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The Recycled Arts Festival has been happening across the river in Vancouver, WA for several years, but thanks to Terra, this year I finally attended. And I’m so glad I did!
It was fun to see an array of really talented artists, all of whom make beautiful things from old stuff. And many of them were totally new to me.
Above there is one of my favorites: Steve Dietel’s bottlecap-encrusted chair. Check out his website: Howling Heights.
I also enjoyed meeting Janet and Vonda of Tiffany on a Stick. This was their first weekend in business! Their garden stakes, made from a gorgeous array of glassware, are incredible. I’m sure they’ll be a great success. (Follow that link to their Facebook fan page and you can keep up on them.)
Here are some truly cute felted hats by Leslie McCray of Sweater Heads. (Visit that link to her Etsy shop – she’s a master with the shapes.)
I really love Chris Tymoshuk’s coffee can lamps, which are wired up with a bulb inside. Check out the Etsy shop for some even more intricate ones.
Imagine a group of these hanging in a corner of your sun porch. And now I’m jealous of your sun porch.
It was also nice to see a few local friends there. Anitra Cameron makes these awesome giant garden blooms from old china. (You can see an interview I did with her a while back over here.)
Christine Claringbold has added these freaking awesome garden pinwheels, made from old vinyl records, to her line. They look so cool, spinning in the breeze. (Come to think of it, I interviewed Christine a while back, too.)
…And Megan Klepp makes these amazing garden gazing balls from bowling balls and marbles. I love them! (There’s a past interview with Megan as well.)
In addition to all the crafty goodness, there was a pretty interesting social experiment: Tossed and Found. Here you see just a fraction of the perfectly-good things Waste Connections, Inc. and Columbia Resource Company found at transfer stations over a three-month period. Everything was on display in this big tent – and it really is amazing what people will throw away.
Anyway, everything was later raffled off to the public, for free. Pretty cool, huh?
There’s more to see in my Flickr set, if you’re interested.
Hi, Diane! Thanks so much for featuring my art here! Looking up and seeing you walking toward me yesterday was pure joy. I'm Still smiling!
I agree with you about Christine's spinners. They are AWESOME. I'm lucky enough to have one myself, now. Yay!
And that bowling ball of Megan's is one of my favorites, too. Presently scheming….
Great post–I won't even try to comment on the rest of the photos, but will say the creativity at the Festival could probably be felt from outer space. It is purely wonderful to just be a part of it, and see the fabulous creations of other people.
Diane,
Thank you so much for your awesome photos and excellent blog post covering the event. It's really a great event! I'm glad you guys made it out and I'm sorry (again) that we didn't get to chat at all. Sunday was completely overwhelming in the Tossed and Found booth! :D
Yay!!!
It was super fun to meet your mom and dad. They are sweet! It was great to see you and I'm glad you got to enjoy the show.
I also LOVE that pink marble ball of Megan's. She told me it's a pink ball covered with clear marbles, which gives it that translucent pink glow.
Thanks for posting the photo of my pinwheels in full spin!!!
The Tossed and Found experiment is pretty cool. I see some things I could use just in this pic here. I'll have to check them out further. Thanks for the info.
I was waiting to hear about this after you tweeted you were attending. Looks as cool as I thought it would be. The tossed and found experiment is really amazing….kind of crazy what people will through away. How hard would it have been for the owners of this stuff to drop it off at the local goodwill? Man people are lazy!!
I wasn't able to make it out there myself, so thanks for the recap. I LOVE the Tiffany on a Stick. Will definitely be checking out the websites of some of the crafters here.
Wow this looks like great fun. I had no idea there was such a thing! Maybe next year I can come down from Vancouver Island for it!
Thanks Kelly if you want to see more, Oaks Park next week We will be there Wed-Friday, our second show. Then Saturday we are in Vancouver for a show 10-4 at the Northwest Nursery Outlet address is 12503 NE 72nd Ave. Vancouver 98682 There will be a small outdoor quilt show and the gardens and then a few vendors Please come. From Vonda
Thank You Diane, for stopping by and talking to us at Tiffany on a Stick. Pretty cool, seeing this link to our facebook. I am really green at this tech stuff. But getting the knack! You are beautiful I could not stop looking at you, so fresh and buisnesslike too. We had a great weekend and will be at Oaks Park this next week July 7,8,9. Going to be busy.
Hi, Vonda! It was so great to meet you and Janet, and I'm so glad to hear you had a great weekend. Your work is so beautiful, and you deserve great success with it. Hope Oaks Park goes great, too. If I can answer any tech-questions, please feel free to email me anytime. I geek out on that stuff quite a bit. :-)
Hello,
I live in Australia, and I'm into recycling in Arts – I'm in love with the stuff you have shown here. I wish I could come to the Festival in Vancouver – maybe one day. I also love the zines. You have an interesting site. Well done! Miss Penny.
Thank you for stopping by, Penny! Maybe it's time for a group of Aussie artists to put on a Recycled Arts Festival!
Really cool.
You know, I just have to love a craft that insists I drink a whole bunch of beer to make…
HAHAHAHAHA! Amen to that! Actually, I used to have a pretty huge collection of beer bottle caps. I'd buy different brands, just for the caps. (This was a wholly different life-chapter, by the way.) Sadly, I could never quite find the right project, and I finally recycled them. I was totally kicking myself when I saw that chair. :-)