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Easter Eggs From Men's Silk Ties

The Junkologist — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 18:50:19 +0000

Just in time for EASTER . I've decorated many eggs over the years but this is my favorite technique and they are made from men's silk ties. They are fun to make, even with children, and can be given as gifts! Thanks to MARTHA STWEART. Here are the instructions but there is a video available too on her website:

http://www.marthastewart.com/portal/site/mslo/menuitem.3a0656639de62ad593598e10d373a0a0/?vgnextoid=955500e62abd0110VgnVCM1000003d370a0aRCRD&vgnextfmt=default&backto=true

HAVE FUN!

Silk Tie Easter Eggs

Materials and Tools
Small- to medium-size raw eggs
Glass or enamel pot
Silk ties, blouses, or boxers, cut into pieces large enough to cover an egg
White sheets (or pillowcases or old tablecloths), cut into pieces to cover silk-wrapped eggs
Twist ties
3 tablespoons of white vinegar
Warm water
Vegetable oil
Paper towels
Tongs or spoon

Silk Tie Easter Eggs How-To
1. Cut silk into a square (or a piece) large enough to wrap around a raw egg.

2. Wrap a raw egg with a piece of silk, making sure the printed side of the material is facing the egg. Silk can still be used if it doesn't fit perfectly around egg.

3. Place the silk-wrapped egg in a piece of white sheet, pillowcase, or old tablecloth and secure tightly with a twist-tie.

4. Place the egg(s) in an enamel or glass pot. Fill pot with water to cover eggs completely. Then, add three tablespoons of white vinegar.

5. Bring water to a boil, turn heat down, and simmer for 20 minutes (longer if you plan on eating the eggs).

6. Remove eggs from water with tongs or spoon and let cool.

7. Remove silk from cooled egg.

8. For shiny eggs, wipe with vegetable oil after completing step 7.

Resources
Silk goods such as ties, blouses, and boxers can be purchased at rummage sales or thrift stores. Silk can be reused on eggs.

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Cool Junk…Catwalk Report

The Junkologist — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 19:06:17 +0000

"I like the thought of taking trash, something not thought of as aesthetically pleasing, and making it elegant". ~Nancy Judd

I can definitely relate to Ms. Judd's quote! You can laugh all you want at these creations…but she's laughing all the way to the bank! She's my hero!

Slideshow Wall Street Journal dated Jan 13, 2009

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123180107217975103.html#articleTabs_slideshow%26project%3DSLIDESHOW08%26s%3DSB123177424025873599%26articleTabs%3Dslideshow

Trashion Trend: Photos & Text from Dumpster Couture by Nancy Judd

Nancy Judd crafts wearable art from junk in order to raise awareness about the environment and recycling. Her creations, which appraise at around $30,000 each, have earned her a role in the Green Inaugural Ball.

Old Cassette Tapes Coat by Nancy Judd

She once spent 400 hours, she says, unspooling cassettes and crocheting the crinkled tape into a fake-fur coat.

Fan Mail Dress by Nancy Judd

As a teen, Ms. Judd spent hours crafting origami jewelry. The color and texture of piled-up junk mail inspired her to try her hand at making a dress with origami fans from old catalogs and advertisements, at right.

Fan Mail Close up by Nancy Judd

But these aren't meant to be wardrobe mainstays. Ms. Judd conceives of them more as wearable sculpture. "I like the idea of making aluminum elegant, or rusty nails sexy," she says.

Turns out, she isn't alone.

A decade ago, when Ms. Judd was making her first rescued-from-the-landfill dress — a somewhat revealing number made of bubble wrap — recycling had already hit the mainstream. Manufacturers were turning plastic bottles into fleece outdoor wear.

But the world of environmentally conscious designers was small, says Delia Montgomery, founder of Chic Eco, an "earth friendly" fashion consulting firm. "Now I can't keep up," she says.

These creative artists never cease to amaze me!!

Financial Times Dress by Gary Harvey

Used Coffee Filter Dress Susan Stockwell London

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Cool Junk…

The Junkologist — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 17:49:03 +0000

Museum of Art and Design

I selected two photos from this amazing NY Times slideshow entitled "Second Lives" dated Sept. 26, 2008, from Museum of Art and Design.

If you'd like to see the entire show go to: http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2008/09/26/arts/0926-LIVE_index.html

How cool is this?

"Sound Wave" by Jean Shin made of vinyl LPs

A chandelier made out of recycled eyeglasses by Stuart Haygarth.

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Cool Junk…

The Junkologist — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 21:11:41 +0000

BULLFIGHTER'S SUIT

(Traje de Luces)

OLE!

Don't you just love M&Ms?

If you've ever seen a bullfighter's suit you will appreciate this one! Check out artist Charlotte Kruk of www.krukt.art.com This is her creation made entirely out of the candy wrappers entitled, "The Reign of the M&M".

Definitely my hero!

