Mama Squirrel

Collective Upcycle Holiday '12

Although Collective Upcycle's Holiday '12 pop-up shop does not officially open until next week (check out the opening party on Tuesday the 27th) you can get a sneak peek of what will be available during Cleveland's Winterfest TODAY!  Celebrate Small Business Saturday by purchasing items handmade from upcycled materials by local crafters!

The Milk Belly Princess and I took some Fuzzy Wigs, pins and hair clips down to this season's location in the Colonial Arcade (also known as the Colonial Marketplace) at 530 Euclid Avenue. Here is Miss Princess with our basket full of Fuzzy Wigs:

All of the loveys in the basket are made with the sleeves of cashmere sweaters and are very soft and cuddly.  I'm not sure if all of the dolls this season will be made this way, but I'll see what I can do.

Although Princess was excited to drive out to CU with me and took great pleasure in selecting her own dancing horse ornament made by the amazing Kris Barnes, her attention span was short.  I wanted to walk around the store,take pictures and read the artists' stories on their hang tags and business cards, but she wanted to get home and hang her horse on the tree.

The opening party for this season's pop-up shop is Tuesday November 27th from 6-8 PM.  You can read detailed information about dates, hours and parking for Collective Upcycle here.  I will be at Tuesday's party and plan to take more pictures.  For now, I'll leave you with a couple I managed to take on my way out the door.

These vinyl collage trees really caught my eye.  Volunteering at Zerolandfill, I saw LOTS of vinyl wallcovering. and I love how the artist grouped similar colors together.  I also appreciate how these trees are for sale, but double as seasonal decor in the shop.  

This little pin made me smile.  I admire anyone who can take small, discrete findings and transform them into something so endearing.

Treasured

My hunter/gatherer roots are never far from the surface.  Or maybe I'm descended from pirates and all of this can be traced back to a centuries-old desire for buried treasure.  There has to be something more than the simple practicality of saving money that causes me to get childishly excited any time I have an opportunity to mine for gems on the secondary market.  The night before Zerolandfill or an estate or rummage sale my eager anticipation mirrors that of  preschoolers quequing up at the starting line of an Easter egg hunt.

I'm not proud  to admit it, but over the past week I've visited my church more than I did this entire summer.  It started with Sorting Sunday when the entire congregation stayed after the 10:30 service to help  move all of the donations for our annual Trash and Treasure Sale from the large mult-purpose room to the various places where they would be sold.  

Although I tried to play it cool, I was excited to open each new box of  donations to see what was inside.  The fact that most of it was pretty ordinary made the exceptions all the more thrilling.  I didn't think much of the blue and white striped copy paper box as I approached it.  Upon closer inspection, I saw "Dollhouse + Furniture" printed on it in faint blue ballpoint pen.  When I opened the lid, I tried not to squeal with glee.   Check it out:

Not a doll house, but a fashion boutique, four small shoppers and an assortment of tops, skirts, hats, wigs--even a cape.  I looked everywhere, but was unable to find a single clue about the name, manufacturer or date of this toy.  The name "Madeline" was written on the bottom of two of the doll's in blue ink, so I'm guessing that was who owned at least half of the set.  Maybe the other two dolls belonged to a sister? 

I knew Little Tiger and The Milk Belly Princess would love this toy.  It was still there when I arrived at church to price sale items on Monday, so I scooped it up.  I thought about saving it for Christmas, but The Milk Belly Princess saw me gathering all of the pieces and it was over. We brought the play set home and were in the midst of giving the dolls and their clothes a bath on our front stoop when Little Tiger arrived home on the school bus.  She was happy to join us.

Since we brought the dolls and their boutique home on Monday it has usurped everything else as the favorite toy in our house.  Several times during the early afternoons, I've stopped what I was doing to listen to The Milk Belly Princess croon to the dolls, making them talk and sing to each other.  I tried to sneak up on her and get some candid shots, but she was on to me.  For as much as she loves imaginary play, she hates it when she thinks anyone is watching or listening.  So this was the best I could do:   

I hope you are having a wonderful weekend!

trash and TREASURE

From the thrill of finding great deals to the satisfaction of turning someone else's castoffs into something valuable,  I love everything about thrifting.  While I'm always up for a good rummage or estate sale,there are a few annual events I look forward to...and tomorrow is one of them.  Unlike most other bargain-hunting extravaganzas I attend, this time I will be working instead of shopping (but, really, why should the two be mutually exclusive?)  

