DIYthing

his coat1, originally uploaded by danny mansmith.

We had an opportunity to ask Danny Mansmith some questions recently about his work. We have been in love with it for some time now. Danny is a Chicago fiberartist who uses fabric to make collages - collages that we find represent life and space in a most creative way.

DIYthing: Your grandma had a considerable influence on you, I can say the same about my mother. Are there others that you are influencing today?

DM: oh gosh i don’t know but it is so nice to hear from strangers on the internet that email me and say that my work has inspired them and i do kinda hope i can
help people see that they can make things and don’t worry about the mistakes just have fun and that will be a good beginning…

DIYthing: I see that you taught yourself to sew - do you recommend this to others?

DM: for me it was the right thing to do–i didn’t think about it too much i guess i just got so excited about sewing

DM: that i just went for it. funny though the 1st month i started at the end of that month i had no more store bought clothes because i had taken them all apart to follow the patterns–for me i needed to find my own way of sewing and not take classes to teach me the right way…

DIYthing: “Clothing for me is sculpture.” Tell me more about your affinity for the human form.

DM: i did last a year in art school and in that year life drawing was the one thing that is a great memory for me-i was going to be a painter i guess, but school wasn’t for me-but drawing the human figure was a little beginning my 1st art classes i got from my grandma when i was little on how to draw hands and faces-than when i started making clothes it opened my mind up because in a sense for me covering the body with fabric was like making sculptures that can move- the clothes i wanted to make were always filled with details and lots of textures and they became the 1st steps towards making soft sculptures and dolls…

DIYthing: We laughed when we read your comment, “I look for things out of place-broken pieces left behind as i walk down the street” - funny Deb and I do that also, we are often fascinated by what others leave behind. What draws you to use found pieces in your work?

DM: well again it’s my grandma she decorated her whole house with stuff from the dumpsters-she would take me in the alleys growing up where, well lets say the rich people lived and find beautiful things-so since then my eyes have always been focused on the alleys as i walk by -also i think being an artist i see details that most don’t bother to see during their day and i have to say picking up a piece of junk and making something out of it is just fun for me…

DIYthing: Your resume is impressive, what is it about showing your work you find most important?

DM: oh there are times when it’s just hard but i feel artists have to try to show their work because then how is anyone going to know about them, it’s important-i feel i want to share what i do with others and even if they don’t understand what i’m doing i hope to at least make someone smile and enjoy looking…

DIYthing: We are fascinated with what we’ve read about your creative space - your studio. Do you have other spaces that you work in?

DM: for the most part my studio is it for me-i have had the space now for two years on the northside of Chicago. the studio is my sanctuary, my cushion against the outside world…

DIYthing: You often use multiple lines of stitching in your collages, do you start with this look in mind when sketching out your design?

DM: it’s my way of a gesture drawing in a way–but i want to have a very free feeling to my work-that there are no rules and that you can do anything and that the drawing is not perfect and it shows a human did it, with all it’s flaws but it’s still beautiful…

DIYthing: “It’s more interesting to make things with the wrong tools-adapt and to be engaged with your work.” Can you tell us more about this statement?

DM: i just don’t think you always need the right tools for the right job–don’t let the lack of things you have stop you from making–for me in the past and now when i want to make something i just do it with what ever i have around and that process always makes the end result much more interesting than if i went out and bought what i needed…

We asked Danny to tell us more about the Boys Meet the Girls Panel that he will be a part of at the Symposium on contemporary Textiles at the Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art. He shared that he was asked by a dear friend, Elyse Koren-Camarra, to be involved. She is a fiber artist and the president of the Illinois State Committee of the National Museum of Women in the Arts {ILNMWA}. The idea of the panel is to talk about textiles today and that more and more men are involved in the fiberart field. Well we are glad we discovered Danny’s work and hope that you explore more of his work at his website and his Etsy site where you can purchase some of his creations.
You can also check out his blog and his Flickr photostream.

Etsy and a host of sponsors have a fun and spooky contest for you this Halloween it’s their - Costume-a-thon! We really love the green category - what a great way to use all of those items you have been recycling. You need to get to thinking about what will be your handmade costume. You will need to put the costume up for sale in your Etsy shop no later than 11:59 EDT, October 26, 2007. There will be eighteen winners with over $2,000 worth of goods and prizes. There are six categories: Pet, Kid & Baby, T-Shirt Costume, Sci-Fi, Green, and General Awesomeness!

