Reduce, Reuse, Rethink Old Belongings
(Page 3 of 3)
May/June 2008
By Gretchen Roberts
Artist Tracey Barnes has always been inspired by nature. She collects found bits of treasure: stones, shells, leaves, pods, bugs, beetles and butterflies. She explains: "I started creating art pieces to showcase my collections, bringing nature inside and creating light pieces to show the beautiful color and texture of crystal, fluorite, amethyst, calcite, topaz, aquamarine, pearls, and other semiprecious rough and uncut gems. The structure is often created out of old tractor parts and wheels or found pieces of branches or roots that are then finished with copper or gold and tarnished."
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The 13-foot chandelier she made for Denver restaurant Z Cuisine was inspired by the organic lines of Art Nouveau. The piece is delicately bejeweled with sea green and champagne fluorite, cream and black freshwater pearls, moonstone chips, orange calcite and red coral, all from Barnes’ collection. "Even though it is such a large piece, it has an airy, floating feeling," she says.
6 new spots for your old stuff
Sometimes it’s just better to put Grandma’s wall cabinet out into circulation for someone else to enjoy.
1. Swapthing.com lets you trade something you don’t need for something you do.
2. Freecycle.org has more than 3 million members around the world who exchange items free of charge; chances are you’ll find a taker for Aunt Edna’s old chairs.
3. Newspaper classifieds and many weeklies have a "freebies" section where you can list furniture for the taking.
4. Consignment shops save time by letting someone else do the selling for you. You might find something to take home that suits your purposes better than the piece you left.
5. Craigslist.org and KABOO.com are free online sites where you can sell or give away unwanted items.
6. Charitable organizations and thrift stores such as the Goodwill, the Salvation Army and women’s shelters are usually happy to take your items. Call ahead—they may come pick them up.
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