New bat house design finally available!

Bats, just like humans, are mammals. All bats are warm-blooded, and bear young which feed from their mothers just like human babies. Females generally have one offspring at a time, and their season is usually springtime.

Flying our night skies for over 50 million years, the bat has been one of our most amazing yet least respected or appreciated animals. With accurate and powerful echolocation, bats produce detailed images of their surroundings, even in absolute darkness.

Almost 3/4 of the world's bats are insect eaters. Many insectivorous bats can eat up to 1,000 mosquito-sized insects per night. Others eat fruit, or vertebrates such as frogs, birds, and rodents. Only a few species of bats consume blood exclusively.

There is still no definitive answer as to why bat populations are on the decline. Loss of habitat is commonly believed to be the main reason.

Bats require conditions for a suitable roost that modern building methods rarely supply. Warmth, protection from predators, and shelter from rain are some of the bat's needs.

This bat house design was based on a mixture of input from industry guidelines, availability of appropriate quality recycled building materials, and customer input for easier installation.

Made from 100% post-consumer waste, which is not only more eco friendly, bats love it too! Bats have been shown to prefer old wood roosts over new!

Why, Welcome to Etsy, Eco Chic

And what a wonderful start!

A great-looking eco friendly product, bowls handmade using 100% organic cotton yarn. Yarn grown and spun without the use of any herbicides, pesticides, or other chemicals.

Just think of the endless uses AND end-users of this fine product. Paper clips, loose change, art supplies, who knows? One thing I really like about these is they are so simple, and look well-made. And I just LOVE the colors. I really do. I have to piggy-back Etsy's choice for the front page with this feature, with a set of three Organic Nesting Bowls in rich fall colors - Espresso, Spice, and Mustard.

One for your niece, who can use a nice-looking handmade change pot, one for uncle Sam, for holding seed or nails or his most-used office supply, and one for you!

It seems Etsy knows know bounds with respect to great, unusual, handy, eco friendly stuff. Eco Chic is no exception. Take a look, bookmark their shop if you like, I hope you will keep them in mind for gift giving this year.

Nice work, Eco Chic, welcome to Etsy, looks like you are off to a terrific start.

Cheers,

Andrew

Ooh La La, We Have Been "French Kissed"

If you are looking for a unique way to deliver your greetings, here's a must-see. French Kissed, a fellow etsian, who has an amazing way of delivering the romance, art, and photography of France directly to your PC.

Reclaim The Throne

Back to blogging, thought I should get this going again with a "bang"! I am so pleased to present one of my favorites, Reclaim The Throne.

Reclaim The Throne strives to make their pieces fun, hip, classic and eco-friendly. Dealing mostly with reclaimed, unwanted chairs, Reclaim The Throne brings them back to their former glory!

A truly "ECO Chic" artisan, Reclaim The Throne has braved the crafting world with her high quality yet reasonably priced vintage furniture with a personal touch that makes every piece unique.

I hope you will pay her shop a visit.

I have included a description and picture of one of my favorites that sold.

This incredible bench is a genuine antebellum piece in the lavish victorian style, it has 1843 stamped into the wood on either side of the frame underneath. It has the original finish, with tons of chips and peelings where the layers have worn off over the years. The seat was originally caned but has been removed some time ago and replaced with a wood seat placed on top (not secured). This has been redone in DanaLeeDesigns' peach dupioni silk with new padding and completely finished underneath. The dimensions are approx. 20"H X 26"W X 16"D.

This gorgeous bench features sumptuous relief carvings and little fluted arms on either side. It was built years before the civil war, Abraham Lincoln became president, or Louis Vuitton was began. It was gracing living rooms when Charles Dickens was writing and John Tyler was President. This piece is 166 years old and still exhibits unbelievable charm and beauty!

Eco Fave of the Week, Cocoa Tree!

So, I have decided to post, amongst other features, a favorite new eco-friendly etsy shop every week. For my first, I'm happy to have found CocoaTree. A new etsy seller with tons of green potential! It doesn't get much more eco friendly than re-usable, right? Her work makes perfect sense to me. What do you think? OH what I would do to take back all of the waste I have generated from disposable gift-wrap.
If you would like to enjoy a greener holiday, birthday, or check out her other quality items, check out Cocoa Tree.

OK, Enough Fun and Games For Now

Back to business.


During my visit to the Pike Place Market, I almost walked right past a most alarming wake-up-call in the form of a gallery. But a photograph caught my eye, and it stopped me dead in my tracks. Do you know what the third image is? I entered, and I was pleased to run into the internationally known and respected gallery director, juror, and curator, Marita Holdaway, and she introduced me to the gallery's current highlight, Daniel Beltra.

It was a pleasure to speak with her about the work of Mr. Beltra, even amongst the earth-shattering prints that adorned her spacious, well-kept and professional gallery.

The following images depict some the work of Daniel Beltra, and in my opinion, ought to be a wake-up call for many. As these blog pics barely touch on the scope of his work, I urge you to take a look at his portfolio website, and to please return and comment on your feelings about it. I say we are lucky to have him, and we are lucky to have Benham Gallery and Marita Holdaway bring us this work, as I feel we have never before seen this destruction more clearly. What do you think?

Tasty Market

Here's a new set of pics from a most enjoyable visit to Pike Place Market, the best attraction in Seattle in my opinion. Just look at that healthy spread of fresh produce, and the BIG spread of that octopus!