If you're local, I hope you'll come visit me this Saturday (TOMORROW October 6th) at Rocky River Presbyterian Church during our  annual Trash and Treasure Sale.  The sale is from 9-2 and for the last hour everything is half off.  I was just there today pricing items in the childrens' room (that's right, this isn't one of those puny, half of a multi-purpose room sales--we've got six rooms with different departments) and EVERYTHING IS PRICED TO MOVE.  ALL of the procceds from this sale are donated to charity so it is a great way to find amazing deals and donate to a worthy cause at the same time.  

Curious, but unsure?  Here's a sneak preview.  Rather than full room shots where you can't get a good look at anything, I've opted to zero in a few select items I thought were interesting in an effort to give you a little taste of the sale.  Descriptions precede each picture:

This children's rocker is really sweet.  It comfortably fits both of my 45ish pound girls and I think they both wanted to take it home.

If you like mid-century furniture, the piece behind it is a set of drawers that is part of a bedroom set from that era.  I believe there is a dresser with a large mirror, the drawer set and a full size bed.  The set is located right next to one of the exits for easy  shopper removal.  The bedroom set is STURDY.  I actually thought about purchasing it to replace the trendy, but cheap set I have in The Milk Belly Princess' bedroom, but after the major decluttering I went through at my house  to get ready for this sale, I'm just not up for all of the heavy lifting that would be involved.

This little folk doll is in an area of the sale known as "The Boutique" which is a museum of sorts, lovingly curated by all of the volunteers who worked hard all week to prepare for the sale.  I like how her posture suggests that she, too, is shopping.

 

My mother originally bought this larger-than-life Strawberry Shortcake at the estate sale of an American Greetings employee.  My daughters loved it, but it was a little...much.  I knew The Milk Belly Princess sold me out when my mother told me she heard I found it "creepy."

These puzzles/educational games  are wooden and seem to be very high quality.  I'm not exactly sure how they work, but my mom thrifted several games and puzzles for my daughters by the same company and my girls and I both love them because they are aethestically pleasing, sturdy AND educational.  A new teacher trying to build a collection of classroom games would be able to put these to good use. 

If the five dollar price tag on Miss Madeline's hat is off-putting, fear not.  She is definitely one of the more expensive toys at the sale.  (I think there is a vintage metal Tonka truck for $15 and some brand new big K'nex sets at about the same price, but most of the toys are a dollar or two.)  I'm not sure if the high chair is a children's toy or more of a decoration for a doll collector, but I love the color.  It would look great holding one of  The Milk Belly Princess' baby dolls in her room, but her imaginary play doesn't really involve feeding. 

This is in the room with all of the seasonal decorations.  I'm not sure what season it is supposed to represent, but it reminds me of Parade the Circle.

Here is a small sampling of the many lamps for sale.  The volunteer in charge of organizing this room (who is a thrifting/estate sale styling GENIUS) made the observation that, with green shades, this lamp would look really good.  I know she's right because I've seen her house and it is brilliantly decorated.

The Apollo glass is one of several we donated.  I originally bought eight and the matching carafe for The Mister as a birthday present one of the years we were dating.  Then, we either received more as gifts, or the glasses mated in the cabinet because somehow we ended up with double that amount.  I think it looks nice next to this taller, blue swirly piece.  

There is a whole room devoted to books.  While there are dozens of contemporary childrens' titles,  I was drawn to the covers of these two vintage volumes.  The Milk Belly Princess REFUSED to move her finger, so that's the little pink digit you see hovering over Nancy Drew.  

Not sure what the story is on these McGuffeys.  They are not first editions or anything, but that red leathertte binding looks smart.  They would be perfect for the den or office of an elementary school teacher or principal.  

Even though we have many of these titles, I really enjoyed looking at the artwork in some of these older Little Golden Books.  We bought "Raggedy Ann's Tea Party" and "Nurse Nancy" when we were  sorting on Tuesday.  The Milk Belly Princess loved both of them (although the latter turned out to be a commerical of sorts for Band-Aids' mid-century release of "Stars and Stripes" printed bandages).

As I've been typing these descriptions I've been thinking of all of the other items I should have photographed, including:

• an artist's painting set complete with a stool, an easel and oil paints that folds up into an easy to manage carrying case. $20
• a unicorn pillow pet $2 (I know the little girl who donated this and she takes VERY good care of her things.)
• a tiny vintage ambulance/abacus toy  (ten cents)
• two ruffly, twirly, swirly square dancing dresses

...and so much more.  But my hour for writing this is up.  I will have a very sad, scared little girl at tumbling class, if I don't hit "Publish" and go pick her up right this minute.  I hope I've piqued your curiousity and see you tomorrow at the sale.

