04/21/2012 - Newspaper Plant Pots

Although I am a very novice gardener, I seen people using these little newspaper planting pots for a very long time. Some recyclers are starting to accept the plastic planter pots for recycling, but they are a hard to recycle item. These are great because they are biodegradable and much cheaper. You can buy newspaper pot makers but being the cheapskate that I am, I just used an aluminum can.

Reclaimed Material: newspaper pages
Other Material: none, unless I count the dirt and seeds
Tools: aluminum can

How I did it: I tore newspaper pages in half along the fold, then folded the page in thirds on the longest side to make a strip about 6" wide. I wrapped it around the aluminum can so that there was about 2" hanging off the bottom of the can then folded the overhang under to make the bottom of the paper pot. I set the pot on a flat surface and filled it with potting soil, then put it in a box with the seam facing a box side. I continued this with placing the seams against another pot or the box.

What I would do differently: After I made these, I read about someone who wet the pots before filling them to make the seam stick. That sounds like a smart idea, but the way I did seems to be working so far.

04/20/2012 - Bike Ring Pendant

My collection of random bicycle parts has grown over the years and I as I have said before bicycle parts are my favorite medium. Even though I have been holding onto this bit for quite a while I had to ask Jason what this part was called. Oh, it is a cassette lock ring, but you probably knew that already.


Reclaimed Material: bicycle cassette lock ring, game marble
Other Material: resin
Tools: electrical tape, mixing cups


How I did it: I taped the electrical tape to the back of the ring to trap the resin. I mixed the resin and poured it into the ring. I gently set the game marble into the resin then let it set. 

What I would do differently: There were a couple mistakes in this little project. I had filled the ring with resin to the brim so it would have that nice rounded look to it. It looked beautiful until I placed the marble in it and I had a big "duh" moment when the resin spilled over the edge. The electrical tape left a sticky residue on the back of the resin, so I need to figure out another way to trap the resin in the ring. Ideally I would like to fill the rings with glass, but don't have the skill level to try that yet.

04/19/2012 - Bike Firefly

I went into this project knowing what I wanted to do with this piece would not work. Grandma BJ gave me an old soldering kit that I have been determined to use for quite a while now. I knew that the stainless steel bike parts I wanted to use them on could not be soldered, but I just had to try it out anyway. Surprise, surprise, surprise, it didn't work. I have read in quite a few places this type of metal can only be welded. One of these days I will learn how to weld and have a lot of fun with metal.

Reclaimed Material: bicycle chain links and spoke
Other Material: none
Tools: metal clippers, vise, hammer, epoxy

How I did it: I put two chain links halfway into the vise and used the hammer to bend them in half -- at about a 45° angle. I then cut the spoke to 1.5" long using the notched end of the spoke that was in the center of the bicycle wheel. I used the epoxy to adhere the chain links to the spoke for the wings of the firefly to the spoke.

What I would do differently: I would much rather avoid using the epoxy, but again, I don't have any welding skills or equipment. Also, I should have added a little bead for the tail of the firefly.

4/18/2012 - Woven Rubber Handbag

I know this sounds pathetic for a woman to say, but I hate carrying a purse and always try to make sure that I have pockets to put my stuff in. Even though I don't carry a purse, I love making and designing purses and bags.

Reclaimed Material: rubber inner tubes
Other Material: decorative brads
Tools: scissors, cereal box, X-acto knife

How I did it: I cut six strips of rubber 24" long and about 1.25" wide for the horizontal pieces, five strips about 20" long (same width) for the vertical, and one long piece 2" wide for the sides and the base. I took one whole tube and carefully cut the valve stem off. For the horizontal pieces, I cut slits on one end and tabs on the other to make loops, then closed them around the cereal box. I used the fatty strip of rubber and wove it along the short sides of the cereal box for the base and sides of the bag. I folded the whole inner tube in half and wove the sides through each side of the cereal box and made sure the handles were even. I wove vertical strips through to the top working around the handles. To hold the handles in place, I inserted six small brads into each square along the handles.