Etsy has lined up judges from Treehugger.com, Boingboing.net, Craftzine.com, Makezine.com, Babble.com, Threadless.com, and Tcritic.com.

You can read all of the details on Etsy’s site.

DIYthing had the opportunity to catch up with Ramona West this past week. Ramona is the owner of Ramona West Bags. She has a degree in fashion design and has worked for a few years as a designer in LA for bigger companies. She recently launched out on her own and is focusing her energy on building her line and growing her vintage business. The simple, bohemian lifestyle allows her the freedom to do this and she says she’s never been happier.

We really love the idea of upcycling vintage fabric, Ramona is really drawn to vintage fabric. She feels “it’s the history of the time, nostalgia, craftsmanship that you can’t find today, and unique fabric that you know nobody else will have. fabric shopping for vintage is always a treasure hunt.” We must agree, most of the time it is easier to buy new fabric than to hunt for unique vintage pieces, but vintage pieces really add to the uniqueness of the product. Ramona is also inspired by the Great Law of the Iroquois Confederacy “In our every deliberation, we must consider the impact of our decisions for the next seven generations”. She believes that she should use her business to raise awareness for the way we treat the environment, as future generations will be living out the effects of our excess.

Vintage fabrics seem to be all the rage right now and Ramona is constantly on the lookout for great finds. She finds her vintage fabrics in thrift stores, antique stores and estate sales. DIYthing first noticed her vintage fabric bracelets on her blog. Ramona was inspired to create them as she was looking for a way to use up smaller scraps of fabric and thought this was a really cute way to add interest/pattern to an outfit without being so loud.

We asked Ramona a few specific questions about inspiration and future goals for her business:

DIYthing: Can you remember back to your first creative project? Were you hooked from then on?

Ramona: Sewing-wise, the first thing I made from the ground up was an awesome pair of pants. I couldn’t believe it. Pants seemed like the hardest thing to make and I tackled it as my first project. This gave me the confidence to persue design and eventually attend design school for fashion design. (I wore these pants religiously for 3 years).

DIYthing: What, or who inspires you?

Ramona: I’m inspired by vintage fabric, clothing and accessories, vintage illustrations, designers like Mociun, Mayle and Mooka Kinney. (I also make clothes - at this point, I only make them for myself, but hope to expand my line to include dresses).

DIYthing: What motivated you to open an online store? I noticed you also use ETSY? Why?

Ramona: I started my online store as a place to showcase my work for buyers and press. When approaching boutiques, it’s best to have a web link to email the buyer that shows them photos of your product so they can see if they are interested before making an appointment to show them in person. I also made this website like a shop so that anyone could buy here at retail price. I opened a shop on Etsy because there is alot of traffic that comes to that site that I could not get from having just my own personal website. I started selling sample sales from my line in my Etsy shop because my retail prices seem a bit high for the average etsy buyer. I have noticed that most shops on Etsy under charge for their work or are charging wholesale level prices instead of retail. That’s fine if you are only selling there, but since I want to wholesale my bags to boutiques I needed to price them accordingly. It’s a great place for me to sell off my older samples at a cheaper price. Also, since I spend so much time searching for great vintage fabric, I wanted a place where I could share all of the great vintage pieces I find along the way. My etsy shop has grown to double as a vintage boutique where you can find great vintage clothes, shoes, accessories, art, and fabric. And since it’s all recycled, its all eco friendly! I am also in the process of opening an ebay store for my vintage collection.

DIYthing: Your bags have names like: ozu, tokyo twilight, and stella…how do you come up with such names. How important is a name on a bag?

Ramona: I never thought a name was important for a bag until I realized that I needed a better way to distinguish between styles. I was just giving them style #’s, but since I’m starting to offer them for sale to the public, it made more sense to go with a name. Ozu is a great Japanese film director (he made films from 1929-1962) and tokyo twilight is the title of one of his films (1957). I used his name and his film title to describe my bags made from vintage Japanese fabric. All other names to me just looked like the bag.

DIYthing: I noticed one bag in particular…”Brooklyn”. “This unique pleated clutch features colorful doors of a brownstone building.” I must say it is my favorite. Is there a story that goes along with this bag?

Ramona: I came across this fabric in a vintage store and it reminded me of New York, where I am from. I now live in California so it was just a bit nostalgic. This piece is one-of-a-kind.

