recycle+reuse+reduce

You are currently browsing articles tagged recycle+reuse+reduce.

Kay Sekimachi necklaces

It’s been awhile since I’ve been able to devote any time to this blog. My part time job has been more full time of late, but I’m hoping it’s only temporary and things will go back to normal soon. I hope!

Anyhoo, here is something lovely I first spotted at one of my very favorite sites my love for you. It is the work of Kay Sekimachi. A consummate beachcomber along Hawaii’s Kohala Coast, over the decades she has amassed quite the collection of shells, coral, fossils and other bits of fauna. Combining her weaving skills with her penchant for collecting eventually led to this new body of work. I love the natural essence of each piece. Nothing commercial, just nature and talent. Oh and if ever I think of myself as an avid pebble collector, turns out I’m just an amateur.

There’s much more at American Craft Magazine.

Tags: , ,

cora

Cordoroy Horses Running

Red Embroidered Horse

My mother-in-law Cora made these stampeding horses from fabric scraps many, many years ago. And now we are missing her so very much. An intelligent, studious and rather serious person, she succumbed to Alzheimer’s at 94 years of age.

To say she did a lot with her life is an understatement. She raised three children and later earned a Master of Library Science. Once retired from the Dearborn Public Library she spent some time volunteering: as an ESL mentor to local Arabic women, docent at the Sanilac County Historical Museum, and a host of duties for the Dearborn Community Arts Council. I truly admired her spunk when she bought a huge commercial swing set for exercise, learned to cross-country ski, took up watercolor painting, mat framing and bowling. Lest I forget, she learned to sew at a time when there were only four fabrics available in her little town of Tompkins Cove, NY: wool, silk, linen and cotton. She also loved to do needlepoint and knit. Wow, what a woman!

Up until just a couple of years ago she was still reading a few books a month and playing the piano. Much to our surprise her personality though still intact shifted to confusing or rather amusing story telling and giggly delight. We enjoyed her company all the more.

Tags:

Not exactly lace - repair firepit screen
My goodness we live on such a beautiful planet, we should do our best to take good care of it. On trash day I’m dismayed about how much stuff we use and how much we throw away. My own best efforts to recycle-reuse-reduce are sometimes thwarted by the disposability and planned obsolescense of most consumer goods. In the case of our backyard firepit, the screening has disintegrated but the base and bowl look almost new!

Seeing that the original screen only lasted about 1 year, I’m hoping that my efforts to repair the burned out screen portion will last at least that long. I used 19 guage galvanized wire which I have to admit was a little hard on the hands. The end result is certainly not macrame, and not exactly lacy, but it does seem to me to have a woven, albiet haphazard, quality to it.

Tags: