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November Craft Night – small zippered bags
We were hoping to introduce a few folks to the handiest of items in our reuse tool box, the sewing machine. While not a full on introduction to sewing, we wanted to show how a few simple straight seams could turn a zipper and a bit of vinyl or plastic into a handy little pouch.
Vinyl and plastic is the perfect material to use for a first sewing project. By their nature, vinyl and plastic edges do not fray unlike your average fabric. This means exposed seams are just fine for most projects thus saving you a few steps. Vinyl and plastic are also waterproof making the pouches just a bit more durable and easy to clean.
We have tons of vinyl decorator samples that are just the right size for these projects. If vinyl is not your thing, did you know you can iron most plastic bags with an iron on low temp to create a durable material that’s perfect for making pouches. Just iron between two pieces of paper to keep the plastic from melting onto your iron or board.
If a zipper still seems overwhelming, you can also sew in velcro as your closure. We hope to have more craft night featuring the use of sewing machines.
Welcome to our Interim Executive Director!
Cory Skuldt
Dear Austin Creative Reuse Community,
I am delighted to join you as Interim Executive Director from December 2018 through May 2019. My history with the organization goes back to the early days of pre-center fundraising, and I have a deep admiration for all that ACR has accomplished since that time!
Here’s a bit about my background: I bring 15+ years of experience in nonprofit, social enterprise, and business management to the role, with connections to environmental conservation, community education, and the arts. I’ve been supporting nonprofits and purpose-driven businesses in consulting and Interim ED roles for the past 3 years. I specialize in circular economy strategies, and I have worked with clothing brands, textile recyclers, manufacturers, and nonprofit organizations of all kinds.
I also served as co-director at Treasure City (a local thrift store and reuse organization) for 9 years, and as co-founder of Skillshare Austin and Boston Skillshare. My educational background includes an MBA in Sustainability, a Certificate in Nonprofit Leadership in Management, and BFA in studio art and event production. You can learn more about my background at coryskuldt.blog about my consulting practice at fwdimpact.com.
The top priority for an Interim Executive Director is to support an organization through a period of growth or transition. I’ll be working in collaboration with ACR’s board, staff and volunteers to build on your success, and position the organization for even bigger impact going forward. The community that has coalesced around ACR is clearly it’s most powerful driver – I look forward to getting to know each of you, and learning more about your visions for ACR’s future!
All my best,
Cory
Volunteer Spotlight: Amy Grafe
We love our volunteers!
The majority of the donations processing is done by volunteers at the center. We’d like you to meet one of the special folks behind all this hard work. Amy Grafe
What motivates you to volunteer?
I like to feel useful.
Why Austin Creative Reuse?
I love arts and crafts, especially reusing and re-purposing unloved things. I have always saved bits of ribbon, elastic, or anything else I could imagine finding another use for, so ACR was a perfect fit for me. I also love the people I have met here and being around all their creativity is inspiring.
How long have you volunteered with ACR?
About 3 years.
Are you more into the arts aspect of ACR or the conservation aspect and why?
I love both the art and conservation. There is so much waste in this world. I am happy to be involved in keeping things out of the landfill.
Where else have you/do you volunteer?
I haven’t volunteered with any other organization in a long time…I probably should.
What do you enjoy the most out of volunteering for ACR?
I love being surrounded by creative people and endless arts and crafts supplies.
Do you have any interesting or funny stories about something that happened while you were volunteering at ACR?
I have no stories…or…What happens at ACR, stays at ACR.
Thanks for all you do Amy!!
Sign up and check out our full list of opportunities here
If you would like to volunteer to assist with the workshops or events, please email: info@austincreativereuse.org
October: Reuse and Rethink Contest Winners
Let’s Congratulate the Winners of our October Reuse Rethink Contest!
New uses for Mustard Bath Cans
Helen Allen
Kids category – Jack Vines age 11
You two can come pick up your Prize – One FREE Bucket load from our Bucket Section at ACR!
As for all our other participants – we want to thank you by gifting you a free button pin of your choice!
Each month, we will have a Creative Reuse Contest! Come shop for not only your craft supplies but with a challenge in mind – (think Unconventional Challenge) all materials will be available at a low cost as always at ACR. Check out Novembers challenge here!
Reuse and Rethink Contest: November
New Uses for Old Bike Parts
This month’s challenge:
New Uses for used bike parts.
Let’s see your new use for old bike parts, anything from tiny creations, like jewelry, robots to bike size creations!!
Check out our up coming Art Of Reuse workshop where students will learn how to make jewelry from recycled bike parts.
Submission
When you’ve completed your creation, please provide up to 2 photos of your art piece, your contact info and a short description of materials used. Your submission can be made in person at our center or in an email to rethink@austincreativereuse.org
Deadline: Nov 30th
Winner will be notified and announced on social media, along with photos of their creation displayed in the center and on our website! Good luck!
Each month, we will have a creative reuse contest!
Come shop for not only your craft supplies but with a challenge in mind – (think Unconventional Challenge) all materials will be available at a low cost (as always) at Austin Creative Reuse.
