Soon to be revealed

We are all waiting for May 14th  . . . This is when the selected works will be on display, leading up to the vote . . . and winner of the Tip Shop competition.

I do not know what a lot of the entrants have done with their pieces, but of the ones we know about I am impressed with the variety of techniques used, along with huge doses of imagination.

I have heard reports about the decapitation of soft, cuddly children's toys and the mounting of their heads. . . . Yes! I did say children's toys . . 
Yep! I too am waiting to see what their function will be ????  
I am truly dying to see them!! 
I feel that is a new in  UP-CYCLING
mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm Yes! I am intrigued.

Trevor Moore and Jennifer Hamilton

A couple of the pieces I do know about are the entry from Jennifer Hamilton and Trevor Moore who combined their artistic skills to transform a daggy set of draws into a highly original piece. . . 

I love the waves of black oil slick on the top and the black wavy draw handles. . . . which contrast beautifully with the Bright, vibrant draw lining.


I want one too . . . .

Nancy Brown and Co-workers  -   I adore that edge!

Nancy Brown and her Co-workers have also contributed an interesting work that will also develope further past the time of the competition.

They aim to add layers of screen printing to the surface over an extended period.

Cam, Bri and Me - we all LOVE a bit of  RED

I forgot to take pics of ours toward the end of the process . . .  .so this one is the last I have . . . . with Cam half in it, adding the light fittings . . . . 

We added layers of pictures on the outside and kept it innocent, clean . . . .  & Oh! So WHITE

 However, on the inside it is all shelves for drinks, glasses, Gold leaf, red crushed velvet and lighting for the necessary bling effect . . .  . Oh! SOOOOOO LUSCIOUS!

Always fascinates me how a bit of paint and some IMAGINATION can transform a piece of the ordinary into something rather extraordinary  YUM!

PAPER Cut out - recycled - re-newed

OLD Books

Pre- Loved

Unwanted

 . . . .. . . DISCARDED





What a WASTE !




Wall paper Glue
Scissors
Brush
MDF

 

. . . . . . TIME

IMAGINATION . . .. . Altered . . . NEW from OLD

Tip

Tip Shop People’s choice Competition - continued

Anyone who knows me, knows I love to recycle. I hate the unnecessary purchasing of the NEW. If there is something I need and I can find it in a condition I can 'MAKE NEW', I am a very Happy lady. So for me this invitation to enter the Tip Shop competition is more about highlighting the unecessary WASTE of things that are thrown out . . . .  and the ability to RE-NEW or RE-INVENT, than about the winning . . . . though that would be a nice BONUS.

The main criteria for entry into the Tip Shop competition was, to choose a piece of furniture or bric-a-brac, which we had to transform into an interesting piece of FUNCTIONAL art.

We selected a cupboard. A BROWN uninteresting OLD TV cabinate, that someone had discarded.  . . .that was made of good strong wood.

        ·         First we had to decide what we wanted to use the cupboard for ?  FUNCTION

·         We had to decide what was it going to look like ?  CREATIVETY/ ART

We decided, rather than painting our own design or using mosaic on the cupboard; we wanted to use some of the many pre loved books, available in the Shop,  in a form of Collage.

 

All BOOKS at the TIP SHOP are sold for $0.50 cents each, so we were able to find quite a few amongst the MANY that would not be wasted when we cut them up.  We deliberately chose books that had been loved to the point of being obviously damaged, or those altered with artistic additions of crayon and pencil by previous owners, or ones that we felt were out of fashion.

We thought WHITE outside . . . .  . .RED inside, with GOLDLEAF & crushed velvet.

We decided we wanted the cupboard to look like a CHILDRENS TOY CUPBOARD on the outside,

while serving the function of a DRINKS CABINATE on the inside.

I looked on Google to find information regarding the practicals processes of fixing holes, sanding, painting etc.. . . . .

We decided it needed the addition of a few shelves for glasses and Bottles.

MATERIALS

Sandpaper

Paint.   White, 3 in one for outside.

 RED paint for inside

Goldleaf

PVA glue for adhesion of goldleaf

Material to line inside.

