This year's Cat Present

As usual, I'm making a crazy cat of some kind for my friend, Lynne, who has a huge collection. Most of her stuff is stunningly beautiful; some of it is whimsical; some of it is cute. I think I'm the only one who ever makes a gift. (But to be on the safe side, in case the gift turns out to be totally disappointing, I buy something nice as well.)

If you're read this last year, you know the cat I made was worse than crazy; it was downright scary.

This year I decided to try some kind of painting/collage. I started with a canvas and sketched in a silhouette of a cat staring at a full moon. I used a coffee saucer to make the circle (and as you see, I didn't stay in the lines precisely when I painted the moon.)

Next, I tried something different. I used some grout I had left over and filled in the cat sketch with the grout. When the grout dried, I painted it black, then used some of last year's leftover cat material to glue something I thought would resemble bamboo. (It didn't). Since that didn't please me (and it was too much trouble to try to remove it, I gathered some twigs and glued them down.

I'm thinking this is close to ready. Maybe, after I sleep on it, I'll add something more. I don't know. Meanwhile, I'm going shopping to find a "nice kitty" to wrap.

Can't Sleep So Sharing Stuff

When sleep decides it wants to play games with me, I usually pick up the laptop and start surfing around the blogs and sites looking for spiffy recycling artists and crafters. Since it is the Christmas season, I thought I'd try to focus on some of the things I found tonight that focus on handmade gifts created with found or left-over items.

At RecycleCindy's site, there's a nifty plam snowman. (Don't worry. If you don't know what plam is; I didn't either but there's a link on the site that explains how to create it. It's merely "yarn" made from those notorious plastic grocery bags.)

For the last minute decorations, Becky Striepe's blog features a video that shows step by step how to make super starts out of recycled cardboard -- that's the kind you get from cereal boxes and shirt stuffers and the like. It's a quick tutorial and should take not time to master. Beware, though. She introduces this blog post with a beautiful photo that will have you shivering.

Recycling Crafts for Kids

I don't have any, kids that is. But I once taught the little future adults and one common trait I noticed is that creativity runs rampant in their little heads. But, without some kind of direction, some basic tools, and a smidgen of tutoring, these little ones can come up with stuff that surpasses our expectations.

I found a nice site that supplies at least one part of the equation -- direction. If you provide the tools and that little bit of help, and let them have their way, the kids will come up with their own interpretation of crafting.

The site's called AllFreeCrafts.com. Check it out. You might even find something that sets your own inner child free.

I blogged about recycling crafts for children before and I'll probably do it again because in addition to remembering my teaching days, I also remember all the fun (and sometimes weird) things I used to make out of leftover scraps of useless material. (I once built a rather clumsy log cabin out of corn cobs.)

Nurture creativity!

More posting

I've been reading a lot of blogs lately, just to get some kind of feel for what interests others. I happen to be interested in myriad topics, probably because I'm adult ADD, a trait I've more or less mastered by exerting immense control over life -- most of the time. Right now, for instance, I have four projects working (not counting the one huge failure sitting on top of the water bottle in my kitchen, a futile attempt to use cardboard rolls to germinate seeds). I'd like to do more woodworking but that will come later.

I'm doing a painting, making yule stockings from scrap fabric I picked up at the local thrift shop, finishing the edges of my mosaic table top, and decorating, all of which has to be finished in time for Christmas.

Meanwhile, I'm studying Buddhism and working full time.

That's my life in a rather large nutshell.

Now, back to the reading of blogs, I hope to follow suit and blog more often, even if I don't have a recyclable project to show. I think it's just as important to point out some really good stuff others are doing so while I'm listening to podcasts (oh, forgot to mention that in my project list but that's okay because they are about spirituality.), I'll do click around the web and see what's out there.

Ninety-nine percent

Seem to be stuck on the mosaic. Thought I would attach a frame to it but it appears the borders aren't exactly straight. The found pieces of molding just looked weird (as if the project isn't in itself a bit weird) so I scrapped that idea.

A new problem arises, however, in that my neighbor expressed interest in buying it! I won't mention the price she offered but ... I'm planning to take a seven day vacation and her number is a only a few dollars less than it would cost to board my pup for that time frame ... Soooooo

We'll see. Meanwhile, I broke down and bought some scrap black glass from someone on ebay. As soon as it arrives, I'll use it to frame the piece. I'll have to fill in the grout (I already grouted in anticipation of framing) but I think it will be okay.