Etsy Craft Party At Stitch Cleveland

There are MANY things I love about teaching, but sitting through meetings is not one of them.   So, after my first "teacher day" of the new school year,  I was extra excited to attend the Etsy Craft Party at Stitch Cleveland last  Friday.  I was hoping to meet some fellow crafters and learn more about how to launch a successful craft business.  I was not disappointed.  

I knew it would be an amazing evening when I walked through the door and was greeted by this sign:

Prior to the gathering, Heidi and Megan went through their stash and offered everything they didn't need to good homes.  For free.  Since I made the decision to teach part time this year I've had to really cut back on buying pretty much everything (more on that later) but I can afford free.  Beautiful fabric remnants, sample projects, buttons, trims and even craft kits were up for grabs for all of the party guests.

Guests ranged from people like me, someone who is  interested in launching a craft business but hasn't  made her move, to established entrepreneurs.  Megan and Heidi were very candid and helpful in sharing strategies they've used to develop their business.  Megan warned us against the dangers of accepting too much noncreative work and stressed the importance of scheduling time to explore our own creativity, which really resonated with me.   Here is a  picture of Megan sharing her wisdom with us:  

I was  excited to meet Jenny of Craft Test Dummies and hear her speak about how she has developed her blog over the past four years.   Craft Test Dummies is a site that reviews craft books and products.  Jenny is able to tactfully and articulately review all sorts of craft items in a way that makes her accessible to both the craft product manufacturers and at-home crafters.  She is a crafter through and through.  Seriously, she has business cards with rounded edges so she can store them in her card cases made from repurposed Altoids tins--this girl walks the walk!  In addition to giving us practical strategies, Jenny shared some of the "defining moments" in her crafting life, like the one project that caused her readership to skyrocket and how it happened.  Here she is talking to the group about her experiences.  

I came away from this event with a lot to think about.  I'm inspired, but I also know that before I get too carried away I need a business plan, both short and long term goals and a mission statement. 

If you're local and you've never been to Stitch Cleveland on Detroit Road in Lakewood, you really should check it out.  The mother-daughter team of Heidi and Megan have worked hard to cultivate a small business that is welcoming, inspiring and educational.  Their creativity is evident the moment you walk in and look at their displays.  

 

I have dozens of old, empty wooden spools in my craft room.  The necklace on this mannequin made me want to go home and start making jewelry with them.

If you've always wanted to learn to sew, call Stitch Cleveland and make an appointment for a private lesson with Megan or Heidi.  They can teach you to use your own machine or  give you a lesson on  one of the machines in the shop.  If you are an expert sewist, you can sign up for a class to learn a new technique, or simply stop buy Stitch to pick up some of their amazing fabric and browse their selection of craft books.  Feast your eyes on this deliciousness by Amy Butler:

...and this is just one of several shelves.  We're on the edge of a dreary, gray winter here in the CLE.  Shouldn't we all stock up on yards of beautiful, saturated color?

Zerolandfill '12: More From the Third Harvest

I'm a hypocrite.  I raised an eyebrow when I heard that Mockingjay, the third book in Suzanne Collins' "Hunger Games Trilogy" was going to be developed into two movies that would be released one year apart.  One book = TWO movies?  REALLY?  Seems excessive.

...and then I stretched my last two harvest experiences into two posts each.  Other than this blog, I'm not even a published author.  Talk about delusions of grandeur...

At the beginning of ZL's third harvest last Friday, I had some time to do a little shopping.  My main goal was to find upholstery fabric to replenish my stash for sewing class at BAYarts.  Loose swatches with finished edges are great for making small pouches.  In addition to the swatches, I also found two identical, larger samples of this print:

I still need to experiment, but there are some naked windows here at Casa de Costello in need of cheerful curtains.

I also browsed through the carpet and found this pretty piece:

This, like the one I found last week, would make a nice "hippie bag" or Ipad case.  

I'm pretty choosy about wallpaper, but this reminded me of the endpapers of old books so I thought it could be used in a future bookmaking endeavor:

 That's all.  It was a really rewarding summer at Zerolandfill.  It was a lot of work, but I enjoyed it.  I found some great materials to craft with throughout the winter, and ZL provided hundreds of others with materials and inspiration as well.   

Zerolandfill '12: The Third Harvest

 At the third ZL harvest of the season the ZL Gallery was at its best.   The diversity of projects was truly impressive.   Jan, a Lakewood art teacher,  made all of the pieces on this display board ( AND the board itself) from ZL materials.  In addition to the pouches and the book, the small purple and green object on the left is a wrist cuff.  I believe the item directly below it is a belt.

