From This To That #1: Powering Through Powerade Bottles

This series is all about showing what my raw material sources get reduced down to after I harvest the parts I need for my crafts. The above photo shows two trash bags' worth of Powerade bottles. The photo just below shows what's left after I cut off the bottoms for paper mache molds, which incidentally fills less than one of those same trash bags. Not a bad start.

The Things We Don't Want To Keep But We Don't Want To Throw Them Away #1

I grabbed the Magic Grow Pellets from my pile and threw them all into warm water to expand them all at once. Boy, that was fun! Now to find something to do with my new fun shapes. I'm thinking some sort of jewelry.

The Things We Don't Want To Keep But We Don't Want To Throw Them Away

You know you have them. We all have them. Those bits and bobs that show up in kid's meals, giveaways, vending machines, or just little things we bought because it seemed like a good idea at the time. They hang around the house. They pile up in corners and on shelves. They collect dust. But no matter how useless and in the way they become, we cannot bring ourselves to throw them away. We think we will find a use for them someday or that we are obligated to keep them since we spent money on them, but these things are just dragging us down and keeping us from a clean and organized living space. My goal here is to find something useful or artistic to do with these objects. To that end, I am collecting all of them in one place until inspiration strikes me.

New Tags

Here are my new tags that I made for putting in my tote bags and purses. I used a custom stamp for the back and printable iron-on transfer paper for the front. This is a lot nicer looking and easier to read than the hand-stamped tags I was making. However, I am still using used light colored denim pants for the base material that these tags are printed on. I wonder what else I could stick them on...

A New "True" Home For My Totes

I have totes that I sell at craft fairs and I have totes that I sell at Underground in Smithville. Now some of my t-shirt tote bags will be at True Jersey in Tom's River. Like them on Facebook, or support their store online.

What's That Up There?

These are my duct tape flower hair ties. I sell them at craft fairs:  $5 each or 2 for $8. They are fun to make, and I have a near-endless variety for sale. But these are only a small sample of what I make. You can see more at my Facebook or Flickr.

BRAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNS!!!!

As my friend at Silver Cicada Designs reminds me, it's not too early to start preparing for Halloween. That goes double for me because this year I'm making Halloween products in preparation for Smithville's second annual Zombie Walk which is run by my friends at Underground.

Sewn Back Together Wrong

This wacky shirt is called "Sewn Back Together Wrong" inspired by the first Metalacolypse episode in which the band members of Dethklock (totally fictional and brutal to the point of absurdity) try to bring back their cook by sewing his dismembered pieces back together - wrong - and write a song based on it which plays during the closing credits.

To make this shirt, I cut the shirt from the middle of one shoulder seam to just under the opposite armhole then I twisted this top part to put the armhole where the neck hole should be and the neck where the armhole should be. Then I punched small holes along the cut edges and sewed them back together with strips cut from another tee shirt that I stretched into cords. I cut off and reattached the opposite sleeve in the same way.

This is the shirt I will be wearing, but you can see more as I make them at my Facebook page, and please come visit me at the Zombie Walk on Sunday, October 28th. Learn more about the Zombie Walk on their Facebook page.

A Web Store Home Of My Own

Last night, I finally made myself a web store. I only have my Tarot prints up on it right now, but if all goes well, I will add T-shirt tote bags and purses made from upholstery fabric. Check it out at www.phoenixrefashioning.bigcartel.com.

The Value Of Good Advertising

Today I got a T-shirt made featuring the Tarot card paintings I have done and advertising my Facebook page. I'm really happy with it because it gives me something cool to wear at craft fairs that shows off my work. I'm also really happy because making the design for this shirt encouraged me to finally name my in-progress Tarot deck:  The Refashioned Tarot. I love the name because it refers to my business name, Phoenix Refashioning, and because I am refashioning the classic Tarot images to reflect a more universal understanding. Check out my facebook page to see my ever-growing collection of Tarot paintings as I work my way to my goal of 78 unique paintings. And while you are there, please press the "like" button!