In the spirit of Earth Day!

Like our ancestors, humans are still recycling, upcycling or repurposing to get the most out of the resources available to us.  It is economical and realistic, beyond being idealistic.  I currently participate in two online trading sites, swaptree and paperbackswap, where users recycle media by trading with other members of this online community.  Not are we only reusing media that would otherwise sit on a shelf, but most of the members re-use packaging. Fantastic!

In the spirit of Earth Day I wanted to highlight a few of the items on Etsy that are created with the idea of recycling, upcycling or repurposing in mind.
Alyssa Jackson's upcycled jewelry is a hit in our hometown of Oneonta, NY.  She's been collecting game pieces to make pendants, rings, necklaces and earrings for over a year.  Her jewelry has a hip, romantic flair.

In the same spirit comes Diana Cozzens' creations.  Also romantic, yet more in the vein of 80's punk, a lot the jewelry Diana has created for the shop thus far is from discarded leather scraps originally meant for furniture.

A couple of weeks ago, I added some new blank cards on Etsy by Joseph Von Stengel to highlight Earth Day.  His 8-Bit Creations and Culture Catalogue Silhouettes images grace 100% recycled note cards, the brown ones are also 20% post-consumer and the white 100% post-consumer recycled.  Rad!

Happy Earth Day!

Back From Mardi Gras!

4 members of bigbadart just got back from Mardi Gras yesterday.  We had an absolutely fabulous time.  The people in New Orleans are wonderful, very friendly.  The Noma art museum was great- the Kathe Kollwitz exhibit there was amazing.  Really.  Unforgettable.
Today I can finally wash the clothes that were fabric stamped and I can't wait to list those as well- pics will be posted soon.
Tomorrow new pics of Etsy items will be taken.  Can't wait to put up some of Diana Cozzens' creations.  Beautiful leather jewelry and clothing.
Today I listed more work by Joseph Von Stengel and Alyssa Jackson.  Awesome!  http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=40773571

journals, necklaces, stamping- hmmm....

I love books- I can't imagine a time when staring into a computer screen could ever bring the same satisfaction as the act of turning a page.  The gentle whshhh of pages rubbing together, the dry feel of paper brushing against my fingertips.
Most of my writing done these days is on the keyboard, but if I'm spending some special alone time writing, a journal is a must.  Or for lists.  While leafing through some of my older journals, I'll find everything from short essays, poetry, recipes, and grocery lists.
This blue Space Invader's journal by Joseph Von Stengel is perfect for to-do lists or genius ideas.  Not only is it lined, but it's pocket-sized.  Great for spur of the moment inspiration.

The image below reveals another gorgeous piece of recycled jewelry by Alyssa.  I call it digging in the dark because there is something primitive and earthy about this piece.  

I'm ending the day with thoughts about stamping.  Kind of late for me, but I'm considering hauling some clothes downstairs that are waiting to get stamped.  Fabric stamping is SO much fun.  My new obsession.  I'll post some pics soon!

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Welcome to Big Bad Art Collective!

Today we officially got the Etsy store up and running.  Our first two items were by different artists- Alyssa Jackson and Joseph Von Stengel.
Alyssa is a talented painter living in the Oneonta, NY area who has been recently been inspired by crafting with recycled objects.  We listed a pair of her stunning earrings today.
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=39953628
Joseph Von Stengel is a digital artist also living in Oneonta, NY.  Joseph's work is mainly influenced by pop culture and politics.  Check out his website: www.culturerecycling.com for a peek of his art.
Take a look at this rad necklace!
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=vl_other_2&listing_id=39949876