ZL receives quite a few decorative trim samples.  When checking them in, I'm always drawn to the bright colors, beads and fringe, Although I am enamored with this eye candy, I've never taken any home with me.  What would I do with it?  What can anyone do with 50 different two inch samples of fringe--all featuring dramatically different colors?  

Jan used samples of fringe and upholstery trim to make the accessories displayed on this board (pictured below).  They are decorative belts meant to be worn while belly dancing.    When I asked, Jan said that these  belts would cost $100 if she bought them, but she is able to make them for free with ZL materials, a needle and thread.  

The most adorable object in the ZL Gallery this season was this little turtle made by Nikki, an art teacher who will begin a new teaching adventure in Columbus this fall.  Not only did Nikki use ZL upholstery fabric for the outside of this project, it is stuffed with ZL scraps as well.  Here she is with her creation.

This little guy is both sweet AND functional as a pin cushion.  Just lift his shell to reveal the pins.

The ZL Lab was  a busy place at yesterday's harvest.  Throughout the majority of our shift Laura had a steady stream of harvesters interested in watching her demonstrate different ways to use ZL materials.  

At one point I looked over and she had such a large crowd I thought she was putting on a magic show.  When I asked her about it, she said people were most interested in seeing how different tile and laminate materials could be used for printmaking.   As you can see here, these ZL Lab samples were used in several demonstrations this season.

  Since yesterday was exclusively a harvest (pollination is over for the season) the rest of the volunteers and I spent the better part of the afternoon tidying up and working with the carpet samples.  Most of the carpet samples donated to ZL arrive in cardboard books.  The carpet that is not picked up by harvesters at the end of the final harvest on the 24th will need to be recycled.  The carboard books will be recycled too, but cardboard is recycled by one company while carpet is recycled somewhere else. So, armed with pliers, several volunteers and I spent  half the afternoon separating the carpet from the cardboard.  Here are three smiling volunteers making a dent in the towers of cardboard carpet books.   

 If you have any need for small pieces of carpet, stop by the final ZL harvest of the season this Friday from 12-3 and help yourself.  If you are a pet lover of the feline persuasion (yes, pun intended) you can definitely find enough carpet samples to make a spectacular cat castle .  Or find some small colorful samples with a rubber backing and take home a ready-made set of coasters.  These are waiting for  anyone who wants them:

There is still quite a lot of stone, tile and brick.  All of this will be available at noon on Friday:

Once again, the FINAL harvest of the season is Friday August 24th from 12-3.  Since that is my first day of school I will not see you there, but if you go I would love to hear about your experience.  

Zerolandfill '12: More From the Second Harvest

In my last post I wrote about what went on at the August 10th harvest and a little bit about what to expect at the third harvest of the season on the 17th, but I didn't tell you about my own treasures from this Friday.  Between this summer and last I've attended a total of  four ZL pollinations.  During that time  I've processed a lot of materials, many of which look very similar.  This Friday reminded me that variety and surprise can come when I least expect it.

Now that Little Tiger and I are both growing out our bangs, Casa de Costello is in serious need of some headbands.  During one of my late nights trolling Etsy and Pinterest I was smitten by some headbands with stars on them.  I've been wondering how I could make my own.  On Friday I found the perfect star material when this fell into my hands:

The cards, especially the gold-colored ones, sparkle more in real life than they do in this picture.  The material is not quite as thick as I would like so, to prevent the star points from curling up after more than one wearing, I think I'll need to layer the glittery stuff on top of something slightly more sturdy.  

At this point in the season I feel like I've seen almost every fabric and wallpaper pattern in existence, but when I found this in the wallcovering section of the harvest area, I couldn't resist.

I've never seen anything like these before.  I can't figure out what they're samples of--wallcovering for the changing room near the swimming pool on a cruise ship?  I took these two pieces because I could make books with them, but Laura thought they were interesting so I gave them to her.  Laura has the best work ethic of anyone I know.  I like to think I'm a hard worker, but I've been known to be distracted by shiny things.  Laura works so hard when we're at ZL she rarely gives herself time to browse.  When she does, it's always to find materials for her students--never herself.   I'm sure she'll use these samples to create something amazing. 

This was another sample that interested me.  I can't help wondering how popular this was when it was being sold as wallpaper.  How lucrative can it be (no pun in---no...wait...I'm intending it) to sell wall covering that triggers a phobia for a significant portion of the population?  I'm a little leery of bees, but I have something in mind for this.

