Painting Vinyl with CrankyPickle

Etsy Trashion Materials Focus: Vinyl

Trashion team member Jessica of CrankyPickle gives Vinyl records an artistic new face! We asked her a few questions about re-visioning vinyl and here is what she had to say:

What do you make from vinyl?

I take 12"s and create art work on them. I also use them to make painted dishes. I'm also trying to find a use for the sleeves.

What do you love about vinyl?

I like the shape of them. Also the center label area and how that looks even tho when I paint them I cover it up. I like that fact that when you hang it you don't need to do any extra work you can just stick the nail through the hole and your good to go.


What's the largest challenge in reutalizing vinyl?

The hardest thing I think was when I started. trying to figuring out how to get the paint to stick to the vinyl. I haven't found vinyl to be that hard to work with other then that.

How long have you been working in this medium?

I've been working with it for about 2 years now.

Where do you find inspiration?

I get inspiration from music, dreams, patterns, nature and the background pattern it self that I start out with. Some times I make a background and then the painting waits for days till the image just pops into my head of what I want to go with it. Most times I don't have a set design in mind when starting.

Thank you for sharing your beautiful art with us!

Interested in discovering more about Jessica and her work? Want to have some of her awesome paintings for your very own? Go to her Etsy shop!

EyePopArt's Series on DIY Art Education

Christine Claringbold of EyePopArt wrote a great article for the Storque:
Parents Teach Art: A DIY Approach to Elementary School Art Education
It discusses a very personal way to bring art back into the schools! She included simple steps for becoming more active in your school districts arts program.

Stay tuned she will also be taking a closer look at how the program works, including roles and responsibilities of the art committee, scheduling classes, teaching tips, and ideas for hosting an exhibit of student art!

Christine you are an inspiration of artistic sustainability! Thank you so much for sharing your know how with us...we can't wait to read more!

Not feeling creative? Recycle that old vinyl!

The Vinyl Institute website (www.vinylinfo.org) offers a comprehensive databases about vinyl and recycling.
* Database of vinyl recycling companies
http://www.vinylinfo.org/Recycling/VinylRecyclingDirectory.aspx

The Recyclers Exchange on Recycle.net provides a list of folks exchanging Vinyl in various grades!
http://www.recycle.net/Plastic/PVC/index.html

Freecycle is always a great way! Send your old Vinyl to someone in your area who can upcycle it!

JenellsRevenge Twisting Vinyl

Etsy Trashion Materials Focus: Vinyl

Trashion team member Jennifer Ellison of JenEll'sRevenge gives Vinyl records some fresh functional art! We asked her a few questions about re-visioning vinyl and here is what she had to say:

What do you make from vinyl?

Currently, I have vinyl record cuffs/bracelets in my shop.

You can get them plain or painted. I am also in the process of making and adding bowls, earring and necklaces as well as finding new ways to customize and decorate it.

What do you love about vinyl?

It's so versatile, with a little creativity and some elbow grease you can come up with some cool wearables and decor. besides it just looks cool people are always puzzled when you tell them that something is made out of a vinyl record.

What's the largest challenge in reutalizing vinyl?

Not burning myself!!!! Seriously...it can get very hot...eventually my finger tips will become immune.

How long have you been working in this medium?

I have only been doing it for about 6 months...but with any project I hit the ground running. I am always thinking of and trying new ways to make it better and more unique.

Where do you find inspiration?

Honestly, everywhere. I love vintage, retro, pin-ups, old school tattoos, Hindu, oriental and I’m sure I'm leaving some things out...oh skulls....so you typically see those things reflected in my work.


Thank you for sharing your heart and creativity with us!


Interested in discovering more about Jennifer Ellison and her work? Want to have some of her lovely cuffs for your very own? Go to her Etsy shop!

Get Creating with Vinyl!

Feel like getting your Trashion on? Here are a couple fun projects for upcycling the vinyl laying around your house!

