What's going on..

So I am sure this blog has not been very interesting lately as there has not been much activity.
If you have followed the Myspace blog at all then you may know that this program had to be put aside for awhile for financial and resource reasons which frustrated me becuase I felt like it really never even got the chance to get started. While I am not able to have the creative reuse center with loads of raw materials and workshops that I hope to have one day I realize that maybe there are still some resources I have that I can share with others without letting my home become this overcrowded storage facility for materials waiting for a home, which by the way is no longer even an option, nor is my overcrowded storage space. Somehow this project let my attept to not have people waste become me being a home for other clutterbugs, clutter. I totally get what these folks that absolutely save everything are about and I do want to help them find a place for their items that they think are useful for something, that wasn't exactly what I was going for when I started this. I do want to be a raw materials resource one day where teachers and artists , decorators,and individuals can get low cost and free goods and I have been able to help a few people out in getting them some goods but I guess what I wasn't expecting was the large volume of actually food container refuge and scraps of paper people were going to pile upon me. I did get some great fabric and yarn donated at times which I was able to find homes for much of it(although the volume I received versus the volume that needed it did not always balance out, so i had to pay to store it). Anyway back to the actual food garbage. The great thing about most food containers is that they can be recycled and most of our state is capable of collecting it and recyling it thanks to companies like Midland recyle and Recycle America who both have facilities in Oklahoma. And paper can be recycled too! and the cool thing about this program is that you can help raise money for schools and churches by recycling your papergoods in their containers.
So why am I going on and on about recycling rather than creative reuse you may be asking.. well this is of course just my opinion but here goes.. I totally want to teach and inspire creative reuse with these(especially plastic which isn't much better being recycled becuase of the toxins it disperses) containers and scraps that people want to reuse and we have had many workshops. And I love the people that are good at getting as much use out of containers and then still recyle afterwards. Unfortunately though, what happens to most of these things and scraps that folks hold onto just hoping that one day they can find a use for every bit of it is that it becomes unhealthy clutter which isn't really much better for you or the world. Totally find uses for what you can but go ahead and recycle the rest becuase even creative reuse centers can only find uses and homes for so many soup cans, baby food jars, and plastic conatiners. Okay so back to plastic. I hate it and undertand why it is used so much but still don't accept that it is used so much. I know lots of groups are trying to find nontoxic ways to recycle it but in my opinion we should still avoid it when possible. Currently it is actual illegal to recycle it in many states(including Oklahoma-yey) becuase it releases toxic fumes into the air during the recycling process and even though the state collects it they actually just compress it and then sell these "bricks" of it off to other states who are willing to process it. So that is how that works, but yey at least it didn't go to the landfill right? It is such a hard choice for people with plastic and I hate it. All I can suggest is don't use it. You shouldn't be having that processed or fake organic food that it is holding anyway-go to your local farmers market or grocery and get fresh goods that you place in your own bag rather than those overused plastic bags at the store( I mean you are going to wash the stuff before you eat it anyway so why are we using those plastic produce bags?) AND WATER BOTTLES ARE A BIG WASTE. Use an aluminum reusable water bottle(not plastic reusables becuase as soon as they sit in the sun for any amount of time they heat up and release toxins in to your drink). If you have to drink soda at least use a glass or aluminum can as both of these products are continually recyclable and processing them doesn't cause harm like with plastic.
Anyway I could go on and on about better recycling when hey shouldn't this blog be about creative reuse you say...
My whole point I guess is overexplaining why I can't store your food container waste when this is something that anyone can find anywhere and already has a place to go and be recylcled. What I am hoping to create or build is a place for these still useful goods that don't necessarily have a place to go and be recycled but that would still be useful to artists/builders/decorators and teachers. These are things that really take up space in dumps like textile waste, furniture and architectural salvage(which yes do have many places to go like Habitat and antique stores) but yet still end up on the side of the road and in dumps, have used cans of paint(that havent' gone yucky bad), old game pieces and cards and puzzles that might be missing a piece, and so much more.
So unfortunately until I have a facility most of the program is on hold but we will be teaching a few workshops and when I can salvage goods, I have been creating little fun assemblage and ephemera kits that are available at a few locations around town for sale(all proceeds go to my saving up for a space and facility) and I still dumpster dive as much as I can creativily reuse myself and put back out for sale and use to the public but space and time are limited so this is it for now.
However I want to encourage folks to do the same so I will soon turn this blog into more of an online list of resources so folks know where to get good bargains or free goods around town that will help to inspire their creative endeavors.
so there is your update, sorry for the delay on blogging and sorry if I have let you down on getting this program of the ground. I unfortunately still have to work and make a living and well...