THRIFTY GARDEN DECORATING IDEAS

I gave a presentation this Saturday on implementing the four R's in your garden, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Repurpose You can make very interesting garden displays from the objects you find that are no longer wanted or may be broken and no longer serve their original purpose. Just be creative and give a new use to the things that may otherwise be discarded.

Why Be Thrifty and Recycle In Your Garden??

Well for one thing it is good for the environment and saves our natural resources. It keeps stuff out of the landfill. It saves you money. It makes for a good conversation starter. It gives you something creative to do. It is like a treasure hunt and is exciting when you come up with a new idea. It is enjoyable to look at and it is just plain fun!!

I like to use things in my garden that maybe someone was giving away or getting rid of because it was broken, or it no longer was serving its original purpose. I also like to go to rummage and estate sales and thrift or resale shops. You can get really creative if you “Think Outside the Box” and see if maybe you can use something for a different purpose than it was originally intended. There really is no right or wrong way for coming up with an idea because you can make your own rules and just have fun with it.
If you want to find out more ideas on how to use the 4 R's in your garden decorating, check out my album on my facebook page here:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=16768&id=100000031762726&l=138ffabf3c 

 

"The Journey Starts From Within" MIXED MEDIA / STEAM PUNK ASSEMBLAGE

I have been working with found objects lately and it is quite fun and a challenge to figure out how to make it all come together. For this piece I used an antique bottle, watch parts, doll parts, sewing notions, and various hardware.  Just take a look and see what bits of ephemera you can recognize.  I call this piece "The Journey Starts from Within", as everyone in life has a journey and depending on the decisions you make in life your path can change with the blink of an eye.

LAKE MICHIGAN STONE - FUNKY LADY PENDANT # 2

I so love making these Funky Lady pendants as they each have their own personality. This little lady has a passion for the beauty of nature, a tiny bird has stopped to rest and is nestled in her hand.

This is # 2 of my Funky Lady Lake Michigan art stone pendants, using hand-wrapped copper wire and beads on a cord with hammered copper wire closure.

Pendant on Mannequin shows length of cord.

VALENTINES DAY PENDANT

 

This is a pendant I made from hand wrapped copper wire with beads on a cord with copper closure.

Heart shaped copper wire wrapped pendant with cord shown on mannequin to show length of cord.

"BLING" BUDDIES PORTRAIT

I drew this portrait of a friend and her dog, I usually don't like to do portraits because they are a bit of a challenge for me, but I felt in the mood to try it...maybe the glass of Irish cream I was drinking made me a little braver :)  I used Prismacolored pencil and it measures 8" x 10".  Everyone needs a little BLING in their life!

MIXED MEDIA / STEAMPUNK ASSEMBLAGE

This piece I call, "Quest for the Key to Unlock the Mysteries of Area 51" super fun one to make.  It is a little bit Steampunk and Mixed Media.  Just trying to figure out how to put it together so it is sturdy was a project in itself, it is quite heavy as the coffee can is filled with aquarium gravel.   I have been starting to collect a stash of stuff to use in these type of projects.  I tell my husband....oohh you can't throw that out I can use it in a mixed media! so now he is afraid to get rid of anything without asking me first. I like it when the materials are rusty and show years of wear...adds to its character and patina.  I will try to keep the "junk collecting under control though.

Self-portait Collage

I made this little collage about myself, it is called "Running Late" as some of you may know I have a tendency to be a little late at times. I included two pictures of myself when I was little kid. The one of me with my little angel hands was a black and white picture that I hand colored with the color of the dress as I remember it. I then put the collage in a vintage frame and decorated it.
Hey I am even late updating my blog...some things never change...

Lake Michigan Beach Stone - Funky Lady Pendant # 1

Completed this funky lady pendant, made from a Lake Michigan beach stone,copper wire and some beads 1-21-2011.  I had been beach combing for unique stones this past summer, I love how the waves and sand naturally smooth the stones and you can see all the colors.  I spray the stone with a clear acrylic to bring out the colors.

Who Doesn't Enjoy COFFEE and ART!!

This is a piece I did last night, it is done on a piece of watercolor paper that I stained with COFFEE! Then I drew the image with pigment ink, it measures 5" x 7". I like the aged effect the coffee gave to the paper...it even still smells like coffee!