Day 26

I have been faithful to my efforts as I write this post! I have made some Throw Pillows using the same method as the Tote Bag posted 10 days ago.




What I am loving about reusing these bags to make functional items is that there is no waste. For example, I use the scraps from the pillows and bags for the stuffing in the pillows. How great is that!!

This last weekend Bob and I spent some time with another couple who really do their part in trying to live sustainably! They recycle, reuse, thrift, compost, buy local, they even have a motorhome that runs on propane! Anyway, we got to talking about this blog of mine...and we started discussing consumerism and how it is really great that there are more products and materials out in the world that are considered "Green" or "Eco" but what about the stuff that we already have here on planet earth? Should we just toss out all the bad things, put them in a landfill? Or should we use what we have till it literally desinigrates and then we can make and consume materials that are more friendly? Should we dilute or toss things at full strength?

Day 16

So, this project was inspired by a good friend and amazing artist - Heidi Rettig www.heidirettig.com. Heidi has been giving me interesting ideas to incorporate into my epiphany...

I just want to say that I greatly appreciate all of the ideas and info that everyone has given me! It has made this project more interesting and I am inspired by everyone that has contributed!

You know those annoying plastic bags that you get at the grocery store? It almost seems like the cashier doubles up on the bags that one day you forgot to bring your own! Its like a punishment for being forgetful of your conscience effort to reuse your own grocery bags. Well, you don't have to feel bad any longer. There are wonderful and creative things you can do with all that dreaded plastic. This is my first try and its a little rough but as the months go on we will see how many different items I can make with this method of reusing and recycling plastic bags.

This method is called fusing plastic. You take your plastic bags and iron them down to create a very sturdy and pliable material. From there you can sew these pieces together to make anything!! This is the web site that I got from Heidi for directions:
blog.craftzine.com

So, Here is the first of my efforts...it's a tote bag!





Stay tuned, there will be more soon!

Day 6-15

I have not posted lately...! Although I have been successful in my endeavors. My Halloween project went off without a hitch, yet I have not posted the pictures yet because the pictures are inside of my neighbor's camera and I have not gotten them out yet... hee hee! He told me that he would email them soon. Paul, if you are reading this EMAIL ME THE PICTURES...pretty please! I will tell you that Bob and I were a famous couple from the Flinstones... I am sure that is a hard one to figure out!
Anyway, I have done another project. It was a good one. I have this lamp that Bob got for me 7 years ago for my birthday. I love the lamp but the shade on it was falling apart and it really didnt look so great anymore. I searched around for a new (new to me) shade at thrift shops but I couldnt find one that I liked. So...I made my own. I made some paper out of old "SHOTS" magazines (Shots is a photography publication that is quite good but, I never look at them anymore). To do this you shred the paper, stick it in the blender and add water, blend into a pulp & pour out onto at screen (I found a couple great window screens at "Pak-it", a used materials center). Then you press the excess water through the screen. The paper came out a light grey. By the way, it takes a couple of days for the paper to dry completely. I used the old shade as a templete for the new shade. To add a little bling I cut squares out and placed some nature photos I took in the square holes. If none of that made sense - here are some pics!




So, that is it for now! I will post the Halloween pics as soon as I get them!
I have another project that I am going to start today or tomorrow! Will post when complete!