What I would do differently: As you can see by the pictures, this bag isn't complete. I tried many variations of this and my original thought was to use whole inner tubes by twisting them to size for the horizontal pieces and whole tubes cut to size for the vertical pieces. That didn't work, so I sliced open the vertical pieces...still not quite right, so I took the whole thing apart and did what I explained above. I wasn't loving the way it was turning out with the brads, so I gave up on this...plus I didn't want to invest even more time into a piece I didn't really love. My mother-in-law liked it though so I should probably revisit this another time. I would like to add a fabric liner to it and maybe some sort of closure.

04/17/2012 - Tiny Rubber Sign

I found a nice little stash of tiny wooden frames at SCRAP and thought it would be fun to make mini-rubber pictures. The frames are all about 3"x3" or x4". I think they would make fun magnets.

Reclaimed Material: rubber inner tube, frame
Other Material: none
Tools: scissors, staple gun, paint pen

How I did it: I cut a piece of rubber from a fat inner tube that covered the entire 3"x3" frame with overlap. I stretched the rubber over the frame and stapled it to the wood. I used the paint pen to paint the bicycle sign onto the rubber.

What I would do differently: This project did not go smoothly at all! It should have taken me about 10 minutes to do this instead of an hour. The regular staple gun wouldn't push the staples all the way into the frame and then some parts of the frame got splintered. I switched to an electric staple gun and really did not have any better luck. For these little guys I think I need to use flat push pins.

Happy Earth Day!

I have spent my Earth Day by celebrating my nephew's 5th birthday and gardening. How lucky we are in the Portland area to have this fabulous 80+ degree weather! I will be catching up on my posts soon....working on plant markers for my garden. As I was digging in the dirt and planting seeds, my mouth was watering for the taste of fresh veggies...I am anxious for harvest time!

04/16/2012 - Zoe's Cuckoo Clock

I went into Zoe's room after her rest and she tells me that I have to help her make a cuckoo clock...how could I say no to that? What was going on in that little head of hers when she should have been napping?

Reclaimed Material: game board, plastic lid, splash sticks, wooden stick, rubber band
Other Material: modeling clay, masking tape, straight pin, googly eyes
Tools: scissors, box cutter, glue, awl, X-acto knife, Sharpie marker, ruler, paint and brushes

How I did it: Since I started this project right when the 3 year old was ready to rock and roll and asking me every 5 seconds if it was time for her to paint yet, I had to distract her with random tasks like pre-clay modeling and painting on wood scraps until I put the house pieces together. I measured out two 5"x5" squares and three 5"x2" rectangles from the game board and used the box knife to cut them out. I used the masking tape to build an open top box with the three rectangles as the sides and let Zoe work her painting magic. While she worked on that I started on the roof of the house. I cut another 5"x5" square then cut it in half diagonally. I cut two 5.25"x2" rectangles for the top of the roof and one 7"x2" rectangle for the base. I cut the door for the cuckoo with the X-acto on one of the triangles, then made a slit on the other that lined up with the door. Next I taped the roof together and handed it off to Zoe to paint. I modeled a little bird (again using Zoe's paint, but with her blessing this time) and glued it onto the wooden stick.

The plastic lid that I used happened to have twelve notches around it, so I didn't have to measure it out. I used the Sharpie to mark the notches and make the numbers. I cut down the splash sticks for the clock hands then used the awl to start the holes for the pin to go through. I didn't punch it all the way through because the hole would have been too big. I poked the pin through the holes I started and through the clock face and glued the whole thing onto the game board box. I pushed the pin all the way through and bent the pin so it wouldn't stick Zoe when she stuck her hand in the box. The rubber band I used was just a circle I cut from an inner tube and I put it around the door that was cut out. I slid the stick under the rubber band and pulled it out the back through the slit I made and Zoe began "cuckoo-ing" it.

