So, I was wandering around an art fair this weekend, and, of course saw plenty of the 3P's -- painting, photography, and pottery. Not that there wasn't high quality work there, it's just that I got a big dose of the old been-there-done-that feeling. Then, I happened upon Weener Ware!
No, it's not what you think -- neither hand made sweaters for dachshunds nor custom cock rings were on display. Weener Ware is miniature art inside recycled bottle caps. The artists, Jeanmarie Petro and Barbara Tinger, have paired the art work with the bottle caps and then turned them into necklaces, earrings, hair clips, and other assorted wearable and unwearable accessories. Weener Ware is funky, unique, and a definite conversation starter. It's one fine example of making art from recycled materials, and so, as you might imagine, it is near and dear to my heart.
But don't wait until serendipity leads you and the Weener Ware women to the same art fair. Check it out online at: www.weenerware.com
Architectural Salvage
Every city of any size has at least one architectural salvage store. They run the gamut from junk stores that carry mostly beat up old doors and rusty plumbing fixtures to high end shops that carry everything from mammoth clocks to luxurious bathtubs, from carved teak garage doors to stone gargoyles. The stores, besides be just plain fun, are a great places to haunt if you're building a new home, remodeling an old one or just looking for a piece or two of architectural flair. Prices, as you might expect, are considerably lower than new, with things like solid wood doors going for approximately 25% of the new price. And then there are the one-of-a-kind items that Hope Depot will never have.
Check your local phone book, look on the web, or talk to folks in thrift stores and auctions to find the architectural salvage merchants in your region. Happy hunting!
To take a peek at what one mammoth warehouse in Scranton, PA has in store go to:http://oldegoodthings.com
Check your local phone book, look on the web, or talk to folks in thrift stores and auctions to find the architectural salvage merchants in your region. Happy hunting!
To take a peek at what one mammoth warehouse in Scranton, PA has in store go to:http://oldegoodthings.com
Recycled Packaging
Michael Brown was out for a bike ride in Jamestown, R.I. when he became disturbed by all the plastic bottles that littered the roadside. There's got to be away to recycle them and use them for something useful, he thought. A few thoughts later Packaging 2.0 LLC was born.
Now Michael's company creates recycled packaging materials from old plastic bottles under the trademarked SmartCycle label. They produce over 5 million packages annually for clients such as Whole Foods and Microsoft. Michael himself is so gung ho that even wears shirts made from old plastic pop bottles! Proving once again that everything can have a new life and be reincarnated rather than buried in the local landfill.
To get find out more about Packaging 2.0 LLC head over to:
http://www.packaging2.com/index.php
Now Michael's company creates recycled packaging materials from old plastic bottles under the trademarked SmartCycle label. They produce over 5 million packages annually for clients such as Whole Foods and Microsoft. Michael himself is so gung ho that even wears shirts made from old plastic pop bottles! Proving once again that everything can have a new life and be reincarnated rather than buried in the local landfill.
To get find out more about Packaging 2.0 LLC head over to:
http://www.packaging2.com/index.php
Deconstructionism
Deconstructionism isn't just for effete Frenchmen anymore! More and more, people who want to remove and old building are deconstructing, rather than destroying, it. Instead of smashing everything to smithereens with a giant wrecking ball, these new (dare I say postmodern?) deconstructionists are meticulously disassembling buildings and recycling the parts and pieces rather than trashing them. Sort of reverse building with the raw materials being returned to reconomic flow.
To find out more check out:
Unbuilding by Brad Guy and Bob Falk or
http://thereusepeople.org
To find out more check out:
Unbuilding by Brad Guy and Bob Falk or
http://thereusepeople.org
Recycling Significant Others
We all know what BYOB stands for, or do we? Giving new life to an old acronym Recycled Date Parties now use BYOB to stand for Bring Your Old Boyfriend. And that's exactly what the women that attend these parties do -- they bring an old boyfriend, introduce him to other women who are in the market for a "new" boyfriend, and let nature take its course. It's a living, breathing, human example of the old saw "one person's trash is another person's treasure." And another simple approach to do-it-yourself recycling (DIYR), recycling that cuts out the middleman.
Why should you pay E-Harmony, It's Just Lunch, or your local singles bar, buckets of money to find a new Mr. Right, or even a new Mr. Right Now? What are friends for, if they can't share their cast aside lovers with you? One caution: Like most used cars, none of these recycled Romeos come with warranties. Recycled Date Parties are strictly caveat emptor.
Now, what I'm waiting to see is the first group of guys who are brave enough to host a BYOG party!
To find out more check out:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/chi-used-date-perspective,0,3888939.story
Why should you pay E-Harmony, It's Just Lunch, or your local singles bar, buckets of money to find a new Mr. Right, or even a new Mr. Right Now? What are friends for, if they can't share their cast aside lovers with you? One caution: Like most used cars, none of these recycled Romeos come with warranties. Recycled Date Parties are strictly caveat emptor.
Now, what I'm waiting to see is the first group of guys who are brave enough to host a BYOG party!
To find out more check out:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/chi-used-date-perspective,0,3888939.story
Buying Unclaimed Items
The cops have all kinds of items that never get claimed by their owners. From bicycles to computers, from oil paintings to automobiles, from baseball cards to real estate. Now you can bid on used stuff from a bunch of different cop shops all in one place -- PropertyRoom.com.
Property Room is an auction site that's alot like ebay, except that you're only dealing with one seller, who has the items on consignment from various metropolitan law enforcement agencies. I've personally never bought anything on the site, but from what I've read it's highly legit, and, if you know what you're doing, there are some real bargains to be had.
Check it out at www.propertyroom.com
Property Room is an auction site that's alot like ebay, except that you're only dealing with one seller, who has the items on consignment from various metropolitan law enforcement agencies. I've personally never bought anything on the site, but from what I've read it's highly legit, and, if you know what you're doing, there are some real bargains to be had.
Check it out at www.propertyroom.com
SolesUnited
Got Crocs? Old ones that is. Ones that you don't wear anymore because you've damn near worn them out? Don't throw them out, recycle them. Crocs has started SolesUnited to send special Crocs made of recycled old Crocs to the shoeless around the world. Philadelphia-based charity, Brother's Brother Foundation is heading up distribution of these SolesUnited Crocs to recipients in Africa, Asia and South America.
To find out how you can participate go to: www.solesunited.com
To find out how you can participate go to: www.solesunited.com
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