Rob and Corinne of Threadbanger put together a nifty Instructable on How to Make a Rain Poncho out of a Vinyl Shower Curtain.

We all still love getting snail mail. What about making a postcard out of a 33?
This Instructable by fungus amungus will teach you how to Mail at 33 1/3 RPM. Not to mention Record Etch!

Do you have an old banner that doesn't work for craft shows anymore? How about making a bg out of it! Recycled banner golden mean messenger bags

Vote for Creativity 350!

The above image is of Trashion team member BurningRubber's entry to Creativity 350 contest!

A couple Trashion team members used their creative skills for a good cause: to help stop global warming! By participating in the Creativity 350 challenge they helped spread the word about what scientists and advocates are now calling the most important number on the planet: 350. The most recent science tells us that unless we can reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to 350 parts per million, we will cause huge and irreversible damage to the earth. To learn more checkout 350.org!

Craftster teamed up with 350.org to create a contest that will help raise awareness.

Here's the part where you can help! All the entries are in! As of midnight August 15th the Creativity 350 contest is over and now the voting period is underway (Aug 16 - Aug 31). Just by voting you are letting the world know 350 is important, that you are paying attention.
Here's how to vote:
Craft Contest entries:
http://www.craftster.org/350/voting/index.php?contest=craft

T-shirt Contest entries:
http://www.craftster.org/350/voting/index.php?contest=tshirt

The image to the right is a 350 Upcycled Wool Hood crafted by Fairy Tale Fibers for the contest.

Our original post about the contest can be found here.

BuckleUp giveaway

Trashion team member Millie Hilgert, whose well known as Miss Courageous is launching a new shop BuckleUp! In honor of her new venture she is having a give away on her blog, some lucky reader will win a BuckleUp belt buckle! BuckleUp belt buckles are made with reclaimed wall paper samples and upcycled jar lids for a one of a kind buckle you are sure to get many compliments on!

Entries must be made on her blog and received by midnight mountain time August 31st. It's super easy to enter, just take a one question survey, post a comment, and wait to see if you are the proud new owner of an upcycled belt buckle!

Another awesome thing she's doing in the new shop is giving $5.00 off any belt buckle if you send in your jar lids and mint tins for her to upcycle in to BuckleUp belt buckles.

Watch for new listings soon at BuckleUp.etsy.com!

So stay tuned, and stay safe, buckle up.

Sjroemer is Tote-ally a Winner!

Tote-ally Tab Maille

Huge congratulations to team member Sarah Roemer of sjroemer won the Craft Stylish Tote contest!

Eco-chic Soda Can Tab tote bag is made of post-consumer recycled aluminum can tabs, bound together with cord from a thrift store purse I unraveled, lined in recycled denim.

This tote bag is made from 100% post-consumer recycled aluminum soda can tabs. They are bound together with recycled nylon crochet cord from a thrift store purse Sarah unravelled. The tote is lined in recycled denim from an old pair of shorts.

This bag shows that you really can make something out of nothing. It is beautiful, functional, and earth-friendly. And a real conversation starter, too.

Major congratulations from the Trashion team!!

Tresijas Dreams Up New Uses for Vinyl

Etsy Trashion Materials Focus: Vinyl

Trashion team member Kelly Wakefield-Beytia of Tresijas gives fresh twists to Vinyl records! We asked her a few questions about upcycling vinyl and here is what she had to say:

What do you make from vinyl?

Jewelry, combs, card holders, and whatever else I can dream up.

What do you love about vinyl?
What don’t I love about it?!
It’s incredibly forgiving. If I make a mistake or things don’t turn out how I thought they would, I just warm it up again and start over. It’s versatile, there’s not much that you can’t do with it. I love that I can walk into a thrift store and buy the records on the floor that are cracked or stepped on and make them into something useful.

What’s the largest challenge in reutalizing vinyl?

Not all records are fit for my artistic purposes, as a result my personal listening collection has almost tripled.


How long have you been working in this medium?

Almost one year.

