Etsy Featured Seller: Gina Meow

We at BtanJerine love the idea of using things that were meant for one purpose for something else.  Ok so there's a word for it, repurposing.  Its really a great way to think out of the box, and a great way to recycle.  And we are all about recycling!  Here's a little statistic I didn't know about recycling.

Stats via www.environment-green.com 

The United States is also the world’s largest trash producing country at 1,609 pounds of trash per person per year.  What this means is that just 5% of the world’s population produces about 40% of the worlds waste and with the total rate of recycling in the United States being only at about 28%; well, there is a great need for improvement.

That brings us to our featured seller Gina Meow.  Gina has creativity in every part of her body, I think even her pinky toe! :)  And she has an amazingly artistic eye!  Just look at this great smock for a toddler.  We love her repurposed little girls dresses!

Photo courtesy of Gina Meow

 If you like what you see, check out her shop
here  

I love this tie clutch!

And not only does she repurpose stylish upcycled handmade items, she also wears the hat of cinematographer for day job at lolaviddeo.  She specializes in 8mm films. Click here to see one of her latest projects.  She is an amazing wedding cinematographer who captures the heart of your wedding day!  She will make you want to get married all over again!  


We love your work Gina you rock!

New Year New Beginning

     WE love new beginnings, fresh haircuts, and just an overall revamping to ones life and purpose. It’s like an opportunity to start fresh, be positive, and say, “why not be great”! A new year brings new possibilities, hopes, and goals. I recently was listening to a spot on NPR about a new book, “365 days of thank you’s”. In which a lawyer who had an unfortunate string of events decided to turn things around in the new year and write a hand written thank you note everyday of the year to somebody in his life. He was inspired by the repercussions of such a simple act. We love to write cards and letters to friends, but I thought how could I do this more fully? How can I be more thankful, and just a better mother, daughter, co-worker, friend, and person in general.


So for 2011 I want to be different… I want to be a better version of myself. So here are a few of things I will be working on in 2011 (among others):

1. Commit, and stick to the promise to myself to take better care of myself with proper rest, water, exercise, and cooking more at home.

2. Always express my gratitude for all the good in my life. A friend’s listening ear, a smile, etc…

3. Also I want to change my perspective on the things that I have no control over, and find a way to look at it from a different point of view.

Jean-Marie feels the same way. She's ready and can't wait to embrace 2011 with:

1. I want to be commited to saving money where ever possible. Which will also reduce waste, create a more relaxing family life, and allow us to enjoy the things we want to do.

2. Reducing waste where ever possible by re-using, recycling, and up-cycling. I have just discovered a new way to wrap gifts so stay tuned for a blog post about that. Hopefully you can incorporate it into your life.

3. By being commited to my garden come the spring/summer. I think this will be such an amazing way to eat REALLY good food, REDUCE our carbon foot print, and SAVE a lot of money on our grocery bill. I can't wait to get started!!!

And we as BtanJerine also have our goal list:

We want to give you some NEW and AMAZING acessories that will make you feel like a better version of yourself in the new year.  And hopefully reflect something fresh, positive, and upbeat.  We also want to continue to give you great tips on how you can help save our planet by recycling, reducing and up-cycling.

stop by our shop and see what's new:

www.etsy.com/shop/btanjerine
We hope your year starts off with a bang!!!

Love,

BtanJerine