connection so I can bring you a little something fun.
But first a quick update on your fearless writer here…
Our move went fantastic and we were extremely methodical to ensure as few trips as possible between the two places. With the help of some amazing friends and family we were able to pack, move, and already have almost the entire house set up on this end. I can not begin to express my gratitude for all of your help, thanks SO MUCH!
Some of our favorite humorous stitchers, Threadbanger, are back with great videos. This one simply blew me away -- a $10 wedding dress!
The beautiful thing about this dress (from the perspective of a sewing maniac like myself) is that it could not be more adaptable!
Rather than a plain white tee, how about going for red, green, black, or any other color that men’s shirts are sold in? The top section panels are such a cool idea and could be done in a contrasting color as a fashion statement.
Instead of a vintage brooch why not make your own out of the scraps of that contrasting color? Choose an interesting shape and stack a whole bunch of them on top of each other, then stitch a pin to the back and a button to the front.
Shorten the item, add a halter strap (if you are a bit more experienced sewer) -- the opportunities for modification of this awesome concept are endless!
Over here at Green Leaf Reviewer, as well as Threadbanger, we love to get emails and videos of viewers/readers creating funky and functional eco-friendly fashion pieces. If you modify this or make it as it is let us both know, I would love to check it out and maybe even feature your creation for Eco-fashion Friday!
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Moving Day Has Arrived
Good morning trusty Green Leaf readers!
Today is an exciting day over here at the GLR HQ, it is moving day. Hooray!
When I get back it will be from the sunny new apartment where all the magic will happen.
We do not yet have a date as to when the internet access will be set up so please bear with the absence. I tested the schedule blog feature for the past three days but sadly it was not operating correctly so I can not make use of that to post while I'm moving and shaking.
There are a couple others who sometimes post to this blog and if you had anything brewing, now would be a great time to get it out (hint, hint Melissa & Judi!).
Otherwise everyone please have a healthy and safe transition into July. I will certainly be back before the 4th of July even if I have to connect at Panera to do it!
See you all soon!
♥love♥
Today is an exciting day over here at the GLR HQ, it is moving day. Hooray!
When I get back it will be from the sunny new apartment where all the magic will happen.
We do not yet have a date as to when the internet access will be set up so please bear with the absence. I tested the schedule blog feature for the past three days but sadly it was not operating correctly so I can not make use of that to post while I'm moving and shaking.
There are a couple others who sometimes post to this blog and if you had anything brewing, now would be a great time to get it out (hint, hint Melissa & Judi!).
Otherwise everyone please have a healthy and safe transition into July. I will certainly be back before the 4th of July even if I have to connect at Panera to do it!
See you all soon!
♥love♥
Friday, June 26, 2009
Eco Fashion Friday Friendly Musical Accessories
In the continuing series on all things music it seems like the right time to feature some way cool accessories for this week’s Eco Fashion Friday! Musicians pay attention, you will be the talk of the stage and studio sporting these babies!
A common item, and one which must operate properly, is the guitar strap. It should be comfortable, adjustable and secure so the guitar player is all those things as well!
Recycled bicycle inner tubes become a funky 2” wide Splaff Flopps Strap.
Cool Straps offers many, well, cool straps, but this burlap option is a fine natural approach with hand stitched details.
A common item, and one which must operate properly, is the guitar strap. It should be comfortable, adjustable and secure so the guitar player is all those things as well!
Recycled bicycle inner tubes become a funky 2” wide Splaff Flopps Strap.
Cool Straps offers many, well, cool straps, but this burlap option is a fine natural approach with hand stitched details.
Guitar picks are used by many players and in true rock star fashion they are frequently tossed into the crowd at the end of the show. I wondered where all those picks ended up but I think I found them now.
Total awesomeness from Inspired Artwear!
And this necklace from Musical Kitten makes a fine set.
Graphic Tees are really hot items right now and to have funky music themes gives them that extra fun edge.
The handmade Mix Tape tee by Moxie Madness is a unisex option that brings it back old skool.
Plastic bottles blend with organic cotton to form yarn which becomes these cool tees from Revenge Is. Seriously, plastic bottle yarn! (I will be featuring this company next week, come on back for info next Eco Fashion Friday).
Total awesomeness from Inspired Artwear!
And this necklace from Musical Kitten makes a fine set.
Graphic Tees are really hot items right now and to have funky music themes gives them that extra fun edge.
The handmade Mix Tape tee by Moxie Madness is a unisex option that brings it back old skool.
Plastic bottles blend with organic cotton to form yarn which becomes these cool tees from Revenge Is. Seriously, plastic bottle yarn! (I will be featuring this company next week, come on back for info next Eco Fashion Friday).