Who knows. I might even sign it on the back ...

The home stretch ...

Never thought it would take this long but the mosaic table top made from scrap pieces of stuff found at garage sales, thrift shops, and in my brother's backyard -- and a couple of purchased pieces -- is finally seeing the end of its journey. This has been therapy for me of sorts because I have problems focusing my attention on any project for too long. If something takes more than a half a day, I get frustrated and often just abandon the project. Life's too short to spend too much time on one topic (unless it's a good book.)

But this is the second big task I started in the last couple of years (the other was painting my kitchen cupboards) and I'm pretty pleased with the fact that it's a work in progress that is progressing.

I really started it because of the coal fossils. It seemed a shame not to do something with them. What I did might not be conventional; however, it's a work of art to me.

Next comes the frame and the grout. I think I have enough scrap 1 x 1 strips I found when my neighbors were remodeling their kitchen so the frame will be made from salvaged material. I'll have to buy the grout, though because I don't have a clue what goes into that product.

Probably there will be some odds and ends and finishing touches but I'm thinking I'll be finished with this baby by the end of November.

Table Top Progress

Had to break down and buy some glass tiles. I couldn't find enough blue stuff to make a "sky" so I went to Michaels and bought a package of tiles. Grrrr. Hate to buy new ... prefer pre-owned and/or toss off and/or leftovers. But, good news. The blue tiles helped me finish! Well, not completed. I haven't grouted or framed but just getting the pieces of tesserae down is a big task.

I was planning to use this as a table top but my neighbor saw it and she wants me to sell it to her for her daughter's new house. I don't have the heart to sell it, though because it's mostly cast-off stuff. Maybe I'll just give it to her for the cost of the blue glass ($6.00) and grout (don't know that price), the table (I'll have to go back and check on the cost of that; I think I blogged it, and the framing. I will get the latter at Restore: the resale arm of Habitat for Humanity. Maybe $25? What do you guys think?

Pictures coming ... as soon as I find my camera ...

Remember those old floppies?

You can't buy a computer WITH a floppy disk drive anymore. Some companies will provide one in a new box - for a price - and you can buy external floppy drives (but they are getting harder to get). But I bet everyone who had had a computer either at work or at home not too long ago, has some floppy disks lying around somewhere. Heck, I bet some people still have boxes of them!

Well, there's an artist in New Jersey (so sorry) who has created some uber cool artwork from those old floppies. Her images are protected so I can't show any of them here so you'll have to surf on over to her site ... but I tell you, it's worth the trek.

Next time you get the urge to toss those disks in the trash (you know you will), don't do it! Send them to her.(Contact info is on the page with a picture of a really cute dog.) She says she will send you something special for helping keep these indestructible little critters (the disks, not the dogs, silly folks) out of the landfills.

Great Trash to Treasure Stuff

I haven't figured out how to insert an image from another website and it's not something I would do often but, there's a group over on facebook, called Trash to Treasure Creative Reuse Center and those folks really know how to recycle. (You've got to see what one of these crafty people did with those nasty flip tops from pop cans!)

I'd like to showcase some of their stuff but I'm not sure I wouldn't be messing with the etiquette of blogging if I do that. I can, however, show the link to the site.

Check it out ... you will be surprised! I promise.

Recycle your old CDs and related items

Did you ever think about how much junk you add to the landfill when you toss that damaged or no-longer-needed disk? Maybe not,(say it isn't so) but if you care about the planet and the legacy you're leaving for future generations, you might want to take one small step away from the trash can and one giant step toward the recycling box when you're ready to dispose of your disks.

Okay, so maybe you have just one disk and you figure it's not going to make the teeniest difference if you toss it. But remember, you are not alone. You have lots of friends, relatives and/or co-workers in your life circle and when you add them to your efforts, well, that's pretty much all there is to say.

I've set up a recycle box at home and told all my friends to hand over their used and damaged disks. When the box is filled, I'm sending its contents off to the CD Recycling Center of America. (Check it out, pleeeeeeezzzzz.)

Before I send the box of CDs packing (oooohhh bad pun, I know), I'll snap a picture so you can see how one little person and one little disk can make one big difference.