Where do you find inspiration?

My biggest inspiration is nature and the infinite number of organic forms that she creates.


Delightful! Kelly your dreams of vinyl have brought whimsy and joy to us all! Thank you for sharing your talent and creativity with us!

Want to have some of her remastered LP creations for your very own? Go to her Etsy shop!

Trashion Team Spotlight- Interview with Ricki of Rixie Pixie!

Shop name: RixiePixie

Shop address: Rixiepixie.etsy.com

Other sites: http://rixiepixie.blogspot.com



Trashion materials: CD's, wood shapes, screws, scrap stickers, scrap paper, ribbon, clothes pins, Pretty much anything I can get my hands on that would look good on a CD.

What do you transform them into? I make photo holders, coasters and wall art that i like to call "Wall Flowers" with the CDs. I recently made a "Pirate Ship" and used the CD as a 'boat' instead of the actual photo holding part.

How do you do it? I just find things to decorate the CDS (flat for coasters, and 3D for photo holders!) and go all out to make the CDS sparkle!!



Do you remember the first thing you made using the trashion concept? Before my CD phase i had made ALOT of upcycled projects. For my art class in community college, we were assigned to make a "found object" sculpture of a person.

What was it? I ended up with a Girl who was jump roping. It was really fun, used a 5 gallon Zephyrhills jug for her body, PVC pipes and funnels for the limbs, and an old jump rope. I can't quite remember what I used for hair...I think it was scrap yarn that i tied into pig tails with some pipe cleaners. But ever since the whole "Go Green" idea popped up, i was looking around my house for anything i could use to decorate, like soda tabs, and random confetti.



What are your current projects and what is on the horizon? Right now i'm working on a few different things. I'm starting a new line of "Business Card" Holders for shows, and recipe holders for the bakers and chefs out there who always seem to get their recipes covered in food! I have a few ideas of making Wedding table center pieces, some baby shower gifts and decorations, and some other goodies i still haven't thought of yet =D



Why should people buy handmade and from trashion? When people buy handmade items, they're buying one-of-a-kind gifts for someone or for themselves. These items are not mass produced and 50 million people don't own the same thing! I think thats the best reward from buying handmade, and that your supporting artists from around the world! Now, buying trashion items is an absolute plus! Not only are you getting an AMAZING product from an artist but that product was trash-to-treasure! It take a lot more talent then one thinks to turn trash into something beautiful.

Thank you for sharing your work with us Ricki! Way to go giving used cds a glam new life!

Happy Birthday Phonograph!!

Today is the 131st anniversary of the invention of the phonograph, also know as Vinyl Record Day. Which ultimately lead to the Vinyl record!
The phonograph was the first invention to bring Thomas Edison worldwide fame. At the time, he was 30 years old and nearly deaf. In later years when asked about the phonograph, Edison would say, "Of all my inventions, I liked the phonograph best."

The Edison Phonograph shown above is an exact replica of Edison's first phonograph with the exception of a slight modification made for its us in General Motors Corporation's educational outreach programs on technology. It was made from patterns and blueprints borrowed by General Motors from the Laboratory of Thomas A. Edison. The modification is the addition of a slot milled across the cylinder to permit securing the lead foil "record" to the cylinder by means of a spring clip instead of using shellac as Mr. Edison did.

The lead foil "record" is four-thousandths of an inch thick. To record, the recording sound box is moved towards the cylinder so that the stylus makes approximately one thousandth of an inch indentation into the lead foil. Coupling a speaking tube to the sound box and speaking into it while turning the cylinder records the voice. To play back the recording, the recording sound box is backed away from the cylinder, and the cylinder is turned back to its original starting position.

