Handmade for the Holidays ~ I Am The Mandy

Upcycled Magazine Earrings
Made from unwanted magazines,
these rolled, twisted, folded and
contorted earrings are very friendly
to the environment. Each earring set
is accented with multiple colored
beads and sealed with a water resistant
laquer to ensure it's longevity. Available
in circle, square, and oval shapes

Happy Monday, everyone! This week's featured crafter is special because... she didn't actually ask me to feature her. One of her fans recommended her! Now how's that for buckets of awesome???  Mandy Stos, of iamthemandy.com, is here for a little visit to tell you all about herself. Check this out:

Mandy Renee Stos, crafter and upcycling diva behind iamthemandy.com is not only an artist and entrepreneur, but an inventive environmentalist as well. She combines craft with recycling, producing items that are unique, functional, and the ultimate in eco-chic.

Mandy believes that upcycling a single item can help reduce waste and create a more environmentally friendly life style. Upcycling is defined as: the process of converting unwanted materials or useless products into new materials or products of better quality or higher environmental value. Her product line is designed entirely of 85-90% reused or repurposed materials. They can be found locally, online at iamthemandy.com and in numerous handmade stores across the country. She strives to help promote and encourage other citizens to upcycle or simply donate any unwanted items to local organizations. Doing so keeps landfills down, promotes green efficiency, and makes you feel all giddy inside.

Furthermore, Mandy has been nominated for Kansas City Connections class of 2011 Kansas City's Top 40 Professionals under 40! If she wins, all proceeds (it costs $5 to cast one vote, the proceeds of which will be put in the charity pool. The amount may be changed if you'd like to vote more than once. Click on the picture of the flyer, above, to be taken to the voting site) will be donated to her charity, the Parisole Arts Foundation of Kansas City. Voting is open until November 2, 2011. How impressive is that?

Upcycled Crocheted Area T-Shirt Rug
redecorate: Your house or apartment with an area rug. Perfect for
your kitchen,bathroom, bedroom, or front door. This is a crocheted
one of a kind (OOAK) rugmade with salvaged t-shirts cut into
strips and stitched to perfection. The rug is super durable but soft
to the touch. It's made from t-shirts! Have we said that yet?

Measures 25.5" in diameter, perfect for bathroom, kitchen,
office, living room,bedroom, playroom, nursery, dorm room, or
any other room that needs a nice rug or mat. Not the colors
you were looking for? Contact us for custom rug orders!

From jewelry to household items to totes, Mandy does it all. Pricing for her upcycled creations range from $8 to $46, not including shipping. You'll find Mandy hanging around in lots of places online, including
facebook,
twitter,
foursquare,
YouTube,
LinkedIn,
Etsy,
Pinterest,
Digg,
HowGreen .
And when you're looking through your Christmas list,  getting ready to order great things from Mandy for friends and family, remember that the cut off date for Christmas orders of existing stock is December 12 for both US and Canada.  If you're too much of a traditionalist to order anything online, you can also reach iamthemandy.com by PHONE. Just dial 785.274.9516! 


Mandy welcomes custom orders for all her products. Please keep in mind when considering a custom order that there will be a two week turn around. If you have fabric, buttons, shirts for a rug, etc. that you would like used in a product, the custom option is available. Turn around time in that case will vary, depending on the delivery time of your item to the studio. Cut off date for custom Christmas orders for the US and Canada is December 1st. 

This woman has all the talent I wish I had been born with *sniffle*. If you've been following Handmade for the Holidays, you know that each week as I feature a crafter and their wares, the crafter also offers a giveaway exclusive to Living with Logan readers! This week is no different, and you're going to LOVE this one! Check out this stacked vintage button ring:

Upcycled Vintage Button Ring
A handcrafted ring with 3/4" stacked buttons, wire wrapped with
Silver Tarnish Proof Wire. It's a one of a kind (OOAK) item, and
it's ALSO Mandy's favorite!!

And now, all the responsible stuff before the fun giveaway part: iamthemandy, product pictures, and all references to same belong to Mandy Stos and are used here with permission for purposes of this feature and giveaway only.