The Andean Collection's core principles of social and environmental responsibility are a refreshing addition to the fashion industry which largely relies on inexpensive factory labor and synthetic materials. Each jewelry design is handcrafted by Andean Collection artisans using beautiful, natural beads made from seeds that have been sustainably harvested from rainforests and lowlands in South America. The Andean Collection jewelry not only helps support the indigenous communities but also the preservation of their forests.

The Andean Collection's jewelry is comprised of funky and bold designs inspired by the indigenous jewelery of Ecuador. With pieces designed for layering, the wearer can creatively fashion a unique style all their own. The rich colors and natural seeds and nuts, make striking one-of-a-kind pieces of wearable art. Some of my favorite pieces from their new Spring 2010 collection are the Layered Chain Necklace and the Tagua Bibb Necklace, shown below.

The Andean Collection was founded by Amanda Judge while she was in Ecuador researching her masters' thesis – with a topic of "rural women's survival strategies in the face of extreme poverty" and a focus on ideas for how outside agencies could help. Instead of just writing about it, she decided it would be more beneficial to become an outlet for helping the community improve their standard of living. Following fair trade principles is only part of The Andean Collection's dedication to providing their artisans a better life, they also share the profits as partial owners. The video below provides a moving and uplifting look into the lives of The Andean Collection's artisans and their community.

For inspiring stories and news about the artisans, the materials and the design process visit The Andean Collection blog.

The Down:2:Earth (D2E) Sustainable Living Expo is this weekend in Boston...

When:

Friday, April 9 - 5:00pm-9:00pm:
Local Bites Preview Party includes beer, wine and local food samples from top restaurants. You also get a free ticket for re-entry on Saturday and Sunday.

Saturday, April 10 - 11:00am-7:00pm:
Events include Exploring Careers For Sustainability, Fishermen, Chefs and the Food Community, Renewable Energy & Tax Credits, Rain Water Capture and more.

Sunday, April 11 - 11:00am-5:00pm:
Events include Lease, dorm or condo: greening your small abode, Composting, Edible Container Gardening, The Future of Energy and more.

Keynote Speakers include:

Dr. James Hansen - Noted Climate Scientist
Dr. James Hansen on Climate Change - Saturday at 3:00pm

Robyn Griggs Lawrence - Editor-in-Chief, Natural Home magazine
Great Green Homes Virtual Tour - Sunday at 12:00pm

Mayim Bialik - Hollywood Actress and Spokesperson for Holistic Moms Network
Mayim Bialik on Green Living - Sunday at 3:00pm

Where:

Hynes Convention Center
900 Boylston St., Boston, MA

VivaTerra offers unique and beautiful sustainable fashion and home decor made from sustainable resources. Many items are handcrafted by inspired designers and artisans that honor cultures from around the world. AND, they are currently offering a shopping spree giveaway – enter for a chance to win a $1,000 gift certificate to VivaTerra!

Deadline to enter is April 22, 2010. Open to U.S. residents 21 years or older.

Don't miss out, visit VivaTerra for details and to enter!

I usually lean towards modern, contemporary furniture and design, but lately I've been drawn to the rustic meets industrial design style...so I thought I would share this eco dining room's earthy tablescape. I've been admiring the reclaimed wood dining table for a while, imagining it as the centerpiece to my dining room. And the mix of industrial and natural dining accessories, used in this dining room design, complement it perfectly.

The darjeeling dining table is constructed from reclaimed Indian railroad ties that have been pieced into a mosaic plank dining top and supported by industrial metal legs. The dining table and all accessories are available at CB2.com.

{a} Reed chair - Antiqued iron wires are handwoven and welded to create this seat. Sits on sleigh legs.
{b} Carson wine glass - This handblown wine glass is designed to enhance color and aroma.
{c} Gear candleholder - Reclaimed iron gears make up each industrial tealight candle holder.
{d} Duo linen placemat for two - 100% linen placemat that spans opposite sides of the table.
{e} FLOR™ High Tide™ rug tiles - FLOR, build-your-own rug tile system, made from recyclable materials.

What's your favorite design style?

Etsy Favs: "simple gestures of affection inspire us. from a small trinket to an ad in a magazine...our love for simple techniques like woodworking and printmaking combined with our obsession for mid century design creates our general aesthetic." - say Shauna and Stephen, creators of something's hiding in here in their featured Etsy seller interview.