Rollers for paint

Brushes for glue and paint

Drop sheet to prevent mess

Nails

Glue.  Wallpaper paste for collaging

Scissors to cut out images

Extra wood to construct shelves

Wood beading,  to support shelves and frame collages

Hinges for doors

 Let the WORK begin . . . .

With our Cupboard from the TIP SHOP and purchases from BUNNINGS  - we got started . . .  .

#     Washing the cupboard to remove the dirt

#         Sanding to remove the old varnish and then washing again to ensure surface was clean to paint.

#       PAINTING, painting and more painting.

It is starting to LOOK like a VERY FINE piece of FURNITURE.

Stay tuned . . . .

        

Beijing - a contradiction at every turn

Arriving early you can still avoid the tourists (ha! - No! We are not tourists. We are travelers.)

Temple of Heaven

Olympic stadium

Gardens along every road are well maintained, beautiful and used by the Bearinger's

The older buildings are rapidly being replaced by high rise modern buildings

Dancing in the streets Beijing style. Very nice way to spend an evening with the gals

Turn a corner and another intriguing vista . . . though Brianna is quick to point out that we are in an area of some affluence . . .which is different to the ones with more effluence!!!!

On this outing I stumbled across Beijing’s most spectacular temple complex, The Lama Temple. This has 5 main halls flanked by numerous smaller very ornate buildings that were constructed during the 17th Century and converted into a Tibetan Lamasery in 1744. The highlight is the 55ft statue of Mailtreya, the future Buddha. The idea that impressed me is  that this 17m high structure (with another 6m underground) was carved from one single sandalwood tree. The tree was a gift from the Tibetan people to the Emperor and took 3 years for numerous Imperial carvers to sculpt the single gold covered statue. 

I can’t help but wonder if trees of such magnificent height and girth even exist today.

Bri is back and we intend on doing some more girl things . . . .guess!!!!!

Beijing, the capital of the People’s Republic of China is one of the world’s largest cities with a population of over 14 million. It is a microcosm of modern China and all its contradictions. A bustling city of affluent shoppers, trendy youth, and beggars that rub along with a myriad of outlets with diverse cuisine, 6 million bicycles and 20 thousand new cars ( that win their place on the clogged roads through a national lottery with over 100,000 entries each month)

Expanding in concentric rings from the Forbidden City at its core, the grid-like layout of modern Beijing still echoes its Ming dynasty blueprint. Old Beijing survives in its temples, palaces and old alleyways ( hutongs) that crisscross the city outside the second ring road, which itself charts the loop of the demolished City Wall. Within this ancient outline are towering skyscrapers, shopping malls, huge avenues, vaulting flyovers, ancient structures of cultural significance and the vast expanse of Tiananmen Square.

While Bri was away I took a taxi to Di Tan Park, an ideal place to relax amidst the trees where the city does not appear to intrude. This was the venue for Imperial sacrifices, with an Alter dating from the Ming Dynasty. Wandering around watching people play cards in the ancient renovated structures, walk their babies in modern strollers, play musical instruments or dance is a great way to spend a hot Beijing day. I was still there at dusk to see the modern young couples stroll hand in hand or sit smooching. . . I could not help but wonder if the Ming imperial worshippers ever imagined such a use of their Fangze Tan (temple of earth alter)

Di Tan Park - playing cards

I know I have been around for awhile now, but I had never in all my years considered using a chair in this fashion. Silly me !! I thought the legs went vertical to the seat ?

I spent a few days wandering around the Hutongs of Dongcheng. Many of the shops were under construction but I found enough to spend time rummaging. When I encounter these chaotic collections I feel avidity or greed or liberated excitement. 

It's hard to explain what it's like to have something so alien or old in your hands for the first time. To pick up a snuff bottle, a lacquered box, an exquisite cup, or a netsuke - in a material that you have never encountered. To shift it around, to find its weight and balance. 

There are objects that can only be described as 'play things', small carvings of animals that roll in your hand. Very rich, very simple, very tactile. . .  Seductive Things

Rubbing a finger along the raised decoration of a stork in flight through clouds, mmmm!

We are organizing trips to Chandixia, Longqing, Pingyao, and Chengdi