Oh, and no, I don't make any money from this suggestion and maybe it sounds a tad pretentious or preachy, or sappy, or serious or whatever negative vibes the post elicits, but get over it, dude and dudette.

Recycling, to pinch a Martha Stewart phrase, "It's a good thing."

Yet another progress report

Work on the table top made of recycled and second-hand stuff came to a standstill, first because of vacation and then because I ran of of stuff! I've been haunting thrift shops and garage sales trying to find colored glass or pottery to fill in the background but nothing's turned up. Then I realized I had these porous stone tiles that, if I recall, I bought on a closeout price at Michaels. I discovered that these tiles took paint really well, so I've been applying color in the evenings, giving them some different shades. I think they are just what I need. I was planning to add them to the project this weekend, but it's inventory time at work so yet again, fun takes a back seat to work. However, I think things will move more quickly now that I have more stuff!

Out to lunch ... and dinner and supper and snack and ...

Left home Sunday to help celebrate what I thought was my mother's 95th birthday ... She wasn't too happy about that thought, as she vehemently pointed out that she was just 94 ... No matter, we're enjoying each others company but boy are we overeating... I'm thinking I'll have to get some bigger jeans when I get back home, either that or find a recycling hobby that requires more physical activity. (Back in a few minutes ... somebody's serving a fruit plate.)

A quick email message on my Blackberry was from an email list I subscribe to. It announced a site my readers might be interested in. Take a look at this neat woodworking blog. It's fairly new but I suspect it's going to get a lot of followers. I haven't scrolled through the entire blog because guess what ... it's time to eat again. I believe this is my fifth food session today and it's only six thirty. (To be continued in a few minutes.)

Back. Been to a lot of craft shops, stopped at a few yard sales, enjoyed one heavy rainfall, and sampled some things like deep fried cheesecake, Arooga potatoes, Pennsylvania Dutch pretzels, red beet eggs, and a few things I don't want to sample again.

Be back blogging next week with an update on the table top. Meanwhile, it's snack time ... again.

What a Find!

My buddy Kat (Kathleen to her mom and dad) found this great set of tile samples at a teacher's resource exchange. That's where outgoing teachers buy/sell supplies they won't need next year for sale to teachers who might need them the next year. Sometimes they bring stuff that belongs hubbies or wives that aren't resources ...

She bought these miniature tiles - samples I guess - and gave them to me. I think I will try to see how they can fit into the used-materials mosaic table top (previous post) I'm working on.

Progress and then... Pow!

The mosaic fossil flower table top is starting to take shape. In fact, it's almost designing itself. I found a bunch of extra green glass pieces that look so much like grass that it's scary.

All was going well and progress was, well, progressing ... that is until the tip of my glass cutter just disappeared. Poof. One minute it was gliding across a piece of glass and the next minute it wasn't. I didn't know these things broke. I guess this project is just meant to be, though because on my way to the grocery store I pulled over at a garage sale to look at some scrap material and guess what was there ... a glass cutter.

See what I mean?

Now that the project is taking shape,I'm rethinking some of the finishing. I'm leaving a border of about an inch and I intend to put a frame there but I'm not so sure I'll be pouring liquid acrylic to smooth it out. I was thinking about going to the home improvement store to get some thicker tile adhesive but I changed my mind. I have a half a container of Weldbond (boy does that stuff hold!) that seems to be doing the job. We'll see how it plays out.

Also, I was going to put a coat of white paint on the fiber board but I changed my mind on that as well. I like the tint the beige brings to some of the light weight glass.
Frank T Ross & Sons #1395 Gallon Weldbond Adhesive

Would The Buddha Recycle?

While this blog was never intended to be one of personal disclosure, I don't think it does any damage to reveal some information that helps the written word move on. So, I will tell you that I am a Buddhist.

Now why is that important? It's not ... except, as I said in my last post, I've been scouring the web for (early) Christmas gifts and I came across a title that just floored me.

Now, I can't think of any of my list of friends or relatives who would read this book -- maybe my older brother, Paul -- so I'm posting information about it here in hopes one of them will notice and maybe surprise me with it on my birthday ... or on Christmas ... or on any day when we traditionally give gifts. It almost fits the under-ten-dollar rule.

Hint, hint.

I bet the Buddha did recycle.