How to Participate in Vinyl Record Day:

August 12th get together with friends or family and have a Vinyl Record Day party. Everyone who has them brings two or three of their favorite albums. Have fun with it. If you want, have a Twist or Limbo contest for kids and adults Or have someone play DJ, perhaps have dedications, or tell why a certain song is important to the person who brought it, what are the memories (the secrets!), the people, the places associated with the music. You can decorate with a music theme, make it festive with balloons. Or you can just simply play the music, heck move the furniture and make room to dance. Whatever you do, make it a point to celebrate the music you and friends or family most enjoy. There is no other purpose except to have a good time and let our favorite music remind us regardless of national news or ecological challenges, life always has its goodness.

Above you see panoptica's personal tribute to the records birthday! She says "I made this B.J. Thomas fun wall art out of a vinyl record I bought on a thrift shop."
What an awesome way to celebrate!

Tell us how you are celebrating in the comments!

Trashion Team Spotlight- Interview with Jamie from TwistedWear!

Shop name:
TwistedWear

Shop address:
http://www.twistedwear.etsy.com

Other sites:
I have a personal blog and gallery at http://www.twistedtextiles.com




Trashion materials:
I love plastics of any kind! I collect anything that seems to gather
itself in bulk in my garage, including clothing that the kids have outgrown and choice items from the overflowing recycling bins. Really, anything is game--the stranger, the better! I'm still trying to find a use for those plastic shotgun shells...

What do you transform them into?
I really enjoy making jewelry out of plastic beverage bottles, but right
now I'm in a handbag groove (which I swore I would never get into!)
which requires lots of empty plastic petfood bags. I actually don't have
any pets at home right now, so I could use any bags that you lovely
readers would be able to send my way!



How do you do it?
I got started with the “plastic grocery bag fusing” craze and sort of evolved the process from there. Plastics are a fun challenge because
they are all different and sometimes react to heat in strange ways. I use fun coordinating fabric remnants to line the handbags, and have been trying various plastic embellishments.

Do you remember the first thing you made using the trashion concept?
If so, what was it?
My mother got me started when I was very young...we used to make table
place-mats out of stuff we found and then laminate it! In high school I
would express my “rebellion” by using a plastic sidewalk-chalk bucket as
a purse, or by wearing home-made shoes. That really gave the popular
kids something to talk about, eh?




What are your current projects and what is on the horizon?
The purses, of course...but soon I've GOT to finish that dress that I'm
making out of milkweed seeds quilted into plastic. I'd also love to
continue making “quilted paintings” but haven't been finding enough time
to sew. Perhaps I should just make them smaller so they don't take as
long! :D

I'm also trying to juggle my other business (painted murals and
faux-finishes) and will be designing and manufacturing stencil designs
for painting. Not as glamorous, but it still exercises my artistic talents.



Why should people buy handmade and from trashion?
Every day I become more insistent on using homemade and handmade items, including the food I eat! Our lives are so consumer centered. All the excess packaging out there, and all the wasted resources, the entire Earth becoming choked by our waste.
If I could be rid of my car, I would (Maybe one day!)---if we all just take one small step each day toward better habits, there will be progress. And the trashion concept is a great place to start!

Okay, I'll step down from my soap-box now...

Anything else you'd like to add?
I really think Handmade/Trashion will be more than just a trend or a
passing “fad”!! I'm glad that it has caught on so quickly, and I know
that it will continue to gain momentum!

Amazing work Jamie! Thank you for sharing with us!

MissCourageous Does Vinyl with Pop Style

Etsy Trashion Materials Focus: Vinyl

Trashion team member Millie Hilgert of Miss Courageous reuses Vinyl with delightful pop flare! We asked her a few questions about upcycling vinyl and here is what she had to say:

What do you make from vinyl?

I use recycled record vinyl, and I make pendants, earrings and belt buckles out of it.

What do you love about vinyl?

The fun colors it comes in, the way the grooves look on the finished product, and the surprise on people's faces when you tell them: "that was a record"

What’s the largest challenge in reutalizing vinyl?

Cutting it, I hand cut all my pieces, record vinyl can be finicky, different colors behave differently and even the black records come in different thicknesses, and I've gotten several cuts & burns!

