TrashTalk vol.3

We're wrapping up the Trash Talk series for 2009 with an interview I did with Karen Lee of EcoKaren. She has a great shop which features eco-friendly gifts and accessories made from -you guessed it- recycled and repurposed materials!
Here's her take on the Trashion way of life...

TrashTalk vol.1

Starting off my TrashTalk series is an interview with perfumer and budding trashion artist Diana Rajchel of Magickal Realism.

Primarily a designer of perfumed potions, Diana is currently working to expand her line of 'trashion' offerings to include decoupaged bottles and diffusers, as well as one-of-a-kind gift/shipping boxes- all recycled and repurposed, of course!

Here's what I was curious about...

*Did you grow up with a green family, or is recycling and reusing something you taught yourself to do?

Not exactly. I grew up with a pseudo-green family. We would go spend time in nature, and my mother would repurpose some things out of frugality. We did grow our own food some years, and other years we didn't. Since there was no recycling and no mass transit where I grew up (Crown Point, Indiana) it was all a bit haphazard. We were certainly concerned about air pollution but we just had no options except to keep driving and keep polluting.

*Where do you find the materials that you plan on turning into trashion art?

Just from the things I bring in my home every day. Product boxes (like cereal, mac and cheese) get repurposed and reinforced for shipping. Bottles, like worcestershire or wine, get decoupaged. My flagship trashion is incense paper I make by converting my junk mail into something pretty-smelling. Even among my perfumery goods I'm trying to make it so every single bottle and box sees at least one reuse before it leaves my studio.

*How did you or do you come up with your ideas?

I think that's one of the  great unanswerable questions in the arts. My process is "hmm, I have this object. What can I do with it?" I let that cook for awhile. Sometimes I literally dream the solution.

*Why is it important for you to continue on this artistic path with trashion art?

The world's resources are drying up rather rapidly, and as a perfume designer I have to contend with extinction and related disasters on a daily basis, too. While papering boxes with old stuff won't solve the world's problems, it will slow them down, and trashion causes us to look at and rethink the everyday objects around us and gets us to pause, reconsider, and recreate instead of going out and just buying something brand new that puts further strain on the world.

*How do you feel the community has taken to your art?

When it comes to the trashion fragrances themselves, I think some people don't quite get them - a lot of "perfume snobs" are so conditioned to the scent and behavior of synthetics that they don't see that I'm not just doing all my perfumes up with the chemicals I use in trashion. I think the other things I create - the vials and bottles and especially the incense paper - are easier to understand because you can physically see what the objects used to be before they were repurposed.

*What draws you to a particular found object?

Its presence in my studio, mostly. How much space it takes up, whether it's washable, and in the case of bottles glass color can really catch my attention. I love blue and red glass.

*Do you know right off how you will use your found materials, or does the inspiration come later?

Sometimes I know right away. In the case of perfume vials, they can hold liquid. So that's all they're going to do before and after I work with them. In other cases, an object may sit for awhile while I puzzle at it - especially stacks of old magazines. I've started exploring shredding them and making paper, but the reward of that type of work is very small and frustrating so I may leave that to other dedicated paper makers.

*How long have you been making trashion art and when and why did you start?

I got started a few weeks after I joined Etsy. I was around when someone brought up starting a trashion team, and I was looking for new arts to explore to make my perfumery different from the others already dotting the landscape. It's become somewhat more of a passion for me since, as I've found new and creative ways to repurpose the items that pass through my hands. I've certainly started doing more with trashion in my home decor, hopefully I'll get a few things up to show on my own blog soon!

*What new projects are you working on? Is there an idea you have that you'd like to develop on in the future?

I am preparing a line of decoupaged diffusers using items that are from my daily flotsam (sewing notions, magazine pages, etc.) I'm also arranging for "trashion packs" that have a variety of samplers to go out. I may also soon have my answer to requests for scratch'n'sniff (I'm being mysterious on purpose) but it's a fairly time consuming project so that day is a ways off yet!

Thanks Diana, it's been nice talkin' trash with you!

To find out more about Diana and Magickal Realism visit:
magickalrealism.com
dianarajchel.com

Trashion at Home - fisheye

Today's Trashion at Home is from Lori of fisheye and fishlegs.


I love to find old wood furniture pieces in the trash and fix them up into unique works of art. This bar cabinet is one of my favorite transformations.

It started out as an antique radio (!!) Someone had removed the works and had given it a coat of whitewash.

The radio cabinet had small sliding doors to expose the speaker. I had to enlarge the opening to make it a useful cabinet. I cut out the front and made hinged doors for it.


Then I just went to town with paint. The fish design was inspired by a restaurant sign. I filled it with fun patterns.


I added a fishhook with a worm inside one of the doors.


The knobs were made from big glass beads that came from an old candle holder.