What I would do differently: This is obviously not a working clock...but it is a great teaching tool. It is amazing what kids pick up because Zoe immediately called the clock hands the "little hand" and the "big hand". After we finished this project Zoe decided we needed to make a cuckoo horse next. What I would do differently is figure out a sturdier cuckoo option.

04/15/2012 - Gift Tags

After a quick search, I found that a set of 6 gift tags can be purchased at Target for $3.99. This project proves that you don't have to be really crafty to make a cheap or no cost gift tag. These are just neatly designed clothing tags that had enough open space to be used as gift tags.

Reclaimed Material: clothing tags
Other Material: none
Tools: scissors, paper cutter, paint pen, glue

How I did it: For the tags with the birdies and circles, all I did was trim off two sides with text on them using the paper cutter. I used the scissors to round off the end diagonal from the original rounded end. Really simple! I glued one of the pieces from the birdies tags to the black tag to cover a larger block of text. I used my trusty ol' paint pen to mark out random text lines, but couldn't resist leaving the words of wisdom printed on it.

What I would do differently: Gift tags can literally be made from anything, but by using clothing tags that still have strings on them, you save a bit of time. Random ideas for tags are cereal boxes, magazine covers, plastic bits, etc.

04/14/2012 - Starbucks Wallet

Part 2 of the Starbucks experiment...which required buying a bag of coffee, but the bag was perfect for the face of the wallet. The green fabric was something random I came across. It was a half-sewn choir robe (or at least that is what looked like the intention) that someone donated to SCRAP. They get lots of fabric and do not accept clothing, but some pieces sneak in with the fabric and get donated to thrift stores. That is how I happened upon this unique fabric...oh, and if you plan to donate stuff, to SCRAP, be nice and don't try to sneak in clothing...even if it is half-sewn.

Reclaimed Material: coffee bag, coffee sleeves, choir robe, plastic bag
Other Material: none
Tools: scissors, ruler, sewing machine, thread, iron, parchment paper

How I did it: This was similar to the CD Cover Wallet with a few upgrades. I used the same measurements, but instead of using bias tape, I used the choir robe...the color matched perfectly. I didn't fuse the coffee bag since it essentially fused plastic and aluminum*. For the pockets, I gently peeled the corrugated side off of two coffee sleeves and cut them to size. I fused them with a few layers of plastic. I covered the outside coffee bag with the fabric so that there was a 1/4" overhang on the outside and stitched it into place, then repeated this for the smaller piece of coffee bag so that the fabric made a liner for the cash part of the wallet. Things got a little tricky with the cardboard pockets and putting the wallet together. I had to make my own bias tape to sew the two pockets together. I then stitched the pieces together similar to the CD Wallet, but then again, made strips of bias tape to cover the edges and did the final stitch work.

What I would do differently: I do love the contrast of the cardboard pockets from the coffee bag, but I would rather have used a coordinating color of bias tape because it would have been much easier. I have a bunch I bought from SCRAP...but none really matched.

*I was quite sure about coffee bags being made of fused plastic and aluminum, but did a quick search to double check. I came across some neat ideas for old coffee bags: Other uses for coffee bags.

04/13/2012 - Raised Bed

OK, this is a bit of a stretch as part of my resolution, but after a day of hauling a yard of dirt and building one of the beds, I was pooped. At least I set the resin for the Starbucks pin and prepared materials for the next day's craft.

Reclaimed Material: fill dirt with compost
Other Material: fir wood boards
Tools: cordless drill, screws


How I did it: Jason had all the wood measured and cut so "all" I had to do was put it together. The wood was quite heavy so I built them in place and put concrete pavers at each corner. Grandma BJ helped me steady the board in place while I screwed them. She is one impressive lady.

What I would do differently: I think I subconsciously counted this because I am excited about my big ol' raised beds! Thanks to my awesome hubby who did most of the work! The trick will be to keep the plants alive!

04/12/2012 - Starbucks Pin

This was part of an experiment for a college classmate who was looking for a Starbucks themed gift for someone. I haven't done a resin bottle cap in a while so I created this diorama-like pin.