Looking to Learn

Progress on the fossil table top is slow mainly because life happens between crafting. I live in the desert and it's hell-like hot right now so outside of work and chores, which require movement, it's hard to focus on doing much more than staying cool.

Decided to use some kick-back-stay-cool time and start searching for bargains for Christmas gifts. (Just the thought of Christmas helps.) Of course my first choice is to make things but some folks I know, well, let's just say they aren't into the homemade gift getting scenario.

So I clicked over to Amazon and surfed around. (Books make super gifts) And of course I found something I probably can't live without. It's a book called Tiles Gone Wild. (Cute, huh?)

The description says the book has 20 projects. I'm not as much interested in copying the designs as I am in the fact that I'll be getting inspiration and information about methods of working with different kinds of "stuff" .... which is what recycling is all about. After all, it's not every day you get the perfect elements for that dream design.

Found a couple of good titles for the gift season ... can't say what they are,though because, you know, it's a secret Santa thing.

Felted Beads for Christmas Decor?

(Photo courtesy of littlehouseinthesuburbs.com)

While I'm working on the "big project," (that fossil-embedded mosaid table top) I'll be blogging on other recycling fun you can have.

If you're a knitter and you have left-over odds and ends yarn from various projects, why not make some felted beads? I found this set of instructions that teaches you how to make these cute little furry balls of felt.

Here's the link to felting instructions

Can't you just see these strung together and used on your Christmas tree instead of the traditional store-bought strings of decoration?

As an additional note, my local thrift shops (Goodwill, Opportunity Village, Salvation Army and Catholic Charities) almost always have yarn for sale at super low prices. Check them out because every penny you spend at these places goes to help those folks who are less fortunate than you and I.

No Progress is Not Good Progress

One of the people who saw my last post was confused by it all. I guess that's because I forgot to say that the overall mosaic will be a flower. The fossil at the end of the tiles is the center of the flower. I'll be building the petals around that. And eventually it will all look like it's suspended in a landscape.

Now that I look at the task in front of me, I realize people would have seen the flower image better if I turned the big fossil around. That's going to be the center and as such would work better if it's rotated.

The more I think about it and look at it, the more I realize I will have to put the fossils in place first then build up the background as I put in the little stones then build it up with additional backing (I'll probably have to use thin set ... I'll know more when I research it on the web.) for the tiles because they are the thinnest of all the material here.

I'm going to do a rough layout sometime in the next few days and I'll post a photo of that.

Of Found Objects and Fossils - A New Project Begins

This is the start of my latest project. Two things I should state at the onset: Only part of the stuff used for this ambitious effort will be from recycled materials ... and this might take all summer. The time frame is okay, though, because in the desert here, it's way too hot to do much outside fun.

I bought the table sans top from a charity sale where neighbors from across town were hosting garage sales to help raise money for a friend who needed medical attention. Ordinarily I would have paid about five bucks for this but it came with a coffee table (my next project -- maybe), also without its glass top, and it seemed like an okay deal to pay $25 for the pair. (After I paid for them one of the women said she was about to put them out for trash collection.) I knew what I wanted to do with the coffee table and I saw the end table (this one) version as a good starting point. Practice does make perfect, doesn't it? (She said with fingers crossed.)

I also had to pay for the MDF at the local Home Depot. Not too much of that out there on curbs and thrift shops.

My brother lives and messes around the coal fields and he picks up these fossils. (This is a close up of the opening picture, showing the fossils a bit sharper.) They are all over the mountains near his house so he has a nice collection. He gave these to me because I told him I'd like to use them in a mosaic. So the fossils are recycled, sort of.

About half the glass and tiles I plan to use come from garage sales and thrift shops. (It's amazing what you can find in these places. I found a big brick of Sculpy for 50-cents last week.) Some of it is left over from my first mosaic project and a bit came from ebay.

I'm not sure how this is going to work out since my education in mosaic work is pretty much grade school level. (I believe I'll have to use something other than glue to fasten these to the MDF). I think when it's all finished I might put some kind of acrylic coating over it. That should bring out some of the brilliance of the coal and make the table top level. Much nicer for setting glasses and cups on.

Wish me luck, gang. I have a feeling I'm going to need it.

