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= = ==* The Inspiration * ==

** When I was a little girl,  **I was obsessed with the library, particularly books that would have me fashioning new objects out of throw-away items. I can remember cutting the top and bottom of a Dove dishwashing liquid bottle & adding a cotton ball cushion to make a sofa for Barbie & Ken. And it seems I was perpetually hoarding cardboard tubes from paper towel and toilet paper rolls in the hopes of transforming them into something wearable & fabulous (well, at least to me). So began my penchant for turning trash into functional objects. And did I tell you that I grew up in Killington, Vermont, pretty much destined to be a **Hippy Chick? **(I’m the one on the left.) Yeah, just add water & poof! **Flower Child.  **   So along with the tie-dyes and crafts festivals of my childhood was a keen focus on Keeping Vermont Green. We had an actual day — **Green-Up Day** — devoted to the cause of picking up trash along our country roads & highways. So finding new life for found objects was a natural next step. I was always fascinated with jewelry-making and how artisans would fashion, say, a bracelet out of a row of pennies. In fact, before our family left Vermont for the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, I begged a few artisans to take me under their wings & teach me to silversmith. Alas I was too young...  And the years went by...    Until I finished my doctorate in sociology and finally I turned myself loose to make up for all of that ** lost play time ** that I had somehow disconnected from so long ago. At first, I began collecting very cool recycled products, from companies like Pittsburgh’s Littlearth. My first acquisitions were an Arizona license plate purse and belt made out of recycled tire rubber and riveted beer caps. Then I scored a purse made out of holiday tinsel at Buffalo Exchange in Tempe. Suffice to say, my quest for hip & cool recycled items never really stopped. Today, as I look around my house, my recycled functional art & accessories collection includes a tuna can night light, flip-flop doormat, several rugs made of recycled plastic bottles, a rolled newspaper trivet, and candy wrapper purse, to name just a few.

And somewhere along the way, I became inspired to add a few of my own creations. When I opened up the space in my life, I began to **see**, **notice** and **appreciate** the beauty in objects that others were throwing away. Ever mindful of living simply & expressing our innate creativity, this wiki is a celebration of my journey & an effort to share my favorite projects with you. So who needs designer labels? Your own creations are SO much more hip, cool & fabulous!