For my paint, I use whatever I can get my hands on, leftover wall paint, acrylic craft paint, mistinted "oops" paint from the paint store, etc. And did you know you can tint wall paint with acrylic craft paint? This comes in some intense shades which you can blend with light colored latex wall paint to get the color you want.


So, if you're a little adventurous, save something from the trash and give it a new life with paint!

Interview with Adrienne of auclairdelalune

Shop name: au clair de la lune

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

Other sites: http://auclairdelalune2009.blogspot.com/

What draws you to using trashion materials?
I find so many things compelling about using trashion materials. There is of course the eco impact of not creating more. As a society we are so inundated by stuff and more stuff. I really like the idea of breaking that chain and trying to be as neutral as possible in my use of new materials. This cuts down not only on the creation of new stuff, but also the pesticides and fertilizers that would be used in creating new fabric, and it keeps old stuff out of landfills.

I also like the challenge of taking something that would otherwise be discarded and finding a way to make it beautiful and useful again. At times there seems to be such a folk art quality in trashion, particularly with the use of found objects that find new purpose.



What trashion materials do you use?
My etsy shop includes exclusively clothing, accessories, and household items made of recycled fabrics. I also use recycled buttons, guitar picks, and flatware. At home just about everything gets saved and reused eventually. Every broken dish turns up later as a mosaic somewhere, my kids and I have made stepping stones with tiny toys, broken costume jewelry, and bottle caps in them, all the corks I saved from my table waiting days are now a fabulous bulletin board. I think it’s kind of a compulsion. It seems like every little object is hanging out, waiting in the wings until its new identity presents itself.



Do you remember the first thing you made using the trashion concept?
When I was little I was lucky enough to spend lots of time at my grandparents' house. As people who had survived the Great Depression, they saved everything because you never know when you might need it. Jars of rubber bands, boxes of soap, a basement full of old books and clothes and furniture, but what I remember most was my grandmother’s sewing porch. Baskets of scraps from every outfit she had ever made for my mother and aunt, and tins full of buttons from clothing that had been worn out. I used to make doll clothes and she taught me to crochet rag rugs from strips of fabric. My son uses a crazy (and I mean crazy) quilt I made twenty five years ago with some of those scraps and I love the fact that now my daughters hang out in my workspace sorting buttons and turning fabric scraps in doll clothes.



What are your current projects and what is on the horizon?
Currently I’m working on finishing all of the half completed projects stacked around me, that is of course if I don’t get distracted by all of the other projects I can’t wait to get started on. I hope to make more clothing for adults and I’m going to continue experimenting with natural fabric dyes.



Anything else you'd like to add?
I’m so happy to be a part of such a terrifically talented group. I never cease to be amazed by the variety of beautiful and creative items that are posted on the different Trashion Team members' sites.

Upcycle Exchange - Swapping Green

Emily of Candy Calamity recently interviewed Autumn Wiggins of the Upcycle Exchange about her innovative new trashion project:

Website: www.upxchange.com

Can you tell us a little about yourself?

I've been a die-hard indie crafter since 2001! I started out developing a microbrand for my sewn goods called String Theory, and quickly got caught up in the momentum of the handmade movement. In 2005, I began organizing Strange Folk, a grass roots craft show in the burbs of St. Louis that has grown exponentially, drawing a crowd of over 10,000 attendees last year. I was interested in exploring the environmental impact of our growing genre, and began writing for Crafting a Green World in 2008. After compiling research on the subject, I presented my findings and ideas as a speaker at both Craft Con and Maker Faire 2008. Articles for Etsy's Storque Blog and Craft: Magazine followed. I propose that cottage industries can be an effective vehicle for upcycling; that by working together we can eliminate waste, reduce pollution, and curb overseas mass production. I'm confident this can be made a reality by the creative utilization of the internet, and after designing websites for 15 years, it's very exciting for me to be in the thick of developing user interfaces for this purpose.

What is an upcycle exchange?

It works just like a recycling program, except that it specifically addresses the relationship between buying and selling merchandise. The basic concept is that a seller requests items they use to make things, and the customer collects said items for the seller. The seller then offers incentives such as discounts on merchandise or free give-aways to customers that submit said items. The terms of the exchange are facilitated through the internet or the merchandise itself.
Now, that's a broad explanation with a lot of possibilities. It makes sense as a model for sustainability, but not in the current climate of industrialization. Companies that depend on countless middle-men and factories overseas are incapable of adopting the concept effectively. Due to society's varied tastes of consumption, what is really needed to make repurposing viable is equally varied creative interpretation. The handmade movement is not a passing art fad, but a renaissance of trash. It's up to us to maximize the usefulness of an overwhelming abundance of durable goods that the world has inherited from ignorant predecessors. In the long run, industry will need to adopt greener methods for producing raw materials, and maybe technologies that enable micro-manufacturing can trump the ugly trend of faceless labor.