Reclaimed Material: bottle cap, coffee sleeve, aluminum logo, lapel pin
Other Material: modeling clay, resin, clear nail polish
Tools: scissors, safety pin, jewelry pliers, glue, green paint pen

How I did it: The first step I did was to cut out the coffee sleeve to fit inside the bottle cap and cut the logo from an aluminum can. I glued the cardboard circle, corrugated side up inside the bottle cap, then glued the logo in place. I used the paint pen to paint over the outside of the bottle cap. While the paint dried, I modeled the coffee cup to fit (shhh...don't tell Zoe I used some of her modeling clay for this project) and glued it inside the cap. The tip of the paint pen was to fat, so I used the safety pin as a paint brush of sorts to paint on a semblance of the S-bucks logo. I didn't actually set the resin until the next day since it was too late to go to the store when I decided to do this. I mixed a small amount of resin in an old container and poured it into the bottle cap and let it set. After the resin set, I painted over it with a couple coats of clear nail polish. I glued the old lapel pin to the back of the bottle cap using an epoxy glue to make sure the metals would stick together.

What I would do differently: I poured the resin outside near the end of a beautifully sunny day and didn't pay attention to the quick shower that blew in...I should have known better since I have lived in Oregon close to a year now. A drop of  rain got in the resin before it was fully set, so that little bit didn't set right, which why I ended up covering it with a few coats of nail polish. This would be fun to make little scenes in the bottle caps.

04/11/2012 - Sparkly Z Necklace

SCRAP had gotten in a donation of sparkly charms and they had a lot of "Z"s. I though it would be cute to make a stretchy bracelet for Zoe to wear...but she did not approve and insisted she only wanted one "Z". She also asked me where the "O" and "E" were. Isn't she...wait for it...charming?

Reclaimed Material: rubber, sparkly "Z" charm, necklace clasp
Other Material: jewelry wire
Tools: scissors, safety pin, jewelry pliers

How I did it: For the necklace, I did a round braid to fit Zoe. I slid on the sparkly "Z" to the center of the necklace before I added the closures. I slid the jewelry clasp over the wire and made a loop and pulled it through an opening at one end of the braid (about 1/4" down) so the clasp came out the end and enough wire was left hanging out of the opening. I wound the extra wire up to the end, trimmed the excess and tucked in the end of the wire. I did the same thing on the other end, except I didn't add a clasp and I made a double loop a little bit bigger than the other side.

What I would do differently: I did try to incorporate the charm into the braid, but it didn't look quite right. I think a thinner braid would be much better, but this size works for my picky little diva.

04/10/2012 - Copper and Rubber Wristband

For Christmas I made various handbags as gifts for people, including one with rubber inner tubes. I thought I had measured the purse handle length incorrectly and trimmed off the excess...only to find out it was too short. To make my long story even longer, I had a leftover bit of rubber with fabric stitched to it. I need to make a longer purse handle, so I will have more pieces like this if I want to make more. I do like this wristband a lot and have been wearing it all day.

Reclaimed Material: scrap rubber/fabric piece, button, copper wire
Other Material: none
Tools: scissors, needle, thread, pliers

How I did it: I threaded the copper wire through a large-eyed needle and used it to whip stitch the unfinished ends of the rubber on both ends. I flattened the wire by tamping it down with the pliers. I placed the button and sewed it onto the rubber then cut a slip for the button hole that corresponded with the button placement. I used black thread to cover the button hole.

What I would do differently: I could have done the button hole stitching with a sewing machine, but by the time I got the right tension, etc. it was just easier to stitch it by hand. Also, the copper whip stitches could have been a little bit neater, but it is an effect I want to keep practicing.

04/09/2010 - Birds Nests

This is a project I meant to start last fall and I started collecting some grass/straw stuff I found on a couple walks. This is part of a larger project I am working on, but it is for a present, so let's just focus on the nests in this post. I try to use as much recycled content as I can with my projects, but I am not sure where I would find recycled or discarded clay.

