Holiday 2012 Pre-Sale Happening Now!

TDD is having a Holiday Pre-Sale on select eco-chic clutches and wristlets! Sale ends on October 25, 2012 and quantities are limited! You won't find this sale on the website or the Etsy shop. Message TDD on Facebook to take advantage of this great offer.

First up, we have The Plum Blossom and The Courtesan Fused Eco Clutches. These clutches were originally designed for Mayim Bialik and Cat Deeley, respectively. The fusing looks like distressed leather with gorgeous cotton fabric and a snap closure. They are envelope-style and are a fantastic eco upcycled accessory!

Measure approx. 4.5" tall and 12" long (11.4cmx30.5cm)

Next up, we have hand crocheted, upcycled wristlets! These wristlets were originally designed for the 2011 GBK Emmy Awards Gift Lounge and are in the hands of celebs like Nia Peeples, Penny Marshall, Tina Fey and more.

They come two ways.
1. Upcycled Plastic (plarn) only - available in pewter gray, red, pink, forest green, purple, lime, orange, white, black and natural tan brown with red accents

and

2. Black plarn w/VHS tape - lining choices include black, zebra or cheetah.

Measure approx. 3.5" tall and 6" long (8.9cmx15.2cm)

Message TDD on Facebook to order yours now! They are great holiday gifts, make an eco statement, and are the perfect accessories for parties or an evening out!

Inspiration and Collaboration

Collaborating with other artists can be so inspiring! Take, for example, my collaboration with Canadian artist-extraordinaire Shannon Moyer-Szemenyei of Sweet Stella’s.

I’ve known Shannon for a bit now. Having her to brainstorm with has been a wonderful experience. So much so, that we’ve collaborated professionally a number of times. Our most recent collaboration is using hand sculpted buttons, which she is doing exclusively for TDD, as embellishments on my new line eco-fused clutches.

Dubai Decadence Eco-Fused Clutch

Dubai Decadence Eco-Fused Clutch

Coming Soon! A great nautical eco-fused clutch!

And, I can’t wait to get my hands on these!

Want to see more of Shan's work?

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Celebrating Eco{uture}

I had the opportunity to design a bag for Cari Cucksey from HGTV’s Cash & Cari. After messaging with Cari, I found out that she’s a “tote” girl. It was wonderful when she named her bag “The Cash & Cari Tote: A place to stash your cash while treasure hunting”.

It’s a great bag with lots of texture and a zippered pocket. Her initials are embroidered on the pocket as a special touch that she enjoyed.

I hope that she’s getting tons of use out of this special tote.

This tote will be available soon on the website.

Celebrating Eco{uture}

Having the opportunity to design something and send it to a celebrity is a great experience. I’ve been fortunate in having my designs go to a number of celebrities. This is the first in a series where I’ll take you on that journey.

It all started in 2011, when I had a display at the GBK Emmy Awards Gift Lounge. The actress, Catherine O’Hara (known for Beetlejuice and the Home Alone movies) asked if she could have my display purse because she loved it so much. Of course, I said yes!!

Catherine O'Hara

I had also made evening wristlets with vhs tape as press gifts. Nia Peeples saw them and was fascinated. She is the owner of one of the wristlets now. She was also kind enough to pose with my display purse. Penny Marshall’s eye caught the vhs wristlets as well. Turns out she also asked to keep one. I hope they are enjoying them!

Nia Peeples

Nia Peeples showing her VHS tape evening wristlet

And the late Kathryn Joosten who was known for her roles on The West Wing and Desperate Housewives. I was so sad to hear of her passing earlier this year.

Kathryn Joosten

And so it began!

Eco Monday: Ostlund Custom Works

I love meeting new artists, whether it’s online or in person. I’m also fortunate that most of the artisans I meet are just really nice people. I have to thank Shannon of Sweet Stella’s for introducing me to Ron Ostlund, Jr. and his amazing work.

Ostlund Custom Works is where Ron takes junk and turns it into functional art, home décor and high fashion jewelry. He repurposes and transforms scrap metal into some of the most impressive designs I’ve seen.

Statement Necklace - Currently on display at an art gallery  before being shipped to a celebrity stylist

Ron gets most of his jewelry metals from old engraved plates from engraving shops - metals that were on plaques, trophies and discarded pieces that had mistakes or were cut-offs. These metals are mostly aluminum and brass that he is able to sand down to the bare metal to design into earrings. His cuffs are made from metal that he finds in the scrap yard. Only a small portion of the metal he uses is actually new.