How did you come up with the idea to organize this?

I got the idea while reading a book called Cradle-to-Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things by William McDonough and Michael Braungart. Most crafters may not realize the term "Upcycling" was actually coined in this book. They talk a lot about futuristic concepts dealing with "material flows"; that everything man-made would be either 1. compostable 2. infinitely recyclable (which many things, like paper and most plastics, are not) OR 3. Upcycled in an orderly fashion. The first two are technologies on the horizon. The third seems very far-fetched to most people. in fact, many things certified as Cradle-to-Cradle are a combination of all three, most being products that are used long-term(like carpets, office chairs, even a concept car by Ford) and can be disassembled once their use has ceased. I thought, what about domestic goods? There are so many things that our modern lifestyle requires. The complexity is maddening, and the only way that everything can be sustainable is for everyone with enough imagination to make it so.
I'm reading this book, thinking the whole time they obviously aren't aware of the indie craft underground, which has since become a mainstream phenomena. I saw it as solving an equation for X, and had a strong feeling that I shouldn't keep it to myself. Though the solution was easy, writing the proof was difficult . Even though my ideas for facilitating upcycle exchanges in many forms have been met with enthusiasm, it seemed that I would have to take it further and formulate a workable platform. That's why I created "The Upcycle Exchange" specifically as a program for St. Louis. It's meant to be a model and a way to work out bugs in the system before we launch Lucoop.com (short for Local Upcycling Coops) which will be an open-source type project to promote community driven upcycling efforts.

Having hosted your first upcycle exchange is there anything you would do differently?

I was actually floored at how well it went. The compiled list seemed to make sense to everyone. People were happy with the coupons, and were bringing in some really nice stuff. Many mentioned they would have not discarded these things otherwise, but were thrilled about the idea of their clutter being made into something new. There was some concern beforehand from vendors about requiring minimum quantities in order to get the discount. I was pretty adamant that NOT having minimums was a cornerstone of the concept. You just have to trust that most people would willingly donate a reasonable amount, and overwhelmingly, they did.
That said, I think it's important for volunteers to be familiar with the list and the vendors, as well as sorting from the get-go. Also, all participating vendors should lend you at least 2 decent sized tubs, boxes, or laundry baskets that are clearly labeled with their name. I found it helpful to tape individual vendor lists to their containers as well. The cool thing was that people would bring their stuff in all kinds of bags and boxes which allowed us to sort out things like fabric,buttons, ribbons, paper, and other practically universally requested items. In the end, there was such and abundance that even non-participating vendors were invited to take home some treasure. Only a few scraps remained.

Where can people go to learn more about organizing an exchange in their own area?

I think I have a pretty good system for collecting and compiling lists in place. Also, once you start collecting things, I found a really great way to both sort for individuals and create collections of commonly requested items for the vendors to choose from at the end of a show. I'm going to start working on publishing guides on how to do this on Lucoop.com starting this summer. Until then, I'd be happy to go through the basics with anyone who would like to start their own program before then. Just e-mail me at upxchange@gmail.com. Also, I'm releasing the "U" symbol on The Upcycle Exchange site under a Creative Commons license for anyone to use or remix, and will have high-res graphics available for download, but will be happy to serve them up via e-mail for now as well. I think the upcycling symbol should be as recognizable as the recycling symbol!

Is there anything else you'd like to add?

There are many other possibilities for this such as distributing "Upcycle Bins", having drop-off locations, and I'm sure many other avenues I'm not thinking of. Events seem like a good place to start though. Sure, the economy sucks, but we can pretty much do all this for free, and give consumers more incentive to buy handmade goods. We've got a lot of work ahead of us, but I think we can actually save the planet by making things :)

ReUsed News

Upcycle - searching through Etsy's website you'll run across the word upcycle over and over, in descriptions, in tags and even in the forums. Ever wonder where the word came from and what exactly it means.

The word upcycled was coined by authors, William McDonough and Michael Braungart, in their wonderful book Cradle to Cradle; Remaking the Way We Make Things. I highly recommend this book if you've never had the chance to read it. This book totally challenges the way we think about how things are made. The authors argue that to recycle something generally turns higher quality products into lower quality ones useful only for purposes other than the original product, and then eventually discards them. This is not recycling; it's slow motion waste. Instead, they suggest to make buildings that actually produce more energy than they use and shoes that when they are unwearable you can compost the souls and return the upper part to the shoe maker to be remade into shoes.

Upcycling is defined as the practice of taking something that is disposable and transforming it into something of greater use and value.


All the pictures in this post were found searching upcyle on Etsy. (Just click on the pictures to go to the shop with the item, to learn more about the item.)