I'm not usually interested in carpet samples, but yesterday ZL received a whole bag full of these:

  

The bag was full of six or eight beautifully woven rug samples that were the size of table runners.  I  really loved the blues and purples in this piece, but I didn't know what to do with it.  It is awfully small for a rug and it only has fringe on one side.  While me and some fellow volunteers were puzzling over what we could do with something like this, Laura had a brilliant idea.  Folded into an envelope with a strap it will make the perfect "hippie bag."  It will be like the fabric envelopes I make with the kids at BAYarts, only bigger.  

All I need to do now is decide what to use for the strap.  Any suggestions?

While organizing the tile section of the harvest area, I found more of the small leaves I've been collecting from ZL throughout the summer.  This definitely needs some work, but here is my first baby step toward designing my table:

Then I found a small box of vinyl tile and tried this out too: 

They are two very different looks and both would need something to help with spacing and filling in the gaps.  Any suggestions?

Zerolandfill '12: Second Harvest

This was the scene at Zerolandfill when we arrived yesterday:

Joining Laura and I in our ZL carpool  was my friend and local artist Brandi Woodward.  Brandi makes up one half of the crafting duo known as The Lovely Wrecks.  If the name sounds familiar, it might be because you've seen her work in area craft shows or read about her in Cleveland magazine.  You can check out The Lovely Wrecks' Etsy shop here.  Her owl pellet necklaces are especially amazing.  Brandi was an enthusiastic volunteer who was ready and willing to jump into the fray.  I warned her that, depending on how many donations we received, it could be three hours of crazy hard work, but she was game.  She said that, since she benefitted from ZL in the past, she wanted to give back by donating her time, which is awesome.

If any of you feel the same way and would like to help out at one of the remaining harvests this season (August 17th and 24th) send an email to [email protected]  

Even though hundreds of pounds of materials were harvested at  the first harvest of the summer, many were donated that day as well.  One of the first things Brandi and I did when we arrived at ZL yesterday was work with other volunteers to weigh and sort the materials that arrived later on the afternoon of the 27th and put them in the harvest area.  

While we were working on that, Laura was hanging up  new signage at the ZL Gallery and ZL Lab.  The gallery and the lab have received a lot of attention from harvesters this season.  If you want more details about the ZL Gallery and Lab you can read about them here.  Both serve as  examples of how my amazing friend uses her creativity to make her corner of the world a better place.  I love that she made her signs from ZL harvest materials.  

 At the harvest on the 27th, it was difficult for some harvesters to see the difference between the materials available for harvest and those that still needed to be processed.  The folks at IDA solved that problem this week by fencing off an area that served as the processing station for new donations.  Here I am in what I referred to as my "pen":

My smile is 100% sincere.  I was pleased to have a clearly marked area in which to sort and weigh all incoming doantions.  The other volunteers and I were able to work very efficiently and there was no question about which items were available for harvest.

Although the crowd at noon was smaller than it was two weeks ago (I blame the rain), more people arrived throughout the harvest and I think Friday's overall number of harvesters was higher than the harvest on the 27th .  

The word got out about the donation of 480 binders from American Greetings and several were taken for use at school or in home offices.  Robin Neorr of The T Shirt Diaries picked up several binders for use with her local branch of Early Childhood PTA.  Here she is giving me two thumb's up:

Here is a close up of the binders from American Greetings in case you want to know what they look like:

In addition to dozens of binders from American Greetings, we also have all of these:

If you're all set for school and have already organized your home office you could pick up half a dozen and make this sweet dollhouse.  If the children in your life are mostly little boys, you could take the same basic idea from the dollhouse tutorial and adapt it to army guys or superheroes.  The possibilities are as limitless as your imagination.

For the first half of Friday's harvest we did not receive any donations so the other volunteers and I kept busy by organizing the harvest area and helping harvesters choose materials and carry them out to their cars.  At about one thirty a steady stream of donations began.  We processed all we could, but we didn't get through everything.  All of this is waiting for us next Friday:

Don't let the plain plastic bags and cardboard boxes fool you.  They are full of carpet squares (including floral and animal print), fabric and tile.  Here's a sneak preview of what has already been weighed and sorted and will be available to you at noon on Friday August 17th:

Foam core and mat board (which I've never seen before at ZL):

Fabric books galore:

This picture I took on my way out the door yesterday does not look that different from the one I took on the way in.  Although some of the specific items have changed, there is an exciting array of materials for you to search through.