Rear Curving Oval Leaf Earrings

Ron is self-taught. He definitely has an eye for fashion, and says that most of what he does actually works like he wants it to! His dream was to start a jewelry line that was perfect for every woman and every style, hence his G2G “Gothic to Glamorous” line.

In his words:
“I knew I needed to do something different to stand out from the crowd so I decided to make scrap metal high fashion. I decided that before I really knew what I was doing! I just decided that’s what was going to happen so I set out to do it.”

I do believe Ron has succeeded!

1.5”Hammered Brass Cuff 

Find Ostlund Custom Works here:
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Eco Monday: New Designs coming from TDD

On today's Eco Monday post, I want to introduce you to a new design from TDD! I'm very excited about this new direction (don't worry, I'm still crocheting!).

I've begun to fuse plastic to create "fabric" that can be sewn. This method will allow TDD to offer a larger selection of eco clutches and bags. I'm absolutely thrilled with the texture as it's reminiscent of leather and/or snakeskin, but is totally eco and vegan! See for yourself!

Black and silver fused plastic color block clutch -

Or how about something a little more jazzy like this Orange and lime fused color block clutch?

These new designs will be on TDD's newly revamped website (coming soon). But, if you just can't wait, email at info@tinadeandesigns.com!

TDD Teams with Go Green America TV for a very Special Giveaway!

I'm so thrilled to announce that TDD has teamed up with Go Green America TV for a very special giveaway to celebrate TDD's product being featured at the GBK Academy Awards Gift Lounge on February 24 and 25 (as represented by The Artisan Group).

You can win a Denim Throw and Go Mini-Tote! The shell of this eco-friendly tote is upcycled and crocheted from plastic bags (plarn). The lining is repurposed from jeans! It's eco-chic, vegan, and machine washable! It hasn't been listed on the site, so whomever wins it will be the first to have one.

It's super easy to enter the giveaway! Go to Go Green America TV's post - ENTER HERE!

TDD is Bringing Hand Crocheted Eco to the Oscars!

Well, actually, TDD products are Oscar-bound! On February 24-25, TDD will have a display piece and swag bag gifts at the GBK Academy Awards Gift Lounge. I will, again, be represented by The Artisan Group, which had a very successful showing at the GBK Golden Globes Gift Lounge (where TDD gifted the press baskets with a bar of Summerfield Soaps' Buttermilk and Carrot Complexion Soap).

I'm very excited that the newly designed eco-friendly Occoquan Tote Purse will be featured as my display piece! Hand crocheted from upcycled/repurposed plastic grocery bags; it's lined and has a zippered pocket. After receiving customer feedback, models after this design will include a snap closure.

The Occoquan Eco Friendly Tote/Purse

The celebrity swag bags will include an Eco Petite Pocket Purse. These little numbers are hand crocheted from upcycled/repurposed plastic grocery bags and have a magnetic snap and a little bling as a button. They are perfect for keeping coins, lipstick/lip balm, and other small items from cluttering the bottom of your handbag.

And so the excitement for my fellow artisans and I will begin in a couple of weeks! Fingers crossed that we all receive some great photos.

600 Facebook Fan Celebration Giveaway

What a great morning! I woke up this morning to over 600 likes! Time to do a celebration giveaway this weekend for a VHS wristlet clutch! I've decided to let the winner choose the lining from those shown in the album of wristlets on FB.

This is the same wristlet that was designed for the GBK Emmy Gift Lounge and also sent to Jessica Alba and Zooey Deschanel.

Follow my blog and comment below to enter. Giveaway closes on Sunday, 11/20 (tomorrow) at 5pm Eastern. Winner will be randomly chosen soon thereafter. Good luck!

UPDATE:
Congrats to our winner!

Jessica Alba and Zooey Deschanel to Receive TDD Eco Evening Wristlets!

To say I'm excited to be included in this special celebrity gifting opportunity via The Artisan Group is putting it mildly. The VHS/yarn eco evening wristlets will be headed to California for inclusion in the bag this week and will be headed to these two fabulous actresses the week of December 1st.

As excited as I am to gift to both ladies, I'm really so thrilled to be gifting Jessica Alba, a fellow Air Force Brat.

Jessica Alba (left) - actress, film and tv
Zooey Deschanel (rt)- actress/singer, currently of "New Girl" on FOX

These wristlets were initially designed as press gifts for the 2011 GBK Emmy Gift Lounge. Both Penny Marshall and Nia Peeples spied them and asked to take one home.

Here are the wristlets, with cotton cheetah print lining, that are going into these two special bags:

I hope they enjoy!

