New Wind Chimes From Old

 

"Failed to Publish" is back.  One minute I could leave comments, the next I couldn't.  It started Friday and I STILL can't publish the comments I left then.  You will hear from me soon, I hope. 

Today I have brought back a post from April 12, 2015.  It seems to have been a favorite by many commenters.  It is appropriately titled:

New Wind Chimes From Old 

I have these wind chimes that had fallen completely apart.  I wish I had taken a photo of them hanging on my front porch, but I forgot until I had them down with the help of a step stool and into the basement.

This is all that is left from these wind chimes I purchased a few years ago.  Most of my wind chimes last a bit longer than these have, so I wanted to make sure I repaired them so they would last.

I have lots of old (but not vintage) silverware that I've either been given, or picked up for pennies at the thrift store.  I think at one time, spoons were going for 5 cents each ($0.05 USD).  Now I'm sure they are much higher in price, but at the time, I had considered making jewelry or some such nonsense that was beyond the scope of my grip abilities.

Nothing matched, and that was what I was going for.  Even though I've seen lovely art made from spoons and forks, if I couldn't make jewelry or other adorable recycled art, I needed to find a way to use these.  Somehow, I've collected a HUGE amount of these pieces and it was time to put them to good use.

It was time to deconstruct what was left of the original wind chimes.

As I removed the strings from the base, I noticed they were held together by metal bands.  I also noticed the eye bolt on the back of the base, which I assume was for the clanger.

I cannot tell a lie.  It took two days for me to get to this point.

I sorted and constructed a lot of beads during that time.  Then I wrapped the wires around the silverware.  No drilling, no punching, just a lot of wire wrapping.  And not anything especially good enough to write home about, either.  But these were for me, and they didn't have to be perfect.  They just had to be artsy.  The observant person will note that all three spoons have beginning and ending gold beads that are made from tyvek and embossing powder.  I made 100 of them for a swap one year.

When I strung the wax thread, I started doing it wrong.  I got a bit frustrated because I had already assembled one when I realized my error.  You have no idea how much I dislike rework!

Finally, I was back on track, and was able to assemble the unit correctly.  As I took the wind chimes upstairs, I realized the spoon I was calling the clanger, was too long.  So I shortened it, and now

I have some lovely artsy wind chimes I can be proud of.

Not only did I make them myself, for Day 12 13 of 22, I reused the "Welcome" base and recycled seven pieces of old silverware and a ton of beads, including six I made from used tyvek and embossing powder. 

Thanks again for your continued support of my projects.  It's difficult to recycle items and make them not look like some six year old made them.  But I'm trying and I appreciate all your comments that continue to push me through these days leading up to bEARTHday.

Trash or Treasure?

 

"Failed to Publish" has once again reared its ugly head.  One minute I could leave comments, the next I couldn't.  You will hear from me when blogger sees fit.   

This art work was first shown in April, 2015.  It was called:

 Trash  or Treasure?

I've explained to a few people who've asked, it's hard to create NEW recycled, repurposed, reused, reclaimed, or upcycled art every day for 22 days after I've been doing it for several years.  The particular type of art using recycled or recyclable materials I see on the internet can, for the most part, be placed in two distinct categories: high end and kids crafts.

Neither child craft nor high end, this mixed media piece I made one year shows how I recycled a can lid I burned in my chiminea.  For the background and owl, I used magazine images.  Over the body, I placed a found metal spacer and two found bird feathers that reminded me of an owl's feathers. For the legs and feet, I used calligraphy pen nibs. The bottom color is a bit distorted due to my previous scanner.

This is Day 12 of 22 and I recycled art from April, 2015.  Thanks for dropping by today.  I appreciate it.
 

Recycling Pony Beads for Your Altered Books, ATCs, or Cards

 

It appears the dreaded and hated "Failed to Publish" has once again reared its ugly head.  One minute I could leave comments, the next I couldn't.  I am sincerely sorry since this happened yesterday right before Friday Smiles. 

This is another post that was well liked.  It is also from April, 2015.

Recycling Pony Beads for Your Altered Books, ATCs, or Cards

How many of us got sucked into buying pony beads way back when they were popular.  I'm thinking the 90s, but the craze may have started even earlier.  You don't have to raise your hand, because I bet you got at least ONE bag of them at one time or another, especially if you had kids begging for them.