How long have you been working in this medium?

About 3 years.

Where do you find inspiration?

Everywhere! nature, architecture, street fashion...


Millie is also a team leader for the Idaho Indie Works Street Team! She says "Whether raising children, pursuing a career, or overcoming obstacles that life can throw you, there's a little "Miss Courageous" in each of us!"

Thank you for nurturing our heroic sides, while sharing just how creative one can be with vinyl!

Interested in discovering more about Millie Hilgert and her work? Check out her blog, and website. Want to have some of her Pop accessories for your very own? Go to her Etsy shop!

Giving Away Trashion!

Pam of NatureMadeScents is sponsoring a incredibe giveaway. One lucky winner will receive a customized "Say Something" wire wrapped bookmark, plus a "Think Again" upcycled notebook of his/her choice! A great example of a "Think Again" notebook is the Palchemy one in the previous post!
The HandmadeShowcase is hosting this giveaway. Click here to read the interview with Pam and comment to win!

Palchemy Trashion Creations

One amazing example of the creativity brought out by the Trashion Palchemy challenge is this Think Again notebook by NatureMadeScents.

Pam used the materials provided by Pal BAKidAgain

Peg Grady compleatly revisioned her materials creating the incredible "Music Hath Charms" that you see to the left. Music Hath Charms is made from paper mache covered with scraps of sheet music from the '40's, with the corrugated cardboard that Peg recieved from her pal fisheye!


We all had a blast making things from other folks trash! To check out other fun creations search Etsy for "Trashion team" and "Palchemy"

Excelent Press for MissCourageous!

We would like to send out major congratulations to one of the Trashion team's amazing vinyl artists, MissCourageous who was featured on KIVITV news! Have a look:

EyePopArt Upcycles Vinyl with Passionate Art

Etsy Trashion Materials Focus: Vinyl

Trashion team member Christine Claringbold of Eye Pop Art gives new life to Vinyl records with amazing talent! We asked her a few questions about reuseing vinyl and here is what she had to say:

What do you make from vinyl?

I create mandala art, home decor, and wearable accessories from upcycled vinyl records.

These include my Popsicle Clocks, Mandala Record Bowls, Feng Shui Mirrors, Roman Record Cuffs, and Eye Candy Cuffs.

What do you love about vinyl?

I love vinyl records because they are perfect circles with a perfectly defined center - perfect for creating mandalas!

I also love them for being flexible and easy to manipulate into other unexpected forms.

I love that they are so abundant - people give them to me all the time.

I love that they are retro-cool and easily recognizable, and they make people feel a bit nostalgic. People are always amazed to flip over one of my bowls and read the original record label.

I also love the fact that they represent a hugely important part of my life, which is MUSIC! I love to listen to records, I grew up on records as did my husband, and we still love to spin discs, as do our kids. But there are so many old, crappy, scratchy, unplayable records out there that people can't seem to get rid of, and these are the ones to which I love giving new life.


What’s the largest challenge in re-utilizing vinyl?
Well, it was a big challenge to me to figure out how to cut them so I could start making cuffs. Now that I have that figured out, it's a breeze! I do prime all of my records before painting them and I guess that is the biggest pain of the process - it's not challenging, but I don't enjoy it that much so I tend to procrastinate on doing it.

How long have you been working in this medium?
I started painting records in 1997. 11 years!

Where do you find inspiration?
I have always been inspired by the psychedelic '60s. I love the mad patterns, bold colors, stylized florals and paisleys and weird motifs that characterized that era (including the music!). I have a really huge collection of vintage psychedelic coffee cups and the designs on them have inspired me a lot. I also get inspired by working with children. I teach art to kids and just love the beautiful works of art they create.

Wow! Christine you have certainly taken vinyl to a place of extraordinary beauty. Thank you for sharing your talent and creativity with us!

Interested in discovering more about Christine Claringbold and her work check out her blog, and website. Want to have some of her passionate creations for your very own? Go to her Etsy shop!