SPOTLIGHT: Heather of Re-Zip It: Recycled Vintage Zippers Transformed Into Beauty

Green Recycled Vintage Zipper Brooch or Hair Clip

Heather of Re-Zip It transforms recycled vintage zippers into beautiful wearable works of art! Her eye-catching creations are one-of-a-kind and handcrafted with stunning detail. Heather has been featured on the Today Show as a top 10 finalist in the Art of Reuse Contest sponsored by NBC, and she has also been featured in the LA Times!

We have awarded her the "May 2011" Handmade Spotlight Award here on the Etsy Recyclers Guild blog!
Sunflower Up cycled Zipper Flower Brooch or Hair Clip

Tell us a bit about yourself.
I am a full time working, married, mother of a beautiful
boy named Benjamin. I work in a jail, as a therapist, with
individuals that battle from issues related to drugs and
alcohol. This career choice came after growing up in a
family of addiction. I have a very stressful job and have
learned over the years that it is important for me to have
some form of stress relief. My creative mind allows to express myself while making others smile and keeping the earth GREEN all at the same time!

Pink Recycled Vintage Zipper Brooch or Hair Clip

What inspires you?
Through my quest in creating an outlet for myself I was
inspired to work with old materials to make new treasures.
Zippers were attractive to me because I was reinventing
here conventional use.

Black Vintage Zipper Flower Brooch or Hair Clip

How did you start your business?
My process began with the search for zippers. I was
fortunate enough to find a lady that had 8000 zippers in her
basement, she acquired them from her great grandmother that
owned a sewing store. She had no use for the zippers and
just wanted to get rid of them. Little did she know that her
trash was about to become my treasure.

Orange Recycled Vintage Zipper Flower Brooch or Hair Clip

Tell us a about your creations; what do you want people to think when they see your products?
All my patterns have been completely inspired and
designed by me to attract a vast population. I only use
recycle vintage zippers that have the cotton metal
component.

Please visit:


ReZip it on Etsy HERE

Spotlight Team Member for Holiday Season : In the Studio with relove

relove:  The Interview

relove's favorite quote:

"Wait...don't throw that away! I can use it for one of my notebooks!"

Q: Tell us about the move to Brooklyn.

Brooklyn has affected my creativity in lots of interesting ways. I am surrounded by creative people and businesses all the time and this encourages me to think outside the box when I am crafting. Also, Brooklyn living is small. My studio is small so I find myself really thinking about quality rather then quantity. Lastly, Brooklyn has tons of opportunities to sell handmade crafts and hopefully by spring I will have a nice size collection of notebooks to sell. I plan on approaching some of Brooklyn's fabulous boutiques and craft markets. A long, cold winter will definitely help me stay on track and get some work done!

relove's notebooks combine upcycled components.

Q:  Can you tell us more about the process in which your notebook are created?


Each one of my notebooks are little works of art and I really enjoy selecting the pages from my collection of vintage and reclaimed papers. My paper collection is very personal. I have been collecting paper and envelopes for about 5 years and each piece relates to my life in some way. If you look closely at my books you will find pieces of old sketches I did in collage.

The insides of each notebook are unique, you never know what you may find.

Q: Your books are amazing, I bought a bunch and gave them away to my family last year as gifts -- they loved them. I still use one for my art journal.  I particularly love the vintage paper, where does all of that come from? 

Vintage papers are found randomly placed in the books!

My vintage paper comes from years of thrifting and tag sale hunting. Also, lots of my papers have been given to me by friends and family. Just about anything that I can write on and fold in half I will save for a notebook! Lately, I have been having fun giving each one of my books a playful title and "curating" the pages inside to match. For example, the graphic cover of the "Checkmate Notebook" reminds me of graphic design so I chose papers from and old graphic design and lettering book to include in this pocket sized notebook.

"Checkmate" retails at only $14 in her store.

Q: So where does all of this creating take place? Tell us about your studio!

My boyfriend and I built our loft bed/studio area ourselves out of partly salvaged wood and wood from a local lumber yard.

The relove studio, aka where the magic happens!

We reused brackets from old shelves to support the desk area. We had the wood precut at the lumber yard and assembled the bed/desk unit with a power drill in our bedroom. The entire project cost about $150 and took about two days to assemble. It was tons of fun to build and a fantastic example of upcycling done right!

My vintage chair (that I love) was found curb side and will soon get a new seat cushion once I find the perfect fabric.All of my art supplies and papers are organized in repurposed buckets and boxes.
 

I spy works in progress atop the desk!

Q: I'm glad I'm not the only one doing curb-side pickups.  Can you tell us anything about your upcoming projects?

I am working on some new books made from repurposed corrugated cardboard and vintage sewing and craft magazines. I love the vintage clothing depicted in old craft magazines so i decided to turn them into book covers.

Sneak Peek!

One of these fun notebooks is available in my shop now, "I Heart Vintage Notebook". More will be on there way soon!

Priced at $16 I Heart Vintage  from ReLove is a great gift for the fashionista in your family!

Q: Any secrets you want to share? 

