New, fun #reuses

While researching the Junk Brothers post that I did a few days ago, I stumbled upon this fun gallery of 6 before/after projects. Enjoy!

Before: vintage TV. After: Aquarium

A great blog for reusing furniture

I just spent several hours meandering through all the wonderful redone furniture that can be found at Melody's blog, "My Passion For Decor"

Before

After.
Check out many more wonderful
projects over at Melody's blog

I'm not sure if she uses all the pieces in her home or sells them or what, but if you need inspiration/tips for refinishing furniture, I would definitely direct you here. She has some truly gorgeous (and fun!) projects.

I miss the Junk Brothers

I think one of my first exposures to "creative reuse" was the short-lived* HGTV show The Junk Brothers. We were chatting about the show today and I was trying to convey the level of awesomeness that Steve and Jim were able to create with discarded items. I really wish there was an online gallery of before/after photos from the show. I've been searching for just that for awhile now. I'll link to a few things I've found.

Jim and Steve pose with their tricked out mega-BBQ

List of episodes with before photos (these aren't nearly as impressive without being able to see what they were transformed into

Interview with the brothers in Make: magazine (has some photos, but no captions...)

This guy made a kitchen island inspired by the Junk Brothers show. This is one of the only "after" photos I have and it wasn't even their project (Although, I remember this one and it's very similar.)

Anyone know if there's some place where you can view a gallery of all the before/after projects? I think I'll try to see if I can find this show on Netflix. It really was inspiring (although, the boys are much better carpenters/reusers than they are actors-sorry guys, but your banter was painful...)

*Apparently, it wasn't nearly as short-lived as I had originally thought. I think I only watched one season, possibly part of the second. Seems like there may have been as many as 4 seasons, though.

More reuses

Here are some #reused material projects I thought you might like: (These products can all be purchased at the Clark County Habitat for Humanity store.)

Can you guess what this bench is made out of?
For a clue, check out where the front panel meets the legs.

A: A crib!

These dog houses are made from all reused materials.
Check the next photo for the ingenious lining of the door arch.
Can you guess?

 Reused Hose!

This birdhouse is made from an old paint can and many other fun reused items. 

Seriously, if you like reuse projects as much as me, you should really check out your local Habitat For Humanity store (Called ReStore, everywhere but Washington State)

And, for good measure, here are two more fun things I ran across while spending wasting huge amounts of time on Reddit.

Plastic bottle turned scoop

Cabinets #reused to make a child's play kitchen

Janell is so crafty!
Go check out the rest of the story.
It'll warm your heart. 

My friend, Janell, made a completely adorable play kitchen for her little one, using mostly reused/upcycled items from the Habitat For Humanity thrift store and a few items from Empower Up's thrift store as well. Go check it out!


Update: Through Pinterest, I stumbled upon two more completely adorable play-kitchens made from reused/upcycled furniture.

Reuse in Action (photos)

So, last night at Green Drinks, I was guilted about not publishing to my blog. (You know who you are!) ;) (Actually, it's good for me to have a little push sometimes.)

Anyway, I thought I'd be really lazy and post some of the many reuse pictures I've taken over the years and never got around to posting. And, since a picture is worth 1,000 words, I figure this will buy me some time with the guilt-tripper mentioned above. ;) Enjoy!

A rain barrel/water treatment system made from
a large jug. (I'm assuming this is
reused, but admit it may not be.) 

A silk tie made into a doggy collar. Classy!

A handbag made from a Monopoly board.
You can also see a few others in the photo.
The one to the left is an old Pente board game. 

If you like these types of items, you should definitely check out Check 'Em Off, Green on Nov. 12th at the Marshall Center. We've brought together 65+ vendors who have wonderful items like these. This holiday season, replace "cheap crap from China" with wonderful handmade goods/experiences purchased from your community!

That's it for now. But, I have more awesome reuse photos to share with you all, so check back soon.
-The Reuser

Artist Profile #5:

Business name: Zoe's Gifts from the Heart  




I live on the Washougal River where I have a studio open by appointment and offer day retreats from Memorial Day through mid-October.  I renewed my interest in knitting when we moved here 10 years ago due to the long winter days.  


At first all my fiber was from local yarn stores. Most of my embellishments were recycled jewelry or buttons.  Now, I tend towards hand spun and hand dyed wools from local fiber growers and look for even more vintage or hand-made items that can be used to make my work truly one-of-a-kind.  

Much of my manufactured wool now comes from garage and estate sales and left-over wool becomes pins for hats and scarves.  It gives me great satisfaction to know that I am supporting other local artists and passing on old items that other people have enjoyed.  

My winter goal is to master the spinning wheel and begin to use the 25 tubs of angora rabbit wool we have harvested from our bunnies.  I am also beginning to create fiber jewelry - lots of fun.

What am I going to give this holiday season?