I got sucked in when they were on clearance one year at Hobby Lobby, a big box craft store in the US.   I thought they would look cute attached to fibers I hang between pages in my altered books.  Unfortunately, they ended up looking like cheap beads.  So, I put them away and put out feelers.  I got a couple of people who told me I could paint them, but I wasn't about to do that.  Someone else told me I could use them as armatures for polymer clay.  But that didn't seem to interest me, at least not at the time, and I let them sit until now.  Of course, I also have a full container of those tiny beads I got at a rummage sale one year.  Be aware, these are NOT the beads with a backing you iron on to fabric.

I remembered someone else told me I could melt them, but I didn't remember much else.  So, with the help of the internet, a few days ago I found a few places that confirmed it.  However, no one site agreed to the temperature or amount of time needed to cook them.

One site had 8 minutes at 450 F (230 C, Gas Mark 8).  Another had 10-12 minutes at 400 F (200 C, Gas Mark 6).  I cooked these for 15 minutes at 400 F in my dedicated bake oven I keep in my basement studio.  I kept watching them, hoping they would melt properly.  I finally got discouraged and removed them.

Some turned out lousy and needed to be recooked,

while some were really lovely.

Even after I recooked the ones that were not "done" before, I still threw a bunch away.  As an aside, I was told in comments that I should have kept them because they could be used for various projects.

I definitely decided to give up on the small beads and went for the pony beads.  Easier to place on the tray,

they also cooked faster and easier.  These were in the bake oven for 9 minutes at 400 F.

Next, I cooked a few yellow beads, then

blue beads.  I've seen people use something similar in their scrapbook pages and on cards, although I can't remember what they call them (They are called Card Candi and were sold on strips of paper).  It was a great way to find an alternative to the cheap looking pony bead, and now I'll use them in all sorts of my AB or journal projects.  I might even use them as centers for flowers, or attach them to paper clips.

Today is Day 11 of 22 leading up to bEARTHday, and I shared a post from April, 2015 where I recycled some ugly plastic beads into embellishments for my altered art.  I also saved the parchment I "cooked" the beads on, because I think the parchment will look great dipped in beeswax or baby oil.  Nothing gets wasted in my studio.

Thanks beyond belief for dropping by today.  I am grateful.  So is Bleubeard.

  

Keys please

 

This is one of my favorite posts and from the original comments, the same seems to be true for others, too.  This post is from April, 2015 and was entitled:

Keys please

Today I thought I would try to class up a few keys.

I grabbed a few shapes and decided which ones "spoke" to me.

These are the ones that spoke the loudest.

I realize I need a few more bits of bling, but here is what I came up with today. 

I removed backings because this one was an earring in a former life. 

This one was a pin,

as was this one.

I attached each bit of bling

using E6000, my go-to glue adhesive for heavy duty jobs like these.

I hope this inspires you to look at your old keys a bit differently, too.

Today is Day 10 of 22 leading up to bEARTHday.  I shared a post from April, 2015 where I recycled five keys and various pieces from my junk jewelry drawers.  Now I need to scrounge through my stash to find some backings so I can turn them into pins.  I hope to turn a couple into necklaces, too.

Once again, I greatly appreciate you taking time to visit and check out what I'm recycling.  Thanks also for your amazing and wonderful comments.  

And because it's Friday, I have a few recycling smiles to share.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 I hope at least one or two of these made you smile.

  

Another assemblage

 

The following post was originally published in April, 2014. 

Sometimes I think I've found my calling when I rummage through my found objects and find things that make me happy.  Today is no exception.  And from all the comments I got on my first assemblage, you seem to like them, too.

This is my latest offering.

The very heavy metal pieces are ear tags for cattle.  A friend gave them to me when he cleaned out his garage one year.  I added a can lid, a washer, and a bolt, all things that were of no use to people who were getting rid of them.  Although the mirror, at the very top of the assemblage is new, it went through the flood that consumed my basement a few years ago.  The glass bubbles and butterflies were from my stash and new, but I needed something to add a bit of color to the piece.

I'm not sure how clever this title is, but if you don't like it, we'll blame it on Bleubeard.

Here is a side view that shows the size of the block I used and a bit of detail of the piece.

More detail shows the tags were either made by, or came from a serum company.  The mirror had been sitting in rusty water at some point.

I love rust, and this assemblage is no exception.

Today is Day 9 of 22 and I reposted another assemblage I created that I named "Forty Five (and Counting)."  I hope you enjoy it, because I hope to add more assemblages to my repertoire, along with fabric and paper.  Thank you so much for visiting today.