MAKE: Eco-tip of the week with Iris B

UK Handmade is pleased to introduce Iris von Brandstatter of Iris B Design Studio and author of the SustainabilityX eco-blog. Iris will be our resident eco and sustainability expert bringing you tips and advice on running an eco-friendly and sustainable creative business every other week!

Welcome to a new feature for all you creative kindred spirits out there. This series will cover tips and inspiration on how to become a ‘greener’ artisan. I myself am a designer and create jewellery, eco-textiles, accessories and wearable art. I have over the years tried to encourage many of my crafty friends to adapt a more earth-friendly approach to their businesses/studios and the mission continues ... More so, it has created a completely new, niche revenue stream for me that is now one of my best-sellers. But more of that later.

So here is what I want you to do if you can spare a moment. Look around your creative space whether that is your studio/office/workshop or house and try to find 5-10 things that you could have:

1. bought second hand and jazzed up; or
2. recycled from a different component you already had.

You will be amazed at how many things you encounter. Try to do this exercise for at least a month, it will hone your ‘green eye’ and really challenge your creativity in a new way. I know it did for me. It also changed my shopping habits drastically; as I now take into consideration not only the products I buy but the packaging as well to ascertain if I can re-use it before I buy something - that goes for food, toiletries, tools, the lot. I also keep a little notebook handy (made from left over scrap paper) to jot down any re-cycling ideas that come up for a later date or to add to my ‘green’ shopping list.

One light-bulb moment came a while ago when my boyfriend had a major cold and I had to buy tons of tissue boxes. They were sold out of the ‘man-sized’ ones, so I stocked up with the rather pretty square boxes with all those lovely designs on them. Once emptied, I had them standing around for a while trying to think how I could re-integrate them for an alternate purpose (I must confess, I wiped them down with antiseptic wipes before I used them!) and then tataaaa … storage! I am a bit messy in my studio and always have tons of ribbons, string, wire, beads, rubber bands etc lurking about. With the tissue boxes I found a neat way to de-clutter my work desk and it’s stylish too!

Up-cycle your tissue boxes to useful storage!

All you need is a scalpel and a few larger pebbles (optional).

1. First peel out the plastic film carefully to enlarge the opening.
2. Then, very gently cut little slots about 1 inch from the top into the side of the boxes, where you can later feed your ribbons/string through, you can do this on all 4 sides for smaller ribbons or on two opposite sides for larger ribbons.
3. I use a stone to weigh the boxes down first before I fill them, this way it is easier to pull the ribbons out, you can also blue-tack them to wherever they are stored.
4. Roll up your ribbons and one by one put them in the box and feed them through the slots – you might need to amend the width with the scalpel.

Voila – you have a wonderful and neat storage idea for your craft ribbons and all sorts of other things, best of all they are stackable and look very fashionable!

The next eco-friendly idea came to me when I had lots of card strips from a left over printing job which had gone wrong. Rather than throwing the card out, I made my own price tags and labels and have done ever since. (Even using the more sturdy junk-mail or magazine inserts!)

Make your own ‘eco-chic’ price tags and labels

You will need a dye-cut tag puncher and a whole puncher, which is around £7 and well worth it. 

Getting a tag shape cutter, such as the one in the picture above, is probably the best thing I have bought in this past year as I have tons of little items to tag for all of my stockists.

Making tags yourself is a great way to be productive whilst watching TV and as for the ribbons; I have mobilised all my friends to cut out those silky ribbons you get in T-shirts/Dresses etc. I dislike them when I spot them in newly bought clothing anyway and always cut them out myself. So, I have a stock of all sorts of colours and they look truly lovely on the labels and they are also stored in a re-cycled tissue box!

I encourage you to share your own ‘green artisan’ tips and hope to see lots of inspiring comments. Keep creating!

Until next time.......Iris of www.irisb-design.com