Green Options » Artwork

Motherboard Gifts for the Tech Geek On Your Holiday List

Wenona Napolitano — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 12:51:44 +0000

Now here’s what a little creativity can come up with; Motherboard Gifts is a company that utilizes old motherboards and computer parts to make reclaimed gifts like money clips, picture frames, clocks, coasters, jewelry, bookmarks, binders, business card cases and even Christmas ornaments.

These are eco-friendly gifts even the most tech savvy, computer geek may love.

Fish Lips Eco-Wrapping Paper: A Crafty Green Business

Wenona Napolitano — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 18:28:21 +0000

Kimi Chronis is the owner and designer of Fish Lips Paper Designs, a classy and eco-friendly wrapping paper company based in Florida.

Fish Lips is a one woman show that is a great example of what someone can do with a little creativity and the desire to offer earth friendly products.

A Review of the Green Guide for Artists

Wenona Napolitano — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 03:27:08 +0000

Green Guide for Artists: Nontoxic Recipes, Green Art Ideas, & Resources for the Eco-Conscious Artist is the one book all green crafters and artists should have. It lists craft and art supplies that are green (and at a minimum less toxic) as well as gives recipes to make your own green supplies like natural paints and glues.

I had no idea that Gorilla Glue is “green”. My husband uses it all the time and I figured it was just another glue from the hardware store but it is actually non-toxic and VOC free. Though when I have performed searches for green supplies it never comes up.

That’s just one reason why this book is so great.

Review of 1000 Ideas for Creative Reuse

Wenona Napolitano — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 01:20:21 +0000

“Artists and crafters have always been recyclers, but for many, it has not only become a thrifty choice, it has become a moral imperative. 1000 Ideas for Creative Reuse contains a cutting edge collection of the most inventive work being made with re-used, upcycled, and already existing materials. The work in this book ranges from clever and humble personal accessories to unique and important large-scale works of art, including paper art, fashion, jewelry, housewares, interiors, and installations.”

Read more of this story »

The Growing Coral Craft Project to Save Endangered Sea Coral

Lucille Chi — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 19:04:18 +0000

Upon window gazing in San Francisco, this immense coral yarn sculpture reminded me of one of the most unique, and unusual TED Talks I’ve ever seen and it’s about coral yarn crochet. In this TED (Technology and Entertainment Design) talk, Margaret Wertheim shares the coral project she started with her twin sister that is all about crocheting the coral reef.

The idea of this yarn filled coral sculpture garden is inspired by endangered sea coral, the ancient art of domestic handicrafts, and the new discoveries in mathematics by Dr. Daina Taimina on the beautiful math of coral.
Read more of this story »

Cardboard Rolls Transformed into Halloween Favor Boxes

Wenona Napolitano — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 17:31:14 +0000

Empty cardboard toilet paper rolls are one thing that everyone seems to have.

My kids love to play with them to make binoculars and all sorts of fun playthings.

I have found several creative ways to transform toilet paper rolls. Favor boxes for special occasions and parties are one way to put them to good use.

Anyone can easily take empty rolls and turn them into fun party favors, especially for Halloween.
Read more of this story »

Artist Uses Phonebooks to Create Portraits

Kelly Rand — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 17:30:59 +0000

Via the UK Telegraph, I recently learned about Alex Queral, an artist currently living in Philadelphia, PA who creates portraits of celebrities and politicians, but what is interesting about him is that he carves these portraits out of discarded phone books.

Queral started using phonebooks when off looking for some wood and happened upon some abandoned phone books. They can be advantageous to use as they are often a free material that can be found in recycle bins and trash piles. Queral carves the famous faces into the phone books and slowly peels away the layers to create a low relief sculptural portrait.

Read more of this story »

A Review of the Big Green Book of Recycled Crafts

Wenona Napolitano — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 14:15:34 +0000

The Big Green Book of Recycled Crafts ( Leisure Arts #4802) is a collection of fun and fabulous crafts made from all kinds of trashy, upcycled products.