Reclaimed Material: dried straw, metal lid, plastic lid
Other Material: natural clay
Tools: scissors 

How I did it: I started with the metal lid and covered it with clay making the clay around the lip of the lid a little fatter using my hands to give the clay covered lid a nest like shape. I then took the straw and pressed it into the clay, not to firmly, just enough to make it stick. I repeated this with the plastic lid, but I had to trim the lid to the same size as the metal lid. I also had to build up the sides of the nest since there was no lip on the lid. I had to fiddle the shape of this nest a lot more. I let the nests sit to harden naturally.

What I would do differently: I still need to make a couple more of these nests so I would like to make sure I use the metal lids instead of the plastic. The metal one I used was the perfect size and the lip was perfect for the height that I wanted. I just need to collect a few more of those.

04/08/2012 - Button Hair Pin

Necessity is the mother of invention, so they say. My hair is getting awfully shaggy so making a cute hair pin came to mind. Thankfully, that quote refers to more important things than my hair.

Reclaimed Material: rubber, button, copper wire
Other Material: bobby pin
Tools: scissors, X-acto knife, needle nose pliers, wire stripper


How I did it: I cut a circle from the rubber about 1/4" bigger than the button. I cut marks around the circle to feather it. I cut a small slit in the rubber to pull the button notch (? not sure what the back of a decorative button is called) through. I slid the bobby pin through the button hole. The copper wire was from a broken electrical cord so I had to strip off the plastic using the wire strippers. I took one of the copper wires and wrapped it around the button and bobby pin to secure it.

What I would do differently: This needs something to differentiate the black rubber from my hair. I think I will make some type of doodad to mount behind the rubber. I used copper because it kind of matched the button that I got from a bag I got from SCRAP.

04/07/2012 - Chickadees

Easter chickadees! I made these little cuties for Easter baskets.

Reclaimed Material: scrap fabrics
Other Material: none
Tools: scissors, sewing machine, fabric marker, thread, needle 

How I did it: I put two right sides of the scraps and eyeballed the shape of a chickadee and cut it out. I repeated this three more times, making each subsequent one smaller. The scraps I used for the bodies were fleece and cashmere. I used satiny fabric and cut out the wings and beaks for each side of each bird. Using a zigzag stitch I top stitched the wings on the right side of each body. For the larger two chickadees I stitched on beaks because the little ones had black lines where the beaks were which worked nicely for me. I put the right sides together then stitched them all around, but left an opening at the bottoms to stuff them. I turned them right sides out and stuffed with other fabric scraps. With a needle and thread I whip stitched the bottoms closed. With the fabric marker I made little dots for the eyes.

What I would do differently: Although I don't enjoy using patterns I probably should have used a simple pattern. One of the smaller ones looks a bit deformed. Why is it the smaller the something is the cuter it is?

04/06/2012 - Paper Mache Eggs

I got the family involved in this craft...and we had a messy, fun time of it. I haven't done paper mache since grade school, but what a festive use of newspaper.

Reclaimed Material: newspaper 
Other Material: balloons
Tools: scissors, all-purpose glue, mixing bowl, little bowls 

How I did it: I squirted the glue in the mixing bowl, added water and mixed it up thoroughly. I cut the newspaper into strips (about 3/4" x 4") and put them in the glue mixture to soak. I lined the table with newspaper (which really didn't help). We blew up the balloons to different sizes to make our egg shapes. We used the little bowls as stands to hold the balloons in place and began placing the soaked strips over the balloon to cover the entire surface, turning the balloon as needed. We repeated the steps so there were three layers of newspaper on each balloon. We left the tied end of the balloon uncovered. After the balloons fully dried (about 18 hours) and popped the balloons and pulled them out through the uncovered hole.

What I would do differently: I should have used a little bit more glue in the mixture, but we still had a good time getting ready for Easter.

04/05/2012 - Easter Grass

Easter grass...what a scam! Yes, it is cheap, but you are just buying shredded up bits of colored plastic that have no use other than cushioning the basket.

