Okey-doke, so I’m back from my mini-vacay today, although I’m still kinda in vacation mode, hence no post before noon!  I am sunburned, tired from all the swimming & walking I did and kinda bummed out that all the hard work that I put in with my Wii fit before I left was blown away with 2 days of margaritas and ice cream.  But, it was totally worth it!  I do need to remember to take more vacations, my last one was about 2 years ago. It is so important to get away from work for a bit and to spend time with loved ones though. In fact, Mr. Indie Fixx and I are talking about going to the Shenandoah Mountains in October and I better get cracking and make our reservation before all the cabins get filled up. It’s back to the grind today though.

To everyone who has emailed me, please be patient, it may take me the rest of the week to slog through my Inbox.

Also, there will be no  Indie Artist Fixx interview today, but don’t worry the series will be back next week with my interview with Katherine Babin of dejarnette new orleans.  Btw, I am making arrangements for my fall interviews, so if there is an indie artist, designer or indie boutique owner that you’d like to know more about, send me an email or leave a comment below and I’ll see if I can’t work something out.

Learn how to make these super cute paper bracelets over at Comox Valley Kids.  I like them for big people too!

Unholster your glue guns, sharpen your scissors and grab your GIMP because there’s a Craft-Off going on here at Indie Fixx!

Here’s a breakdown of the rules:1. Create a crafty good.

2. Incorporate the number two in your project. Examples include: create an amigurumi wearing a shirt with the number 2 on it, knit a scarf in 2 different colors (use the Indie Fixx colors for extra fun) or make two tissue paper flowers from this Tutorial Tuesday project.

3. Types of items accepted include those created by the following means:  knitting, sewing, drawing, painting, photography, using Popsicle sticks, sky-writing, gocco creations, the use of Gimp, finger painting, or really anything that you can come up with.  Extra points will be given for creativity.

4. Make your crafty creation yourself….no help from mom!

5. To enter: Upload a photo of your entry to the Indie Fixx Craft-Off Flickr Group, email me an image of your entry or mail your entry to:

Indie Fixx Craft-Off
P.O. Box 291
Newark, DE 19715

Mailed entries cannot be returned, but will be photographed and added to the Indie Fixx Craft-Off Flickr Group. I’m not sure what I will do with any mailed entries yet, but I may do a raffle to raise money for charity. Please let me know if you would be interested in this idea or not, if you decide to mail your entry.

6.  Entries will be accepted from August 6th - September 6th.

7. The winners will be voted on by the readers of Indie Fixx. I will choose the stand-out entries and create a poll for readers to choose their favorites.   There will be two winners.

8. The Prizes!  There are two prizes for the top two winners of the reader poll. The prizes are listed below.

PRIZE #1

1. One-year subscription to Craft: magazine
2. Lotta Jansdotter book published by Chronicle Books: Lotta Prints
3. Winner’s choice crochet pattern from NexStitch
4. Sexy Librarian embroidery kit from Sublime Stitching
5. Bracelet kit from Jennifer Casady
6. Button Ring kit from Sew Bettie
7. Journal from Ex Libris Anonymous
8. 2 pre-printed Crafty Chica Market Totes and a Crafty Chica bobblehead

PRIZE #2

1. One-year subscription to Craft: magazine
2. Book published by Chronicle Books: Lacy Crochet
3. Winner’s choice crochet pattern from NexStitch
4. The Black Apple embroidery kit from Sublime Stitching
5. Bracelet kit from Jennifer Casady
6. Button Ring kit from Sew Bettie
7. Journal from Ex Libris Anonymous
8. 2 pre-printed Crafty Chica Market Totes and a Crafty Chica bobblehead

I am taking a much needed vacation today & tomorrow and going to the beach (Lewes & Rehoboth, Delaware). I’ll be back on Wed, but don’t worry I will still be posting thanks to the modern advances in blogging technology…okay, I just post-dated my posts.

Anyway, I’ll be thinking of you all when I am sitting on the beach and I will be back before you know it.

In the meantime, here’s some lovely eye candy for you that I discovered via Love Forever, crochet flowers from Suili. I think I will need to make a purchase when I get home.

***Winners in the 2nd Anniversary Giveaway and the Back to School contest will be shared when I return.

by guest contributor Jessica Gonacha

Continuing with the ‘back-to-school’ theme from my post last week, I thought we’d take a look at some eco-friendly school supplies, just in time for the first day back!

1. Recycled Newspaper pencils by TreeSmart — made of 100% recycled newspapers, rolled around #2 lead!

2. Biodegradable Pens by Vegetarian Shoes at Vegan Essentials.

3. Ecojot Notebooks — 100% recycled paper from 100% post-consumer waste. No new trees were used to make their products!

4. Recycled paper clips — made from 100% recycled steel.

5. Staple-free stapler — this genius stapler stitches sheets of paper together in place of a staple.

6. Hemp Messenger Bag by Green Guru Gear — and the bottom of the bag is made from reclaimed rubber inner tubes!

7. Baumm Recycled Messenger Bag– based in Buenos Aires, this company makes their products from recycled billboards and banners.

8. Notebooks, Binders, and more by Greenroom Eco — awesome designs, recycled and printed with non-toxic soy ink.

9. Elephant Poo Poo Paper Journal — available at Target.  And yes, it’s really made from elephant waste.

Have fun! Back to school shopping was always my favorite, and I’ve been trying to think of excuse for why I need to go ‘back-to-school’ shopping, even though I’m not in school anymore!

GREEN CHALLENGE: Make notepads out of scrap paper to keep around your house for note-taking. Raid the recycling bin, and whatever doesn’t have anything printed on the back, USE IT! Maybe you can create a cardboard back for your pad out of a cut up cereal box? Maybe make a cover with a collage from old magazines? Use your imagination, and post your creations to the  Indie is the New Green flickr group!

About the contributor: Jessica Gonacha is an artist from Atlanta, Georgia who is endlessly creating. Her work includes paintings, drawings, illustrations, and paper goods and is vibrant, colorful, and charming. Her work can be found on her site, in her Etsy shop and in the Indie Fixx Shop. You can also read more about Jessica and her work on her blog.

Look to Minka for striking & boldly designed bags made with and inspired by rich African fabrics from Cameroon, Nigeria, Côte d’Ivoire, Mali, Senegal and Holland. Care is taken to make sure each bag is made with careful attention to construction and detail. Choose from clutches, totes, pouches and more.

**Sponsored post**