Sustainable Midlands, new work, and the start of Nutcracker season

(Above:  Wrapped wooden spool Christmas ornaments.  Click on image to enlarge.)

A week from today is the Sustainable Midlands Holiday Show at 701 Whaley here in Columbia.  The one-night-only sale runs from 4:30 - 8:30.  I really support this organization and its mission to promote the "three Rs": Recycle, reuse, repurpose.  Everything in the sale must be either organic or incorporate recyclables.  I've been making all sorts of things including these Christmas ornaments!



I've been making A LOT OF THEM!  Each one also includes vintage buttons, ribbon from my stash (almost all of which comes from yard sales and auction), and beads ... also from a variety of sources that don't include a traditional store front.



I have other fiber ornaments too.  They use trim, felt, and yarn from my "recycled stash".

Yet, I've also been making some silly things ... like earrings from this year's bread bag closure tabs.  I had at least three dozen more of these little things but something went wrong.

I hoped to eliminate the inked numbers and letters that appear on one side.  These marks are the freshness dates for the bread.  I tried nail polish remover, rubbing alcohol, Windex, an erasure, and turpentine.  The ink didn't even fade but the color of the tabs certainly did.  So, I tried gold metallic spray paint.  I'm a terrible spray painter.  I had finger prints all over them and eventually threw them out.  Oh well.  At least I have twenty pairs that weren't subjected to all my solvents! LOL!

I also made another ten bottle cap photo frames.  Five are vertical. Five are horizontal.  All fit a standard 5" x 7" picture.

I've got twelve different sized mirrors embellished with used bottle caps too!

For my bookmarks, earrings, and Christmas ornaments, I have a large stack of recycled bags.  These were made from two spreads of old issues of Jasper Magazine.  I think I'm ready ... except for the set-up which will be next Monday!

(Above:  In Box CLXIX.  Inventory Number #3272. Framed:  19 1/4" x 15 1/4". $225.)

In the meantime, I finished up two more pieces for the upcoming ACC (American Craft Council) Baltimore and Atlanta shows in February and March of next year.

(Above:  Lancet Window XLVII. Inventory # 3273. Framed:  31 1/4" x 11 1/4". $375.)

(Above:  Our spoiled cat Max ... sleeping on Beloved, a grave rubbing art quilt.)

Sometimes I forget to blog about the personal, wonderful things in my life ... like Max, our very spoiled cat. Max is so spoiled that he isn't content with only one house and one family.  Max also lives next door at the Finney Law Firm.  Jerry Finney even splits the vet bill with us.  I couldn't help but to snap this photo of Max's newest nap place.  He figured out how to crawl up onto a stack of my grave rubbing art quilts ... onto Beloved which seems to suit him.

(Above:  Sims ... after dancing as the Rat Queen in a local production of The Nutcracker.)

Also, yesterday we enjoyed Anita Ashley's Columbia Ballet School's production of The Nutcracker at A.C. Flora High School.  This is the first of several versions of this holiday classic being done here in Columbia. We aren't sure just how many Nutcrackers we'll see but who's counting!