Let's Repurpose!

We know about reuse, recycle, and upcycle, but the most difficult for me is to repurpose. To have an item that is in good condition and that I love, but it's intended use is no longer necessary (or logical). I don't want to rework these pieces or alter them if I don't have to.

To repurpose an object requires we "think outside the box", and I find this extremely difficult sometimes. I will stand and stare at the item trying to picture other uses in my mind. There are some people on this blog who are very good at this, I'm not one of them.

An example is this linen piece which was created to hold the knives from a silverware set. I have absolutely no use for it for my knives. However, it is in mint condition with hand embroidery done lovingly by someone many years ago. The thought of altering this in any way wasn't an option for me. After spending literally months thinking about it, I realized it would make excellent storage for my crochet hooks, and could accommodate a large quantity and variety of sizes. Perfect! I'm thrilled with its new use.

What objects do you have that you can't part with, but are at this moment wrapped and stored in a box somewhere? It's time to get them out where you can see them, think about them, and find a current way of enjoying these pieces. In the post by goodgosh, Peggy last week, she painted a  figurine in blackboard paint, and now messages can be written on it, and it's adorable as well as fun. Repurposing adds new life to old objects and make great conversation pieces.

Collecters, crafters, and artists are the original recylers. We've been doing it all our lives.

pepper

STUFF AND NONSENSE

1.  Ever wanted to paint like Jackson Pollock?

http://www.jacksonpollock.org/
Enter the Jackson Pollock link and drag you cursor over the page, click your mouse to change the color of the ink.
Want to save your masterpiece….do a screen shot of it and save it as a jpg into a file of your choice.

2. Wonder where the severe weather is?

http://www.wunderground.com/severe.asp

3.  This is for Sarah~Magnolia Surprise
How to write upside down….

http://www.revfad.com/flip.html

Write your sentence in the top box, it will be flipped in the bottom box…then copy and paste the upside down sentence.

4. Want to create a mosaic for your blog or website?

http://bighugelabs.com/mosaic.php

5. List of Etsy acronyms and lingo

http://www.etsywiki.com/index.php?title=List_of_Etsy_acronyms_%26_Lingo

6. How to find a font you like and install it on your computer

http://citrustreedesigns.blogspot.com/2009/01/how-to-find-font-you-like-and-install.html


7.  Word Clouds

http://www.wordle.net/

Click on CREATE, fill in one of the 3 sections (this is the word cloud for the URL of our blog), click go under the top box or submit under the next 2 boxes, play with the colors, fonts, layouts, etc….then save to public gallery….I then did a screen shot of the masterpiece saved it as a jpg, and then edited it in my photo program.

8. Want to be notified if your ever on the Front Page and other info…

http://www.statsy.org/vutrac.php

9. Circle The Cat Game…will drive you crazy!

http://www.members.shaw.ca/gf3/circle-the-cat.html

10.  Recipe site….yum!

 

http://www.chow.com/recipes/10992-pico-de-gallo?tag=search_results;results_list

11.  How to do a screen shot on a PC:
Open up your page you want a screen shot of, then click on view in the tabs at the top of the page and click on Full Screen, position your page then find the keyboard button for Print Scr (top row, right hand side) hit that key, then
open up your programs and find Paint, open it...
Open Edit, click on Paste, next open your File tab and click on Save as (save as a jpg.) then put it in any file you want on your computer. I save all mine to a file on my desktop.

12.  Screen shot on a MAC:
Click on the browser window you want to capture. Press Shift + Command + 3 at the same time. This will create a picture on your desktop. Rename it and upload your file to your bug report.

VE

Make Someone Happy!

It's tough enough getting a sale these days on Etsy.  Think how it is for new shops, being small fish in a big sea.

I've done a series of treasuries of shops that are still waiting to be discovered.  Stop by and make someone happy, make just one someone happy!

This week, I continued my series of undiscovered shops called Marvelous Marvels, here is this weeks entries:

Part I:

http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4caa6a8e8f586d91721b0ba3/undiscovered-shops-marvelous-marvels

Part II:

http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4cacd1a4633e8eef367f1b3f/undiscovered-shops-marvelous-marvels

Part III:

http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4caf155ec2268eef19c31220/undiscovered-shops-marvelous-marvels

Last week.

