My heart belongs to Michigan

I was asked to make some RePurposed totes for gifts that would be given at our Girl Scout Encampment this year. I wanted to make them a little bit more special & since our Girl Scout council is Heart of Michigan I thought I needed to put those two things together!

I love the idea so much and to be honest I've seen it before but it never really make me even think about applying it to my fused plastic until I was presented with the task above. I know my Heart is in Michigan so I know others must be to and maybe they want to wear it on their tote! Here is the link to get one ( I only have one up but I can make a custom one if this one isn't tickling your fancy) http://www.etsy.com/listing/75168095/my-hearts-in-michigan-repurposed-fused






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Plastic Bottle Lights Tutorial

I whipped these Plastic Bottle Lights awhile ago and use them on my tent when I do craft shows & it seems to draw the folks in then they meet me and never leave lol! Just kidding but they are intrigued by the lights nonetheless & always ask me how I made them. I'm sure you could figure it out by looking at them how to make them but I put together a little step by step just for those who might need a visual. I even did a video tutorial but it doesn't want to upload to blogger so I am taking that as a sign that I should! Oh and the very very best part of these lights is that they are Solar!!

This is a booth I did last year with my friend Wendy @ RecycledLps.com

Inspired Workshop

I taught at Artist Inspired Workshop in North Carolina this past week/weekend and I can't even express in words how much fun I had. I met so many fun people and laughed so hard I am pretty sure I peed my pants a couple of times! Everyone loved it and made the most amazing bags ever! That is one of the things I love the most is seeing what people come up with everyone is so talented! Ruffles I do believe was the theme that was to have been started by Stephanie Stacy Ackerman! I hope to cross paths with all of the folks again one day!. I was so excited to come home and start making some stuff myself but I had to catch up on sleep first then work this week but I managed to bust out a tote tonight!

Here is a picture of every student with their creation~ Well I hope I got everyone!

Mosaically - Inspired workshop by RadicalRecycks

oxxo,

Tracie

scraps

When you fuse shopping bags you end up with a lot of scrap from the bottom of the bag and the handles of the bag. You can't throw them away that defeats your efforts but you can use them to stuff thing like this hanging heart.

for purchase at www.RadicalRecycks.etsy.com

But when I store my scrapes I line them all up and the a piece of scrap around them this makes it look like a pom pom! so I have all these plastic pom poms around my sewing room. Well I have been wanting to put them on a stick and glitter them up~ today was the day I finally came thru! I used an old chopstick~ not sure where they come from but seems I always have a ton of them in my silverware drawer! I hot glued the chopstick up in the middle then hot glued around the base so that it stays put! I trimmed up the pom pom to make it look its best then sprayed it with glitter spray! this would be a cute, quick, cheap & eco friendly way to make some pom poms for those sporting events! oh I will have to make my friend some for football season since her son plays and she of course goes to every game to cheer him on! I think I can even spray paint them to match the school colors! 

Upcycled Bracelets!

So I can't get the Used Gift card medium out of my head so here's what else is on my 2011 to make list!
Bracelet's I of course first thought I should make them how I make my plastic bottle charm bracelets like the Elephant one below........................

but after some pondering thought you really couldn't see the gift cards and that wouldn't be much fun so this is what I dreamed up!

It's about time Lady!

Well my freind has been on me that I need to make myself a purse to use as it's the best form of advertising! My friend Wendy from http://www.recycledlps.com/ cares around one of her album purses and someone noticed it and did an interview with her for national geographic! If you love it flaut it!

My problem is everytime I made one that I wanted I ended up selling it! the last one I drew up plans and everything just had some finishing touches. Then I did the Maker Faire and sold more than half my bags the first day so I had to finsih it up and put it out there for sale~ It was the first bag to sell the second day! So finally I made one for myself and here it is!

New Wristlet Design!

I whipped these wristlet's up just before Liberty Fest~ I wanted a cute Wristlet that was big enough for all the essentials but small enough for us ladies on the go! What do you think??

