Lucky for us, when we don’t know what to do with clothes or items that no longer fit (either our bodies or our style tastes), we can turn to Swapdom.com, a site dedicated to trading people’s beloved items that also specializes in the benefits of recycling!

We’ve all had what many like to call the “closet crisis.” You know, where you open your closet doors and brace yourself in fear of the rack snapping and your clothes devouring you like an angry ocean. Or the shoebox mountain that took you months to build comes down like an avalanche similar to a round in Jenga gone wrong. Some may refer to you as a hoarder (you prefer “clothing connoisseur” or just simply “collector”) because you can’t seem to let anything go. What if there was a way for you to feed your habit but also clean out your closet at the same time? That’s right, cleaning and shopping simultaneously can be done on this gem of a website called, Swapdom.

At first glance Swapdom may seem like just another e-commerce website similar to eBay or Amazon. Alas, it is like no such thing out there right now! Normally on those sorts of typical ecommerce websites, you usually have to negotiate with a seller and put bids on items (which you are then feverishly checking on the item 467 times a day, praying that no one has out-bid you). Talk about stressful shopping! It sounds just as bad as going to the mall on Black Friday …no thank you. Good thing Swapdom has taken big strides in changing the game when it comes to the benefits of recycling used and much loved items and giving them a chance at a new life while making all of the sellers and recipients super happy.

The major difference that completely sets Swapdom apart is its swapping system. Gone are the days of wanting an item, hoping the seller will like what you’re offering, resulting in what is supposed to be a successful trade that actually just ends in disappointment because the seller isn’t the least bit interested. Swapdom doesn’t allow room for letdowns. Instead, Swapdom uses a really neat method of grouping people together that are all interested in different items from each other. Basically, the whole negotiation process is eliminated. For example, Person A can give something to Person B and Person B can give something to Person C until it comes back around full circle. That means every customer is satisfied! No more disappointments, frowny faces, or feelings of despondency over a lost item! That’s something we can all celebrate.

Also, Swapdom does ALL the work for you. Seriously. All you’re required to do is request what you want, show what you have to offer, then hang back in your hammock with a nice, cold drink while Swapdom creates a group of individuals looking to swap with each other. Once that’s been done, you have 10 days to approve your swap, then pack and ship the item you’ll be trading and VOILA! Bing, bang, boom, done! How easy and effortless is that?

The best part about this whole site is that so many articles of clothing and accessories (even houseware items and kid stuff!) are saved from ending up in the trash. That’s huge. All of these once-loved pieces and items are blessed with the opportunity to be loved again in a whole new way and continue to fulfill their purposes. Easy and fun with a conscious intention, Swapdom epitomizes the benefits of recycling in the coolest, most innovative way.

Related on EcoSalon

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8 Creative Recycled Paper Crafts: Get Crafty with Your Recycling

8 Irresistible Green and Glam Clothing Swap Websites

Image via Swapdom

The post Swapdom Exercises the Benefits of Recycling with Multi-Person Trade Site appeared first on EcoSalon.

I’m a down to business, cut through the clutter, don’t beat around the bush type of gal. So when it comes to the home and “collecting” I agree with Mies (van der Rohe, that is) that ‘Less is More’.

That is unless we’re talking art.

Collecting art is not an elitist activity, nor is it frivolous and petty. The need to beautify our sacred spaces is innate, going back to cave drawings and chinoiserie.

The well-known Pollacks and Warhols, Rembrandts and Renoirs are lovely to look at, but surrounding ourselves with expensive art isn’t the only option.

Many contemporary artists work with found objects and recycled and local materials. They’re conscious of inks and waste and number of reproductions. And some of them are actually good.

Although art is a very personal thing and your tastes will differ from mine, I’ve selected a few of my favorites for your perusal. Go ahead – discover, explore, find inspiration and start your own collection.

Italian artist Fabio Zanino (image above) takes old road signs, breaks them apart and reconstructs them into visually interesting, graphically pleasing. His work is rough around the edges with a twist of hip and cool. (via Junkculture).

Another favorite, but expressing a completely different attitude is Alyson Fox (image above). She “makes things from paper, fabric, books, ceramics, thread, wallpaper, office supplies, photographs, old tattered things, new polished things, furniture, and cement.” (via Little Paper Planes). Lovely, petite, precious, precise and especially emotionally charged.

Marlo Pascual (top image and images above) is another talent who works with existing items. But she takes the typical and adds the odd or random – a rock, pushpin, plant or candle. She rolls on the side of strange and probably isn’t for everyone, but you must admit she’s clever, witty and resourceful. Her work just does something to me. (via The Jealous Curator).

Last, but hardly least, is South Korean designer Soojin Kang (image above). Gotta love a girl who wears her conscience on her creative sleeve. Here she expresses the inspiration behind her Patched Chair:

I believe that the lack of consciousness with which people easily throw their objects away will increase in the future even more. It is important now therefore that we need to consider our basic needs and what we already possess, and to use these materials wisely and beautifully. (via Dezeen).

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