Be a cool musician, musical supporter or eco-activist (or all three!) and check out some of these fine environmentally conscious fashion selections! ♥love♥
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Eco Friendly Musical Instruments Green Drums
For many thousands of years, percussion instruments, known as drums, have been used for various forms of communication, ritual and music and are a prominent piece to the rhythm of many songs. Modern, standard drum kits generally include approximately seven pieces including drums and cymbals of various names. In thousands of colors with varied accessories from many manufacturers, this instrument can be personalized into just about anything a drummer desires.
Most drums on the market today that are sold in kits containing snare, tom-tom (2 pieces), floor tom and a bass drum but additional accessories (ie. sticks, cowbell, cymbal, pedal, high-hat, etc.) are also sold to compliment the sound that the drum produces. Since sound is the number one most important factor in any instrument, a drum is no different and because this instrument makes up a good portion of the rhythm / beat of a song, it is imperative the quality of that sound is in line with the style of music. The shell holds everything together; the most crucial aspect is that at the point where the shell meets the head forms a perfect circle.
Although many kits are created from formed metal or plastics, a large percentage of shells are beautifully crafted wood. Just like the guitar, the most popular woods are standard tonewoods such as maple, birch or mahogany. But there are growing concerns regarding the availability of wood species and one of the top manufacturers of drums, DW Drums, has begun an innovative journey into the sustainable market by utilizing a hybrid of bamboo and birch for their shells.
They are called the ECO-X series for the company’s use of cross lamination with their hybrid material. They are further environmentally friendly because of the water based top coat used on the shells, soy based inks on the hang tags and their donation made to American Forests Association to further sustain our wood resources. There are two options of color, one is shown in the photo above.
In the market to pick up some drums and want to give the planet a break while pounding away? Amazon carries this kit from DW Drums but be warned, unlike a guitar which is less expensive when created from bamboo, creating these shells is a lengthier process and cost can be upwards of three times that of a similar sized kit created from a different wood source (such as birch & basswood) from a different manufacturer such as Pearl.
Do you know of other drum manufacturers who are Earth friendly and proving it through their use of materials? Let us know!
Up next -- Eco-Fashion Friday features awesome accessories for musicians or music lovers!
Most drums on the market today that are sold in kits containing snare, tom-tom (2 pieces), floor tom and a bass drum but additional accessories (ie. sticks, cowbell, cymbal, pedal, high-hat, etc.) are also sold to compliment the sound that the drum produces. Since sound is the number one most important factor in any instrument, a drum is no different and because this instrument makes up a good portion of the rhythm / beat of a song, it is imperative the quality of that sound is in line with the style of music. The shell holds everything together; the most crucial aspect is that at the point where the shell meets the head forms a perfect circle.
Although many kits are created from formed metal or plastics, a large percentage of shells are beautifully crafted wood. Just like the guitar, the most popular woods are standard tonewoods such as maple, birch or mahogany. But there are growing concerns regarding the availability of wood species and one of the top manufacturers of drums, DW Drums, has begun an innovative journey into the sustainable market by utilizing a hybrid of bamboo and birch for their shells.
They are called the ECO-X series for the company’s use of cross lamination with their hybrid material. They are further environmentally friendly because of the water based top coat used on the shells, soy based inks on the hang tags and their donation made to American Forests Association to further sustain our wood resources. There are two options of color, one is shown in the photo above.
In the market to pick up some drums and want to give the planet a break while pounding away? Amazon carries this kit from DW Drums but be warned, unlike a guitar which is less expensive when created from bamboo, creating these shells is a lengthier process and cost can be upwards of three times that of a similar sized kit created from a different wood source (such as birch & basswood) from a different manufacturer such as Pearl.
Do you know of other drum manufacturers who are Earth friendly and proving it through their use of materials? Let us know!
Up next -- Eco-Fashion Friday features awesome accessories for musicians or music lovers!
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Eco Friendly Musical Instruments Green Guitars
No matter what you call it -- axe, six string or Lucille -- the guitar is one of the most widely recognized and oldest instruments still played today. With a history of over 4000 years to back it up, this instrument certainly has gone through many incarnations over the centuries to become the modern purveyor of musical melody. But in today’s world with its growing concerns of deforestation, what is the future of such an instrument whose primary construction material is wood; often times exotic woods nearing extinction.
Let’s explore a little history of how wood relates to a guitar.
The main concern for any acoustic guitar player will always be the sound the instrument makes. Different models, manufacturers, woods, etc all resonate with a slightly different tone and musicians become loyal to brands due primarily for their own love of the sound quality. The woods used in the construction of a guitar’s soundboard (the top piece where strings generally stretch over the sound hole) Some of the most popular woods used in acoustic guitar manufacture are spruce, red cedar, Brazilian rosewood, mahogany and Indian rosewood while maple, ash and poplar are some of the more common woods used in construction of electric guitar bodies.