Looking forward to spring...I am planning on introducing some upcycled jewelry to relove.etsy.com. My first line will be one of a kind "found object" necklaces. I have included a sneak peak photo (project3) for you to check out. Please let me know what you think!

Please share your comments and feedback to Sarah @ relove, and please share this story by clicking on the share buttons below!

Additional Note:  Relove has been an amazing help to this team, and even during a hectic move from her former home to Brooklyn, she managed to donate a huge box of merchandise (tote bags for sale in our Team Shop) and help with the team store.  Thanks for being a part of our team!  

Spotlight on House of Mirth: Etsy's Best Kept Secret - Make this your home for holiday shopping!

November 2010 Spotlight Award:

This 1920's Bookmark, $14, under PaperArts section of the studio 
makes a great gift for the book lover!

As an fellow artist and vintage junkie, I am totally captivated the "House of Mirth" shop on Etsy.  If you haven't visited it yet, you should indeed.  From the brainchild of Recycled Wares, and Paper Picker, you will find  by Nerrissa's  handmade goods lurking here. 

Doubled sided pendant, only $18.99 FREE SHIPPING as of now at House of Mirth.

I think what enthralls me most, is her eye for detail and functionality of her artwork.  Her love of all things yesteryear mixed with the care and concern of using post consumer products like fiber, wood and paper show in her work.  You see it in the transformation...from trash...to functional treasure. 

The Upcycled Lung pendant / brooch is one of many "medical styles" 
available in this shop and makes a unique fashion statement. 

Yet again I find myself admiring her work and drawn back to the bookmarks. I admit, I have no time to read anymore....

...yet this lady calls to me to find a place for her inside the pages of my favorite book.  Her store makes me want to wear brooches and pins again, because her love for all things vintage show in the wonderful jewelry offerings. 

Most brooches range around $23.99, this one free shipping in the Jewelry section.

They say you learn something new every day.  I heard of woodburning, but actually did not realize what the term Pyrography was until I visited her shop.  According to Wikipedia, "pyrography means 'writing with fire' and is the traditional art of using a heated tip or wire to burn or scorch designs onto natural materials such as wood or leather."

Set of clothespins, hold recipes, money, scrap-booking papers and more! , set $8.99 in the Pyrography section.

There's something eclectic here, charming and inviting all in one. Sit back with a cup of your favorite coffee or tea and admire her work. 

Team members, I urge you to favorite her items, blog about this store, add one of her offerings as a link to your Facebook page, and help this very talented artist's work get out there.  It's way too wonderful to be Etsy's Best Kept Secret. 

In the Spotlight: LizzieCaye

It only seemed appropriate to spotlight Elizabeth Patel, for October, who is wonderful in more ways than one.  Not only  has she been such a wonderful addition to our team, and helping grow this site--but even more so, her handmade Lizzie Caye designer bags are amazing.

The "Classic Lizzie" in blues and pinks

Without her the blog as it is today would not be possible.  I often wonder, as I look at her pretty creations  how does she do it?  Where does it all happens?  Originally from North Dakota, now transplanted in Dallas, Texas, Liz is happy creating what she loves--and this love shows in her craftsmanship and quality original designs. 

This recycled purse was a quick seller.

Ruffles add flair to her sophisticated designs. This one comes in many colors like pink.

Careful detailing means everything.

Here is where the magic happens.  Her sewing machine is often covered with remnants of a work-in-progress.

Creations kept in eco-friendly totes aka cardboard boxes! A bag holds recycled scrap paper for packaging materials.

 Liz explains, "A normal day with me involves a ton of running up and down the stairs. Let me regress for a moment to explain how I got my very own giant studio in my home.  About 2 1/2 years ago my father-in-law passed away.  My mother-in-law does not drive, or make any form of decision without her husband.  It became obvious that she would need to live with us.  She didn't live incredibly far from where we did, but long enough that it would have been harder to take care of her from a distance, even if the distance was only 15 miles. We looked for existing homes, and couldn't find anything that wouldn't have needed a major overhaul.  So we decided to build in a planned community (meaning we had a set of home plans we could choose from).  We picked this community because the specifically had a plan that had a bedroom with its own en suite bathroom.  While we were making all these plans we decided to add the 1/2 story option of a game room upstairs, so that my hubby wouldn't ever have to look at my mess again....."

This wire mannequin proves to be a good note board for Liz. 

Thanks to the addition of her mother-in-law, Liz was able to have her very own space and a built in computer niche in which she explains, " I can create as I desire."  She says, "I have a nifty entry to the attic where I store all my boxes for shipping and LOADS of other stuff.  This really has helped me keep my room a bit neater.  Beyond that I use a ton of paper grocery bags to sort out my fabric and felt. "

Sometimes the best organizational system, is a simple one.  

So, amidst the cardboard boxes and paper bags of fabric and felt,  add some of  Liz  keen eye for design and out comes unique and eclectic designs like this Knock 'em Dead Purse!!

Liz prides herself on using upcycled and reclaimed fabrics in her LizzieCaye Etsy shop 

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For more information on Liz, please visit her personal website HERE.