And so it ends ... almost

Finally, here's the end result of the egg carton Christmas decoration. It's not actually the end; there's more for me to do to make it classy. I'm just showing the next step so those of you who are wondering where the heck this thing is going will have a clue. Creative types will take it from here; I will move on.

Speaking of moving on, I don't know how bloggers do it. My co-worker Mike, who has this super blog, has a full-time job, is a musician, an artist, a (very, very) close friend to Michelle, is able to socialize (see movies, dine out, do the wii thing) and STILL manages to blog almost daily!

Me, I have a full time job, am not a musician or artist, don't have a close friend, hardly ever socialize, and I can barely make a meal and do the dishes without running out of time.

I remind myself of an old Seinfeld routine.

Even sleeping a mere six hours a night doesn't help. Sheeesh!

But when I started this blog, I wasn't thinking of it as a diary. I was just hoping to get some different web experience and to get my sister (the amateur photographer with a great eye) to put some of her work on display.

I sort of accomplished both but now I realize I have to develop some discipline. I have to either continue to post -- frequently -- or drop the whole thing.

Tune in next week to see which way my wind is blowing.

The Project is Almost Finished

I've asked a few people how they find time between the coming and going of things to do and done, how do they slip in time to blog daily. I say that as an apology for not getting the next step in the Christmas decoration up sooner. It's been ready. The photo is cropped. The words are written. So, I guess I'm a hopeless procrastinator. Well, maybe not hopeless -- I'm more or less a pseudo-procrastinator. :)

So let's get on to this step of the project we've been working on ... If we're careful, we might get it finished so readers will be able to make a few of these before it's time to decorate the tree.

Notice the picture? It's the same one as the last post displayed except this one has been spray painted with some left-over stuff I got at my local Restore (Habitat for Humanity). I also put a "hook" on the top just by pushing some string through the paper and adding a drop of hot glue inside to hold it in place. I did this before spray painting.

From here on, the choices to really shine with these depends on your creative bent. I'll work on this one for a while until I'm happy and then I'll post the final product.

Have you tried to make this yet? Remember, Christmas comes around before you've regifted all the nice but unneeded and unwanted items you received last year. Time's a-wasting.

Beginning to Take Shape

I don't think I need to explain how we got to this part of the egg carton experiment. The previous post shows the two halves; this one shows them glued together. I use a good quality white glue because I get better coverage but hot glue will work as well. Just make sure every point of contact has glue on it.

Once the glue dries (and it doesn't take long), test the strength by tugging lightly from each end. See, sometimes the glue soaks into the paper and isn't strong enough. If you see gaps, fill them with glue. If the pieces come apart, glue again.

Now the the glue is sturdy enough, use a nail file to get rid of any loose shards of paper. Then dampen your fingers with water and rub them along all the open edges. This will help smooth out the paper completely.

Eggsactly: Step Two

Okay, so you read the previous post and easily knew the photo was half an egg carton. You know, those gray, cushy cartons you get at the store when you buy a dozen (in this case a half-dozen since I don't eat a lot of eggs). I think these cartons decompose fairly easily in the landfill but why not reuse them for something different and lasting? (By the way, it takes a little bit of dusting and filing to get the cut pieces to look even this good.)



Our first step then is to get a sharp craft knife. These suckers tear up your blades so be ready to change them frequently. (On the other hand, if you can figure out a better way to cut egg cartons, let me know.)
You can see from this photo how to cut the carton. If you're really, really good at the cutting phase you can get eight good segments that will make four final items.
Next post, I'll show how the pieces look as the come closer to the final phase.

Eggsactly

Can you guess what the picture is? If the title of this post doesn't give you a clue, well you will have to go deep into the recesses of your creative mind to figure out what this will look like eventually. I'll give you a clue ... Next Christmas, your tree will have a totally new "do."

I can't believe it's been almost two months since I last posted but since life is a target and there are so many people and events taking aim at it, I'm not surprised that blogging had to take a back seat for a while. At any rate (I love that phrase), I'll be updating this mystery in a day or two. But please post a comment if you think you know where this is going.

Creating (Copying) a Masterpiece

Starting this project with enthusiasm served to reinforce my understanding of why the original floral arrangement cost $175.

My first mistake was my choice of container. I chose a cast off plastic pot that came with something I bought at the nursery last year. (The tapered shape with the lip on top made gluing a minor mess.) I cleaned it with TSP and let it dry thoroughly.

