Sometimes ideas just pop into my head, but I can not realize them due to time issues. I've always loved junk art, vintage and eco-conscious creations. So here are 3 ideas--I hope you find them use-full.

The ideas come from rummaging around in the recycling!

Plastic and paper shapes can be turned into pendants and jewelery. For instance, that little yogurt box can have the bottom neatly cut out to make a great round pendant.

But some more skilled craftsmen have gone further in converting plastic and paper to decoration. Gulnur Ozdaglar  has created these marvelous pieces!

I also found a variety of interesting cardboard and plastic boxes. With the right skills they can be decoupaged, infused with dyes, covered in mosaic, or-- if you got what it takes- cut and carved.
The cardboard ones can also be covered in tissue paper and used to give gifts, keep jewelry, or ship items if you sell them on e-bay or etsy.

Family Fun- displays this one!

For cheaper scrapbooking or beautiful decoupage! Try some old cards. My mom keeps lots out of sentimental value and sometimes because they are really pretty. What a better way to utilize the cards then to cut out the beautiful shapes or words and glue them to beautiful photo-pages or boxes. Or some of the cards can even be used as background papers.

If you don't know what constitutes eco-friendly art, try Collages. A great Eco-friendly collage can be made over a large cardboard, wood, or paper surface. The fashion for big bangles is a perfect source for inspirational green-ness! Here is what I do!

A can wrapped with duct tape-- approximately the width of the bracelet I want!

After placing layers upon layers of strips of paper, cardboard, newsprint and glue on I cut the long band in half to take it off, and then in half to get two separate bracelets.

The bracelet is glued back together and several more layers of paper is placed on top-- sand-papered and ready to roll!

As an alternative- you can buy pre-made wooden bangles at a store!

In order to make each one unique and eco-friendly I do the following:

• Use unused materials (old silk flowers, fabric, scrapbook paper scraps)
• Recycle- newspaper, catalogs, magazines
• And-- use up buttons, beer-caps, birthday cards, goody-bags and anything else that would otherwise have no use!
  

Here are some of my designs

For the past 2 years I have occasionally toyed with the idea of learning traditional Arte dei Machereri, or the art of mask making. The origins of this beautiful art are of course in Venice, but the repercussions of this art can be seen in everything from Mardi Gras to modeling and marketing.

So far I have created four successful masks, and several more that were complete and total failures. You can see some of my masks painted into one of the still life's that I have done in the Paintings section. Below are several do and don'ts when it comes to mask-making.