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www.forgetmenotecogifts.com

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Newsprint Nails

Got a few minutes? How about a fun manicure before you recycle that old newspaper?

| what you need |

+ some free time

+ rubbing alcohol

+ small bowl

+ nail polish

+ 10 small rectangles cut out from newspaper

| what you do |

Step 1

Paint your nails. You can use any lighter color (you want to see the print, don't you?) or just do a clear coat. I really like the way a silver base looks with the print, but I did pink here. Let your nails dry completely.

Step 2

This is the part that requires a little bit of patience. Pour a little bit of rubbing alcohol into a small bowl. Dip one of the newspaper rectangles into the alcohol and press it onto your first nail. Hold it there for about 30 seconds. When you peel it off, the print will be on your nail!* Repeat for each finger.

*Remember, everything will be backwards, so don't worry too much about the words.

Step 3

Give your nails a nice clear coat, and go show 'em off!

Get creative: try pictures, comics and crosswords, too! I did the Notre Dame logo from the sports page...but, yeah, it's backwards on my nail... Other little pictures would work great though!

Have fun!

Kid Care International - Annual Spaghetti Dinner

It's that time of year again!

Time to come out to Kid Care International's annual spaghetti dinner!

Knights of Columbus Council 1043

112 E. Lexington, Elkhart, Indiana

October 5, 2011

5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.

Adults $7

Children (5-12) $5

All proceeds go to Kid Care International!

Purchase your tickets now by using the link to the left.

Questions? Please call me (Steph) at 574.292.4405 or e-mail me at sgherardi@ymail.com.

Make a Donation Via Paypal

{ABOUT KID CARE INTERNATIONAL}

Kid Care International was formed for the purpose of improving the health of children between the ages of 3 and 12 worldwide. The founders and co-presidents of Kid Care International are Karen Gunter, RN, MSA and Sandra Matteson, RN, MSN. Karen and Sandra have over 60 years combined experience inclincal and administrative pediatric nursing. They have been working with children's healthcare needs throughout the world for the past ten years.

Kid Care International was informally operating from December 1999 through July 2008. In August of 2008, the organization was formally incorporated as a nonprofit corporation. In July of 2009 the corporation became a 501(c)3 charitable organization, which means that all donations are now tax deductable.

Kid Care International is unique in that 100% of donors' money goes directly to the project that the donor wishes to support. Donations are never used for administrative costs.

Created with flickr slideshow.

Go All the Way

Forget Me Not {eco gifts & greetings} is proud to provide you with beautiful, functional products that are fun to present to friends and clients while also being easy on our planet. My best-selling product is a handmade, fully customizable, eco-friendly CD sleeve - a fun alternative to boring plastic CD cases. The sleeves are constructed with recycled Kraft paper cardstock, vintage thread, cotton fabric and handmade wooden buttons.

I've worked with many photographers to create custom CD sleeves for the photo discs they create for clients. The sleeves are "green," but I won't stop there. There's no sense in creating eco-friendly products if I'm going to ship them in oversized boxes full of those awful packing peanuts. No, I go all the way.

Not only do I find uses for almost all of my scraps and have very little waste, my final products are lovingly wrapped in reused or recycled tissue paper and packaged in reused or recycled boxes that fit the item that I'm shipping. [quick story: Just a couple weeks ago I ordered a gift online from a big company and was so disappointed by the enormous box that the tiny item came in. What a waste! It will be politely noted in my feedback.] The reused/recycled boxes are then wrapped in a used paper bag. (Yes, I don't always remember to bring my reusable bags to the store, but I refuse to take home plastic.) My favorite part about using recycled packaging is how utterly adorable and totally unique each package is. I get giddy when I send out "happy mail" (as Micaela would put it).

To read more about how you can go green with your packaging, check out TrashN2Tees "Green Your Packaging" post by clicking {HERE}.

Gianni Turns 1!

My nephew turned one on Easter, and what better excuse to give a handmade keepsake than a first birthday? I jumped on the opportunity and made Gianni a banner similar to the banner I made for his sister last year.

A personalized banner {now available in my shop!} makes a great gift that can be used for every special occasion, year after year.

xo

Custom Work for Katie Cassidy Photography

Forget Me Not had a fantastic start this year! I have been {happily} busy with custom orders and have met many wonderful new people through my shop just in the past few months. I was so happy when Katie Cassidy found me! Katie, the Katie Cassidy of Katie Cassidy Photography, is a joy to work with. Her style is fabulous and her work, amazing. I thoroughly enjoyed every second of working with Katie and creating her custom CD sleeves. They turned out great, and I was thrilled to see the {professional} appreciation photos she posted on her website.

Here are the awesome photos Katie shared:

I certainly look forward to doing more custom work for Katie Cassidy Photography in the future. Be sure to check out her website in the meantime!

A great start to the year and now spring is here. Yay! Matt and I are gearing up to sell our house, so I've had to put my shop on "vacation mode" until May. Time to roll up my sleeves and get to work! I'm already missing the excitement of custom orders and the joy of Etsy convos, and I can't wait to get back to them in May! Happy Spring!!

More custom work! :)

{February's Custom Work}

Pillows!

Now that the big stuff in the living room is taken care of (paint & furniture), I get to have some fun accessorizing!! Our colors are pretty neutral, with most of the furniture being dark brown and the walls being a simple blue/gray. I'm excited to liven things up with fun, bright colors and unique, handmade decor. Our new sofa is big and long, but empty and kind of boring. The solution: pillows! Here are some fun pillows I marked as favorites last year in anticipation of our new living room:

*

Ninja Pillows

by sushibooties

Vintage Light Bulbs

by utilitarianfranchise

Peace Pillow

by letterperfectdesigns

CTA Blue Line Pillow

From Renegade Handmade

who doesn't love Chicago's public transportation system?!

