I don’t have anything really to say, except look at these pictures. They totally crack me up.  The Awesome one my brother sent me and the cat one is floating around my office. You can get more like it here.

Obviously, if you know anything about Pack Rat you know we are all about upcycling, i.e. taking “trash” and recycling it into something of greater value than the original. So, once you visit Remarkable Pencils Ltd, a UK based company concerned with recycling plastic cups, juice cartons, plastic boxes, car tires and more into cool office supplies, then you’ll know why I’m in love. Of course, their commitment to environmentally friendly practices, not only in recycling but in their active effort to keep their own environmental footprint as small as possible, is admirable. But I gotta tell you, it’s looking at those little pencils, trying to figure out how they used to be disposable plastic cups that really has my imagination going. Just look at them. As Will Ferrel in Blades of Glory would say, “It’s mind bottling.” Plus, I love their little slogans. The “I used to be a car tyre,” speaks to my love of things that have labels on them, such as mugs that say “mug.”

Me personally, my “embroidery” is a bastardized, fly by the seat of my pants version of the real thing.  But, if you are an old pro at needle work and are looking for something a little different, why not try your hand at traditional Indian embroidery?  Here’s some pictures to help inspire you.