Sewing and Scrapbook:  http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4ca5240d29de6d9115e5dc27/undiscovered-shops-sewing-and-scrapbook

Art and Photography:  http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4ca5d10b44188eeff1ab4655/undiscovered-shops-art-and-photography

Knitting and Jewelry:  http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4ca71762868d6d911348844f/undiscovered-shops-knitting-and-jewelry

Vintage and Misc. items:  http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4ca863ba63448eef874ce1c7/undiscovered-shops-vintage-and-misc

Simply click on the links above to see some amazing new shops on Etsy!  And don't forget to leave comments on the treasuries!

Primitive Stitching

I love the simplicity of primitive stitching!  There's no rules, you do things the way you want to.

You start out with a pattern, muslin (color of your choice) and a Mark B Gone (these are the fabric pens that disappear when you are done and wet the fabric) pen.

Lay the muslin over the pattern and trace it with your Marks A Lot pen.  If you are having trouble seeing the pattern, you can use a light box behind it all.

Now you start stitching following the lines.  Your stitches don't need to be uniform, that's the fun of primitive stitching.

I used 4 strands for the Happy Fall sign and 2 strands for the rest.  I love using the loop method when stitching so there's no knots on the back.  Only drawback to this is you must use an even amount of strands.

Continue to stitch until finished.  At this point, you can tea dye the fabric or do other methods of your choice to darken the material or make it look old.

This project is on the smaller scale and can easily be done in a few hours during the evening!  Do a larger one for a weekend project.  Either way, they work up quickly.  Most primitive stitcheries use very few colors. 

After dying, press the entire piece and frame.  I use quilt batting to back it and never put glass on them.

I've done so many of these and have always enjoyed doing them.  Believe it or not, I don't have one of these of my own, they are always taken by friends or family members!  I think my favorite ones to do are Halloween primitives!

This one is going to be part of the next blog giveaway!  Hope you like it.
RWS

"A Day in the Life" with Michelle”

Okay, do you have your cup-o-joe?  It’s that time of the week again.  I’m so excited to share with you this week because I have purchased from this shop and I was just dying to know how she creates such beautiful pieces.  So get ready, it’s time to take a journey to:

A Day in the Life with Michelle,

owner of IRCrafty

Click on the banner to go visit her shop

Duuuuuude:  How long have you been creating items from Polymer Clay?  

Michelle:  I have been working with Polymer Clay for 10 or so years.  I started by making little figurines and then discovered a Millefiori technique (little flowers).  I began up-cycling Altoids Tins by embellishing with Polymer Clay about 5 years ago, however, the Millefiori technique I'm currently using, I have only been using for a little over 1 year. 

Sample of a cane

Duuuuuude:  Michelle, I’m not that familiar with the terms “Millefiori” and “canes”.  Can you give us just a little background on this?

Michelle:  Millefiori or “caning” originates from an ancient Venetian glass-blowing technique where long rods of glass were made with tiny flowers going through the entire length. It is Italian for “A thousand flowers”.  Polymer Clay artists have adapted this technique for use with clay.   

Duuuuuude:  What inspired you to start creating these?

Michelle:  I cover many things with clay.... Pens, votive candles... if it can be baked, I've most likely covered it.  I carry my daily dose of vitamins around in my purse in an empty Altoids Tin.  On one of those days where I had a creative spark, I decided to cover it with clay to make it a little prettier.  I have to admit, it didn't turn out quite a nice as I had hoped.  With practice, I was able to make them nice enough to begin giving them as gifts.

Beautiful Trinket box

Duuuuuude:  Tell us a little bit about your process for creating

Michelle:  I start a project by pulling out all of my canes and decide on a color combination.  I pick a coordinating background color and then slice paper thin flowers off of the canes and place them onto the background.  This part just kinds of develops as I go along.  I create a sort of "Fabric Sheet" of the clay and flowers.  That sheet gets draped over whatever item is to be covered.  Or I roll them into beads and then bake them.  After all is cooled, I wet sand the pieces with 5 decreasing grades of sandpaper until they are smooth and shiny. 