DIYthing: The inside of your bags are just as fabulous as the outside, I laugh because that is the first thing I look at when I pick up a bag or a pair of jeans. I like the inside to be something special! Why do you add a print to the inside instead of just a solid color?

Ramona: Finding the right pattern combinations is part of the fun for me. I love how the inside plays off the outside and vice versa. It’s also a fun surprise when you open up the bag. I also like the fact that it’s something more subtle and intimate than a screaming pattern mix on the outside.

DIYthing: Anything new on the horizon for Ramona West Bags?

Ramona: Since I am in the beginning stages with my vintage line, I have been working day and night on it. My “Ramona West” bags are being sold at a few high end boutiques in southern California as well as an online shop called “The Handmade Boutique” which is about to launch. I am expanding styles to include larger handbags and shoulder bags as well as my pleated clutches. All of my bags are made from 100% vintage fabric (no new fabric) and will continue to be. I’m also planning to include dresses as I mentioned.

Sounds like Ramona will be busy with all of these great projects on the horizon. We will keep an eye on her shop in the days to come. Check it out: ramonawest.etsy.com or ramonawest.blogspot.com

Designer Becky Howard creates one of a kind vintage silk handbags from her home in Texas. There is no doubt her bags are eye candy. From polka-dots to vibrant patterns each bag is given much thought, and the inside is just as wonderful as the outside. DIYthing had a chance to catch up with Becky a few weeks back.

DIYthing: I love the way you mix stripes with other designs…you have such an eye for style…can you give us a hint as to your design style.

Becky: I like to match colors, if the colors look great together and it feels right, then I’m ready to create another bag. I have over a 100 pieces of fabric to choose from so I can be more creative when putting colors and shapes together. It’s not just about making a bag, it’s about creating a bag!

DIYthing: The insides of your bags are just as wonderful as the outsides…I just love it when I put on a pair of jeans or open a handbag and the inside has a design!

Becky: My purses are all one of a kind! The inside can sometimes be just as crazy and fun as the outside. I also like to use bold colors of satin fabric in the inside of the purse, if makes the purse lightweight and really easy to travel with.

DIYthing: I noticed most of your bags are made from silk, why do you create with silk?

Becky: I love texture. I love soft material and the way it feels when it touches your skin. I also like the way the colors are bolder on silk than other fabrics due to the light hitting them at a certain angle.

see Becky’s flickr pool

DIYthing: Where do you find your vintage fabric?

Becky: My husband laughs and calls me the secondhand store “junky”. I try to go there once a week looking for the perfect fabric, some are old shirts, dresses,scarves and I try to find things that catch my eye. I also frequent estate sales and garage sales looking for the coolest fabric.

DIYthing: Are you self taught or did you attend a design school?

Becky: I got my undergrad degree in Art, I focused on watercolor and oils mostly. I always loved 3-d art. I took several jewelry classes and loved them too. I guess when it comes to the sewing and designing the purses, I am self taught. I just make what I like and if someone else likes it great. I love putting the colors of fabric together and seeing the results, the sewing part is not my favorite, but in the end it’s worth it!

DIYthing: Where do you get your inspiration?

Becky: I love Matisse and Van Gogh. They use bold colors. I want my pieces to feel like art, not just a purse. I am also a big fan of Vera Neumann, she was a textile designer who started out in her home and made it big. I love her colors and designs. She was never afraid to use color. I also love how she took 2-d art and made it into a 3-d piece you can wear and use to express yourself more. I too, like the idea of taking a piece of fabric and making it into a purse with personality.

DIYthing: I noticed you sell just on ETSY?

Becky: I needed a place to sell my purses and Ebay was not working for me, not the right market. So I did a search for handmade sites. I found ESTY and fell in love. I am able to have my own shop online, easy to use and not a lot of overhead expenses. Its great and I have found networking to be great and easy to do. I am not very good at computer stuff/web designing and Esty does all that for you. I also love the street teams, I think its a great idea to help each other out, joining together and promoting is great for all of us indie designers. We each may be small, but together we can be really big.

Coffee Lover Necklace by Richard Salley
I am hooked on ‘found object’ art and Richard Salley’s jewelry is particularly appealing to us. I discovered Richard’s work on Flickr recently. Lori Marsha had a photo of a found object necklace she had purchased from Richard. I thought I would find out more about his art. He recently returned from Art Unraveled in Phoenix.

DIYthing: Tell us a little about yourself, how did you start out as an artist?