Handmade Buttons by buckshotkenny

My favorite Forget Me Not project so far has been my custom CD sleeves. I love working with buyers to create personalized orders, and I've been spending almost all of my free time doing just that. One thing that makes my CD sleeves unique is the button and cord closure. I started making my own buttons out of downed branches last summer. I enjoyed experimenting with different branches and learning how to use all of the tools, and I loved the look of the finished, rustic buttons. I was making the buttons on an as "as needed" basis, which was fine in the warm weather. This winter I learned a valuable lesson, and I regretted not making extras.

Orders kept coming, and working out in the freezing cold garage to slice branches was not fun. Then, I ran out of branches. !! Where do you find good, dry branches when everything is covered in a foot of snow?! I had orders to work on, and I needed help.

I searched for wooden buttons on Etsy and found a few shops with buttons similar to my own. I sent out some convos inquiring about bulk orders, and, what seemed like just minutes later, I got a response from buckshotkenny.

Kenny is so wonderful to work with. He is extremely friendly and pleasant, my orders arrive within just a couple days, and his buttons are perfect. I couldn't have found a better seller! My first custom listing was up in no time, and it wasn't long before I was back for more...and more, and more. Kenny went out of his way to create the perfect button for my projects - size, finish (or no finish in my case), even the size of the holes! Each time the buttons come in the mail, I'm amazed at how quickly they were shipped, and I'm always 100% satisfied and impressed. I am so proud to use Kenny's buttons for my orders, and I always look forward to doing business with him. I can't thank him enough for saving me!

My orders of plain, wooden buttons seem ridiculous compared to Kenny's other products. He is incredibly talented! Check out his amazing jewelry boxes!

...Just another example of how amazing the Etsy community is :)

I do want to make my own wooden buttons once the weather warms up again, but I definitely plan on continuing to order from Kenny in the meantime, and for all of my large orders throughout the year. I figure that way I can enjoy creating my own little handmades without getting overwhelmed, and I can keep doing business with my fellow Etsy shops.

Living Room Makeover!

We kicked off Operation House to Home by making over the first room people see: the mudroom. Baby steps. Well, until the second step: the living room.

While the furniture was functional, the green vinyl was starting to get on our nerves, and it was slowly being destroyed by dog nails. The walls were white, and our style was...well, we didn't really have one. Time to upgrade.

I fell in love with this lamp after I saw the design at Backyards in Mishawaka on my first ride to work last year. It had been on my mind ever since, and I was ecstatic when I got my dream lamp as a gift. This lamp, from Eangee, is handmade out of cocoa leaves and bamboo! It stayed front and center in our minds as we put together the rest of the room.

.

For the walls we chose a color called "Dolphin Cove," a blue-gray that is not white but is just as safe. We replaced our green sofa with a long, brown sofa from Ikea and added a lounger to the end. The room is long and narrow, so this was an easy way to add extra seating. In lieu of the loveseat, we picked up a simple chair, also from Ikea. We chose the green cover to add a splash of color to go with the lamp. Unlike the big, bulky loveseat, our new chair leaves the front end of the room open and gives us with more usable space...or at least the illusion of more usable space.

I love how affordable Ikea is without having to sacrifice quality or style. The assembly can be daunting, but it's worth it! Everything we bought was assembled in just a couple hours. The sofa and ottoman have removable covers, so they can be washed, and, if we move or change color schemes, we can change all of the furniture for just a couple hundred dollars - the cost of new covers.

Our Buddha is something Matt found while we were visiting his brother in El Paso, TX. He mentioned liking it, but it wasn't something we wanted to fly home with. So, for Matt's birthday, his brother was kind enough to ship it up. Since that birthday, over two years ago, Buddha has been on the floor, leaning against a wall, homeless. Finally, he is hanging and looks great - a gentle reminder to stay calm and carry on ;)

There you have it. January's project is just about done. It's February now, and we still have a couple more ideas we're tossing around. For example, I'd like to paint the dining table and chairs; I'm just not sure what color. Nevertheless, I'm proud of our progress. On the downside...our new, welcoming, comfortable living room has turned me into a couch potato...

DIY Eco Dog Toy: Daisy Goes Green

I recently read an article by Dr. Jon from petplace.com about a noise dogs love...and people hate: water bottles. Apparently dogs go crazy over crinkling water bottles. I immediately thought of my crappy Victoria's Secret canvas bag that fell to pieces after just a few uses (not surprised), and, inspired, I set out to make Daisy a new toy out of its remains and a water bottle.

1. Remove the cap and the plastic ring (choking hazards).

2. Wrap the bottle with a tough material (in my case, salvaged canvas), inside out, and mark or pin the material so you know where to sew. Remove the bottle.

3. Sew up the side and across one end, creating an inside out pouch.

4. Turn the pouch right side out, stuff the water bottle in and sew up the open end.

Voila! Free dog toy!

I used a piece of the original handle to make a little handle on the toy for tug of war, and so far it has worked out quite well. Remember, it's a toy for your dog that will be used and abused; it doesn't have to be perfect. The whole thing took me 15 minutes to make. Try it out!

This seems like a good time to remind everyone that sometimes upcycling is a better alternative to recycling. Upcycling uses far less energy and resources than recycling, and it's fun!

peace & love