Here's some ideas for the special people on your list:

You still have time to gather up some friends and your holiday lists for this Saturday! Come on out to the Check 'Em Off, Green holiday gift event. All the vendors are locals (the farthest anyone is traveling to be here is Goldendale-everyone else is from Clark County or Portland.) There will be jewelry, hats, clothing, food, toys, experiences etc. Most of the items are hand-made from recycled and reused materials. If you've ever shopped at the Recycled Arts Festival* and would like to buy in a similar way for your holiday gift needs, come see us this Saturday from 12-5 at the Marshall Center. With 47 vendors, there's sure to be something for everyone! Here's some ideas:

• Enjoy a chair massage and buy massage gift certificates for that stressed person on your list
• Got kids? You might like to get them some recycled crayons or a capri-sun notepad, a new hat or a book about a local dog named Metro
• Know someone who likes bling-Get them some hand-made jewelry. We have lots of vendors who make jewelry from fun items, like beverage bottles, skateboards, fused plastic and many others. Or, if they're like me and already have too much jewelry, buy them an upcycled organizer.
• For the DIYer in your family, you can purchase a gift certificate to the Habitat For Humanity store
• Got a loved one that loves their garden? Purchase some yard art or seeds
• Can't find anything for that person-who-has-everything? Purchase a brick or a calendar from the SW Washington Humane Society and your purchase will help pets find forever homes.
• After you've exhausted yourself, enjoy a warm drink and some lunch on-site from Reo's

Also, if you've recently realized you’re drowning in holiday decorations you never use, bring them to this event and swap them out with others, all for free!

We hope to see you there! This event is open to the public.

*Recycled Arts Festival is a super fun annual event put on by Clark County, the last weekend in June

Artist Profile #4: The Reuser (yours truly)

Name: Terra Heilman

Website: Well, that's kind of obvious, isn't it? (You're here!)

Inspiration: I've made upcycled jewelry organizers. They're made of almost exclusively all thrifted materials. My inspiration was that I had a giant jumble of jewelry and I was looking for a good way to easily organize it. I've also made some reusable produce bags-the inspiration for them is trying to eliminate plastic waste in my grocery purchasing.

Why green gifts? I absolutely love the holiday season, but I don't want to be contributing to the problems this planet is dealing with, when giving gifts. I also love the stories behind green gifts. When you purchase a green gift, you're connecting with your community and often, the artist who made the gift. That's pretty special.

Artist Profile #2: Half Moon Farms

Artist: Brenda Lee Calvert 
HalfMoon Farm 
Brush Prairie, WA 

Beekeeper & Artist:  
I am a self-taught artist working out of my studio at my flower and produce farm (HalfMoon Farm) in Brush Prairie. 

My work encompasses many recycled materials; glass, metal, clay, wood, and plastics. Working with such diverse materials lets my creativity and imagination soar. Several different lines of artwork have come from this mixed media including functional, garden and decor. My use of texture along with great attention to color and basic shapes add to the design element of my art.
 
Beekeeping:  I and my husband Bob took up beekeeping around 7 years ago and just love it because it fits into our misson for our farm. We grow a lot of heirloom vegetables, herbs and fresh cut flowers. We also run pasture chickens for fresh eggs. We have 15 Bee hives this year and hope to eventually keep 25-30.  All of our honey is sold in glass containers for better recycling and our honey is Raw. (not pasteurized)  Our goal is to be good stewards of our farm and respect it by using organic practices. 

Artist Profile #1 DukeArt and family

This week, I'll be doing a series of artist profiles. These lovely people are some of the many you will meet this weekend at the Check 'Em Off Green event at the Marshall Center.




Name:  Matt, Steph, Kat and Briayne Dukart

Business Name:  DukeArt, Juicy Jewelry, Pikt - DBA Rock Candy Art

Website:  www.rockcandyart.com

Inspiration:  Finding ways to make fun new things out of materials that some others would have discarded.  Starting this hobby/business has shifted my outlook of things--I now look past the current state of the material and try to see its potential.

Giving green gifts:  'Tis the season of joy and waste.  If we can't reduce the waste, perhaps we can turn that waste into something beautiful. 

The Reuser says: I met Matt about 2 years ago and have since met his beautiful family, as well. They sure are a creative bunch! Above, you saw one of the purses Matt creates out of materials that normally would be thrown away (chip bags and frozen food bags.) 

Here, we see some cute little hamburgers hand-crafted by Stephanie. She makes all kinds of neat jewelry, much of it along the lines of food (a girl after my own heart!) Earlier, when I was perusing their site, I noticed that she made Kat (one of their lovely daughters) a hair clip shaped like bacon.  Awesome!

Their two daughters are also very crafty. Kat makes guitar picks from used gift cards and Briayne makes cute hair accesories, like the one pictured here.

Pool toys and pantyhose as props

I stumbled upon this fun use of pantyhose, pool noodles, twine, etc as props for the show The Producers.

One of my favorite sentences from the post: "The pantyhose technique is actually really great for props and especially masks because it is cheap, pliable and lightweight...a must if you're going to be balancing a four foot sausage on your head"


Indeed!

Reused tote bags as aprons

Betz White recently posted three fantastic ideas for reusing canvas tote bags as aprons.  I'm crazy about totes and aprons, too, so once my current schedule slows down a bit, I plan to try a few of these.  Check them out, they're adorable! (and useful, to boot!)

Gardening Apron (pictured) This one is super cute with canvas embellishments. (extra tutorial on that included)

Little Artist Apron I love that she added velcro for adjustment on this one.

BBQ Apron I love that her husband has a beer in one hand and the BBQ tongs in the other in the picture for this one.  It reminds me of my brother grilling.

Potting benches made from reclaimed materials

My friend Alex (I've mentioned him before) made* these totally awesome potting benches at the Habitat for Humanity ReStore. If you are in this area, I highly recommend taking a trip down to the ReStore to check out all the fantastic items they have down there. I'm always amazed by all the new stuff and how quickly items change over there.

* A little birdy told me they might start offering classes soon!

candle blocks

That Martha-she really does know creativity. I'm now coveting these awesome candle blocks. Of course, the wood would have to be salvage from our local ReStore, naturally.