Clam Shell Necklace

I tend to collect things that other people pass by. I'll walk by the perfect shells to pick up the interesting broken pieces. This is the broken edge of a large clam shell smoothed in the ocean. I loved the organic curve of the shell and it seemed to fit the curve of my neck perfectly -- but it needed a little jazzing up. First I used a hand drill to drill the holes. Then I applied gold leaf and a sealer. I used sterling jump rings and chain because once it got the gold leaf treatment it was looking first class. I think its a more modern take on the souvenir shop seashell necklace idea. 

Trashion

Following the pattern of TV’s “Project Runway,” my  8 to 11 year old students create these designs in my "Trashion" workshops. The girls are divided into teams and given an array of trashy items I’ve collected. And of course we have runway shows with guest judges. Every summer we exhibit the work. In the of 2011 we collaborated on a fundraiser with Donna Karan’s Urban Zen and exhibited the collection in the store. This summer we had a spectacular runway show in the Hamptons. (Ironic, yes!) Here are some additional photos.

I'll be at Maker Faire this coming weekend, September 29th & 30th. 

I love the magical process of collaboration  and invention that occurs in these classes. Thanks to  Treehugger.com for the wonderful article about my work!

Found Wood Necklace

I'm trying to create jewelry that reflects my values, so all components have to be found/recycled or Fair Trade. I found the wood at the Brooklyn Botanical garden near Patrick Dougherty's wonderful woven wood sculpture.  It was a beautiful day with cherry petals swirling around like a pink snow globe. Yup, I stole a wood chip from the BBG as a little souvenir. I wanted to keep that all important wood chip integrity, so I just sanded it a bit, applied some lemon oil, gold leaf and attached the chain.

Well Loved Quilt Rewind

I bought a well loved old quilt that was really falling apart. Many of the squares were torn or missing but I loved the worn and faded the remaining fabric. It was extremely fragile so I decided to make a fabric collage using Misty Fuse. Its a very sheer fusible webbing that bonds the fabric permanently and is nearly invisibly when ironed. I frayed the fabric a bit more and added a few extra fibers. 

Valentine's Candy Box Rewind

This outfit is a collaborative project I made with a group of  8-12 year old girls. As soon as I saw the empty Valentine's chocolate box I thought "Bling!" The girls added the acrylic jewels. The dress is made from a coffee sack. I had to make it larger for the mannequin so I poked holes in the sides and added and tied strips of fabric cut from an old plaid shirt. Click here to find out more about my recycled fashion class. 

Cozy Dog on a Cozy Sweater Pillow

I was inspired by my button box. Once I stacked up the buttons they looked so interesting I had to figure some way to display them so I made this pillow from a felted wool sweater. (Wash on warm, dry on hot & you've got a felted sweater.) And my dog New New used the pillow to display ... himself! 

Recycled Bangle

I used a cardboard tape roll end as the base of this bracelet. To make it smaller & fit I removed a 1.5" wide slice from the cardboard and taped it back together. Then I wrapped it with some bits of yarn from my stash and finished it by using hot glue to line it with a scrap of leather. I think its going to be a big year for bangles! No more cardboard tape rolls are going in my recycling bin. Today's Creative Blog. 

Free the iPhone Photo!

I take lots of photos on my phone but never do anything with them. Frames are expensive & also somehow too formal. I found some random tiles in my basement, resized and printed photos on cheap copy paper. I used Liquitex Matt Medium for Decoupage. I'm seeing a whole wall of phone photo tiles. They're also fun to prop up around the house, like on a windowsill. 

Orphaned Clip Earring Rescue

I can't resist those orphaned clip earrings from the 50's & 60's. So playful, festive and feminine.  I do succumb to a bit of saccharine nostalgia now and then, so I decided to make a little frame shrine to my mom and her sisters, the wearers of the earrings. Its easy to clip off the earring backs using a pair of wire cutters and a bit on epoxy is all you'll need to glue metal to metal.
This post is part of Get Your Craft on Tuesday at Today's Creative Blog. 

Holey Cashmere!

I love to give a helping hand to a good cashmere sweater with lots of moth holes. Poor things! Once a beloved member of the wardrobe --  then left at the end of the day on the rummage sale table. I make the holes larger, add a few new ones of my own then patch with cashmere scraps and wool embroidery floss. 

A T Shirt, Bleach & a Doily

I needed to help upcycle this T shirt because of a bleach accident. I loved the red tones the bleach brought out so I picked up a cotton doily (yard sale find), soaked it in straight bleach and started using it to "print" this shirt, resulting in a kind of a tie dyed/floral effect. 

Garbage Around My Neck

I made this necklace on the train on my way to a party where I didn't know anyone. I thought it would be an "ice breaker" and it was. Materials include telephone wire, plastic toy, bottle cap, mesh fruit bag, button, pop top, candy wrappers and bubble blower.

Bye Bye Polo Pony

I bought this cashmere sweater in a great blue at the Salvation Army for $3.00. There was one minor problem: I couldn't wear a sweater with a Ralph Lauren polo pony on it. Got out my embroidery floss & created a spontaneous new logo and cut out the tag. Now I can wear it with pride!

Bye Bye Holidays!

Ah, the holidays ... a great time of year to make a point about not shopping. (Here's my holiday tree made from an old paperback book.) Occupy Wall Street had a barter & gifting only Holiday Bazaar & skill share this year. Totally love this idea! Hope we won't have to wait until next year to shop without money. "What Would Jesus Buy?", a documentary about Reverend Billy is an inspiring film to watch any time of year.

Parking Lot Penguin

I can't resist picking up flattened cans in parking lots. I think they're just so cool but not so easy to find a new life for. This can told me he'd like to be a penguin so I found him a cigar box in the basement, punched & screwed on the metal parts.