The final two harvests of the season are on August 17th and August 24th from 12-3.  Zerolandfill Cleveland is located at  4750 East 131st Street in Garfield Heights.  Although this may seem like it is on the other side of the moon to my friends out in the western suburbs, it is really not that far and definitely worth the trip.  For best results, arrive a few minutes before noon so you can be one of the first people through the door.  Yesterday was the final pollination of the season so ZL Cleveland will not be receiving any new materials until 2013.  Don't miss out!

Zerolandfill '12 First Harvest: The Debriefing

When I arrived at the Zerolandfill (ZL) Cleveland site on Friday, I was pleased to walk into the biggest ZL harvest crowd I've ever seen.  There was a positive energy in the air as eager harvesters listened to an explanation from ZL's founder of what ZL was about and what to expect when they entered the warehouse.  

Meanwhile, volunteers inside the warehouse made sure everything was ready for the first harvest of the season.  Laura was busy setting up the ZL Gallery and ZL Lab for their inaugural use.  (You can read more about the ZL Gallery and the ZL Lab here.)  

One of the first entries in the ZL Gallery was this  mixed media collage piece made by a high school art student:

The ZL Gallery will be accepting donations at the next harvest on August 10th.  If you've made something wonderful from ZL materials, please consider temporarily donating it to the ZL Gallery.  You can donate it for the afternoon, or until the final harvest on 8/24.  Let your work serve as the inspiration for other artists, students and teachers!

At noon, eager harvesters descended on the warehouse floor searching through textiles, wood, glass, and stone.  Elementary teachers counted out class sets of carpet squares and crafters happily collected candy-colored glass tiles.  There were several children in attendance, many with their own little tote bags for choosing treasures.  I ran into my next door neighbor and her grade school-aged daughter who was excited to tell me about the quilt she was going to make from some fabric she found.

In my last post I wrote a caveat about bringing children to this event, but from where I was stationed on Friday,  all of the children  looked like they  were staying near their parents and following directions.  Here is a picture of the floor shortly after noon:

It was my intent to take more pictures throughout the afternoon, but several donations arrived and I was busy weighing and sorting.  I didn't take another picture until two o'clock when I stopped to take a break just as a man was bringing in this very generous donation from American Greetings:

The boxes in the foreground and the plastic wrapped boxes on the pallet in the background contain 480 binders.  ZL receives 100s of binders that are donated by designers, but most of those have the names and logos of various textile companies on them.  The binders from American Greetings that I saw were all 5  inches and plain black.  Since they arrived  toward the end of the afternoon, very few of them were taken by harvesters.  If you want to get your classroom or home office in order and need some organizational tools, get to ZL at noon on 8/10 and you should be able to help yourself to as many as you need.  

 Although I spent the overwhelming majority of my time volunteering, I did manage to find a few things, inlcuding more of this beautiful tile:

 When combined with tile from last week, it looks like the tile table I planned on making is going to have a decidedly floral/leafy theme:

My spatial relations are not the best.  Clearly, I need to spend more time with these in order to create something that shows them to advantage.  All of you expert Tetris players out there can probably see it right now and are cringing at my ineptitude.  By all means, I'm open to suggestions.

Some other volunteers beat me to the awning fabric, so there was not as much as I thought there would be, but I did pick up a few yards for The Milk Belly Princess' teacher.  She expressed interest in having more sewing projects for the children this year, which I'm really excited about.  Her methods for teaching little ones to sew amaze me ( she taught The Milk Belly Princess to sew a button and do basic cross stitch) and I want to support those efforts in any way I can.  Hopefully, she likes cool colors:

I'll admit, my nerdy English teacher instincts got the better of me when the font on the labels drew me to this box:

It is a collection of vinyl wallcovering samples, but I see great potential for mini books, hairclips and other crafty goodness.  Check out the intensity in the book titled "Vibrant Colors"

The final book of the collection is called "Walltalkers" and it is full of samples of dry-erasable wallcovering.  The possibilities for this are endless.  

The remaining ZL Cleveland harvests this summer are from noon until three on the following Fridays:

• August 10 Pollination and Harvest
• August 17 Harvest Only
• August 24th Harvest Only 

If You Go Part Two:  I wrote some basic guidelines here.  The following are some thoughts I want to share with you based on my most recent ZL experience.  I know that stern directives delivered in bold, capital letters can seem bossy and harsh, but it is not my intent to be off-putting.  Please understand that this message is being given with love and the best of intentions so ZL can be the best it can be.