Art of Reuse: Recycled Bike Part Jewelry
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Art of Reuse: Recycled Bike Part Jewelry
Sunday November 11th from 12-2PM
In this class, students will learn how to make jewelry from recycled bike parts (including but not limited to: inner tubes, chain links and washers) using just a few materials and tools. Both jump rings and wire-wrapping techniques will be used to fasten earrings and bracelets together. No previous jewelry-making experience required.
We’re very excited about this one folks! Tickets for this event sold here.
Volunteer Spotlight: Karen Miller
1. What motivates you to volunteer? I am motivated to volunteer at ACR because of its conservation mission that incorporates creativity, the people, the location, and the ease of volunteering in ways that fit my needs.
2. Why ACR? Same as #1
3. How long have you volunteered with ACR? Around 3 years, I think
4. Are you more into the arts aspect of ACR or the conservation aspect and why? As an environmental engineer with a strong interest in recycling and reuse, I was drawn to ACR by the conservation aspect but have stayed on at ACR more because of the social and creative aspects.
5. Are you more into the arts aspect of ACR or the conservation aspect and why? I also volunteer with Boy Scouts with an all-girl crew and an all-girl troop and with Girl Scouts, with a focus on supporting other troops and developing older girl programming. I am now an empty-nester, but until my children graduated from high school a little over a year ago, I served in various volunteer roles at their schools.
I am excited to be combining my love of ACR and Girl Scouts by developing Girl Scout-focused workshops. So far, I’ve led a succulent planter workshop and a combination birdhouse and SWAPs workshop. I’m excited by our proposed move to a larger space where offering workshops will be much easier to pull off.
6. What do you enjoy the most out of volunteering for ACR? When I started volunteering on a weekly basis in the Bucket section, I didn’t think I would care for it, but now almost 3 years later, I find that a weekly trip to sorting and tidying up the Bucket section serves as my weekly creativity-fix field trip ala Julia Cameron and her “The Artist’s Way”. I am so inspired by seeing and touching various materials that have outlived one useful life and have gone into a bin in the Bucket section to begin a new life. Concurrently with that, I have taken several mosaic courses from the extraordinary Dianne Sonnenberg, who has taught two Art of Reuse workshops at ACR. Mosaics give new lives to old and broken and unused items in ways that are surprisingly and unexpectedly beautiful.
I also enjoy take-home projects, such as removing buttons from Josco shirt fronts, sorting plastic bags, and rolling fabric for the Bucket section. I leave these projects out in my dining room, and sort a few items each time I walk by and while I watch TV. I love turning my TV time into a benefit for others.
7. Do you have any interesting or funny stories about something that happened while you were volunteering at ACR? I really love interacting with customers and especially like to ask, “what do you plan to do with that?”, when they hold up a particularly interesting but weird thing. And the funniest thing has to do with going by Assistance League’s Thrift House one day to donate some of the materials that we received from a Goodwill donation and would not be able use. As I was dropping the items off, I look over and see regular ACR volunteers Margey and Dee Dee dumpster diving for craft items for ACR. And actually, they were recovering those items with ALA’s permission for ACR.
Thanks for all you do Karen!
Learn more about becoming a volunteer at Austin Creative Reuse here or feel free to email us: info@austincreativereuse.org
September Reuse Rethink Contest Winners
Let’s Congratulate the Winners of our September Reuse Rethink Contest!
Mark Slownsky and Chloe!! You two can come pick up your Prize – One FREE Bucket load from our Bucket Section at ACR!
As for all our other participants – we want to thank you by gifting you a free button pin of your choice!
Each month, we will have a creative reuse contest!
Come shop for not only your craft supplies but with a challenge in mind – (think Unconventional Challenge) all materials will be available at a low cost as always at ACR.
Learn more about our October challenge here.
October: Reuse and Rethink Contest
This month’s challenge: Mustard Bath Cans
Come shop for not only your craft supplies but with a challenge in mind – (think Unconventional Challenge) all materials will be available at a low cost (as always) at ACR.
Make something big or small! Each can is .25 cents or buy a 5 gallon bucket of them and more supplies from our Bucket section for $5. Heck you might have already bought these and turned them into pumpkins or some other amazing creation?!
This reuse art contest is another way Austin Creative Reuse will inspire people from all ages and backgrounds to create and reuse.
Here is how it works:
- Each month, we will have a creative reuse contest!
- Materials used must be reused — all materials will be available at ACR for simplicity in gathering your creative pieces.
- The submissions will be judged on three qualities:creativity, workmanship and use of other reused materials.
- Every month a prize from ACR: a FREE bucket of reusable materials of your choice from ACR’s bucket area.
- Have fun!
Submission
- When you’ve completed your creation, please provide up to 2 photos of your art piece, your contact info and a short description of materials used. Your submission can be made in person at ACR or in an email to barb@austincreativereuse.org.
- Deadline: Oct. 31st
Winner will be notified and announced on social media, along with photos of their creation displayed in the center and on our website!
Good luck!
Artist Spotlight: Katie Cowden
How did you start doing art?
How does reuse play a part in your art?
“Potential! There’s always something new that I would not have expected that inspires me to work in a different way, like the metal tin lids from the bucket section I use to transport magnets from my studio to my wholesale clients. I can always find supplies for new methods and techniques so that I can inexpensively try new things without investing in brand new supplies and tools.
