Metal scraps turned cute "BRENDA - The Born to Be Bad Little Girl Robot."

The moment I saw these photos of BRENDA - The Born to Be Bad Little Girl Robot, I couldn't not blog about her! According to her etsy description, she's even got a story...

She was supposed to be a sweet and adorable, little robot
but something went terribly wrong...

She rolled off the assembly line on Halloween during a full moon.
Suddenly, a bolt of lightning shocked the factory...
this gal was destined to be trouble.
BRENDA - The Born To Be Bad Little Girl Robot

Designed by Will Wagenaar a.k.a. reclaim2fame, BRENDA measures 15" tall and 9.5" wide, is made of recycled parts and a bit of new hardware, including vintage clockworks and an antique key on her back.

Apparently the last photo (above) is BRENDA "giving Commander Cupcake a hard time."

"Is it really possible for a cute little robot to be evil? Just ask BRENDA."

Click here to check out 38 other items by reclaim2fame on etsy. I'm particularly drawn to "BEGGAR - A Remarkably Persuasive Robot" and "BINKY - A Robot for Baubles And Bangles" a.k.a. "a shiny new ride for your jewelry...." soooo cute!

While I can't personally afford any of Will's creations at the moment, I gotta say... ecoAWESOME! I am particularly impressed with his commitment "to create beautiful and fun new objects using at least 80% recycled materials. Most of [his] pieces are composed of much more than 80% reused material. [He has] been making art and objects from discarded items for over 15 years."

Happy Wednesday!

xo,

ej

PS - Still enjoying reading all your entries into my special Ecojot Ecard January Giveaway :) Keep em' coming till the 31st!

One Man's Trash is Another Man's New Home

I woke up relatively early this morning and came across this article titled "One Man's Trash" on the NYTimes.com and was instantly intrigued... I pulled some photographs from the the Slide Show, but for more pics click here.

"AMONG the traditional brick and clapboard structures that line the streets of this sleepy East Texas town, 70 miles north of Houston, a few houses stand out: their roofs are made of license plates, and their windows of crystal platters.

They are the creations of Dan Phillips, 64, who has had an astonishingly varied life, working as an intelligence officer in the Army, a college dance instructor, an antiques dealer and a syndicated cryptogram puzzle maker. About 12 years ago, Mr. Phillips began his latest career: building low-income housing out of trash."

The photographs just draw you in, especially the one of Mr. Phillips' ceiling made of sample frames! I was particularly intrigued since I recently read an article, also in the NYTimes about how "LEED Seeks to Beef Up Its Credentials." As you may recall, I wrote about LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), a couple months ago. I was pleased to hear that they're seeking to improve their credentials, considering it turns out may LEED certified designs are not living up to their green name.

The simplicity of Mr. Phillips' desire to help others by way of preventing trash to otherwise end up on a landfill and instead be made useful to provide a roof over heads is very inspiring. Not to mention the fact that it resulted in both his town and Houston to set up a donation site for recycled material.

I like to come up with new uses for things I would otherwise through away, but Mr. Phillips takes it to a whole new level... He's built 14 homes made up of 80% recycled materials... Kudos!

Am going to finish my fluffy pancakes covered in wild blueberry syrup and maple syrup, then enjoy the day!

Happy Labour Day Weekend! Not sure if I'll be posting on Monday, but I'll definitely be back on Tuesday ;)

xo,
ej

PS- If you call Guelph home, don't forget that next Saturday, September 12th, I'll be at Wyndham Art Supplies, 164 Wyndham Street North, Guelph, Ontario from 12-4pm for my second Ecojot Fan Appreciation Event!

"It all comes back to you"

This is a funny ad by WWF reminding us to recycle...

It has been 36 days and the Toronto City-Wide Garbage Strike has finally come to an end. And I must admit, while it has smelled like garbage, I am happy to see that people haven't been littering that I've see anyway.

Now if only summer would arrive! July has been particularly rainy here in southern Ontario :,(

Happy Wednesday! Here's hoping the weather is nice and sunny wherever you are!

xo,

ej