Richard: I became interested in art during junior high school. I had a teacher that was fun and very encouraging. I took as many art classes as I could in jr. hi, high school and college.

I became interested in metal work while working as an assistant to metal sculptor Malcolm Moran in Carmel, California in 1969. The work didn’t pay well enough to make a career out of it, so I left to finish my college education. At one point I was an art history major, but ended up with a degree in Linguistics. I got a teaching credential and have taught in public schools for the past 31 years. I have taught elementary, middle and high school students. Most recently I have taught high school photography.

Richard: About 5 years ago I took a workshop with Keith LoBue and my metalworking skills made it easy for me to take up jewelry making with found objects. Workshops with Susan Lenart-Kazmer and Robert Dancik have kept me inspired and challenged.

DIYthing: I would love to hear more about your classes. I understand that you just got back from Art Unraveled in Phoenix and I have already read how much the participants are raving about the beautiful jewelry they made in your classes. Tell me about teaching. When did you start teaching classes?

Richard: Linda Young was one of the participants at the LoBue workshop and she invited me to apply to teach at Art Unraveled. I have taught there each of the past 4 years and it has led to other teaching opportunities. I think that my experience in teaching public schools made it easy for me to begin teaching adults. The biggest difference between my classroom experiences and teaching these classes has been that the students are highly motivated and there are no discipline problems!

DIYthing: The Luv u a Latte necklace resonates with me. I have sort of a love hate relationship with Starbucks, I love the convenience, but I think their prices are high. And I love local coffee shops. When I saw this piece with the bent Starbucks’ lid I had to ask you about it. You have several pieces that feature Starbucks, tell me more about them.

Richard: The first Starbucks’ piece that I did was truly a found object. I found while out walking one day. I’m a regular Starbuck’s coffee drinker and I decided to use the lid in a piece of jewelry. The piece sold easily and generated a lot of interest. I think there is something of a cult following for Starbucks. I can’t explain it but I’m sort of caught up in it myself, so I enjoy the coffee and making the jewelry. The person who purchased the first pendant I made wrote and told me that she often is able to get a free coffee when she wears the piece into a Starbucks’ store.

DIYthing: Here at DIYthing, we have an affection for artists who use found objects in their work. Part of that is due to our concern for our environment, another part has to do with our love of story. A few months back, I had the opportunity to hear Akiko Busch read from her book, The Uncommon Life of Common Objects. She takes a look at how we infuse meaning into inanimate objects. Do you think the objects you create with tell you a story? Or do you perhaps make the objects somehow animate?

Richard: I haven’t read the book you mention, but I think I might look for it. I don’t usually set out to tell a story when creating a piece, but I am conscious of thinking about how the various elements work together…and in that respect, I guess my artwork does tell a story. I like working with ‘found objects’ mostly because I think it is fun to take things that have been cast away or lived out their intended useful life and give them a new life. In most of my jewelry pieces there is not much intrinsic value…just rusty objects held together with cheap iron wire. Any value they may have is perceived value that has come about through my creativity and work. I find that very rewarding.

DIYthing: Of course you do more than jewelry, you create collage and assemblage pieces as well as stunning photography. Tell us about your art, do you focus on themes and work in several media at once?

Richard: There are times when I seem to lack inspiration with the jewelry making and it is at those times that I tend to work in another medium for awhile until the muse returns. Another reason for jumping from one art form to another is because there are certain times during the year that my studio (a.k.a., garage) is either too hot or too cold to comfortably work in.

DIYthing: I first found your work on Flickr. How is the web changing things for artists from a business perspective?

Richard: I don’t have much experience in the business of art, but the web has been a great networking tool for me. It is where I first found out about the Keith LoBue workshop that was so important to my development as an artist. And how else would I have come to writing this interview?

DIYthing: What are your plans for the future? Are you working on any writing projects?

Richard: I plan to retire from my career in education in July 2008. My wife and I hope to be able to move from California to Santa Fe, New Mexico. I will pursue more teaching opportunities and be able to work full time on my art.

I am not currently involved in any writing projects. But I will mention that some of my work will be featured in a book written by Susan Lenart-Kazmer that will be released this coming October titled is “Making Connections”. The book has already been ordered as a textbook by 14 colleges and universities. I expect it will be a big hit and lead to other opportunities for me.

DIYthing: Do you have a favorite piece that you would like to share with us?

