A.R.T.T

Notepad DIY – 99% Recycled, 100% EASY

So you discovered this because you wanted to know what Agenda Resurrected is

… or maybe you didn’t.

What you REALLY WANT must be to learn how to make cheap, easy and efficient notepads that give paper an extra life before being sent to a recycling centre.

First thing’s first: Do you have a bunch of scrap paper?

(click the pics if you need to see a description of the steps)

Dig in your recycling bin. If one side is printed on, or you see blank spaces, put them aside.

Fold sheets into fours (or however big you want your notebook to be)

Use your nails to really crease those edges.

After you have a pile of folded paper, ITS RIPPING TIME!

Rip along the fold lines, stack your sheets together, making sure they line up on the top.

Once your stack is big enough, staple the top once or twice. You can also use the string from shopping bags (since it isn’t recyclable)

I like to use interesting scraps for the cover of my notebooks.

You’re done! It’s that easy. Now share them with friends (as long as you leave out the papers with personal info on it)

Note: I thought I’d try something new by using the Gallery function.
If you find it difficult/annoying/strange to read, let me know in the comments!
~~ I’m also curious to hear what you had for breakfast.

A.R.T.T. Supports Mad Pride @ Metro Hall – Sat July 11

Visit my booth on July 11 from 11:00 am – 5:00 pm at Metro Hall, 55 John Street

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This is not a test

This is not a test… it is a reminder.
A sticker to show you where your trash goes!

I try to stay conscious of what I buy; It limits what I send to landfills.
I often ask myself:

Do I need it?
How much packaging is there?
Will it break soon after I buy it?
Can I make this myself?
Can I acquire it pre-loved?

BlabberSamm and the Bricolage of D00M or, how I try to figure myself out [a self portrait]

Recently, I’ve been all over the map & I like it that way.
I am juxtaposed
up your nose.

—

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THROWBACK ’13 – Decouplate — Reflections

From a workshop I hosted in the summer of 2013.

50+ ceramic dinner plates were salvaged from a hospital after discovering they were going to be thrown away.

The project organizer challenged me to make something that wasn’t costly and was easy to teach to a group that consisted of many art levels. (more…)

DIY Kittynip CraZy Toy — SO EASY!!!

Got some burlap? Leather? Fabric scraps hanging around?

Well, I ALWAYS do.

Got a kitty who has sharp nails?

My couch knows that answer better than I do… 🙀

Meet Atticus! My little creepy kittykat! ❤️❤️💜

He’s a really special cat because he LOVES any kind of toy I make for him. My little earth saving, arisetotrashtic, meowzer.

I thought I’d treat him with something a little more special. Organic catnip for my kitty Christmas craft idea, and I had everything I needed to get to work.

What feels so awesome about this project is that I got to support an awesome shop on Queen West called Good Catch and this project only cost me under $6. Score!

plus, Atticus is happily making his claws less sharp/being active. Win, win.

My trusty sewing machine + some cotton and leather scraps + burlap + CATNIP = best toy ever!

You don’t need to be exact, just cut out a huge square of burlap*, fold it in half and sew around all edges but one. Make a slightly smaller square out of thinnish cotton or a breathable material. Do the same.

*if you want to add some extra cat-claw dulling action, sew some random patches of thick leather scraps to the burlap before you sew it into a rectangle shape.

The burlap rectangle is going to be the outside of the cat toy. The cotton one will be the inside.

Stuff the cotton rectangle 1/3 with fabric scraps [make sure tags or anything pokey and unsafe for kitties is thrown away!!] and fill the next 1/3 of the rectangle (or more, if you like) with CATNIP. Stuff the rest of the now cushiony rectangle with cotton.

Sew that cotton rectangle shut!

This is the part where making the burlap rectangle a bit bigger (or the cotton one smaller) makes your life a lot easier.

Stuff the cotton rectangle that is now 2/3 scrap fabric +1/3 catnip and totally sewe shut INTO the burlap rectangle. Sew the stuffed burlap kitt toy shut and BAM! Your done!

The one in the front is the soggy prototype.
The back one has leather and added cotton strips on it for flinging, flying action :]

Now fling it at your cat and watch him go crazy with a toy YOU made yourself. He’ll be so happy and, since he probably watched you make it the entire time, will appreciate it way more than any toy you’ve ever bought. ;]

Happy making!

Rusty Old Filing Cabinet – Aurora Borealis

Rustfilingcabinet-northernlights-A.r.t.t. Throwback Thursday!
Teresa is a good Dawson City friend of mine. She has a publishing company by the name of Rabbit Creek Press. After a recent renovation and a new office space, Teresa nabbed this sepia, yucky, rusty filing cabinet from a person for $25.

[Now this is the time where I wish I took a ‘before’ photo so you could better believe me] but that’s not how I roll.

My lovely man-friend Reuben told Teresa about a filing cabinet I ‘fixed up’ for him, and that’s how this one came to be. First, I power sanded the cabinet to get rid of the rust and allow the paint to adhere better.

Teresa and I spent a few days talking about design, content, utility and colour. Teresa wanted something funky, bright, and had the Aurora Borealis on it. Some true Yukon Spirit!
Dawson city-yukon-borealis
We came up with a warm, bright color(Engine Orange) and black chalk board paint on either side of the filing cabinet with the Borealis design. I went for black drawers with chromed handles and used lots of neon green, pink, yellow and white for the borealis.

Rustfilingcabinet-northernlights-A.r.t.t.-side

Chalk board on both sides

It was my first time experimenting with stencils on furniture, but I think I did a pretty good job in making an organic light mystery out of spray paint.

Me and the finished piece in its new home.

ART MARKET X-MASTRAVAGANZA!!

If you’re living in/around Oakville, ON and you want to see more of my stuff, there is another market Sun 21 10am-4pm @ the same place posted above.

Today went well at the x-mas craft sale. :]
I got to speak to some great people and inspire others about reusing and being consumer-conscious.

I had some great ~~conversations~~ brainstorm sessions with people mainly about reusing the plastic ‘shell’ of pens and finding a way to make my Reversed Pigment (a.k.a Bleachers) clothing more environmentally friendly.

My next goal in regards to that is “bleaching” clothing with high-grade peroxide or a lemon juice/vinegar mix.
I’ll let readers know the results.

I’m so happy being able to get out there and talk to people. Just to get the ball rolling, and to INSPIRE!!!

One of the thoughts I brought up (in general terms and not in any way about my own creations)

Focus on the products you buy.

Who you support.
Where it comes from.
How much material is in it, and if that material is actually necessary.

Bunny Foo-Foo ’14

Pen ink, Nail polish, highlighter, mouthwash, glow paint, plastic.

Pen ink, nail polish, highlighter, mouthwash, spit, glow paint, plastic glam.

This is the back. I sent it to a friend of mine who donated the dead pens/highlighters/markers to me.

I had “Little Bunny Foo Foo” by Kimya Dawson stuck in my head while I was making this piece.
Naturally, that is where the title & image came from.

I made this of out of donated highlighters, dead pens, markers and other mystical things after getting a bunch of friends to send them to me instead of throwing them away! In return, I promised them A.R.T.T.

So there it is. My letter to Camille and the picture!

& How could I not share with you the awesome song that inspired it all!??