Reader of the Week: Ashli McCarter of Blacksburg, Virginia
Designer of PenguinLove
By Jihanah Rasul
Published: March 18th, 2008 | 10:35am
A lot of companies offer eco-friendly products. What sets apart PenguinLove’s stuff?
Everything is made from something recycled. I mainly make recycled journals out of hardback books and soft-covered mini journals from the pages of books. I like to use all the pages of my books, so I make light-switch covers, pocket mirrors, and recycled envelopes using these leftover pages. I also use other vintage materials, including maps, sheet music, and comic books to make products.
How did PenguinLove come about?
PenguinLove actually started as me making jewelry, but I didn’t enjoy it as much as I thought. I saw a tutorial online about painting pages in old books white to make a sketchbook. I am way too impatient to do that, so I thought, “Why not make new insides!” So I learned Coptic stitch and started making new insides for my old books. I enjoyed it so much that I gave up jewelry and started making books. After making books for a while, I had a ton of leftover book insides — that’s when I started making the other stuff in my shop.
"Green” products are all the rage right now. Was it always your intention to be a part of this new awareness?
I have always recycled, and when I started making books, it made sense to recycle my scraps and use recycled paper. At first I didn’t realize how strongly people would respond to the fact my items are recycled. Customers started telling me how great it was that I was rescuing books from landfills. So now I promote the fact that I have recycled products, and I’m more involved in promoting eco-awareness. I’ve also become even more environmentally aware since I started making recycled items. I think of the world different now, I always think, “What can I do with that?” before I throw it away.
Where do you find the materials?
I mainly find my materials at my local thrift shop. All the thrift shop proceeds go to local youth groups. The thrift shop also has free book section; books in the area eventually get thrown away, so I snag them before this happens. I have been known to rescue books from boxes next to dumpsters. I also have received books from Freecycle.
Where can our readers find your products?
Reader can buy my products in my Etsy shop at PenguinLove.Etsy.Com. You can also see new products before they hit my Etsy shop at Myspace.com/etsypenguinlove.
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Issue #35
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