I see quite a few old favorites in this Leisure Arts publication from other Leisure Arts books including the Trash to Treasure books.

I also see a few new crafts and one that I am thrilled to have found the instructions for.
Read more of this story »

Got Trash? Make Crafts

Jamie Ervin — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 06:35:49 +0000

There are days when my relatively crafty self looks at my piles of crafty-goodness and let’s out a long sigh… What on Earth can I create (or entertain all these kids) out of all this JUNK????

Enter Trash Matcher from Imagination Factory. On the left side of the grid are types of trash (foil, paper, beads, plastic) and the right a description of what you can make out of it. If you click the trash word, you will be redirected to a tutorial, complete with substitutions (I hadn’t thought of using leftover white house paint as gesso).

With a metal coat hanger,…
Read more of this story »

Making Old Books into New Treasures

Jamie Ervin — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 05:56:13 +0000

Tonight I’ve been pondering crafts involving old books. Obviously collector books, library quality books and books we just plain love get pampered and kept on our shelves and tables…

What about the rest? Obsolete manuals, damaged books, those which have only kind of survived the toddler years… where do they go, what do they become?

Disclaimer: If a book is not salvageable (or any parts of it that are beyond reuse), please tear it apart and recycle it.

If books are in good shape and no longer needed in your household, please consider donating them to a hospital or shelter. A great idea for children is to have a book exchange party or a books for the children’s hospital party (ask everyone to bring their gently used books to donate).

Here are some great ideas I found for making a book into something new.
Read more of this story »

Craft Green with Earth Safe Finishes

Wenona Napolitano — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 14:52:20 +0000

I found an awesome new company I can’t wait to try out, Earth Safe Finishes.

Instead of finding one eco-product here and one there, Earth Safe Finishes has paints, stains, sealers, varnishes, waxes, glazes and even fabric dyes…all in eco-friendly formulas.
Read more of this story »

Crafting Memories with Shadow Boxes

Wenona Napolitano — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 18:17:19 +0000

I inherited my grandmother’s house many years ago. I still have not went through everything that came with the house. Boxes remain that have not been sorted and organized. My grandmother was a pack rat but the awesome thing is that she left behind memories of her life like pieces to a puzzle for me to put together.

I have found newspapers and photographs from the 1800s, old magazines, some cool handbags and hats and tons of letters, cards, and little mementos of a long life.

Read more of this story »

Fashioning Felt Exhibit Now in New York City at the Cooper Hewitt

Lucille Chi — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 08:09:04 +0000

New York City’s Cooper Hewitt is highlighting their Fashioning Felt exhibit in a big way. My mind is now filled with ideas about the possibilities of felt.

”Fashioning Felt presents an extraordinary range of felt. From two-dimensional carpets to three-dimensional environments, each work reveals the virtuosity of both the material and the designers. The exhibition and book focus on felt that has been produced by traditional hand- or machine-felting processes; they exclude non-woven felt and techniques, in order to underscore the essential elements of feltmaking — wool fiber, agitation, moisture, and pressure.”

I fell for this Felt Ovoid Jacket and Empire Pant look. Isn’t this draped felt suit creative?

Keep reading for more inspiration:
Read more of this story »

Vintage Broken Glass Gets New Life As Jewelry

Wenona Napolitano — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 13:03:09 +0000

I love vintage glass. I have a few hoarded bottles and unique finds that are currently stashed away so my kids don’t break them. Eventually I will have all my antiques displayed around my home and not stuffed in boxes…after the kids have grown up.