Whatever the inspiration, I'm loving the chunky design and organic texture of these handcrafted, reclaimed wood rings and necklaces.

You can find them on Etsy - and - they're now even available at christophe lemaire in Paris!

It's exciting to see so many eco friendly wedding invitations available in beautiful designs and colors. With the choice of paper going beyond seed-embedded handcrafted sheets to reclaimed cotton, bamboo and 100% post consumer recycled premium stock. Choosing eco wedding invitations is an easy decision for all brides. Below are some of my favorites from Jayda Wedding, Minted and Bella Figura:

All wedding invitations are digitally printed on 100% post consumer recycled stock:
1} Corner Blooms, 2} Star Fish, 3} Damask, and 4} Deco from Jayda Wedding

All wedding invitations are digitally printed on 100% recycled stock:
1} Fling, 2} Destination, 3} Pocket Full Of Posies, and 4} Winter Birch from Minted.com

All wedding invitations are letterpress printed on reclaimed fiber cotton paper:
1} Mimosa, 2} Joy, and 3} Barcelona from Bella Figura

If you live in the Boston area, like me, then you should schedule the first-ever Green Mixer into your calendars...I am always excited to see Green Events close to home.

The Green Mixer will bring Boston’s local sustainability-oriented companies and an eco-conscious crowd together to raise awareness of environmentally responsible consumer choices, provide an informal shopping experience, and socialize, have fun and make new friends. Cafeteria Restaurant will serve complimentary appetizers, and, at two cash bars, organic cocktails.

Date: Thursday, March 18, 2010

Time: 5-11pm

Place: Cafeteria, 279 Newbury Street, Boston

Price: FREE

Check out full details at Boston GreenScene

If you are getting married and are in the process of planning your wedding, then you have to check out a great wedding planning tool from The Dessy Group & PANTONE. You can create inspiration styleboards, like the ones shown here, using a free wedding plannning tool on the dessy.com website. Its easy to pull together your favorite colors and inspirational photos to create styleboards that represent the desired look-n-feel for your wedding.

You can mix-n-match colors to easily create wedding palettes, browse hundreds of photos from real weddings to get great ideas and color inspiration or upload your own photos to use in your inspiration styleboards. Then, its easy to share your wedding ideas with your friends and family just by sending them a link to your boards.

You'll also want to stop by the inspiration gallery where you can view styleboards created by other brides. And if you are looking for some more feedback on your wedding inspiration boards, you can post yours in the gallery for others to view, comment on and vote for. It's totally fun and addictive!

I recently was introduced to Blumebox on twitter and and wanted to share their unique alternative to glass vases that are perfect for wedding reception flower arrangements.

Blumebox offers a greener option to the ususal glass vase that will reflect your personal style, complement your flowers and is environmentally friendly. Their green design allows the blumebox to be shipped and stored flat, easily snapped together for assembly, and folded back down to be stored between uses. And the eco friendly materials used to make the blumeboxes is 100% recyclable.

Blumeboxes come in 16 colors and 4 different shapes/sizes making them perfect for green-ing weddings, baby showers, birthday parties, everyday bouquets and even your houseplants. The 4" cube is a great option for traditional wedding centerpieces as well as living plant centerpieces. The 6" blumebox is the perfect height for below eye-level centerpieces. The 8" blumebox makes a stylish holder for bridesmaid and bridal bouquets at the reception. And blumebuds double as place card holders / bud vases.

And if you are the DIY type, blumebox also offers coordinating ribbons and boas to spice things up. Check out their blog for fun, creative design ideas.

The blume box featured above was used in a real wedding - check out the amazing photos by photographer Christina Carroll.

Seeing its been a while since my last post, I thought I'd get back into it by sharing some of my new Etsy Favs...

rikrak offers upcycled vintage fabric creations, including coasters, wallets, clutches and fun shaped patches.

favorJewelry offers a sustainable collection of simple, timeless jewelry made from recycled silver. Each earring, bracelet, necklace and ring is handcrafted and unique.

sweetbeets offers eco-friendly letterpress cards, invitations and calendars with colorful, whimsical designs.