Reusable Plastic Containers

I hate single use plastics.   I took a pledge to limit my single use plastic and Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Refuse.  Unfortunately there are still some single use plastics that I haven't gotten out of my life.  I save a lot of household items to use for our crafting so I've been saving those little plastic containers from our strawberries, blueberries and fresh figs.

Check out these cute boxes we made- They are sturdy and fulfill the motto of using the single use plastics more then once. 

We used recycled paper from the 99 cent store and newspaper, white glue, paint brushes and plastic containers. 

We cut the paper in strips and made a milk like liquid by mixing one part glue to four parts warm water

And we wrapped the plastic containers in paper

It took a few days for them to thoroughly dry and once they did we were ready for the second part-

Using Mod Podge, paint brushes and tissue paper we ripped up the tissue paper and glued it on.

We tried to seal all the edges and over lap colors to create new ones-

The results are glossy, sturdy reusable boxes- that would make cute gifts.

Questions to consider while creating:

What materials are we using? Where do they come from?  What is it made of?

Is this recycled art?  Why?

I took this opportunity to go over the concept of  Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Refuse.

What colors are we using? Are you making a pattern?

What are warm colors?  Cool colors?

What materials are we reusing and what materials are new? 

Do you have any creative uses for grocery store single use plastic containers?

Artist: David Cole

We are big Lego fans in this house.  The boys have tons of Lego, much of it mine from when I was a kid or from my cousins who are now both in college.  It is a monthly event to take photos and submit them to Lego Magazine for consideration.  The monkeys have yet to be featured but we'll keep on trying.

These taxidermy animal Lego kits by artist Davide Cole are a clever and inevitable art medium for modern artist. I have featured Lego as an art medium before, most notably with the Lego Concentration Camp kits by a Polish artist Zbigniew Libera.   Check out David Cole's blog and work where he gives an honest account of his creative process.  

Here is the NYT article about David Cole and his Lego Kits.

Click to read more about Zbigniew Libera and his controversial Lego Concentration Camp Kits

Check out this post about Occupy Lego Land- We want to be a Nation NOT a land

Do you think that Lego is an valid art medium? 

Do you still play with Lego? 

Artist: Jennifer Collier

Jennifer Collier is an artist whose degree in textiles, at Manchester Metropolitan University gave her a solid foundation to branch out in different mediums.  Her studies led her to experiment with various materials and she creates 3-D paper sculptures using a variety of techniques including weaving, layering, lamination, stitching, waxing, embedding and fusing, often with found materials.  

Artist Statement:

The papers are treated as if cloth, with the main technique employed being stitch; a contemporary twist on traditional textiles.

The papers themselves serve as both the inspiration and the media for my work, with the narrative of the books and papers suggesting the forms.

I tend to find items then investigate a way in which they can be reused and transformed; giving new life to things that would otherwise go unloved or be thrown away.

Click to see Jennifer Colliers Website

What are some of your favorite uses for recycled paper? 

Different Type Of Learning Environment

I am passionate about educations and the current need to revamp the 100 year old system most public schools in North America employ.  As many of my readers know, we took our monkeys out of private school and are homeschooling.  For us it is the best 'system' we have access to.
I know there are school all over the world that have created systems of education that are considered revolutionary and experimental.

I saw an article about a 'free school' in Sweden called Vittra described as:

no classes or classrooms – instead, the students are taught in groups according to level based on the school’s pedagogical principles of ’the wateringhole’, ’the show-off’, ’the cave’, ’the campfire’ and ’the laboratory’ – didactic approaches that create different types of learning and teaching situations. In Vittra, they do not believe in regular classes and the school organisation’s vision is to create an everyday for the individual students where individual development, a living cultural work and challenging learning environments are most important.

Here are photos from the Stockholm location:

Here is part of the school's philosophy and mission statement:

Vittra gives every individual the opportunity…

• to find the best approach for them 
  Children play and learn on the basis of their needs, curiosity and inclination in the best ways possible.
• to learn based on experience
  Children’s learning is based on their experience which increases motivation and inspires creativity.
• to understand their own learning
  Children are equipped with the tools to acquire new knowledge and increase understanding of ‘How I learn’, which enables them to learn more easily and effectively in the future.
• to have faith in themselves and their abilities
  Children become more self-aware, aware of their strengths and potential for development which means they dare and like to be challenged.
• to develop their ability to communicate and engage in respectful interaction with others
  Children understand and are considerate to the needs and interests of others, they can express and stand for their own views as well as take responsibility for their actions.
• to be equipped for study and work in an international environment
  Children develop effective bilingualism in English and Swedish while experiencing and creating international contacts through networks and exchange programmes abroad.

Click to learn more about this school

Would you have loved to learn in an environment like this?

Would you send your children to a school like this? 

Cuppow

I love this idea! Cuppow is a company that produces lids that fit over mason jars, which convert into clever drink holders for your favorite hot or cold beverages.
This is such a throw back to my university days when we used mason jars as drinking glasses- a concept which has been making rounds as a cute party drink idea in blogland.
What I love the most about this company/idea is that it creates an alternative use to something that most people probably already have at home.

In the words of the inventors:

The canning jar already makes an awesome platform for a travel mug: it’s easy to clean, made of heat-resistant glass, cheap, durable, and when sealed it doesn’t leak. The only problem is that with their large openings, canning jars are not great for spill-free sipping while on the move. So we adapted it - made a new lid that lets us drink like a boss from virtually any wide-mouth canning jar ~ Joshua and Aaron

The lid cost $7.99 and is reusable, dishwasher safe, BPA free and durable.
Check out this cool video below:

 
CUPPOW! from Paper Fortress on Vimeo.

Check out their website and order your very own Cuppow

What is your favorite reusable product?

Carl Kleiner

Carl Kleiner is a Swedish based photographer whose work I first became familiar with when he did the photography for an IKEA cookbook called Hembakat är Bäst or Homemade Is Best

I really appreciate the originality of his photographs in this cookbook. 

Using a minimalistic approach, Mr. Kleiner creates a visually inspiring display of ingredients. 

To see more photographs from this book check out Homemade Is Best at IKEA.

Some of his other works with food include these cuties:

Mr. Kleiner also did a really amazing job with a commission for the company AVIOS:

And most recently another collaboration with IKEA- this time presenting their Kitchenware with geometrically balanced precision. 

It certainly makes me want to go check out some new kitchenware at IKEA-

What is your favorite style of photography for a cookbook?