Reclaimed Material: plastic flower paper, Mylar balloon
Other Material: none
Tools: scissors 

How I did it: I folded flower paper (left over from making flowers) and folded it in half lengthwise again and again. I cut vertical strips, about 1/8" wide until all the paper was cut. For the Mylar balloon, I trimmed off the edges that were glued/melted together, then cut it the same way. I mixed the pieces together and ended up with some colorful and shiny Easter grass for Zoe's basket!

What I would do differently: A paper shredded would have made this process go faster, but ours cross shreds so it wouldn't have worked. No biggie because I only have one child to worry about. Colorful paper would work just as well.

04/04/2012 - Doll Skin Ring

I was cleaning the gunk out of my wedding band and one of the diamonds popped out. Thank goodness I was able to find the diamond before it disappeared. This is my replacement until I get the ring fixed...well not really, but the lack of a ring was my inspiration.

Reclaimed Material: discarded doll arm
Other Material: sparkly scrapbooking brad
Tools: scissors, sandpaper, super glue, X-acto

How I did it: I cut a ring from a baby doll arm using regular scissors. It is the same concept as the doll skin tattoo bracelet. I smoothed the edges with the sand paper and shaped it at the same time. I then removed the legs of the brad and noticed there were little prongs holding a plastic sparkle in place. I raised the prongs to insert into the ring and poked shallow slits where the prongs would be when pressed against the ring. I put a dab of super glue where the sparkle was going and pressed it into the ring and let it dry. 

What I would do differently: I am not really a fan of this ring...this would have been better if I had just drawn a design on it. There does not seem to be enough contrast on the "skin" with the brad on it.

04/03/2012 - Cassette Cash Stasher

My improvisational skills are improving through my daily crafts. The original plan was this for to be a business card holder, but there wasn't quite enough room inside for cards. Folded up money fits just perfectly. Plus, who would think to check inside a cassette tape for your money? They would probably leave you money out of pity that you still listen to cassette tapes. It is just a win-win situation all around.

Reclaimed Material: cassette tape
Other/New Material: none
Tools: scissors, screwdriver, electrical tape, paint pens, pliers

How I did it: I unscrewed the teeny screws that held the cassette together and removed the "guts". There were little sticks (no clue what those little things are called) that held the tape together so I used the pliers to pry them off. I cut a strip of electrical tape the width of the tape and stuck it on the top edge of the cassette to work as a hinge. I opened the cassette and lined the inside of the "hinge" with electrical tape. I painted the tape label and let it dry. I did not need to make a latch or closure because it clicked into place when I closed it. 

What I would do differently: My original thought was to cut off the hinges of an Altoids tin, but that was not so easy, so I trashed (giggle, giggle) that idea and went with the tape. If I made something like this again I would figure out a better hinge solution. I will probably do something with the guts sometime soon.

04/02/2012 - Noah, the finger puppet

Zoe gave me this idea by grabbing one of the ends I cut off of an inner tube during the big basket project. She put one on her finger and walked around saying she had a finger puppet. She also named this little guy. I told her I made the finger puppet for her. She looked at it skeptically and said, "his name is Noah." Then she snatched out the green hair and said, "because he has NOAH hair." This is what she gets from the Bible stories I tell her?

Reclaimed Material: rubber inner tube, button, plastic bottle ring, green thingie
Other/New Material: none
Tools: scissors, Sharpie, X-acto knife

How I did it: The tube was already cut to the size I needed and I had already cut skinny little strips. I used the X-acto to cut little notches along the top to string the skinny rubber strip through to bring the top together around the hair that was going to be pulled out anyway. I cut two more notched to sew on the button, using the rubber strip. After cutting two more notches for the mouth placement, I cut the plastic ring in half. The ring had little flaps on it, so I notched them on each side to hold the mouth in place after I tucked it into the rubber. I drew a black circle on the button to make the eye and gave Noah to Zoe the next morning.

What I would do differently: It would be fun to make more Zoe-approved puppets.