Instead of twigs from whatever kind of tree the original artist used, I walked to the corner lot and picked up a bunch of bamboo stalks. (The owner of the lot has been trying to destroy this growth of bamboo for years but it just keeps coming back.)

Items needed
1. Used pot (flower pot, coffee can, anthing the size you want our finished product to be.
2 hot glue and gun ... (or any kind of sticky stuff, maybe even that two sided tape ... experiment)
3. aquarium stones (or any clean stones or other stuff to give weight to the item)
4. scrap felt (I used this on the bottom so it can sit on good furniture and not scar it
5. skinny bamboo (from local Home Depot or Lowes or if you're lucky like me, from a plant in an otherwise empty field) or you can use twigs from your forest ... best use stuff that doesn't have sap ... birch, maple, for example.
6 styrophoam or floral foam. I used bits and pieces that were used for packing my laptop.
7 silk flowers or home made paper flowers.

Part One: The Container
1. If you pot has holes on the bottom, cover them up by gluing a piece of cardboard on the inside.
2. Attach (glue) the felt to the bottom.
3. Cut or break twigs or bamboo different heights but at least the height of the pot. Keep a couple of shorter twigs for filler.
4. Glue about four twigs together at the bottom. This is so you can make sure you will get them straight (level) when you start your project.

(You don't want to do what I did and get a half dozen shoots of bamboo glued only to discover they were on a slant. I had to start over.)
5. Glue these four to the pot, make sure they are about 1/16 of inch from the bottom. You don't want them to touch the surfacen the final product will sit on.
6. Continue to glue twigs all around, keeping them touching.

Once the bamboo or twigs are attached all around, fill in any openings. (If you have really straight twigs, you probably won't need these.

Part Two: The Inside
1. Pour the aquarium rocks on the bottom. About two inches should work okay.
2. Stuff the container with styrofoam or floral foam nearly to the top.
3. Pour in the rest of the rocks.
4. Arrange your flowers inside.

Part Three: Enjoy

Christmas Inspiration for Spring

Christmas Eve, 2009, a horde of people arrived in Las Vegas, all ages, from Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia (I think), Vermont and, well, I just don't know. They were relatives of my friend Kat who asked if I would enjoy spending the holiday with this crew. Why not, I asked myself. Not only would I get to meet a lot of people, but also, I'd be treated to two fantastic Christmas dinners. The planned itinerary was simple. Kat and her folks, who also live in Las Vegas, decided it would be a good idea to take everyone to the Bellagio to see the fantastic indoor garden especially decorated for the holiday (what a site), visit the chocolate waterfalls, ohh and ahh over the Dale Chihuly glass flower ceiling in the hotel lobby and, of course, meander through the shops.

In one of the gift boutiques a particular work of art caught my eye and it had a price tag of $175. (Sadly, there was no artist listed for this piece.) Christmas, remember? Who had $175 (plus tax) left over to buy anything for herself? Not this blogger. So, I took this picture.



Well, the digital picture doesn't look that great lying flat on a side table in my living room so I decided I'd try to duplicate this lovely piece. Okay, not duplicate because first, I didn't have the same supplies and second, I wanted to use found materials and third, while they say imitation is the highest form of flattery, I cannot presume to create anything as good as the artist's original.

I'm nearly finished with my version of this decorative item. I'll be posting it shortly. Meanwhile, what do you think of the original?

On the Road to Self Sufficiency

My mind is a bit addled at the moment. Lots of things happening to interfer with the ability to focus. Starting at the top with an economy that's threatening my workplace and flowing down through bad weather, unhappy friends, and dealing with loss, blogging is kind of taking a back seat. However, keeping the mind settled by any means (short of breaking laws) always helps so I gathered some of the notes I saved while looking for information on building my own indoor gardening system (see previous post for an example) and decided to see if I can create a post without too much rambling or too many grammatical errors.

I think I spent about ten hours looking for information on the Aerogarden. That contraption doesn't appeal to me because of the initial cost and the extended cost, i.e. the seed packets. I know I throw a lot of fresh herbs away when I buy a bunch at the store and need only a smidgen for a recipe but I still can't spend as much as the Aerogarden product will cost. Not that I'm cheap (well, maybe just a little); I am a believer in getting more than one use out of a product and in being as self sufficient as possible.