TRASHY KIDS~CD Felt Coasters

Materials:

Old CD that is no longer usable,scratched, or just plain unwanted
Felt 2 pieces 6" square
Craft glue
4 Safety pins
Darning needle or embroidery needle
Embroidery floss
Scissors

Instructions:
Place glue on one side of the CD and center it on the wrong side one square of felt. Place the second piece of felt right side out on top of the CD. Pin each of the four corners to hold it in place. Cut all around the CD leaving the fabric stick out about 1/4".


Place the loose piece of fabric wrong side down on the CD and place a few dots of glue between the fabric piece and the CD to hold it in place. Thread three strands of the embroidery floss in the needle and tie a knot in one end.

Make a blanket stitch all the way around the outside edge of the fabric, CD, fabric sandwich. Tie off and clip the threads.

With your threaded needle find the hole in the center of the CD and make one stitch down, up, back down and back up again. Tie the two ends of the thread in a knot and clip the threads leaving short tails.


This coaster can be personalized with a permanent marker by writing the name of the person on it. You can also draw designs or add buttons.


Option: You can cut plastic butter tub lids in a 5" circle instead of using the CD or plastic canvas.

Posted by: Lake Erie Beach Glass
Please email any TRASHY KIDS Craft ideas to Jodie at lakeeriebeachglass@hotmail.com .
Pictures for your projects are welcome! :0)

samann1121 Recreates Paper

Etsy Trashion Materials Focus: Paper

Trashion team member Jessie of samann1121 gives new life to paper with amazing talent! We asked her a few questions about reuseing paper and here is what she had to say:

What do you make by re-using paper?

Note cards, stickers, gift tags, envelopes

What do you find the most satisfying about your creations?

I love being able to rescue things that were bound for a landfill.
There's so much life left in so many of the things people don't want anymore.
I feel like I'm making the world better a little at a time.

Where do you typically find the paper you repurpose?

garage and estate sales, thrift stores, my mailbox, other people's trash

What type of paper products do you use?

I mostly use vintage papers, like the pages of old books.  Also maps, magazines,
wrapping paper, and wallpaper.

Where did you learn your current techniques?

Craftster was a major source of inspiration several years ago.
Since then, it's pretty much just been trial and error,
and a couple of internet tutorials.

Where do you get your inspiration for your projects?

My materials inspire me.
I hardly ever go out looking for materials to make aspecific project.
I find the materials, and they tell me what to do with them.

Which of the tools you use is your favorite?
When working with paper, my favorite tool is probably my paper cutter -
- it's 12" x 15", and cost $12 at the local Salvation Army.  :-)

Tell us about a couple favorite items they've made from paper and why they
stand out in your mind.

I think my yearbook stickers are the most fun to make.
I also love picking out old books to make my book journals.


Any final thoughts you want to share?
I love that the Trashion team is growing so fast!  The more Trashion love, the better!



On that note, if your feeling inspired go puruse Jessie's supply shop!
It's got plenty of rescued paper and ephemera! 


Interested in discovering more about Jessie and her work check out her blog, and Flickr.
Want to have some of her creative paper creations for your very own? Go to her Etsy shop!

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!

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 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!

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!

Trashion Team Spotlight- Interview with Jen of Jen1Kanobi!

Shop name: Jen1kanobi

Shop address: http://jen1kanobi.etsy.com

Other sites: http://jen1kanobi.blogspot.com







Trashion materials: office folders & paper, old books, fabric, certain types of recyclable plastic, Styrofoam, orange peels, spools, miscellaneous small objects... really i don't like letting something go unless i can't think of a way to use it.

What do you transform them into? art dolls, art books, journals, notebooks, jewelry, headbands & sleevies, clothing, bags, stamps, and collages

How do you do it? mostly with my hands and scissors, sewing machine, toaster oven, glue, time and patience :)



Do you remember the first thing you made using the trashion concept? I remember as a kid my dad made coffee of the campfire in an old empty coffee can, with a wire handle, but I think the first thing I made was probably the orange juice concentrate lid magnet for my mom

What was it? I think this might be a common kid craft, but i loved all those things we made as kids out of junk it got me going down the right path... we took orange juice concentrate lids and nails and pounded designs into them, and then we stuck magnets on the back, I think we gave them to our moms for mother's day.

What are your current projects and what is on the horizon? I am struggling to make up some more inventory for a local shop who carries my journals, bookmarks, and greeting cards, and I am desperate to create more Orange Babies, they are my favorite, and I need more of them.



Why should people buy handmade and from trashion? when you buy handmade you get the joy of contact with the human element, which we lack to a large degree in our big box chain store world... and you know the labor wasn't exploited... my preference is to reuse or scavenge materials where I can to keep my wasteful impact on this green globe to a minimum... buying trashion helps

Anything else you'd like to add? I try not to overcomplicate things, I often fail... but my advice to myself and all other crafters is to "shoot from the hip"

Thank you for sharing your great upcycling with us Jen! Excellent shop name!