OK, this is going to really blow my (ha-ha) hip image and let you know how old I am.

The very first Earth Day I printed out posters from The Whole Earth Catalog and plastered them around my highschool.  Got caught and called into the principal’s office; kind of liked being a rebel then and still do now 40 years later.

My Earth Day creative gift this year is a graphic which I am making into a silkscreen.  Please feel free to use it for personal use, angel policy.  I am retaining the copyright just in case some mega corporation would decide to put it on a zillion coffee cups or use it in a non-ecofriendly way.

If you use this in some manner I would love to see the photos.

Love, peace and keeping it green!

You know us artsy fartsy types when we have an issue or want to express ourselves beyond words we make stuff.  Whales, dolphins, fish, sealife of all types, ocean, and water have all been a focus lately more than ever.  The amazing, stunning move “The Cove” receiving and Oscar, poor Orca at Seaworld, depleted salmon runs, plastic continents floating around the ocean……there is so much more I could list.

This piece is all recycled or scrap stuff which seems apropo.  Cold forged copper frame (Photo does not show this well but the frame forms a whole fish.) with painted, stitched and beaded quilt piece and scrappy streamers to represent swimming out of debris.

Please help me figure out a good name for this piece.  Thanks!

OH!  BTW, I do not eat sushi.

Decided to start making recycled/trash banks for all the grandkids, real trash to treasure stuff.  Here is the one I did for Freya.  From the plastic bottle to the broken corkscrew everything except the letter fabric was on its way to a trash bin.

Here is a brief synopsis of what I did.

1. Cut the slashes in the top of the bottle so the corkscrew would fit on snugly.

As you can see this allows the sides to collapse in then push back out for a snug fit.

2. Next I tore fabric strips and cut name from pre-printed fabric.  You could easily stamp or stencil letters onto fabric.  I’ve had the alphabet fabric for a couple years now so its about time I used it!  Brush Earth Safe Finishes Decoupage medium onto the fabric and the bottle.  Smooth fabric down and coat with more medium.  OH! Important!  Make sure you note where the bottom of the corkscrew meets the bottle and do not decoupage more than a hair above that line otherwise your corkscrew might not fit.

Once background fabric is done come back and decoupage on letters or other design elements.

Now let dry really well.

3. Use 22-24 GA wire to attach larger elements onto corkscrew like the watch case and electronic gizmo.

4. I used generous amounts of gel medium to attach the small elements, broken watch dial, sprocket, and other little pieces. Allow to dry well laid flat.

5. Attach CD to center back with gel medium. Allow to setup.

6. When bottle is very dry and cured use a utility knife to cut a coin slit in the back.

7. Press on corkscrew and your done. Fill with coins then lift off top to remove, easy and green!