Trash Talk Thursday: Tree of the Week

TREE OF THE WEEK

Last Sunday while walking to our local coffee place my friend told me that a tree we were approaching was her ‘tree of the week’. Did I have one she asked? I do not, I replied. (I am not a tree hugger type myself. My idea of being in nature is the walk from my vehicle to my front door.)

This, I have been told, is fairly common among upcyclers.
I think we come to this because
1- We are all thrift store, tag sale and vintage junkies.
2- We love the hunt.
3- We are very creative and like to challenge ourselves.
4- Oh yes, it’s good for the environment, blah blah, blah.

In order to upcycle you must be able to think outside the box and see the beauty in, well, garbage. Mucho creativity! A quick search on Etsy came up with many wonderful examples. Here are some of my favorites...

Enlightened Thinking

An Blath Paipeir

True Rebel Clothing

Amazing, right?

So next time you see that bulk trash pickup pile on the side of the road pull over and have a peek. You just never know what treasure awaits! You have your hand sanitizer already!

Happy Hunting!

Images © Enlightened Thinking, An Blath Paipeir & True Rebel Clothing

Text © Delight Worthyn

Trash Talk Thursday: What Price Knowledge?

What Price Knowledge? Upcycling PT 2
by Delight Worthyn

People often say to me, "you find great stuff” and it is true, but there are many visits that are a bust...Many...the trick is to go frequently, very frequently and pounce if you find something.
I have been sewing for a lot of years and I understand how garments are constructed and therefore how to take them apart.
I wasn’t born with this knowledge I have learned largely through trial and error, learning vastly more from the latter. (Hint-don’t be afraid to “fail”) Although you can expect to pay less for material you should be prepared to make up for it in labor.

Let’s go to the thrift store… To start:
1) Become a regular at your local thrift stores. If you have a question about price always talk to a manager. The clerk ringing you out can’t help you and are often instructed not to sell an un-ticketed item. If they have seen you around you will get the best deal.
2) Be prepared to spend time sorting through a lot of undesirable stuff. Dig into bins, good stuff is often at the bottom. And it probably isn’t clean-bring hand sanitizer!
3) Most thrift stores have a half price day, find out what day it is and GO.
4) If you see something that really speaks to you buy it on the spot for it will be gone when you go back.
5) Have a general idea of what you are looking for, but be flexible.
6) Bring a tape measure
7) Look over the garment and don’t dismiss stained or otherwise damaged items since they may have trims, buttons and the like that you can employ. I am generally looking for either tee shirts or silk. I have developed a signature style using the ubiquitous tee. I dye them, hand paint them, bead them and weave them. People never believe where they started.

Years of acquired skill and knowledge, how much is that worth,
I wonder?
Check out both of Delights Etsy Shops to see her fanciful work!
DelightWorthyn and ScavengersDaughter

Images & Text © Delight Worthyn

Trash Talk Thursday: Upcycling-a labor of love

Delight Worthyn: Upcycling-a labor of love

Often I am faced with a question about costs of some of my hand crafted items and the interaction usually goes something like this, ‘since you are using recycled materials how come this item is expensive?’ I have accepted the mission to explain some of the process and concerns that go into upcycling.

But let’s start at the beginning.

. Our grandmothers didn’t use this term but they were upcycling all the same. It was a way of life not to waste things that could be used again. (How many people have inherited vast collections of buttons)... The term ‘upcycling’ was coined in 1994 by German Reiner Pilz who also used the term ‘downcycling’. This is what we primarily think of when we use the term recycling. You know, melting plastic bottles to become some other hybrid plastic that is degrading with each generation. Upcycling is taking used materials and turning them in to something of greater value. For instance, after demolishing an old building you can 1- crush the bricks and make an aggregate 2- clean and restore those same bricks and use them in a new building. It takes a lot longer to get those bricks into usable condition so you see upcycling is a very labor intensive process. Time is money!