04/01/2012 - Bicycle Basket

This was a new basket that was turned into a recycled project. That normally goes against what I am trying to do, but this was for Jason's coworker. I guess she loves this style but the plastic weaving would always come loose, so she wanted it woven with rubber. I am a bit surprised at the transformation of this basket...it is cute as a button.

Reclaimed Material: rubber inner tubes, button
Other/New Material: plastic bicycle basket, safety pin
Tools: scissors

How I did it: I removed the plastic weaving from the basket then washed and cut strips of rubber to the same size as the plastic weaving I removed. I began weaving along the bottom and worked my way to the top. (The white vertical lines in the picture are part of the basket frame. I wrapped the top edge with rubber. I cut wider pieces of rubber and folded them in half, lengthwise, and did a twisty braid along the bottom and the top of the basket. I cut two different sized circles and cut them into flowers. I put the smaller one over the larger one and poked a small hole in the center and pushed the button (the kind with the mount on the back) through. I pulled the button notch through two lines in the weave and pinned it in place.

What I would do differently: I want to figure out how to make bicycle baskets using old bicycle spokes, but I think the spokes would need to be welded together. I couldn't resist adding the flower to the basket...I hope the coworker likes it.

Before

After

03/31/2012 - Cardboard Gift Tube

Three months of recycled crafting down! Only nine more to go! 

The nice thing about being a garbage picker/collector is that people save me their nice garbage they think I can use. Grandma Betty June gave me this neat little tube with a lid and bottom, but she didn't remember what she got in it. I wasn't sure what I was going to do with it until I went to a fancy little chocolate shop that also sells beautiful paper crafts with a French theme to them and they had these on sale for $10. 

Reclaimed Material: cardboard tube, scrap paper
Other/New Material: none
Tools: scissors, glue, brown shoe polish, gold paint pen, thin wire

How I did it: The base of the tube was glued on so I used a little wire to pull the edges away a little so I could tuck the paper under it. I used a bit of paper leftover from my SCRAP name badge project and cut it to cover the tube and glue it on. I painted parts of the instruments with the gold. I rubbed the shoe polish lightly over the paper to give it a vintage look. I used my finger as a paintbrush and lightly rubbed gold paint over the whole piece.

What I would do differently: It seems like the tube is missing something...like a pop of mauve or something. I also should have used tea to stain the paper. I do want to learn to do more vintage, Victorian-era, turn of the (19th) century crafts.

03/30/2012 - Basket Finish Work

I am really good at waiting until the last minute to finish things up. I think it is quite a skill really. I had the weaving done but needed to cover the corners and attach handles on all 12 baskets before my brother-in-law arrived to pick them up at 4pm.

Reclaimed Material: rubber inner tubes
 Other/New Material: screws, staples
Tools: scissors, drill, screwdriver, ruler, marker

How I did it: I dropped Zoe off at school and started cutting strips to cover the corners and started stapling them onto the baskets...then ran out of staples, grrrr. I ran to the hardware store and got the staples and met the most unhelpful employee there. The screws I had for the handles were not going to work so I asked him for help finding something similar. After his lack of assistance, I managed to find the screws I needed on my own, the hurried home. I finished the corners then measured 24 pieces of inner tube for handles. I measured and marked the hole placement for the handles -- 48 in all and drilled the holes. I had to poke the screws through 4 layers of rubber for both sides of the handle (I tried a hole punch but the screw heads were too small). I screwed in the handles by hand...of course I couldn't find a flat head drill bit, so it was all by hand. I finished this by about 3:45pm and thankfully Mark didn't arrive for another 40 minutes, so I had time to double check each basket to make sure the weaving was straight, etc. Phew. That was quite a day...and I still had to meet a 5pm deadline to submit my art pieces.

What I would do differently: NOT WAIT UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE! It was a stressful day and when I let myself wait until the last minute I run into problems like running out of supplies or not being able to find tools. It all worked out but I was pooped by the time 5pm rolled around.

