Can you hear me now?

 

I was hoping Blogger would be kind to me today, but that doesn't seem to be the case.  I will leave you a comment when Blogger sees fit. Until then, I still get "Failed to Publish."  Please understand, this is NOT my doing.

Thank you for visiting today.  This is a special day, as it is for the Earth.  It's also a culmination, where for 22 days beginning April 1, I attempted to show how to rethink, reduce, reuse, recycle, re-invent, recover, restore, or repurpose something in order to save it from the trash. It all led up to Earth Day, or "bEARTHday" in my world.  Of course, I believe EVERY day should be Earth Day, because we must find a way to save our planet. 

 

As an aside, there is more to think about than just trash.  There are endangered species to consider.  Do any of you remember when the California condor was on the extreme endangered list?  It became extinct in the wild in 1987.  In 1982, only 23 condors survived world-wide. By 1987, all remaining wild condors were placed into a captive breeding program in an effort to save the species from extinction.  According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service:

Since 1992, when the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) began reintroducing captive-bred condors to the wild, the USFWS and its public and private partners have grown the total free-flying and captive population to more than 500 condors In 2004, the Recovery program reached an important milestone with the first successful chick hatched in the wild. In 2008, more California condors were flying free in the wild than in captivity for the first time since the program began.   

Now it's time to help endangered porpoises. With fewer than 10 individuals believed to remain in the wild, the vaquita is one of the most critically endangered marine animals.  It is also known as the Gulf of California harbor porpoise, or cochito.  According to NOAA Fisheries:

Vaquitas have the smallest range of any whale, dolphin, or porpoise.  They only live in the northern part of the Gulf of California, an area that is rich in fish and shrimp.  Fishing is thus a major source of income for the people there, who almost exclusively use gillnets, but vaquitas can also become accidentally wrapped in the nets and drown.  Scientists agree that for vaquitas to survive in the wild, "gillnet" fishing, also known as Fishing Net Entanglements, must end within the vaquita habitat.

Perhaps we need legislation that actually works to save these endangered porpoises. 

As those of you who have been here all 22 days know, I have brought back a favorite post from the past from April 2015, 2016, and 2017.  Today is no different.  I am sharing part of a favorite post from April, 2017.  As you read from the title of today's post it is called  

Can you hear me now? 

 

For today's recycling entry

I started with a book cover given me by my friend Sally.

I added some gold infused tissue paper

I saved from a gift.

I used white PVA glue to adhere the tissue paper to the book cover.

While the glue was drying, I decided to create a new universal hole locator.  I began with a pad of post-it-notes and a steel ruler.

I measured down 2 mm from the top of the pad on two sides and drew lines.

I used those two lines as guides to create a single line across the width of the page.

I measured 2.5 mm from the left and right sides

and drew two perpendicular lines to meet the horizontal line.


I drew a small circle at the intersections of each line,

then wrote the words "left" and "right."  That was for your benefit, not mine.

The idea is, no matter what width

you are measuring, the hole locater will work perfectly by lining it up with either the left or right side of the piece.

Here is my completed assemblage with holes punched, but minus wires.

I'm really happy about the completed assemblage.

I'm including a few random shots for your enjoyment.

I need to adhere the "Hear Hear" a bit better, I see.  As an aside, it is left over from the deli paper I used a couple of days ago.

For this assemblage, I started with a book cover and some used tissue paper.  I deconstructed an old cordless phone and used the "motherboard" as the main assembly.  I added the speaker from the same phone, along with some beads and baubles I either assembled, or used to add interest to this assemblage.   For the hanger, I used a colorful deconstructed telephone wire.  I used a stencil to write all the words on the scrap deli paper.  Everything except the PVA glue has been recycled or repurposed today.

Thank you beyond belief for your continued support of my recycling efforts through the past 22 days.   And please have a glorious Earth Day everyone.  BTW, I won't be eating cake today.   Instead, I'm having a glazed doughnut.
 

 

Angel

 

As you can read, "Failed to Publish" is still here.  I have a slew of comments in queue ready to be published.  I try three times every day in hopes my comments will be published.  Thank you for understanding. 

 I began this project in my craft room where I cut a heart out of corrugated cardboard, stripped the top layer, and painted it white.

Then I began pounding irises.  I was having one of those days when my art was as scattered as my thoughts!

I decided I had "sacrificed" enough old iris blooms

and was ready to move on.
 
I used a tiny piece of one of my "overdyed" flower pounded fabrics in this assemblage.  The heart was most assuredly floral in nature.

The crocheted floral piece was made by my grandmother and it was one of three crocheted squares I had removed from an old pillowcase years ago.  It looks like I got some of the iris "juice" on the square, too.

My grandmother was a genuine angel, so I will dedicate this heart to her.

I included some cheese cloth

that I dyed using green tea.

I used green coated copper wire to match the green in the crocheted leaves.  My mind is still racing with all kinds of ways to make and decorate these hearts, because I see this as a series that I want to pursue sometime in May.

This is Day 20 of 22 leading up to bEARTHday and I recycled corrugated cardboard and pounded some dead iris blooms to create a heart assemblage dedicated to my Grandmother who, along with my Grandfather, raised me from birth.

Thanks for visiting because your support of my projects means the world to me.  

 

Today I shared a post from April, 20, 2016.  This is actually Day 19 of 22 leading up to bEARTHday.  And I'm STILL grateful for your visit. 

  

Laminate Chips

 

Those of you who have been here since late Wednesday, recognize I haven't left you a comment.  PLEASE don't blame me.  It's a Blogger problem.  I even reinstalled Firefox, but that doesn't seem to help this time.  I am so sorry.  I hopee to soon be able to publish the comments that are waiting on Blogger to treat me with respect.

This post is from April, 2016, but the magnets were made one year for Christmas and again in September, 2008. 

Laminate Chips 

I have a vast array of laminate chips that are commonly used in counter top home improvement projects.  There are several brands, but the most famous are Formica, Pionite, and WilsonArt.  You used to be able to get them at big box home improvement stores in the US, or you can order a few online.

Here are a few I turned into magnets for Christmas one year

and a few more I made in September, 2008.  I'd say I've learned a lot about composition since then. 

Aren't we all glad I got rid of this horrible camera?  I displayed these on my refrigerator. 

Today is Day 18 of 22 and I shared a post about laminate chip assemblage I made over a couple of years. 

 

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.

 

Assemblage fun

 

This post was originally published in April, 2014.

I've wanted to create an assemblage for awhile now,

and the idea of using found objects to create one fit perfectly with the concept of recycling.  So I grabbed a few metal pieces, and set out to create something fun.

I began by covering one of my 12 inch X 12 inch X 1 inch (30.48 cm X 30.48 cm X 2.54 cm) wooden blocks with paper scraps.  I laid down bits of watercolor to create a bit of color.  In addition to the metal pieces, I got out some of the Sculpey I had been given in exchange for a tutorial, and made a few faces and hands from a mold I own. 

As I was creating this piece, those words kept running through my head, so I knew this was what I had to name it.

Some of the details are shown here.

Today is Day 8 of 22, and I recycled a block of wood, several pages from books and dictionaries, a rusty can lid, a metal ring, and a metal piece I have no idea what it's called or what it was used for in a previous life.  I also managed to use some of the Sculpey, too.  Please enjoy my Mother and Child Reunion and thank you for visiting.