Dumpster diving and...
 
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Dumpster diving and up-cycling....

(@AandA2VI)
Posts: 2294
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Ok so I don't literally dive in the dumpsters but I do find a lot of awesome stuff sitting aside waiting to be up-cycled and Im not afraid to admit it. I fill a spray bottle of alcohol and give whatever I find a good dousing before I bring it inside. I just finished this table I found and wanted to share. Its easy to toss stuff but I always think about how full our landfill get. I love to reuse stuff and this became the perfect desk/drawing table for me. If your not the creative type - no worries, there is always pintrest! ; D

I also found those sea fans at the dumpster and made the glass pencil holders from wine bottles I had laying around. Used paint from home depot - you can get the tester sized paint for $2 and tinted to what you want. Some is sharpie marker and a $5 mirror from the no flea boutique. The lamp was also $5 from the no flea boutique.


Here are some wine bottle candle holders which are so pretty - using a $3 glass cutter - and the hot / ice water method:

And I found these sand dollar and cool leaf charms at the no flea boutique for $3 each so I made a personalized card and sent these off for christmas: The sea glass pendants I made from Sea glass I found here on STT. This is only a few of them. I ordered silver from amazon and watched you tubes on how to wrap it. Total cost for 12 gifts was under $40 for everything.

Lastly I found a box of sand dollars (I don't like to take them from the beach personally) at Pandoras Box in Tillet Gardens and didn't want them to go to waste just sitting there. Using a sharpie I made ornaments for stateside family. I added a small white ribbon for hanging on the tree and added the date to the back.

I would LOVE to see if anyone else has ideas on cool stuff to do and up cycle or any fun projects that I could see : D

 
Posted : December 21, 2013 12:21 am
(@ChrisMI)
Posts: 213
Estimable Member
 

Those look really cool, A. Nicely done. And there's no better gift to get from someone than something they made themseves.

I never realized how much 'garbage' we generated until moving to the VI where I had to load all of it into my car and drive it away 😉 I'd like to have separate bins in my house for aluminum cans, water bottles, and cardboard, but I can't seem to find anywhere to take then to recycle in the first place.

PS - I was about to recommend Delly Deck for breakfast when I scrolled down and saw you just came back from there. The $6 breakfast is almost the same as the $10 your had, but it's so good I almost feel guityl only playing $6 for it. Their other breakfast stuff is fantastic too.

 
Posted : December 21, 2013 11:39 am
(@alana33)
Posts: 12365
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Very talented and imaginitive!
Merry Christmas!

 
Posted : December 21, 2013 12:48 pm
(@the-oldtart)
Posts: 6523
Illustrious Member
 

Always good! I've had several friends over many years (actually getting into decades now) who've truly lucked out on dumpster diving. One even retrieved a painting by a local artist which she subsequently sold at auction for several thousand dollars. I'm nowhere even close to being as artistically inclined as the OP, but there's much to be had and refurbished in this "throwaway" society.

 
Posted : December 21, 2013 3:23 pm
(@mtdoramike)
Posts: 955
Prominent Member
 

OOooo, nice stuff, I love what you did with the desk, very artsy & craftsy. Are two of the pendants sea glass? Anything for sale?

 
Posted : December 23, 2013 1:16 pm
(@mtdoramike)
Posts: 955
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My goodness, I just can't get over those sand dollars, absolutely gorgeous.

 
Posted : December 23, 2013 1:18 pm
(@speee1dy)
Posts: 8873
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AandA has a lot of talent. very nice work.

 
Posted : December 23, 2013 5:20 pm
(@mtdoramike)
Posts: 955
Prominent Member
 

AandA has a lot of talent. very nice work.

You should see her Photos. I have one of Magens Bay with a rainbow across the Bay hanging in my Livingroom above my TV.

 
Posted : December 23, 2013 6:51 pm
(@speee1dy)
Posts: 8873
Illustrious Member
 

oh, i have seen those. she is amazing

 
Posted : December 23, 2013 9:50 pm
(@CAtoSTX)
Posts: 591
Honorable Member
 

Ive been painting glassware for holiday gifts this year. I've got one more set to do for our landlords - I'll send you pictures when Im done.
Got the glasses at ReUse Emporium.