Bullfighter's Suit

Bullfighter's Suit Back

Bullfighter's suit detail 1

Bullfighter's suit detail 2

bullfighter cape

matador hat

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First Outdoor Glimpse of Our Beautiful Home on the Island of Tenerife

The Junkologist — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 20:37:45 +0000

Here the tour begins…Notice the beat up awnings and old delapidated Spanish clay roof tiles. Also the walkway was painted green! The windows that you see are in the old kitchen which actually had a door too that we removed. Aluminum sided windows I suppose were the rage in the 60's.

Entrance Stairs (Before)

Entrance Steps (After)

In the after photo, notice the beautiful handmade Spanish clay tiles and handmade volcanic large stones making a path to the front door.

We decided on PVC look alike wooden windows…they even feel like wood but you have no upkeep. This was the first time we saw them and couldn't believe how real they look, since they don't use them in the US.

We found the house we dreamed of with an open floor plan and so the exterior and interior floors sort of flow and are made of the same material…handmade Spanish clay tiles.

At the time, gutting the entire house was a nightmare, not to mention doing all the rooms at once, and searching for construction materials at the same time (remember we live on an island) so exactly what you want is not available, you have a 3-4 month wait for it to get it here from Spain…we learned our lesson and didn't order ANYTHING but the floor tiles from the peninsula because when they finally got here, they were the wrong tiles!

Now looking back I think how lucky I am to have been able to put part of me into the house. I did all the floor and bathroom tile designs with two mosaic rugs! Each room has a different design throughout with borders and they flow together because I used the same tiles, I just cut and placed them differently. I also did the huge mosaic planters outside in the garden and the steps you see coming in. One of the hardest jobs was the grouting of the interior floors. In Spanish the workers called me "Maestro"("a")?…women never work in construction in Spain….who ever thought I would have to? We learned alot the hard way and the only way to get it done right, was to do it ourselves!

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Front Door & Hall

The Junkologist — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 20:30:11 +0000

front door (after)

COME ON IN AND STAY

AWHILE!!

Looking at this picture, I desperately need a doormat!

front door entrance (after)

front door mosaic rug

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Living Room

The Junkologist — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 19:44:36 +0000

living room (before)

Notice the stone painted white! We kept the fireplace in the same area and also the arch to the office.

living room to office (after)

Notice the change in the floor design from living room to office.

living room view (after)

The "musgo" (moss) type stone came from the northern part of Spain used for the fireplace.

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Handmade Spanish Clay Floor Tiles

The Junkologist — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 20:50:18 +0000

Today I thought I'd share with you the different floor designs used in our home indoors and out. The floors are handmade Spanish clay tile. The dark large squares outside are handmade volcanic rock (characteristic of the Canary Islands) used for the stairs, around the pool and pathway.

OUTDOOR DESIGNS:

steps

path to front door

path to entrance

Outside in the garden we have a fantastic workshop, that you can see in this picture, and on the left is our laundry room.

poolside

sundeck

In the bbq area there is a small bath with shower.

outdoor path to bbq

bbq

INDOOR DESIGNS:

All the rooms have borders…the larger the room… the larger the border and design. Since our large sliding glass windows open the house up completely (sliding into the walls), the result is a harmonious blend of the floors indoors and out.

living room design

mosaic rug master bath

kitchen floor

bedroom

front door mosaic rug

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Dining Room

The Junkologist — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 19:43:56 +0000

dining room (before)

The floors throughout the home were all a cold and ugly terrazo.

dining room 1 (before)

On the opposite side of the little arch opening is the kitchen. You will see below how we opened it up.

dining room 1 (after)

No curtains! Except for the bedrooms. Our home has a lot of privacy and almost all the rooms have a spectacular view. The windows are not wood, but PVC, it acually looks and feels like wood. A good choice since it requires no upkeep. We added rustic beams you see above the windows for a Spanish effect.

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Kitchen

The Junkologist — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 17:16:55 +0000

kitchen 1 (before)

kitchen 2 (before)

We had to gut the entire kitchen. There was a door that we closed and turned it into a window.

kitchen 3 (before)

Through this little arch is the dining area. As you can see we opened it all up.

kitchen 5 (after)

The kitchen cabinets are distressed white washed pine for a rustic and informal look. The glass in the top cabinets also adds light. We had the extractor hood made out of the same stone used for our fireplace two years before I actually got the kitchen cabinets. The countertop and backsplash are granite .

kitchen 4 (after)

There's so much light in this kitchen. We also made an old-fashioned window sill on the inside. I love my white porcelain farm sink. I also love the fact that my sink has legs!

kitchen 1 (after)

If you look good and hard you can see this is the "little arch" that we opened. This picture is looking in from the dining area. Look again, there ARE pulls & handles on the cabinets…they're antique glass so not to take away from the woodwork. It took more than two years to complete the indoor kitchen, do you think it was worth the wait?