03/25/2012 - New Rubber Canvas Project

This is a project I have been wanting to do for quite a while now...the finished art not the frame. This is a piece I ended up submitting for a show, but I am waiting to hear back whether or not it has been accepted. 

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

How I did it: I cut the rubber into thin strips. There are lines on the rubber that I used as guides. I started by stapling the strips along the top edge of the frame then pulling them taut over the front of the frame then stapled them to the bottom. I then stapled a row of strips along one side of the frame. Furthermore (writing so many "I"s and "next"s is getting boring), I began to weave the strips through to the other side then stapled each strip as it was pulled through.

What I would do differently: I need to remember to take pictures of my projects when I finish them for the day since some are taking longer than a day to finish. This is just a corner of the finished piece, but this picture gives a general idea. 

03/24/2012 - Rubber Octopus Toy

I have this weird thing where I critique rubber inner tubes. My favorite class of inner tube are the lovely ones that are shiny and wide. Some of the tubes I go through are nasty with bits of the road imbedded in them, filled with a green goo after a flat, or covered in bright orange patches. Those tubes give character to some projects, but they are not my preference. I wrote all that to say that this little buddy is made from my favorite type of rubber.

Reclaimed Material: rubber inner tubes
Other/New Material: none
Tools: scissors, white marker

How I did it: I tied a simple knot in a piece of rubber inner tube. I tucked one of the ends into the knot so that both ends came out the same side to make the legs. I cut the two ends into 24 kind of equal strips by cutting the ends in half so there were four pieces, then again to make 8 pieces. I cut each of those eight strips into thirds. Next I braided the thirds and tied them off to make each leg. I used the white marker to draw on the face. 

What I would do differently:  I was trying to for a "clockwork orange" thing with his eyes, but the execution was not so successful. I need to little bits for faces and also maybe stuff the head with fluff. Zoe is happy with him though.

03/23/2012 - Last of the Basket Weaving

Holy moly! I did it! 12 baskets done, well, mostly done at that point. The project left my hands in need of some tlc and a good scrubbing. It felt good to have the bulk of the project done.

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

How I did it: See: original rubber basket project. 

What I would do differently: Moisturize my hands better during the process.

03/22/2012 - Baskets - there is an end in sight!

I had to do an inner tube run to my hubby's work to raid their tire/inner tube recycling bins. Apparently I have competition in raiding those bins, but there is plenty to go around and the artists who are also raiding the bins do awesome work - one makes belts and the other makes die cut bracelets. These tubes are really dirty though and filled with talc, so almost a week and half later I am still trying to get stains off my fingertips.
 
Reclaimed Material: rubber inner tubes
Other/New Material: staples
Tools: hammer, staple gun, scissors

How I did it: See: original rubber basket project. 

What I would do differently: I should have washed the second batch of tubes better.

03/21/2012 - You guessed it, baskets!

Knocked out two more...woot woot. I actually took one to a crafting affair called Makin' It with Destination DIY and got most of it done there. Super fun event with free beer and pizza, who could ask for anything more? I got to chat with some super talented crafters/creators/makers and check out their fabulous creations, all while listening to some groovy tunes. 

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

How I did it: See: original rubber basket project. 

What I would do differently: Maybe I should have been drinking more beer during this project...I seemed to be really productive at the crafting party!

03/20/2012 - Finished another basket

I saved all the finish work for these until the end. My biggest goal was to get the weaving done.

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

How I did it: See: original rubber basket project. One thing I haven't mentioned yet is that I covered the wood with rubber by stapling rubber pieces I splayed open on the sides of the wood that were going to be covered with the weaving.

What I would do differently: I still need to figure out a frame option that would be easy for me to make myself.

03/19/2012 - Game Piece Hourglass

I was still in basket making mode, but needed a diversion, so I used up some game pieces. I need to take a moment to discuss how much I love paint pens, especially the metallic ones. They make my crafting life much easier. I love you paint pens, you are so wonderful. 

Reclaimed Material: checker pieces, splash sticks, game timer
Other/New Material: none
Tools: clippers, gold paint pen, hot glue gun

How I did it: I took the left over sticks from the splash stick earrings and cut down two more a little taller than the height of the timer (the ends fit into a crevice in the checker pieces). I painted the sticks and the checker pieces with the gold pen and let them dry. I put a dab of hot glue in the center of one the checker pieces and set the time on it. Since I didn't want the hot glue to show, I put some of the glue on a scrap of cardboard and dipped one end of each stick in the glue and tucked it into the crevice on the checker. Once all four pieces were glued things got a little tricky. I let the glue set, then dipped the other ends of the stick in the glue and put the other checker on top of them. I had to work quickly so the hot glue wouldn't dry.

What I would do differently: There is nothing to change, and I probably won't get a chance to repeat this project unless I come across another discarded game timer, if I do I need to start playing the lottery.

03/18/2012 - More and more baskets

I managed to add 2 more baskets to the grouping. Zoe grew tired of the baskets after me sitting and making 5 of them and came running in with her "magic wand" and said, "Abracadabra make these baskets disappear! Mom, stop working on the baskets! Abracadabra make all this rubber disappear!" Her magic skills need some work because they did not disappear.

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

How I did it: Still doing the same thing: rubber basket. 

What I would do differently: Get Zoe some magic lessons.

03/17/2012 - Making progress on the basket project

I didn't make 3 of these in one day, the chronicles of the baskets show them cumulatively.

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

How I did it: See: original rubber basket project. 

What I would do differently: Not applicable, or is it?

03/16/2012 - Seamstress' Bracelet

The problem with volunteering at SCRAP is that I always have to buy something. I found a vintage tape measure which led me to for metal bobbins to make this bracelet. I checked for bobbins for weeks before I hit the jackpot and found about 12 of them there.

Reclaimed Material: vintage tape measure, old bobbins
Other/New Material: snap, thread
Tools: scissors, needle

How I did it: I looped the tape measure around the middle of each bobbin and just did a simple tie off for each. I tried to make sure the bobbins were evenly spaced so having a tape measure as the base made this easier. After it was the length I wanted it to be I trimmed off the excess tape measure, but left an extra inch to fold over to attach the snap. I used black thread and lined up my stitches with the measure marks so they wouldn't stand out.

What I would do differently: I wanted to use a heavy duty snap but I didn't have the one small enough, so I ended up using a little sewing snap.