 
Posted : December 24, 2013 2:25 am
(@AandA2VI)
Posts: 2294
Noble Member
Topic starter
 

Hey thanks everyone for the kind words!!! I love being artsy and for a long in AZ I got caught in the boring corporate life. Moving here has allowed me to do what I want and kinda rekindled my creative spirit. I guess I could have done that in AZ but I just never did. Funny how that works.

CA - if love to see it! Id like to see more stuff people do to recycle and upcycle. I saw a constructed pallet table at the northside dumpsters today, it wasn't there long so glad others are not afraid to reuse stuff by the dumpsters.

The sand dollars are very easy - I used white spray paint to give them a nice coat. This helps the sharpie not soak in. Then just sharpie them - it's fun and I love neons so that what I used.

I always go to the no flea botique. Its my favorite place for up cycling. I made this art from a dress that I LOVED the print on. Just cut it and framed the fabric. Total cost $5 including the frame and looks like something from silk greenery! Hahaha! Love it!

 
Posted : December 25, 2013 3:37 am
rotorhead
(@rotorhead)
Posts: 2473
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Very Nice!

 
Posted : December 25, 2013 3:44 am
(@speee1dy)
Posts: 8873
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CAtoSTX, i would love to see yours too.

AandA cool fabric

 
Posted : December 25, 2013 11:33 am
(@CAtoSTX)
Posts: 591
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Posted : December 25, 2013 3:45 pm
(@speee1dy)
Posts: 8873
Illustrious Member
 

those are wonderful. i love to see how creative other people can be

 
Posted : December 25, 2013 8:44 pm
(@BeachcomberStt)
Posts: 1018
Noble Member
 

CAtoSTX, AandA

Both of you are very creative, great work, and I hope to see more.
I agree with spee1dy, I love to see how creative others are.

 
Posted : December 25, 2013 11:19 pm
(@ms411)
Posts: 3554
Famed Member
 

CAtoSTX's photo shows in the post on my phone, but not A&A. Anybody know why? I have an Android phone.

 
Posted : December 26, 2013 12:07 am
(@ms411)
Posts: 3554
Famed Member
 

I used to use dimensional paint on seaglass jewelry I made to add designs. I also incorporated bits of abalone chips onto a pair of cuff links I made. I bought clasps and glued them on instead of wrapping, because everybody was wrapping and I wanted a different look.

I have made clocks from old cds (old software) by ordering clock kits and printing photos on cd labels.

I've wanted to try the bottle cutter idea, but it seems like it's a pain to smooth the edge. Do you have a secret method?????

Um, I'm not using the correct terminology for the clasps. I think what I bought were bails. It's been years.

I taught the people on a previous job how to make sand dollar ornaments based on ones they used to purchase from the States. The ones they made sold better, because we controlled the art.

Another thing I used to do is cover plain clay flower pots with broken pieces of glass glued on and then covered the pot with grout to fill in the gaps. You could use the same treatment for other items. Sea glass would look good. Extra points if there's a plant in the pot!

I use martini/champagne glasses to showcase hibiscus blossoms. I have seed beads from broken necklaces that I put in the glass, add water, and then float the blossom. My friends loved this one.

 
Posted : December 26, 2013 12:34 am
(@CAtoSTX)
Posts: 591
Honorable Member
 

I need to get a rotary tool to cut holes in seaglass... I tried framing a picture with it, mostly using hot glue + it did not work.

 
Posted : December 29, 2013 1:04 am
(@ms411)
Posts: 3554
Famed Member
 

E6000 glue from KMart is better than hot glue for most projects.

 
Posted : December 29, 2013 1:28 am
(@AandA2VI)
Posts: 2294
Noble Member
Topic starter
 

Agreed. Ive used that stuff for lots of projects. Works great.

For the bottle cutting method its imperative to get an even score. That cuts way down on the sanding. I took the bottle cutter and using 4 inch screws I sandwiched it between two 2X4 about 2 feet long. This allows me to use my elbows to hold down the wood on the counter and turn the bottle smoothly. You can't use bottle that have raised marking on them... like the cruzan bottles. Honestly for the candle holders I only give a 5 min sanding - it doesn't have to be perfectly smooth. I use the other end for glasses that we drink from and I sand those for an hour off and on lol. I would like to buy a belt sander and use that some day.

If you don't feel like making them yourselves you can always visit Water Candy in Tillet Gardens on STT - she has AWESOME recycled bottle art and stuff.

 
Posted : December 29, 2013 7:03 pm
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