Think Big Necklace by Richard Salley
Richard: One of my favorite pieces is shown below. It is made from an old belt buckle, etched and stamped copper, a piece of carved bone and the little dog is a marker from a Monopoly game set.

What makes it special is that the piece was purchased by my friend Bernie Berlin the first year I attended Art Unraveled. Bernie runs a dog rescue operation for abused dogs called “A Place To Bark”. She has about 70 dogs at the present time that she cares for until she can find them homes.

I really like Richard’s online tutorials, the photos are really clear. I asked him if he planned to add more tutorials online. He said, that he does all his own photography, and that making the tutorials are a lot of work. At this time he is not anxious to take the time to do another, but at some point he may. But, I know that I can keep an eye out for the book written by Susan Lenart-Kazmer that will be released this coming October. As as a matter of fact you can pre-order “Making Connections” if you are interested in seeing Richard’s work and Susan’s.

A few weeks ago we discovered Mari Santos’ work on her bananafanamomari Flickr stream and posted some of her amazing t-shirt surgeries. Mari takes huge t-shirts and transforms them into some really stylish fashion items. It turns out these designs were part of her submission to Urban Outfitters “Urban Renewal Project“. So we thought we would get to know Mari and learn more about her refashions.

DIYthing: Tell us a little about yourself.

Mari: I’m an artist and an indie designer from Toronto that is inspired by just about everything around me. I get quite happy when I’m able to turn hideous things pretty, and my favourite conversations usually involve my 3 year old sister. I also like naps and raspberry jelly.

DIYthing: When we first saw your t-shirt surgeries on Flickr we were so impressed with your design skills, we just had to show our DIYthing readers how you had transformed those drab t-shirts into hot fashion items. Have you always been interested in fashion design?

Mari: Thank you so much. Always. When I was little, I used to spend hours doodling fun outfits and dresses. My poor barbies were always in “custom” designs, which usually meant me taking a pair of scissors to their ball gowns.

DIYthing: We hear that you have just started designing for Urban Outfitters. How did that happen? What are you working on there?

Mari: Urban was looking for 20 artist/designers to work on some pieces for their Urban Renewal line, so I submitted some of my designs to them. A couple of days later, I received an email asking me if I’d be interested in working with them–I said yes, of course. I’ll be customizing some sweaters for their Urban Renewal Artist Customized project, and they’ll be sold in select Urban stores sometime during the holidays, so I’m really excited.

DIYthing: Can you show us any of the designs that you have been working on lately?

Mari: Here are some initial sketches for some brand new t-shirt surgeries I am planning to undertake. The first is a fun day dress, the second is a t-shirt cardigan and the last, a shirt/dress for a night out.

DIYthing: What is your favorite thing you designed for yourself or someone else?

Mari: I think one of my favourites would have to be a shirt I made for my friend Kate a long while ago. She was/is obsessed with the Constantines, so I wanted to make her a really cool Christmas present that was tailored to that. I went a little crazy with the fabric paint and made her a fun shirt and bag with the band on it. But instead of saying the full band name, the shirt sort of just reads “Constanti” because of my really bad placement coupled with her being ridiculously well endowed.

DIYthing: From what I have seen, the internet has totally changed the game for indies. E-bay was responsible for some of that, but now online communities like Etsy are shaking things up even more. Many indie artists didn’t sell on E-bay because of its auction format. However Etsy is different. Artists/designers can set a fixed price for their work. However, with so many thousands of sellers on Etsy, you can get lost. How do you find new indies online, do you follow certain blogs or social shopping sites?

Mari: I think Etsy is wonderful, and that there are so many talented designers on there. I think the site is generally geared towards customers who are looking for something more personalized, handmade and unique, which is what sets Etsy apart from other selling sites. I follow blogs, definitely. I love the finds on DIYthing, and think it’s great for its content and the fact that it’s updated regularly. I really also like www.notcot.org, which is filled with really amazing stuff, from all facets of design.

DIYthing: Who are favorite indie designers?

Mari: I think Supayana has really cute designs, I love her shirts, as well as the stuff at Postlapsaria. Nicole Locher does the most wonderfully quirky embroidery. My boyfriend Daniel also designs really neat tshirt prints that he puts up on his flickr .

DIYthing: Tell us about the Paper Doll Project?