03/29/2012 - Completion of Tree Art

I got news today that this piece was chosen to be in a First Thursday show...hooray. To be honest I didn't really figure out what "First Thursday" meant until I was talking to my mother-in-law about it and did a little web research. This and my Portland Bike Lane piece will be part of a 75% recycled show sponsored by SCRAP and Whole Foods. Can you notice anything strange about this picture?

Reclaimed Material: bicycle brake wire (cables)
Other/New Material: none
Tools: cable cutters, electrical tape

How I did it: I finished this piece by continuing to unravel the cables to make the various branches and tucking the ends under the canvas. I wanted to give a 3D effect to the piece, so I raised some of the "branches" and trimmed them at various lengths. I had to bend down the ends because each strand is razor sharp...I have the cuts to prove this. I trimmed off the excess wire from the back of the canvas and used the tape to hold the cables in place.

What I would do differently: Once I start a project I am really excited about I have a hard time sleeping because I just lay awake thinking about my next step, so I didn't get much sleep during this process. I should do things differently by getting more sleep, but it is hard to turn off creative processing mid-stream. I am very excited with how this turned out. My doggie, Max, was outside while I was taking this picture and is sitting right behind the piece so you can see his silhouette in the middle of the piece.

In case anyone reading this lives in the Portland Area, here is the information for the opening, but the pieces will be on display the whole month:

03/28/2012 - Brake Wire Tree

Trees are some of my favorite things. They are beautiful, unique--I can go on and on and on. I was so excited to start the tree once I finished the canvas. I was a little worried this wasn't going to turn out the way I wanted it to when I started the trunk, but as I kept going it came together nicely.

Reclaimed Material: bicycle brake wire
Other/New Material: electrical tape
Tools: brake wire cutters

How I did it: After I washed the wire/cables, I started with the trunk of the tree by using pieces of brake wire that had cable stops on the bottoms, yes, I was just told by my hubby that is the correct name. I threaded the wire through the weaves and twisted them randomly to give it more of a trunk look. I unraveled a strand of the brake wire and used it to hold the trunk in place by looping the strand around from underneath. After the trunk was completed, I spread out the brake wire to make the branches. I unraveled the ends of the brake wire branches to make smaller branches then tucked the ends between the weaves of the canvas.

What I would do differently: I need to be more careful with the brake wire because I got a lot of little cuts. I also scrubbed them before I started this project but there was grease in the nooks and crannies of the wires, so I think I should soak them overnight in Simple Green.

03/27/2012 - Finishing up Rubber Frame

This frame took much longer than I anticipated it to. I was working on it in the middle of the family room floor and I think every family member, even the dog managed to walk on it while I was sitting there.

Reclaimed Material: rubber inner tubes, wooden frame
Other/New Material: staples
Tools: scissors, staple gun

How I did it: I finished weaving the horizontal strips through the vertical, pulled them taut and stapled them to the other side. Because the strips were so thin I had to continuously straighten them out as I went along.

What I would do differently: Next time I do a frame this large, I definitely need to use larger strips (I think I said that already), but it really paid off because the weave looks really nice.

03/26/2012 - Super Hero Wristbands

Super powers are not included in this craft...unless you count the power of crafting! I think this would be a perfect craft for a kid's superhero birthday party! Also, I love Wonder Woman, so I may just have to wear these out and about town.

Reclaimed Material: cardboard coffee sleeve, Velcro
Other/New Material: none
Tools: scissors, paint, paintbrush, pencil, ruler

How I did it: I pulled each sleeve apart where they were glued together, then wrapped one around my wrist to figure out the size and trimmed off the excess (making sure to cut off the glue-y part. Next I coated the front of the sleeves with paint, then waited for it to dry. I used the ruler to draw out the stars then painted the stars red. I got adhesive Velcro strips from SCRAP and cut one piece long enough to fit the height of the sleeve. I then cut the Velcro in half vertically because it was thick and used one piece for each wristband.

What I would do differently: I usually do my crafting once Zoe is asleep but this is one I need to do again so she can make her own bands.