The Makery’s Inaugural Earth Day Craft Swap
This year marks the 43rd anniversary of Earth Day, a festival now celebrated in 184 countries by over 500 million people. While many cities in Southern California will be celebrating with environmental art exhibits and activities, one Southern California artisan will hold a first for sustai
This year marks the 43rd anniversary of Earth Day, a festival now celebrated in 184 countries by over 500 million people. While many cities in Southern California will be celebrating with environmental art exhibits and activities, one Southern California artisan will hold a first for sustainable crafters.
Lisa Rios, co-owner of the Makery and the artiste behind a line of hip flasks featured on Real Simple’s 2010 Holiday Gift Guide, Bride’s Magazine and MSN.com, will host the Southern California’s first ever Earth Day Craft Swap and Celebration. The idea behind the swap is simple: crafters bring in unwanted, outgrown or unused craft items to the swap and trade it for items that they do want. Each item up for the trade qualifies for a certain number of “tickets” which could be applied towards the “purchase” of other swappable items.
“It’s a clever use of materials that otherwise would be thrown away,” says Rios. “It’s also a way to bring people together and promote sustainability.”
Lisa’s adventures in sustainable crafting came as a pleasant surprise. She was approached by beverage company IZZE, who would be exhibiting at Natural Product Expo West and needed a crafter to repurpose the company’s bottles and bottle caps.
“I was familiar with the concept, but I wasn’t completely in love with I had seen because you could tell things had been upcycled,” says Lisa. “I wanted to use these components in a surprising way so that after the project, it could be done or widely accepted and isn’t so obvious at first glance. That’s usually the first trick in introducing something to a wider audience—they’re proud of upcycling, but not everyone wants to know that they used upcycled materials. So the trick is to use them in tasteful and modern ways.”
From Lisa’s nimble hands came a rosette brooch fashioned out of fabric and IZZE bottle caps; a notepad made of paper, cardboard drink container and glue; embellished fabric wrist cuffs from wool, IZZE caps and beading; faux milk glass vases and glass planters created from IZZE bottles. This project, coupled with spring cleaning and a neighbor’s upcoming Earth Day event inspired Lisa’s swap, and it would be the venue to turn empty glass bottles, cereal boxes and cardboard carriers into succulent planters, brooches and journals—useful, economically and environmentally-viable goods that make great gifts too.