So what would need to occur for a musician to change their figurative tune on the materials used in the manufacture of their favorite instrument? The literal tune would need to be one they can get behind.
Many new materials have flooded the instrument world of late from recycled plastics and hemp, to SmartWood, Flaxwood and bamboo and all of them have a little something different to offer in terms of their impact on the planet.
Recycled plastic can be used to create some seriously flashy products due to the array of color pallets that exist in the plastics industry. Simon Lee offers six different guitar finishes in their funky recycled plastic line. Hemp cellulose has been transformed into the slickest looking material for the Mada guitar line (electric). SmartWood is a label attached to woods deemed as sustainable and socially responsible by the Rainforest Alliance. Flaxwood is not only a new type of wood based product but also a brand; the guitars are created from taking wood grains, breaking them down and then using injection molding to bond them to a binding agent which is friendly to tone. All of these new innovations are just that, innovative but none are as similar to the unique properties of wood as bamboo.
Bamboo is a hearty grass and has taken a major leap forward in areas like the building trades due to its resilience and rapidly renewing properties. This material was given special attention by the music industry back in 2000 when Yamaha introduced an acoustic guitar constructed almost fully out of bamboo (Resource Harmony Central®). Since that date, bamboo has begun to make a name for itself in manufacture of guitars due to the fact that it is sturdy, there is almost no potential for warping and it is less expensive than more limited ‘wood resource’ counterparts.
The picture at the top of this article is of Yamaha’s FGXB1 model which sadly was discontinued for production in the United States but the customer reviews I read about this instrument made me want to play! The material was well received. Following in these footsteps is the company First Act who created the Bambusa electric guitar. It is created from bamboo and even has a water based topcoat.
It is nice to see that there are companies attempting innovation in the realm of sustainably resourced musical instruments.
Because I have discovered a world of information regarding many of the popular instruments on the market I will be running a series on music, instruments and their accessories (for Eco-Fashion Friday).
Tomorrow -- Eco Drums!
Let’s explore a little history of how wood relates to a guitar.
The main concern for any acoustic guitar player will always be the sound the instrument makes. Different models, manufacturers, woods, etc all resonate with a slightly different tone and musicians become loyal to brands due primarily for their own love of the sound quality. The woods used in the construction of a guitar’s soundboard (the top piece where strings generally stretch over the sound hole) Some of the most popular woods used in acoustic guitar manufacture are spruce, red cedar, Brazilian rosewood, mahogany and Indian rosewood while maple, ash and poplar are some of the more common woods used in construction of electric guitar bodies.
So what would need to occur for a musician to change their figurative tune on the materials used in the manufacture of their favorite instrument? The literal tune would need to be one they can get behind.
Many new materials have flooded the instrument world of late from recycled plastics and hemp, to SmartWood, Flaxwood and bamboo and all of them have a little something different to offer in terms of their impact on the planet.
Recycled plastic can be used to create some seriously flashy products due to the array of color pallets that exist in the plastics industry. Simon Lee offers six different guitar finishes in their funky recycled plastic line. Hemp cellulose has been transformed into the slickest looking material for the Mada guitar line (electric). SmartWood is a label attached to woods deemed as sustainable and socially responsible by the Rainforest Alliance. Flaxwood is not only a new type of wood based product but also a brand; the guitars are created from taking wood grains, breaking them down and then using injection molding to bond them to a binding agent which is friendly to tone. All of these new innovations are just that, innovative but none are as similar to the unique properties of wood as bamboo.
Bamboo is a hearty grass and has taken a major leap forward in areas like the building trades due to its resilience and rapidly renewing properties. This material was given special attention by the music industry back in 2000 when Yamaha introduced an acoustic guitar constructed almost fully out of bamboo (Resource Harmony Central®). Since that date, bamboo has begun to make a name for itself in manufacture of guitars due to the fact that it is sturdy, there is almost no potential for warping and it is less expensive than more limited ‘wood resource’ counterparts.
The picture at the top of this article is of Yamaha’s FGXB1 model which sadly was discontinued for production in the United States but the customer reviews I read about this instrument made me want to play! The material was well received. Following in these footsteps is the company First Act who created the Bambusa electric guitar. It is created from bamboo and even has a water based topcoat.
It is nice to see that there are companies attempting innovation in the realm of sustainably resourced musical instruments.
Because I have discovered a world of information regarding many of the popular instruments on the market I will be running a series on music, instruments and their accessories (for Eco-Fashion Friday).
Tomorrow -- Eco Drums!
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