Upcycled doesn't have to be ugly!

As has been proven here, upcycled and recycled materials need not be ugly. Gone are the days of toilet paper tube cosmetic nooks, dishwashing liquid bottle dollies with lightbulb heads, and plastic two-litre bottle wind spinners! Say hello the new age of attractive upcycling! I can't think of a single living room or foyer that wouldn't look better with this classy, hanging lamp, made from plastic inkjet cartridges! And think of how excited someone will be when they tear off the gift wrap and see this fun item at the bottom of the box! What a fun housewarming gift for some lucky mobile home owner! Add a red velvet sofa and some strategically placed moss gardens, and you have room decor fit for a king!

Speaking of sofas...do I spy Martha Stewart sitting on the sofa in the background of this photo?

This gem was submitted by Sandra.

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HAPPY ETC DAY!!!!!

HAPPY ETC DAY!!!!!

I just wanted to thank all of you who participated in this very, VERY special day! Soon I am sure that the WHOLE WORLD will know about Etc and the magic of handmade!!!

Special thanks to C over at Ugly Things for Sale and Pussdaddy for their very kind well wishes for Etc's special day!

Kudos also to EtsyBitches for allowing me to read and post on their blog; it has truly been a pleasure and inspiration!

And finally, my sincerest thanks to all the lovely twitterzens who retweeted my Etc Day tweets and helped to spread the word about this momentous day!!!

As my extra special reward to you, I offer up this peachy treasury (sorry, no cash rewards or discounts)! I know the prices are a bit steep, but really, that's the price one pays for the magic of handmade.

• Old brown and blue sweatshirts from your brother's laundry pile that you wove into wearable "art" $80
• Pair of old Sally Jesse plastic framed glasses that you dug out of your mom's makeup drawer $18
• White crochet headband that you made for your textiles badge in Girl Scouts when you were in 4th grade $40
• Finding people to advertise your site for free PRICELESS

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Babes in toyland

Another treasury! How thrilling! I'm especially thrilled with this bright, colorful and childlike theme!!

I think it's so wonderful that they are finding fun and creative uses for their recently outgrown toys! Why, I can remember, as a young girl, loving my legos, wooden blocks, shrinky dinks! Who would have thought that with a little glue and and some glitter, they would get such a crafty second life as such artistically inspiring pieces? Mona Lisa, move over!

As usual, I've only picked the cream of the crop for my treasury. All of these funderful items were pulled straight out of Storque articles, gift guides, and editor's picks.

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Be sure to drop by and say hello to "Ugly Things for Sale" Don't be fooled, she really has the most beautiful finds. She's just being modest! Click the photo below to view the site:

Me thinks the Etsy Bitches made a wee mistake!

Hello dear friends. I do so hate to be a Negative Nellie, but I must disagree with the Etsy Bitch's claims that some of the featured sellers are not worthy of being featured. I don't know why they would think such a thing...every single seller featured in a gift guide or on the front page or in the Storque has been delightfully and stupendously talented.

I've created a treasury listing of some of the best of the best. Each and every artist in this treasury has been a featured seller. I think that one can see for themselves the fine craftsmanship and superior quality that went into each and every piece.

I call this treasury "Featured and Fabulous!" I hope you enjoy it!

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