1.  PLEASE CONSIDER VOLUNTEERING:  If you have benefitted from this organization in the past, ZL could really use your help during one of the remaining harvests this summer.  It would be especially helpful if you could volunteer on August 10th because it is both a pollination and a harvest.  While it is exciting to have the selection of materials replenished during harvest times, this means volunteers are needed to take in  donations AND organize the selection on the floor. On Friday we were a little short handed to start and really short on helpers at the end of the afternoon.  Volunteers  are allowed in early.  However,with this privilege comes the understanding that at noon you will stop your personal shopping and pitch in for the duration of your shift.  If you are interested in volunteering (truly helping, not "helping"--you know the difference--the way you want people to assist you when you move as opposed to what your toddler does for you in the kitchen) send an email to [email protected]

2.  RESPECT THE YELLOW LINE:  Like I said, the event on August 10th is both a pollination and a harvest.  This means that donors will be dropping off their samples at the same time harvesters are selecting their materials.  Designers will drop off their donations on the far side of a bright yellow line where they will be weighed and sorted before being put out for harvesters on the other side of the yellow line.  ZL takes pride in being able to share the number of pounds of material it keeps out of landfills, therefore,  ALL ZL DONATIONS MUST BE CHECKED IN AND WEIGHED BEFORE THEY CAN BE HARVESTED.    Items will be brought to the harvest area when they are ready.  Standing on the yellow line and asking about materials that still need to be weighed slows down the volunteers.  If you are truly worried about missing something and want to see everything that comes through the door, please see item #1.  

3.  YOUR STASH = YOUR BUSINESS:  Keep all of the items you plan to take with you by your side at all times in your own labeled reusable bags, boxes or a wagon (but remember, there are stairs).    If you find that you have too many items to carry or keep track of, take a load out to your car, then return and browse some more.  There is no guarantee that items you place "off to the side" will be there when you return.  Chances are, if you see something amazing, then walk away from it, someone else will think it's amazing too.  

4.  BYO-B(and-Aids):  I learned this the hard way last week when I was looking through the tile, slipped and fell.  Since I left  my kids at home, I did not have my "mom purse" with me and I was completely unprepared.  Fortunately, Kate, one of my fellow BAYarts teachers, was able to help me out, but next time I might not be so lucky.  

I know there are potential ZL harvesters out there reading this who still aren't sure about coming because they want to know more about what it's like.  Do any other volunteers or harvesters have any advice to share?  I'd love to read it.  

 

Zerolandfill '12: The First Pollination and a Primer For Friday's Harvest

Last year I volunteered at one of the August pollination shifts for Zerolandfill (ZL) and wrote about it here.  At that point in the season there were already stacks and stacks of donated materials in the warehouse.  During that shift, my primary job was sorting and stacking a very generous fabric donation from the daughter of an interior designer who recently passed away.  I did not see the dramatic difference in the contents of the warehouse before and after the first pollination.  Walking into an empty room and leaving when it was full of tons of materials like Laura and I did last  Friday was a very different experience

One after the other, cars and vans arrived full of donated materials.  They were sorted, weighed and  taken to different areas of the warehouse.  One of my first jobs was carrying stacks of weighed glass to the glass table.  As I write this, there are HUNDREDS of 12 x 12 inch pieces of glass in need of new homes.  Some of it is plain, but some is striped and even polka dotted.  I wish I could think of a use for the polka dotted glass but, alas, I cannot.  

Along with the expected swatches of upholstery fabric, yards of outdoor awning material were among Friday's donations.  I snagged a couple of pieces of this to reupholster  two tired looking patio chairs.  Here is a picture of the fabric--isn't it cheerful? 

I'm not sure about the polka dots, but I know there is more of the striped fabric, at least enough to cover the seats of a couple of cafe chairs, if any of you are interested.

We were really busy processing new donations at ZL last Friday so I did not have a lot of time to select my own materials.  My selections happened furtively in between running loads of fabric, wallpaper, glass and tile to their locations in the warehouse.  However, in addition to the awning fabric, I did grab a few more things that caught my eye.  Two large swatches of this fun fabric were already serged around the edges, so I grabbed  them to use as placemats for my girls:

In the hot summer months we are perpetually drinking glass after glass of ice water at Casa de Costello and our four coasters are forever missing from the living room after being taken for use on bedroom nightstands.  As I was sorting carpet samples, I found these industrial strength, rubber-backed discs, and decided they would be perfect.  

