Friday Eco Fabulous Seller - Nicole from Brizel Handcrafts

Nicole not only has one eco friendly boutique, but 3.

Brizel Handcrafts focuses on One of a kind (OOAK) special occasion items such as Brigit Crosses; Silk Tapestry Hip & Table Pouches, Silk Tapestry Boxes & mini Rugs, Hip Button Belts, Key Message Bracelets & Tagua Nut jewelry.

Brizel Supplies has colorful vintage buttons from around the world and beautiful handwoven sashes from Guatemala.

Brizel 4 The Animals contains beads, charms, buckles, fabric, destash goodies, vintage and estate items, interesting books and other quality items !

Wow! Talk about a busy and dedicated woman! Not only does she manage all 3 boutiques, but she does them in an environmentally aware frame of mind.

"I approach everything that I do and make... with a consciousness and awareness... that is focused on the well being of everything and every being that might have been effected in producing any and all components that were used in making the product. Its a tough process... because essentially there is an impossibility to this task... every action has an impact, for better or for worse. I try to be concerned not only for the environment but also for animals and humans. Being a green business, to me, means that I want to minimize that impact as much as possible."

When Nicole buys crafting supplies, she is environmentally aware. Some are made of something that was reclaimed; like the Silk Sari Yarn she uses. She also rescues items from being thrown away; like the Guatemalan sashes. If it a vintage item that wants to be re-used; especially the buttons she uses, she takes every opportunity to recycle it.
Not only does she stick to the 3 R's (Recycle, reuse, reduce) but she uses eco-friendly products too; like the renewable tagua nut wood. Her ceramic clay beads or silk yarn made from banana fibers are all natural materials. Finally, she also uses local materials like the apple wood that she grows and prunes herself.

"Then I also apply those sensibilities to how I package my products- both in presentation and shipment." Jewelry goes into handmade draw string bags that will be cherished and re-used by the new owners. "I try to find packaging supplies that are made from recycled materials and that would also be easily recyclable or reusable by the recipient." Nicole reuses packaging materials as extra measures: such as bottle caps, gently used bubble wrap & envelopes, paper & plastic bags and colorful pasta boxes.
With that in mind, she never compromises on the beauty of the presentation as she wants to keep everything looking lovely and on a professional level. "I love what I do and I want it to show :)"

Lastly, Nicole tries not be excessive about anything because she believes that being green is about being humble with all resources !

You can check out Nicole's Eco friendly stores here
http://www.brizelhandcrafts.etsy.com
http://www.brizelsupplies.etsy.com
http://www.brizel4TheAnimals.etsy.com

Check out her blog!
http://brizelhandcrafts.blogspot.com/

You can also find her on Flickr
http://www.flickr.com/photos/brizelhandcrafts/

These are some unique places definitely worth checking out!!