Mari: The Paper Doll Project is an art DVD collaboration between myself and my good friend and all around amazing film maker, Shaila Khan. It’s a bit of a critique on feminist theory in interpretive video montage form. We made “electronic paper dolls” that when dressed/undressed would lead to a video sequence that sort of explained why the doll was ‘fashioned’ the way she was. One particular doll, the “Supermom” critiqued the expectations of women during pregnancy, and used “Modern Girls and Old Fashioned Men” by the Strokes featuring Regina Spektor as its soundtrack. That clip can be found here: www.vimeo.com/170263

DIYthing: What’s your interest in fashion journalism?

Mari: I love fashion and I love to write, so I definitely aim to go that route career wise. I really enjoy publications such as Amelia’s Magazine, Wonderland and POP; they are just so brilliantly presented and inspiring. In October, I’ll be starting my MA in Fashion Journalism at Central Saint Martins in London, which I am nervous and thrilled about at the same time.

Refashioning

DIYthing: Your refashion project is awesome. We loved how you recreated some famous looks the DIY way. The DIY Twiggy look from the old nightgown - that was creative. DIY has always been around, but it seems as if even mainstream fashion is adopting some DIY ways. Is DIY just a fad that we will get over soon, or will it be like blue jeans and become a part of how we do fashion?

Mari: Thank you. No, I don’t think of DIY as a fad. It’s always been happening, and in a way I think DIY is sometimes more inventive and ahead of the mainstream because it’s basically taking something into your own hands and creating exactly what you want, regardless if the stores are carrying it. So, yes, I think it’s just as much of a staple to fashion as blue jeans are.

Mari’s refashions are definitely ones we will keep on our radar. We will have to check in with her from time to time to see how things are at Central Saint Martins.

Are you in a DIY decorating mood? Are you looking for really unique, artsy pieces to spruce up your apartment? If so, you might want to pay a visit to your local architectural salvage store. In NYC there are several. There is a huge one Demolition Depot located in Harlem. This architectural salvage store is located at 216 East 125th Street (between 2nd & 3rd Ave). You can find all sorts of unique vintage and antique items such as windows, doors, shutters, plumbing fixtures, railings, gates, grills, mantels, stone and terracotta pieces, and religious objects. This store is well worth the trip. You can also view their inventory online. Prices can be reasonable, but can also climb quickly for the really unique find. I love their sign, it is made entirely of salvaged parts. The owners have published a book Irreplaceable Artifacts: Decorating the Home with Architectural Ornament by Evan Blum and Leslie Blum.

Architectural salvage stores can be found across the U.S. If you are looking for one in your area you might want to start with this guide of Architectural Antiques and Salvaged Building Materials maintained by Traditional Building. It is not an exhaustive list, but it is a good starting place. Using salvaged architectural pieces is one way to support sustainability and eco-friendly practices. And, the artistic value of many of the pieces is often difficult to find today.

See the inventory online at demolitiondepot.com.

Photo Credits: DJ Elzie

go back in time to the vintage era with indie designer Marisa Danielle Perry. Marisa’s one of a kind handbags and jewelry take you back to a whole different era. A time when fashion was a way a life and great designers were plenty. I often wonder about this era, and what influenced those designs…

Marisa from Pistachio made her start in the 8th grade when she would scour thrift shops for vintage Levi’s. The obsession grew and she began collecting vintage jewelry, handbags, accessories, clothing and home goods.

Feel free to flaunt your “Pistachio by Marisa Danielle” handbag, because there is no other exactly the same! “Vintage handbags are refurbished and then decorated with hand-cut leather. Each handbag is seen as a blank canvas and treated as such.”

a piece of art for your head…each headband is handmade, constructed from both new and vintage fabrics.

Black leather clutch with fleur-de-lis designs, snap closure. I love the fact that Marisa upcycles vintage purses. What I like about vintage is the history behind it, sometimes I wonder about the person that originally had it and what they were like.

I love this Door Curtain from Jenny Hurth.

Title: Craftzine.com blog: Jenny Hurth - Bags Made from Garbage - recycled - bags Stylehive BM 207702 Description: Did you see these cool bags on Apartment Therapy Green Home or the Craftzine site? I see that they made it to Stylehive as well. I love the look and the concept. Jenny Hurth makes these bags from discarded vinyl signs or banners. She sells the laundry hampers for $65. These hampers should help you forget that growing pile of clothes. The design is so eco-friendly. She aims to save these gorgeous signs from filling up our landfills. Jenny Hurth will be at the San Francisco Green Festival in November, 2007. more

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