I'm not sure I'm exaggerating (at least not by much) when I say that TONS of tile was donated, including these:   

 

I thought long and hard about whether to take these because I wasn't sure what I would do with them. Then I decided that between the two tables I wanted to tile and the work I wanted to do on my (dare I call it a studio?  "supply pit" seems crass) work space, they would find a good home.  

While I spent my time last week lifting, carrying and sorting, Laura was hard at work on two new features of ZL:  the ZL Gallery and the ZL Lab.  The ZL Gallery is a place where anyone who has created something with ZL materials can show off their work or that of their students.  The purpose of the ZL Gallery is for creative people to share and inspire others with their creations.  Items can be brought to ZL during harvest times and left for the duration of your harvest experience or this summer's entire ZL season.  Items that are not picked up by 3PM on the final harvest date (8/24) will become the property of ZL.  All items submitted to the ZL Gallery must be accompanied by a complete entry form.  The form is quick and easy to fill out with a few questions about what the item is made of and how it was created.

The ZL Lab is a place to see how different ZL materials work with different tools and media so when you leave the site  you know they will work as anticipated with your personal or classroom tools and media.   The materials at the ZL Lab are divided into four categories containing the following items for you to experiment with:

Cutting:  school scissors, Exacto knife, coping saw, utility blade and drill

Gluing: paste, glue stick, white glue, duct tape, hot glue, rubber cement

Applying Color:  crayon, Crayola marker, Sharpie, acrylic paint, watercolor paint, tempera paint, colored pencils, ink pads.

Fiber Arts:  fabric shears, regular sewing needle and thread, tapestry needle and yarn, iron

Please understand that the ZL Lab is a work station manned by art teachers willing to offer their professional expertise about media and tools.  It is not free babysitting nor is it a place for you or your children to complete "make it and take it" crafts.  (In other words, you can visit the ZL Lab to see what kinds of cutting materials work well with laminate, but you cannot complete your entire bird house, picture frame etc, at the lab.  )  

 If you go:

1. ZL Cleveland is located at 4750 East 131st Street in Garfield Heights.  The harvest times this season are from 12-3 on the following Fridays:  7/27, 8/10, 8/17 and 8/24.  Arrive on time, but not early.  Last year the doors did not open until noon.  You will see people entering between 11:15 and noon, but those are volunteers.  If you are a few minutes early, form an orderly line at the door.
2. Be prepared to get dirty.  This event is held in a warehouse at what is essentially the county dump.  While the donated materials are clean, the space is not.  (After kneeling to sort fabric for about five minutes my knees were black.)  Wear old clothes and close-toed shoes.  Bring gardening or work gloves if you're interested in tile, stone, brick or glass.
3. Think carefully about whether or not you should bring your children.  I have nothing against children.  In fact,  I say this as the mother of two little kids, one of whom is a bit wily.  This event is held in a big, dirty warehouse full of potentially sharp and heavy materials.  There is no one available to watch your children except YOU (the ZL Lab is staffed by and for use by adults).  There are some children who have a great time at ZL.  They stay close to their parents, follow the rules and delight in choosing craft materials.  There are others who run amok and create potentially dangerous situations.  Please, know which kind of kid you have,  what kind of day they are having and make your decision accordingly.
4. Bring provisions.  There is A LOT to look at.  You don't want dehydration to bust up your good time, so bring a water bottle. If you decide to bring your children with you, bring some snacks (and wipes to use before handling the snacks--see item #2).  
5. Supply your own boxes and bags.  Most of the boxes we received last week are being used to store donations.  While there seemed to be several empty boxes at the end of last Friday's pollination, those will be needed by ZLF if more donations are received this week.  While you can bring some sort of wagon or dolly to take heavy items to your car, there is a small staircase from the entrance to the warehouse floor, so you will need to negotiate that.
6. Be courteous.  Materials are available for free on a first come, first serve (and self-serve) basis.  If you see something that you like or believe would be useful to you, take what you need, but don't hoard.  
7. Don't judge the other harvesters.  Saying "I teach" or "I need this for my business" as a means of talking someone out of something you want implies that you are somehow more important than they are.  Everyone believes they have a worthy purpose for the available materials--they wouldn't take them if they didn't.  
8. Be flexible.  This year the International Interior Design Association is in charge of Zerolandfill.  In other words, it is under new management and, consequently, you might notice some things that are different.  Remember what it was like when you were newly in charge of something?  Remember how unhelpful it was for oldtimers to tell you how "this wasn't how we did it last year"?   The group from IDA has done a phenomenal job organizing tons of donations in a short time.  Be supportive.  Introduce yourself and tell them what a great job they're doing.