. Over the next few weeks I am going to take you on journey through the wonderful world of upcycling. Knowledge is power and also, as Martha would say,’ a good thing’.

.Check out DelightWorthyn and Scavengers Daughter

and Delight's Website and Blog.

Upcycled Fashion In Italy by BehaveUrbanAtelier

A little update about the use of recycled materials in fashion in Italy.
by Guest Blogger, Susanna of behaveurbanatelier.

Maybe not everyone knows that Salvatore Ferragamo, aka “the shoemaker of dreams”, was one of the first designers to use recycled materials for his creations...he noted that candy wrappers were a strong material and braided them to create the upper part of his shoes in the 1940s. Due to the big economic crisis during the second world war, expensive materials were not available or affordable. I’ve searched the web for a picture of those shoes but did not find anything! One pair is visible in Ferragamo Museum inside his palace in Firenze (I bring my students there for a visit often and always stress the recycling concept inside that creation!)

And what about today? Italians always prefer quite classic styles and it is hard to market unusual looking products here, in my opinion, if not connected with luxury and properly marketed with expensive campaigns. Here are some examples of high market brands that are surprisingly producing recycled materials collections:

Moma Boma creates bags using vintage newspaper, magazines , measure tapes, and (my favourite) pages from kids school scrapbooks, with maths or other subjects assignments and exercises on.


Architect and fashion designer (like me!) Vincenzo De cotiis creates luxury collections using findings from vintage markets as pieces of lace, embroidery, furs.


Carmina Campus is a brand (designed by a previous Fendi designer) that creates really expensive bags all made out of pieces of different things as shower tubes, tapestry, bottle caps, crochets, all put together.


In the international school where I work as a fashion professor (Lorenzo de’ Medici International) the Fashion Department has organized this year's final fashion show using only second hand garments, to make both the public and students aware of the value of recycled fabrics…the final outfits were so cutting edge!


Recently a primary school did the same thing using plastic bags and , during a fair focused on clean energies in agriculture.


The students of Firenze College of Arts organized a fashion show featuring evening dresses made out of plastic bottles, playing cards, rubber gloves, etc.


In our local Fair Trade Shops (Altromercato) a new collection of dresses made out of recycled Indian saris (the traditional Indian dress) is available.

And then there is me with my little studio-shop in Florence center, supporting and promoting recycling everyday, explaining to people here how is it possible to have new garments from old garments and really feeling it as a mission!


Visit Susanna's shop for more unique upcycled Italian fashion: www.behaveurbanatelier.etsy.com

Interview with Karen from ecogeneration

Shop name: ecogeneration

Shop address: http://ecogeneration.etsy.com

Other sites: http://ecogeneration.blogspot.com
I’m also on facebook and twitter.

What draws you to using trashion materials?
Being eco-friendly and trying to reduce waste and reuse materials I already have are part of my motto – Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. I think we have way too much resource that we don’t use. I think it’s our responsibility to use them up before buying new.



What trashion materials do you use?
Leftover yarn from when I was learning to knit and crochet 30 years ago. I stopped when I had kids and then, I picked it up again recently. So I have a stash of yarn that I didn’t throw out. I also have fabric remnants collected after making curtains, cushions, pillow covers, and album covers. I recently learned how to felt wool. I had a small, outdated ski sweater that I felted and I love the result. I made so many items from just one little wool sweater.



Do you remember the first thing you made using the trashion concept?
Kitchen scrubbies with acrylic yarn. They are so much better than the commercial ones I used to buy. They last longer and clean better. Albeit, they are made with acrylic but I had so many skeins leftover from when I was learning and I couldn’t throw them away. So I used it to make scrubbies. Initially, I gave them to friends and family and they suggested that I sell them. That’s how I started on Etsy.