Duuuuuude:  Where do you typically get your supplies?  

Michelle:  I get my clay from a variety of places, depending where I can get the best price.  Mostly craft shops, but there are a couple of brands of clay that I can only get online and I only get those for certain applications.

   

The Altoids tins I get from many friends and family members that collect them for me

The IRCrafty Studio

Duuuuuude:  Where do you get your ideas for your items?  

Michelle:  I try to carry my camera wherever I go and snap pictures of flowers in nature.  Then I try to duplicate the colors in the canes that I create. 

Duuuuuude:  Where do you sell your items?

Michelle:  I have done a couple of craft fairs but mostly in my Etsy Shop.

Duuuuuude:  Anything else you'd like us to know?

Puffy Heart Bead

Michelle:  I am also in the process of making more of a variety of polymer clay beads.  I'm not sure if I am going to develop them into jewelry pieces or sell the beads for others to create jewelry. 

Thanks Michelle, I truly enjoyed getting to know your “craft” a little better.

Click logo to visit shop

Don’t forget to check out her shop at:  --------------> 


Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend.

Upcycling

Definition: Upcycling is "The practice of taking something that is disposable and transforming it into something of greater use and value"

We all have had that feeling while getting ready to throw something out that "Gee, maybe I could use it for something....?"  Yet it gets thrown in the trash.

Well, it is our job as artists and pickers to see the possibilities and produce the vision. It is a mission I embrace with open arms.

At times it's just a matter of taking a neglected, abused and beaten item and bringing it back to it's rightful place in the world, and other times we bring things back to serve another purpose. We are doing the earth and humanity a great service.  And having a dang good time doing it. :)

Old Costco step stool ladder in sad sad shape until I re-painted the metal and cushions. Candle sticks all saved from a boring existence and given a fresh, fun look.

Snow White was heading for the dumpster in the sky until I rescued her and made her into a chalk board ~ fun for little kids and big kids.

Antique stained glass window made into a coat, hat, purse rack with old door knobs I have found.

So next time you go to throw something away stop and think "Gee, someone can make something out of this!"  and donate it or put it to the curb.  We'll find it.

Peggy ~ Goodgosh

All from a block of wood

    My dad started wood carving back in 1976 when he broke his leg in three places and was rather laid up. His first carving was a relief of an eagle done in mahogany.  This first carving came out pretty good and he enjoyed it so much he continued to carve. He did a few more reliefs and then decided to try some figures. One of my favorites (and one that he carved especially for me) was from the book of “Gnomes”.

He traveled around the country working at trade shows and would take a block or two of wood with him and his knives. He would sit on the plane (yes, on the plane!) carving away during his flight.  He most likely would have been locked away if he tried that these days!

He met a lot of people that were curious as to what he was doing, and always came home with fun stories. Sometimes he would even have people wanting him to carve something for them and he would. He would usually barter with them for payment.

           A little before Christmas he carved his first Santa, which he presented to my mother. After that he started carving a different Santa for my mom each year. Once they were carved he would  paint them with oil paints and then top them with a light finish. 

So many of my mom’s friends loved his Santas and asked him to make them one. He always obliged, but my mom would get the very first one. He would pick a Santa from a different country, style or color and adapt it to his carving. Sometimes he would just make his own (like the barefoot sleeping Santa) He also had fun making small ones and could whip them out pretty quickly. He almost always added some little toys to the bags if they were holding one.

His trademark was carving the feet on his Santas. I think he enjoyed when people would look at them and see the soles of their boots, with little stitches and all. He would sign and date them there also.

 

              One of the last Santas he made was a Russian Santa all in white. 

Over the years my mom has given me and my sister some of his Santas for Christmas. This is something that we both treasure.   

I hope you enjoy seeing a few of his carvings, and for anyone that knew him if you notice a slight resemblance to him in his Santas, well, that may have been intentional…

(jj)