First Aid Pouches

I tried to sew sew sew on Saturday and I got a lot done but never enough!

I made a few of these first Aid pouches for my last little venue and sold them all! I put band aids in them and I'm try to find a place to buy individual antibacterial ointment things like in the first aid kits to put in there too. I think these little cuties are fantastic and would be great to hang on a beach bag for that moment when you cut your heal on a pop top!

Gell'n

Why is it after a vendor show I just gel the week following? maybe it's all the excitement and craziness of trying to make sure I have enough stuff made and hoping to go home with nothing but a big fat wallet? yep, I think that's what it is~ but while at the show I chit chatted my butt off and have idea's up the wazoo not to mention the folks that gave me the ideas~ gotta love that! So my week has turned into a big number headache! I took a quick book's class (2days) for my day job and I learned a lot but when I when back to the office to apply my new found knowledge seems it doesn't work as smooth as the instructor made it look! of course right that's why they want you to purchase $600 worth of DVDs so you can reference back! well good thing I spent the companies money and did just that! we'll see if he (he being the boss man) will let me keep them you have 30 days to return them!! So number talk not only bores the piss out of me but gives me a headache and makes me sleepy! funny how that seems to be my main job something I hate numbers~ oh one day hopefully soon it will be over or at least be more crafty time than number time~ let's bow our heads and pray to the crafty god to take me over to the other side where the glitter shines so bright you have to wear sunglasses all day long!

This is my latest obsessed piece~ can't seem to make enough! wallets, I said I was going to keep the grizzly one for myself if it didn't sell this weekend and seems it was in the stars to be in MY purse! not sure if folks figured out what it was~ grizzly snuff if so they may not have wanted to carry it!

Well seems my interview with fox2 never made it on TV! Sad as I am I have to hope that things happen for a reason and there is something better for me on the horizon. Today is the last day at the Green fair and again the day is starting out wet and slow. I have meet some great people . Next week will have to be dedicated to getting my house back in order!
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Interview

Today started off a bit wet but that should be the end of it until tomorrow. I got interviewed with fox2 news this morning at the green street fair and I wasn't nervous- yeah no peed undies! But not sure if I will watch it! So if You see it let me know how it was! I am hoping to get a clip to upload but we will see how wavy my web skills are.
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Upcycled Event

Monday I am hosting a Upcycled Girl Scout Event! I have 38 peeps attending 6th thru 12th grade along with some adults sprinkled in! It should be fun!

I think it would be fun to host Home Craft Parties! were you would get your friends together and I could come and show you how to fuse plastic and make a tote or maybe a plastic bottle charm bracelet!  Hmm my wheels are spinning......

Happy Recycled Easter!

Easter has changed over the years to spending it with my parents, brother & nephews to just spending it with my hubby and kids as it is much healthier for all involved! For the second year in a row we decided to spend Easter at our cabin up north, this year we had a few others in tow. My son's girlfriend and my daughters friend. They had fun finding their baskets in the woods and an egg hunt!

I hope you to had a Great Day!

Repurposed Plastic in the Kitchen!

So I was making dinner the other night and looking in the cupboard for something I was in need of and everything kept falling out! so I thought I should make something to hold all those loose things in the cupboard like oatmeal, random fast food packets and whatever else I might have acquired along the way! I am thinking there are a lot more places in my house that could use some of these! I also use a Repurposed Plastic tote I made for my daughter when I first started this journey to hold my potatoes!

Plastic House

I taught at ArtFiberFest back in June, sadly it was the last year it will be hosted BUT I also took a class with Charlotte Lyons (here's her blog http://housewrenstudio.typepad.com/ ) we made houses out of felt ~ we had so much fun chatting and sewing~ It was a great day! She inspired me to make a "Plastic House" I think it could use a bottle cap fence but I'm working on it~ not enough time in the day for all my ideas dammit!