Bottle caps Victorian chandelier

Neokentin — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 23:55:34 +0000

This chandelier made entirely of recycled parts takes up the idea of Victorian chandeliers …

++ More information at La Fabrique à broc website !
Idea sent by SAILLOUR Anne So !

Baseball bat sculpture

Neodim — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 14:00:00 +0000

Peter Schuyff is specialised in sculptures. He had a great idea to apply his art on old baseball bats !

++ Peter Schuyff

18 DIY Projects for Globe-al Recycling

Neokentin — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 23:50:11 +0000

Do you believe in globe-al recycling? Head on down to your local thrift store and use one of these 18 inspiring ideas to recycle or upcycle your own little piece of the world.

++ More information at Blue Velvet Chair website !
Idea sent by Michael Helander !

Swing from firehose

Neodim — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 13:30:00 +0000

Michael Hensel imagine this interior swing using wood and reclaimed fire hoses. Winner of the re: design [net] work awards 2010.

++ Here (german)

Weaver of grass

Neokentin — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 00:01:13 +0000

My name is Joanne Kaar. I live Dunnet village, on Dunnet Head in Caithness Scotland. With views to the village of Brough, where I grew up. The Pentland Firth and the Orkney Island of Hoy are in the distance. Earlier this year I visited Joyce Laing in Pittenweem, Fife, to take a closer look at the grass garments made my Angus MacPhee. I had seen his incredible work while it as on display in Stornoway many years ago. Angus was a crofter. He lived in South Uist, but spent almost 50 years in Craig Dunnain psychiatric hospital in Inverness. He chose not to speak, instead he made garments from grass and leaves growing in the hospital grounds, twisting the plants into a rope or simmans. A traditional technique he would have learnt at home in Uist. When he’d finished making, Angus just discarded them and started another one. It was fortunate that Joyce Laing discovered Angus and saved some of his work.
Angus became known as ‘the weaver of grass’.
Exactly how Angus made his garments was a mystery Joyce wanted to solve.
I’ve plenty of grass in my field to experiment with!
The grass ‘weavings’ made by Angus are now old and fragile. With the help of my husband Joe, who made a sketch of the construction by looking at a patch of more open weave, and the information from Joyce with her first had experience of seeing Angus work, I made notes and took measurements in my sketchbook. Next, with a ball of cotton string, I made a few test pieces.
Back home, I drew out a full size paper template to work from. Starting at the waistline, I made a grass rope to fit the width, then, by opening up the rope at regular intervals, I made a series of loops, threading the grass rope in and out of the gaps.
I’m using dried grass a this will help hold the twist in the rope.
Using a looping technique, I worked upwards towards the neck of the garment, the same direction as in the original. The loops were small and pulled tight at the waistline, getting larger towards the chest. I used my fingers as a gauge and pulled the rope to the size I wanted. Whilst keeping the same number of loops in each row, the garment widened at the chest, because each individual loop was bigger. This made a flat section for the front of the garment. The arms were to be added later.
Working with a short length was easier, as didn’t have to pull so much rope through the loops. When I ran out of rope, I simply made it longer by twisting in more grass.
The cuffs of the sleeves and base of Angus’s garment were deliberately frilly. The loops on these parts were too matted confusing to understand how they were made. So I decided to use the same looping technique for everything as this was the only one I was sure he had used.
Working from the original waist band, I made two large loops into every one in the row before – this instantly made it wider and uneven. Working from the waistline down, I followed the paper template and adjusted the loop size to complete the front side.
Making the back of the garment was easier. I started with a waistband as before, but at the end of each row, I looped through the sides of the front piece, connecting the two halves together as I worked back and forth, leaving gaps for the sleeves and neck.
The construction technique is easier to see on these larger loops.
The garment was getting quiet heavy, so I made the sleeves separately. Again, starting with a rope I made a series of loops, but this time I tied it into a circle, the same diameter as the sleeve, working in the round, not two flat pieces. This was stitched with a grass rope to the main body section. It’s difficult to see on the original garment if the sections were made in the round, or sewn together later. I used a combination of both.
The sleeves attached and only the neck to do. I worked this in the round, picking up loops from the back and front of the garment until it was finished.

++ More information at Joanne Kaar website !
Idea sent by Joanne Kaar !

Rake jewelry display

Neodim — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 13:30:00 +0000

++ here

Plastic bags and whool necklace

Neokentin — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 23:28:33 +0000

It’s a simple realization, you use three or four plastic bags according to the thickness you want and then wool around all…then you have an original necklace !

++ More information at Artesamia Artesatuya website !
Idea sent by artesamia artesatuya !

DIY : table from reclaimed wood

Neodim — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 09:00:00 +0000

++ Here

Dishfunctional Designs: Broken China Jewelry

Neokentin — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 00:42:54 +0000

From trash to treasure! Pennsylvania artist Laura Beth Love, owner of Dishfunctional Designs Broken China Jewelry takes chipped, cracked, and broken china (plates, saucers, teacups) and transforms them into beautiful, wearable works of art!

++ More information at Disfunctional Designs website !
Idea sent by Laura Beth Love !

Creative dishes

Neodim — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 09:00:00 +0000

So graphic !

++ Dudecraft

Recyclart