So who in the UK sells Re-cycled goods?

I have been looking through the shops of Etsy again seeing how many people in the UK use re-cycled material in their work. I came across so many that I might have to do a few more articles to fit items from them all in. Here are today's selection of goodies that most definitely prove that with skill and talent re-using/re-purposing materials, that others discard as junk, can result in gorgeous items being made.

To start us off we have KoolKookyKreatures with her funky Monster Jake, who adorns the front of a recycled paper sketch pad. He may not be all that great at grrr-ing loudly enough to scare people out of poking around in your sketch book but he might over dose them on cuteness.

I've known of this ladies work for a long time, as I know a lot of people that own her hats. They are very popular in the fire spinning community. HelenHats goods are all made from re-purposed fabrics, mainly knitted items. This beautiful hooded sweater is no exception. Helen has a talent for de-constructing garments, mixing them up and fitting them back together to make something completely new and very wearable. Her shop is cram packed with goodies of all sizes.

Do you fancy a retro doorstop? Well if you do, surf over to Swirlyarts and check out her chickens! This one is made from vintage fabric and is eager to hold the door for you. What a gent! There are a lot of other recycled goods in her shop, so stop by and take a look.

As with a most of these items you would never tell that this beautiful bag was made from recycled materials unless you were told. Pouch definitely has talent! This medium sized bag has lots of space inside to store all manner of things and it's wide shoulder strap means it's not going to dig into you no matter how much you fill it up.

Inspired by nature and made from "reclaimed silver from recycled products such as photographic and dental supplies, and circuit boards." to quote the maker. How great is that? Silverofthevalley makes her items from art clay silver, so she is in effect turning old electrical bits and bobs and dental surgery waste into beautiful items of jewellery. I think that's brilliant!

I confess, this artwork ROCKS MY SOCKS! My fathers family are from North Wales around where all the slate mines are and I remember well as a child going to see slate being cut and split to make roof tiles, so imagine my joy to see that old roof slates were being given a new and beautiful life by Reform. Her shop is full of fantastic pieces all reclaimed/recycled/re-purposed. I shall be visiting it again soon to see what's new!

Now if you're a fan of bright, vibrant and big, and you like to make a bold statement with your jewellery you need to visit JoyAndJewels. She takes the old, mixes it with the new and creates jewellery that will be sure to make you stand out from the crowd. This piece is made up from vintage lucite and pearl beads and is finished off with this amazing turquoise blue vintage flower. If your thing is something with more twinkly sparkle she has lots for you to see too. Take a wander through her shop and be amazed at what you see.

Lots of great sellers all making recycling look effortless. So why don't more of us do it? We need to work towards a more sustainable way of living. I applaud these artisans for leading the way!