If I displayed everything now it would just get broken. But broken glass pieces don’t always get wasted. There are many artists who have found creative ways to turn broken glass into works of art. Some make mosaics, others make new bottles, glasses or tumblers, and some, like Laura Bergman of Bottled Up Designs , make pretty pieces of jewelry.
Read more of this story »

Eco-Artware Upcycled Treasures and Gifts

Wenona Napolitano — Fri, 29 May 2009 18:35:42 +0000

I love Eco-Artware’s wonderful selection of handcrafted goods from many crafty green artists. They have a wide variety of items to choose from including kids stuffed animals made from upcycled sweaters, jewelry made from old pennies, typewriter keys, and watch faces, bowls made from old records and signs, coasters made from old unplayable vinyl records, and my favorite- baskets made from chopsticks.
Read more of this story »

Artwork from Trash: Transforming the way we see waste and the disappearing reefs

John Ivanko — Thu, 21 May 2009 03:14:14 +0000

While Ecologic Designs (one of my previous posts) is thriving by making practical products out of various waste streams – demonstrating green innovation and up-cycling – some artists around the world are working with a new medium: trash. These artists are coming together, actively gathering vast quantities of debris floating up on shorelines or collecting waste wherever it might be piling up and turning it into beautiful pieces of art.

On a trip to Santa Monica, California, a friend treated my family and I to an amazing – if not also disturbing and mind-opening – display of crocheted sculptures created from trash. The exhibit, Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reefs by the Institute for Figuring, was displayed in several rooms of the Track 16 Gallery at Bergamot Station. The Institute For Figuring (IFF) is an organization dedicated to the poetic and aesthetic dimensions of science, mathematics and the technical arts.

Created and curated by Christine and Margaret Wertheim, the Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef exhibit was a stunning display of an ingenious use of waste materials, creativity and community, bringing together various reefs created by artists from around the world. The exhibition also brought attention to the plight of our oceans and the depository for our trash that it’s become, accidental or otherwise. The Crochet Coral Reef Project of the Institute For Figuring is conceived as “a woolly celebration of the intersection of higher geometry and feminine handicraft, and a testimony to the disappearing wonders of the marine world.”

Read more of this story »

Make Your Own Vintage Button Monograms

Julie Finn — Sun, 03 May 2009 22:25:48 +0000

In the way that crafting trends come and go and come again (and perhaps stay for a while), buttons have hit the big-time. And I’m on the button bandwagon just like everybody else–I bought over four pounds off vintage buttons off of ebay, I did some cool projects from Susan Beal’s Button it Up!, I made up a list of some other cool vintage button projects to do in the future. And yet…

I completely agree with etsy seller Letter Perfect Designs, who says that some buttons are mini works of art. I can hardly stand to do something useful with my buttons, or even to wear them as jewelry around my neck, because then I can’t just sit and stare at them!

Instead, one of my favorite things to do lately is to make these button monograms–I have an entire alphabet that I’ve made out of vintage buttons, brown paper bags, upholstery remnants, and archival mat board. And while I don’t think that the idea is so complicated that you need a whole step-by-step tutorial for making your own vintage button alphabet, I have learned some strategies that work really well for this particular craft project:
Read more of this story »

A Review of The Green Wedding Guide by Valerie Edmunds

Wenona Napolitano — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 20:43:08 +0000

I think being green and crafting go hand in hand, especially when it comes to anything that involves decorating- mainly events like parties and weddings.

I love making things for parties and when it came to decorating my wedding I was very hands on. That’s why I really like The Green Wedding Guide: Creating a Celebration That’s Elegant and Ethical by Valerie Edmunds.

Read more of this story »

Paper n Stitch Spotlights Indie Designers, Artists and New Makers of Handmade Goods

Lucille Chi — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 19:18:22 +0000

Paper N Stitch is an amazing online exhibition space created specifically to promote talented artists, designers, makers selling handmade goods, and indie boutiques. The exhibition space is currently curated monthly and showcases the best of the best in handmade highlights on an international level.

The Paper n Stitch Blog is a constant source of inspiration too. Shown above is the Studio Fuller shop from their recent reviews, and below are their picks from Blue Thimble’s hand screen prints and textile art.

Read more of this story »

Lost Found Art is Looking for Vintage Collections

Lucille Chi — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 23:02:19 +0000

Do you create and assemble vintage or antique collections that are unusual and artful? If so then meet Lost Found Art: a unique design company that specializes in sculptural installations and assemblages using antique and vintage pieces. LFA may just be interested in acquiring those odd collections (you’ve been thinking of selling) for their unique contemporary art sculptures.

Read more of this story »