Recycled Gardens and Crafts

While searching Etsy for shops that used recycled materials, I came across this amazing shop! Gardens and Crafts has the most amazing bird baths, garden spheres, tile mosaics and more! Please check it out!

*Where are you from? Tell us a bit about yourself.
I am originally from Virginia, but moved to Central New York in 1986.
I've always been creative and have been around crafters and gardeners my whole life. I remember visiting my grandmother at her flea market booth when I was a child. I thought that was the life! In 2000 I met my husband (Gary) on the Internet of all places. We've been happily married since 2001 and live in a tiny town called Pennellvile, NY, which is just north of Syracuse. He likes to make things out of salvaged wood and I love to work with cement, glass, mosaics, and generally anything that can go in the garden.

*How did you decide on your shop name? Why did you start your business?
I already had a website called www.gardensandcrafts.com that documented our gardening and craft projects, so when I decided to start selling I stayed with the same name and then just added the D&G (for our first names) in front of Gardens and Crafts to make it sound more like a business.

The only reason we started selling our creations was because everyone kept asking us if we sold our items. We've always enjoyed making things for others as gifts and it seemed like a natural progression to start selling them.

*What got you started in recycling?
I just hate to see things get thrown away and I've always been fascinated by using an item intended for one purpose for another. A few year's ago, I discovered a garden junk forum and found out there were thousands just like me who liked to use old headboards in the garden as trellises and who used bowling balls for garden spheres.

*What’s your supply addiction; is there a specific color or type of supply you just can’t pass up?
I really love stained glass and anything I can break-up to be used for a mosaic. I also love collecting clear glass pieces to be used for garden totems. It's really hard for me to not buy these when I see them on sale cheap at a thrift shop or garage sale.

*What motivates or inspires you to create?
I get inspired by the strangest things sometimes. I remember looking at a new postage stamp in the middle of the post office thinking that it would make a great mosaic design. I'm also really inspired by nature with all her colors, shapes and sounds.

*Which item in your shop did you enjoy making the most and why?
This is a difficult question to answer as I enjoy different aspects of each item that I make. But if I had to choose, I'd say this blue and white garden sphere (http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=30414258) Working with round objects is challenging and rewarding all at the same time. This was also the first garden sphere I made specifically to sell and not for myself or for someone I know.

*Do you have a blog?
Yes...in addition to our main website, our blog can be found at http://gardensandcrafts.blogspot.com

*What is your favorite shop that uses recycled materials, and/or your favorite blog about recycling?
I really love the wind chimes that are made at http://www.etsy.com/shop/malindadickens
My favorite blog has to do with garden junk: http://empressofdirt.blogspot.com/