Help My Eco Business get a Grant to Expand

I decided to post about my trying to win a $25,000 grant from Intuit's Love a Local Business Program. The grant is given every month, but the voting goes in three month cycles, so businesses can expand on their votes. The ending date for this cycle is December 31, 2011. There's no sign up to vote, and you only need to vote once. If you vote, you should put your name or business name in the space provided before your comment (otherwise it looks like I'm voting for myself multiple times and the votes are kicked out).

So what would I use this grant for? I could pay more people to make plarn for me which, in turn, would free up crazy amounts of time to crochet and design and enable me to make more product available. Having multiple people making plarn would also benefit them, as they will be making extra money AND make a small dent in the number of plastic bags floating around in landfills. I would also be able to pay a seamstress in order to offer more bags that are lined.

So, with all that said, I'd so appreciate your vote for my business. Here's the direct link:
http://lovealocalbusiness.intuit.com/pages/fan?b_id=293352

Thanks so much!

Emmy Gift Lounge Excitement Wrap-Up -- Part 2

As promised, here's Part 2 of my wrap-up. Better late than never!

The Gift Lounge wasn't just a ball of excitement for me, but also for my fellow artisans. Here are some of their shots. :)

Jeff Probst w/ Sweet Stellas

Rico Rodriguez w/ AJ Sweet Soap

Maria Canals-Barrera w/ Atutudes

Wes Ramsey w/ Fancy Designs

Beverley Mitchell w/ Bellaroma

The Artisan Group table at the 2011 GBK Emmy Gift Lounge

View all the pictures on The Artisan Group Facebook page.

Here's a list of all the display participants where you should consider doing some of your holiday shopping from: :)
http://www.zazzle.com/beezkneez
http://www.13blackcatsdesigns.com/
http://www.makeitmineparties.com/
http://www.etsy.com/shop/littlefreeradical
http://www.zazzle.com/fancybelle
http://www.autumnbradley.com/
http://www.etsy.com/shop/ajsweetsoap
http://www.bellaromaboutique.com/
http://www.doodlehouse.com/
http://www.rezipit.com/
http://www.etsy.com/shop/IlenePriceDesign
http://www.etsy.com/shop/atutudes
http://www.etsy.com/shop/LCVintageJewelry
http://www.thelonelypixel.com/
http://www.etsy.com/shop/ellemoss
http://www.etsy.com/shop/thelightfantastic
http://www.ocstylescreations.etsy.com/
http://www.aromatichealthshop.ca/
http://www.etsy.com/shop/papermusedesigns
http://www.seeingisbelieving.etsy.com/
http://www.etsy.com/shop/sweetstellas
http://www.strandedtreasures.com/
http://www.etsy.com/shop/wagsandwiggles
http://www.honeyprint.com/

Emmy's Blog to Blog Giveaway!

There's a huge blog-to-blog giveaway happening right now!

If you want a chance to win $950 worth of swag, get the details on Fancy Designs blog!

Have fun!

Emmy Gift Lounge Excitement Wrap-Up -- Part 1

The excitement of being in the GBK Emmy Gift Lounge was unbelievable. Of course, when I wanted to do this post, I wound up catching some creeping crud from Andrew (my 12 year old). I'm still trying to recover, but wanted to congratulate my fellow artisans for a job well done! Our table was quite impressive, and we received great feedback.

I was particularly enthused, not only about hearing that Penny Marshall took home a clutch and Catherine O'Hara took home the display purse, but also that Nia Peeples took home a clutch as well. I am also loving the photographer assigned to The Artisan Group for capturing some great posed photos and some great candid shots as well.

Catherine O'Hara loved the eco purse so much, she took it home!

Nia Peeples - currently of Pretty Little Liars

Kathryn Joosten - of Desperate Housewives & The West Wing

Nia Peeples decked out in TDD's purse, AJ Sweet Soap's Banana Split Sundae (and you can see Atutudes tutu in the background).

The Artisan Group Founder Valerie Guerrero explains to Nia Peeples that the clutches are made of vhs tape & yarn.

Nia Peeples showing a friend the clutch.

Beverley Mitchell - of 7th Heaven - finds out that the purse is made of plarn.

Here are some quotes I received on my product:

"That's amazing! Out of grocery bags? Whole Foods, I see." -- Jennifer Carpenter (of Dexter)

"Oh, my God! That's incredible!" -- Cloris Leachman
"This is awesome! This is fantastic! Look at this! Can you believe it's made out of bags?!" -- Nia Peeples
"Oh, I love that!" -- Jason Isaacs (of the Harry Potter films & the upcoming film Abduction)

So that wraps up an amazing ride that was the GBK Emmy Gift Lounge. My next post will focus on my fellow artisans who were there, too. :)