When I first left my last job in the natural foods/products industry, Lora, a rep that I worked with gave me a bunch of makeup cases made out of bamboo that her company was changing out. Because they were versatile and boxy, she couldn’t bear to throw them out (a girl after my own heart) and knew that she would either find a use for it one day or find someone who could use it.
Upon learning that I was leaving to pursue eco art, she asked if I’d be interested in taking them. Thinking in terms of storage I jumped to the opportunity and now have 3 of them on my desk. They definitely work great for storing small items, allowing for 12 small compartment on sliding shelves. I noticed that the bottom row had these shelves, which also slid out for customers to pull stock on certain makeup powders, but they aren’t necessary for me now.
Enter lightbulb idea. I’m always looking for “canvases” to paint on and I mean canvas in the figurative sense. If I removed these sliding shelves on the bottom rows, I noticed that they created neat little bamboo plaques on which to paint. Not only is the board eco-friendly/sustainable in nature, now it’s also being reused and getting a 2nd life as eco-art. Here’s what I came up with:
A little paint, a little wire and a little imagination. Being able to use items deemed as junk and turning them into art is immensely gratifying. Now to dig through my house a lil’ more to see what else I can use…
Oohhh! I like this idea a lot! Smart thinking.
Thanks Elizabeth!!:)