Scrypt: The Fruitful Darkness
The human power trip began when the first sown seeds sprouted into successful farms. Ever since then, civilizations (especially Western ones) have fought tooth and nail to suppress nature’s might, initially for the greater good of humans. Those were some of the founding moments of the Anthropocene.
Now, we’re living in a perverse form of that mentality, and it’s left modern individuals devoid of natural appreciation. Nature’s splendors are categorized as props, price tags, or pests, and are dealt with minimal long-term regard. Our disconnection with the lands and the species within them has left modern humanity suffering not only physically, but mentally and spiritually as well.
Anthropologist, ecologist and Buddhist Joan Halifax identified developed society’s spiritual emptiness, and fled the States to traverse the globe. Her book The Fruitful Darkness: Reconnecting with the Body of the Earth (1994) weaves a looming reflection of what nature and those in tune with nature have taught her about relationships between humans, their environments, and one’s self.
Etsy Bomb #7: La Vieille Lune
Doing my usual Etsy rounds, I stopped with widened eyes at the jewelry on a certain designer’s Etsy page.
Kim Hand–owner, maker, designer and curator of La Vieille Lune–-has been selling her pieces since 2010. She prides herself on re-purposing old pieces of jewelry, lace, handbags and more. All of her pieces are painstakingly detailed, with a lot of her lace products hand-dyed.
This is one of those stores where it’s better to just take a peek inside! And after viewing her Etsy Store, be sure to follow her work on La Vieille Lune’s Facebook page as well!
Gaunt’s Garden: The Ebon Essentials
If you’re a Flora Goth, it’d be quite foolish of you to go the synthetic route in your floral decorum when you could create a naturally dark and alluring landscape that can last you all year round. While all of these plants aren’t available as flowers from the get go, preparing and/or planting the first seeds for your occult oasis will be more rewarding than you could ever imagine.
DIY or DIE: Steampunk Projects +
When perusing the internet, I usually stumble across other blogs from time to time that feature a collection of neat projects. Sometimes, it breaks my heart when the item being created asks for all brand new materials, but a few among the recycled projects isn’t always that bad.
Recycle Renew Reuse Mother Earth Projects has a collection of arts and craft projects that can add character to one’s home, or provide beautiful gifts to someone deserving. There are running steam punk and other alterna-themes going on with a bunch of the projects, or at least they can be adapted and themed as so.
Here are just a few of my favourites, but by all means, feel free to check them out and do some!
Image:”Recycle CD Green house”
Image:”How to Make a Tree Branch Candle holder”
Image:”How to make Tea Cup candles”
Image:”How to make a Feather Quill and Magic Ink”
Image:”How to make Dia de los Muertos Masks”
Image:”How to mae a Suitcase Chair”
Blood Lamp: The Sacrifice For Light
“What if power came at a cost to the individual?”
Mike Thompson’s 2009 project “Blood Lamp” was invented to promote awareness regarding how much power and energy people–particularly Americans–waste.
“The average American consumes 3383kwh of energy per year. That’s equivalent to leaving the light on in 4 rooms for a whole year. The simple flick of a switch allows us to power appliances and gadgets 24/7 without a thought to where it comes from and the cost to the environment.” – Thompson
The lamp, which comes sealed at first with its own mix, activates when powdered chemicals are dissolved with the mixture, and blood is then added after breaking the stem and cutting oneself. Luminol, the active ingredient that glows in the presence of iron in red cells, illuminates the little bulb, which then creates a glow that can last for some time.
While the means of powering this little device are a bit morbid (and also a trifle bit dangerous), the concept is fascinating and moving. For those who aren’t afraid to sacrifice a little blood for a little light, and for the good of the environment, Thompson’s “Blood Lamp” is the go-to light source.
To see his innovation, along with his other works including his algal-based light “Latro”, visit his portfolio website here and look under the ‘projects’ tab.
Etsy Bomb: Episode #2
After a couple weeks of lurking and waiting, our featured Etsy artists for Episode #2 gave me the okay to feature their work!
I’m quite thrilled, and you should be too.
Introducing the work of Mihaela Slav and Roberto Toselli at their shop, dECOnstructionLabs!
dECOnstructionLabs is a collaborative store between Mihaela Slav and Roberto Toselli that has a mission to turn scrap fabrics, leathers, and reclaimed vintage into functional, appealing accessories and attire. Based out of Turin, Italy, they make sure each one of their products are made entirely or partially from recycled materials, and they strive to ethically produce their goods in the respect of people, and nature. dECOnstructionLabs ships worldwide, excluding Cina, Peru, and Brasil, and they’re even open to wholesale orders! So go ahead, and browse their wondrous goods at their Etsy page ASAP!
Update: dECOnstructionLabs also has a Facebook Page! I hadn’t realized before, but if you go and like them, you can keep up-to-date with their pieces, along with seeing pictures of their work process!
Mihaela was also an angel to both myself, and my followers! When purchasing at their Etsy shop, if you mention FloraGothica, you’ll receive a one-time 5% discount on any item!
So now, there’s really no excuse. Just give in and buy–all their products are beautiful!
Relay: ‘Til Death, Do Your Part.
Corpse cocktail for plants.
Image: Bios Urns
When the time comes for us to part this world, wise choices involving our burial methods tend to escape some of us, as we want to leave as flamboyantly as our savings would allow us. But for those who want to take the environmentally friendly approach to the grave, there are options readily available such as green cemeteries, and biodegradable coffins.
Laura Moss for Mother Nature Network wrote a complete article on green burials a while back, including various alternative for normal coffins, more environmentally-conscious choices in place of cremation, and eco-safe ways to transport and store bodies postmortem. Perhaps the coolest things shown would be the Bios Urns, the Ecocoffin, the “Shelves for Life”–functioning shelves by day, and coffin by night, and the snazzy EcoPods.
So go on, check out the full MNN article here.
For further information, you might wanna peek at GreenYour.com’s list as well for some other tips.
Source:MNN
Image: EcoPod
Etsy Bomb: Episode #1
I dunno about you all, but I do a lot of my shopping online.
Now, if I was back at home in NYC, I probably wouldn’t shop online as much. Then again, I’m lazy, picky, and–well, the list goes on. If you’re the same, I have a treat for you.
From time to time, I’ll feature an artist, designer, or just a collection of some Eco-friendly finds ranging from outfitting one’s self to outfitting one’s home and so on. I’ll pull not only from Etsy, but ModCloth, Artfire, and some similar sites I’ve rounded up.
So, for this episode, Etsy designer Kristin Gallup of KrakenWhip is in the spotlight!
Kicking off our very first Etsy Bomb episode is a talented designer who recycles all sorts of material into sexy, functional pieces to wear. San Franciscan-based Kristin Gallup’s craftsmanship is solid, and her products range from skirts to chokers to tops and other accessories. While the bulk of her current stock is tailored towards females, she’s to release more male products in her line very soon! Her prices are reasonable as well, considering the work she puts into each of her pieces and the positive impact she’s making on the environment. So be a dear and take a look at her Etsy page to see more of what she has in stock.
Flora Gothica 