Now my brother Paul, who lives in the east, is truly a person who has won my heart with his lifestyle. Each year he plants a huge outdoor garden, beets, tomatoes, potatoes, cucumbers, eggplant (ugh), and a ton of other vegetables. At harvest time he and his wife, Dottie, can and jar stuff but they also distribute quite a bit of their crops to the rest of the family. Paul also rents a small place not far from town where he keeps a few chickens and is able to supply fresh eggs daily to four branches of family and some extended family.

He's one of my heros.

But, I live in the desert and five years of attempts have left my outdoor garden pitifully lacking. In fact, the only thing that has grown for me are four turnips!

I remember looking into hydroponic growing many years ago but never let it enter my life. Maybe that's the route I should take. Don't know, actually, but I will read up on it and see where it takes me. I've heard the book link here is a very good source for getting your hydroponic act together. I'm going after it. We'll see where it leads.

Who knows, it might be time to leave the desert behind and head to places where gardening is a way of life.

Recycling for Children

Crafting and recycling has taken a temporary back seat to other important tasks right now. Because those 24-hour days just aren't enough at the present moment, I've squeezed a few minutes out to remind everyone that the best way to ensure that as many products as possible find a second or third use is to teach the children.
I found a couple of books at a local used bookshop that do just that. I found used copies of this book available online as well so I'm putting the link here.

The first title is Awesome Things to Make with Recycled Stuff, a book that has some, as the title suggests, awesome projects a kid can be proud to show off. It's written by Joe Rhatigan and Heather Smith. I haven't reviewed the entire book yet but I will be doing that in the near future. (It's that "time thing" again.) Meanwhile, if you have read this title, please leave a comment so others can benefit from your input.

Thanks a bunch and remember to turn OldIntoNew.

A True Recyler

I was thinking about buying one of those Aerogardens that are so popular around gift-giving season. I thought I might get a leg up on the upcoming spring planting by starting some seeds indoors -- a project that has failed every time when I've attempted the traditional methods. But I didn't want to shell out the money on something that might not work the way I wanted it to. (Besides, I'm still paying for this most recent gift-giving season.) You can find the original Aerogarden online (including ebay where some successful knockoffs exist as well) and in stores. I first saw one advertised in an in-flight magazine a couple of years ago.

Wanted it!

Still, I'm not sure it will work for seedlings so I figured I might want to experiment with a recycling version first ... except I don't know what the ingredients are. Google it, silly!

There it was, an immediate hit ... someone who thinks of gardening not as a hobby but as an obsession ... on how to create your own air and water garden for about ten bucks. (A thorough guide, well written, with a sense of humor, no less. What a treat!)

Not as pretty as the patented item but as an experiment, it's worth a try. When I decide to do this I'll post pictures of the final product and I'll let you know if the final product can be transplanted outdoors in real soil. I think I might be on the trail of a success story at last! Come on Spring! (Now, how my plants will survive in the desert is another question altogether.)

A Quick Note

One of the people who reads these ramblings (I don't make him read it.) and checks my cyber skills asked me why I post just the amateurish craft projects I've done ... and why I post the old ones. (And this is a friend?) He knows the answer but I guess a little repetition won't hurt.

This blog has a number of purposes, so let me count some ways. It serves as a feet-wetting experience verifying the ability to think it, do it, and make it part of a routine. And that's a good thing, as Martha Stewart would say, for someone who kind of falls down when it comes to true discipline. (Hmmm, perhaps this is the diary and writer's journal I never kept.)

Also, I figured, if I do this, I can convince my sister to give it a try. She's the one with real talent in the family. While she insists she's electronically unskilled, I know better. (Check out her blog: http://pennaphotos.blogspot.com/ ... you'll see.)

And, I wanted to contribute just a little bit of positive (I'm using that as a noun here, even though I know better) to the world. Take out the paper and the trash, yes, but instead of letting it sit somewhere trying desperately to decompose waiting for your grandchildren to deal with, reuse as much of it as you can. Repurpose (Is that a word? Spell check doesn't like it.) it So what if your friends (You know who I mean.) think you're missing a few important brain cells. Do it anyway!

See, good stuff all, don't you think? Light, positive, fun, whimsical, and never, never too serious.

The real deal ...