What are your current projects and what is on the horizon?
My head is always working on concepts and designs. That’s my problem; I love to make so many different things. I don’t know how to consolidate my shop into one. I love to sew, crochet, knit, paint, you name it, I love to make anything. So these days, I’m preoccupied with streamlining my ideas. I feel like I have ADD sometimes but my current project is to find just a few to work on. It’s the hardest part about being a crafter/artist…focusing.




Anything else you'd like to add?
I love Etsy. That sounds like a cliché but really, it’s true. I sometimes just scroll and see what others are making, buying, selling, and doing on Etsy. I can spend hours on the site. It’s terrible for my time management but I can really digress on Etsy for hours. And I have to really control myself from buying everything I see. There are so many talented artists on Etsy. I’ve noticed the number of eco-friendly artists who reuse and upcycle materials has been increasing. I think that’s awesome. And I feel so lucky to be part of a such talented community.

Got Supplies?

Isn't it a good time to grab some upcycled supplies and make something? Here are some cool finds from Trashion Team Members. Click photos for info.

TRASHY KIDS~Upcycled Fridge Frame!

This weeks TRASHY KIDS activity was submitted by Emily or CANDYCALAMITY. This Upcycled Refrigerator Frame is an easy upcycling project that your young ones can get involved with as well as the older ones! (My 16 year old made one of these, too!)

What you will need:
Old tissue box/boxes
Scissors
Glue
Magnet (I used a freebie advertisemnt magnet that I picked up at a fair booth and cut it into pieces)
Craft leftovers such as sequins,buttons,yarn,beans,noodles etc. Let your imagination run wild here or pull out those containers of scraps you know you have hidden! ;0)


The HOW TO Scoop:
Take the top off an empty square size tissue box (so you have basically a square with an oval opening), decorate as you please, attach a photo or drawing cut to the size of the square to the back and glue on a magnet - ta da - a fantastic upcycled fridge frame.


Thank you Emily for your submission on this week's Trashy Kids!
Here is a terrific item from CandyCalamity's Shop!

If you have a great idea for this segment of the blog please submit your idea and any pictures if you have them to www.lakeeriebeachglass@hotmail.com

Trashion Team Spotlight- Vicki of Wearwolf!

Shop name: wearwolf

Shop address: www.wearwolf.etsy.com

Other sites: www.wearwolfs.com

Trashion materials: soda cans, used tin, found objects, old jewelry, bottle caps

I transform them into: jewelry and shrines, picture frames

How do you do it? Using the colors and words to make interesting and beautiful things to wear or look at. I like that people usually look at my things and see the piece, first, THEN the fact that it's recycled!


Do you remember the first thing you made using the trashion concept? Hmmmmm.... probably a flower brooch.

What are your current projects and what is on the horizon? Looking at heavier metals for cutting and shaping.... adding more painted pieces, decorating small furniture items with tin flowers, more detail oriented earrings..... who knows?

Why should people buy handmade, and buy from trashion? I think that using recycled items adds one more dimension of challenge to the creative process. The page is never completely blank so you have to mentally twist ideas a little more. Plus, it is awesome to use things that have already been processed. Recycling instead of using "new" just has to help use less resources somewhere......

Anything else you'd like to add?
My son is an elementary school teacher and his whole school collects cans for me now! I am their adopted artist. They have such fun showing me new cans that they have found! I think this helps the small ones start thinking about what you can do with things before you just toss them in the trash! This has gotta be good for the earth!

Thank you for sharing your beautiful work with us! That's so great that you've gotten school kids more involved with recycling through your work!

Trashion Team Spotlight Interview- Lost and Found Objects2!

Shop name: LostAndFoundObjects2

Shop address:www.LostAndFoundObjects2.etsy.com

In a nutshell:
Assemblage Jewelry, Collage and Sculpture (Lil’ monsters and figurative sculpture)





Tell us a bit about yourself :
I work at a neighborhood creativity center called Patchwork Central in Evansville, IN. I work with kids and adults making art and teaching life skills. The website is at www.patchwork.org if you are interested in knowing more. I have been working there for nearly 15 years and 10% of my profits from my etsy shop goes to free kid's arts programs there. I have an MFA in Fibers and I work with a women's craft cooperative in Honduras making paper and jewelry. I have 2 dogs Gracey and Mercy.