So the pictures of the homemade bench -- which is actually a foot stool kind of thing -- weren't that great. I know. But tonight I was organizing files on my desktop, (I use for storage mostly, opting for the laptop most of the time) and I can across this photo. It shows the finished product being used as it was intended.

That's a wild grapevine in the background. It sprouts every year then gets burned by too much direct sunlight. The plant outgrew the pot so it was transplanted. It was one of those cheap plastic pots anyway so it didn't have any aesthetic appeal. I think the plant is a lot happier in its new home. The stool isn't talking.

Falling in Love ... Sort of ...

I never heard of (author) Simona Hill, wasn't aware of a company called Lorenz Books, but someone at work gave me a catalog of upcoming titles, and that gift gave me a totally new craft to enjoy.

Let me begin by saying I never had much interest in the mosaic arts. In fact, having cut myself way too many times on broken glass in childhood, I considered myself wise to stay away from this kind of product. (I am very good at breaking things, by the say. My friends won't go to gift and china shops with me.)

But then I found The Practical Guide to Crafting With Mosaics, Ceramics & Glassware and I was hooked -- without even seeing the book. I had my local bookstore order it for me, and when it arrived, I discovered way more than I thought existed on this subject. Okay, let's be truthful. I never gave it a thought at all before I saw the cover of this tome.)

Of course, I'm not one to start with the basics so I jumped right into the whole of mosaics. I discovered a we had a glass shop in town, well hidden and not exactly teeming with foot traffic, but I paid them a visit. I didn't really want to buy glass but ... There in the corner, for about $12, were some nice size plastic containers of broken glass, bits and pieces left over from projects, from whole pieces specially cut for customers and shards of glass that accidentally met its maker.

Hey, this is about recycling, isn't it?

I bought a container and carried it home.

It took weeks before I found a dented old copper bird bath that had seen better days. Instead of aging gracefully with patina, this sucker was growing new life! (I won't say exactly where I found it; it's kind of embarassing.)

I took it home, soaked it in a tub of bleach, scrubbed it with an abrasive pad, and immediately knew what I was going to do with it.

I have no skills here, although I am fairly good at primitive drawing so designed this abstract sunflower (There seemed to be enough glass for the leaves.) and plunged right in.
There you have it ... a project of recycled copper birdbaths and recycled glass.

I found a certain Zen when doing this project. I was absorbed enough to realize--later of course--that I hadn't given thought to any of the bad traffic driving through my life. It was like putting together a jigsaw puzzle without a clue what it was going to look like.

I think this birdbath turned out quite well based on community opinion. At least two people have asked me to make one for them. We'll see what the next attempt looks like. And there will be a next project.

You should try mosaics. They are as calming as meditation.

More fun with the jigsaw...

I sent my blog url to a friend whose first response was, "Why don't you put up some of your really nice projects?" Ha. Good, bad, ugly or close to perfect, I love all my work because I'm doing it for personal entertainment. Besides, those toy soldiers weren't half bad, I don't think. And it might be scary but it's not horrid.

Can't wait to see what the response will be when I post this, my second project.

My bench started out of what I think was a cutting board of some sort. It was a nice piece of hardwood with some some kind of fasteners that are pretty much unobtrusive. It measured 17" by 10. I had one of the old shipping pallet left that was two feet long and almost 6 inches high. I cut into two pieces (with the trusty jigsaw, of course). I used a paper plate to use as a guide for the arch in these two pieces... so what if it didn't turn out round. Oval is better anyhow.


With two more pieces of scrap 1 by 2 strips six inches each, I had all the pieces I needed to make the bench.

Everything is screwed together except for the 1x2 crossbars on the bottom. I used wood glue and I was going to finish off with some screws but I forgot. (Hey, this isnt' a sitting or standing bench. It's just something to hold a flower pot on the porch. Can't you see the water mark on the top?)

I tried to get as much of a uniform color as possible from an opened and half-full quart of stain I picked up at my local Habitat for Humanity ReStore. (If my photographic skills were better you'd see that the bench is actually a deep reddish color and not that faded milky looking picture.)

I like it. And it looks nice with a big pot of mums sitting on top of it.

My favorite projects seem to start with wood or tiles or glass. (Wait till you see my mosaic birdbath!) But if I see anything that looks like it could be recycled, I'll be busy doing figuring out how to turn something old into new.