In Lost & Found Objects 2 - I enjoy combining discarded bits from daily life and creating new, funky, sometimes funny assemblages. I get a charge out of using things overlooked and under appreciated by others. I have been working with recycled materials for over 20 years, at first because I had no money and then later (even though i still have no money) because that is all that interests me. I think it is an extra challenge; working with what is available and I congratulate myself on finding uses for things normally thrown away.



Trashion materials:
I get really excited about finding a resource that is abundant! and figuring out a good way to reuse it. I have been collecting bits of this and that, old junk drawer kind of stuff, broken things, shiny things, stuff I find on the street while walking. There is nothing like the patina of a partially rusted, partially shiny smashed bottle cap or piece of metal - run over by cars with the pavement texture ground into it. Yeah!! <:0) The metal from soda pop cans are my current passion. All my items are well washed and sealed if need be:) I have been collecting costume jewelry, pieces of things, vintage fabrics and lately knitted scarves and sweaters - lots of stuff with which to keep my hands busy.


I transform them into:
Assemblage jewelry, handmade paper collages, figurative sculpture and I also sew lil’ monsters from found stuff and make collage from my own handmade paper and found objects. More items can also be seen on my flickr site - www.flickr.com/gp/21255859@N08/U4EUB9

How do you do it?
I am a bit compulsive about always having something to keep my hands busy. So I carry projects with me to meetings, conferences, trainings and church. I work will I visit, watch old movies and spend time with my family.




What inspired you to do this and why are you involved in trashion?
I work with art in a neighborhood based creativity center called Patchwork Central in my inner city neighborhood in Evansville, IN. I am always intrigued by the stuff I see as I walk in the neighborhood, usually through alleys - as I love the mix of junk, gardens unfinished backside of houses. I always find something when I am walking, usually it is perspective art materials but sometimes, like last week - I found a 10 dollar bill! I get to work on recycled projects with the kids in the neighborhood all the time. Not only does it fit in with our limited budget, but it teaches us to look at things creatively, finding new uses and it teaches stewardship of resources.



What are some of the first things you made using the trashion concept?
I have been making jewelry from found objects and beads for over 20 years. I was a paper maker in grad school and worked in a laundry mat to have access to the dryer lint. When I was a little girl I remember trying to make a round rug from tall weeds I found growing near the alley behind my house. It wasn’t very successful, but I wanted it to be like the rag rugs my great grandmother had made from old clothes. I come from a generation of quilters on all sides of my family. Making do was not just what they did - it was part of the challenge.


What are your current projects and what is on the horizon?
I am currently creating jewelry from soda pop cans. That is fun. I can’t walk past a can in the street without taking it home, washing it out and cutting up the metal.

I have also been working on a series of recycled jewelry from bicycle parts. The rubber inner tubes, plastic reflectors and silver cutlery have been my inspiration. These neck pieces are for an upcoming show at Artifacts Gallery in Indianapolis, IN called 'Reclaim Reuse Reimagine'. The show opens May 9th so I am working hard to finish these new pieces.

In the 2D arena, I am planning to create a series of a dozen large 2’ x 3’ handmade paper/mixed media images communicating the idea of place and landscape, based upon friendships with individuals in my inner city kids' arts programs and a group of women who I work with in a paper making/craft cooperative in Honduras.



Why should people buy handmade, and buy from trashion?
Why wouldn’t we want to have wonderful, high quality and highly imaginative stuff created from things that would have added to the landfill. It’s about stewardship. Its about creativity.


More you'd like to share:
I am sure I have said too much already : ), but I love etsy and the opportunities it affords to people who are striving to live more creative lives!

Thank you for sharing the inspirations behind your great work, Jane!