This was the 2nd 4 hour session with MYVP and FC United. I normally shy away from paper based activities. However as these young people were going to then pass on the skills to younger children as Volunteers I felt it would make more sense to keep it simpler and if I wasn't going to be there to facillitate or remind them of certain stitch techniques it made more sense to devise something that was more achievable. I wanted to encourage them to recycle creatively. They gave me such lovely feedback!

This was a bespoke programme specifically for them; We made button bracelets, little boxes from old greetings cards and then bows to put on presents.

Please check out http://www.rubbishrevamped.org.uk/

for more activities like this.

Normally I prefer to stick to the fashion recycling! But with the rest of it Danielle of Rubbish Revamped is your gal!

Stitching lots of buttons in similar colours and shades mixed in with a few sequins makes for a lovely bit of embellishment. I thought I'd add the photograph, I took it and did it a while ago.















I have such a backlog of images to post on here it's untrue!!

This was on the centre front of a black dress, that I really love, but hardly ever wore, because I'm not into too much black, I need splashes of colour, I usually just pile as many colours on as possible to be honest!

Well, I've put on a bit of weight over the last 6 months, I blame the fact I have a lovely boyfriend who I like eating tasty home-cooked food with, and well...that's just love!! And I have also spent the last year and a half not buying anything new (excluding underwear and food...) So it's been 2nd hand all the way...there's more than enough out there!!




















Well anyway not all of my clothes fit me at the moment, so I decided to convert an old skirt that my mother gave to me, into a new stylish A-line full skirt (because everybody knows they compliment fuller figures!!!)

So well here it is. It was very simple really. I suppose I should add the "before" photographs too!! - I mean of the old skirt, not of the skinny me!! (I've added them now, they're at the top of the blog)

It looks good anyway, and I love my curvy curves!!

This is a continuation of the shoe/sandal making workshop at the UK Chic & Ethic Workshop. It was just this weekend gone, I got chance to meet the italians, the greeks, the Turkish, Luthianians and one of the Romanians...the Polish girls came later. I had such a good weekend although was really tired and had to rush back and get ready for a workshop in Manchester!

My friend Rob Simpson works for a printing place. And obviously caught wind of the fact I'm a hoarder and like "upcycling" things, so gave me a load of rubber printing plates that I've had sitting in my flat for a while. I mentioned them to Beccy Williams and eco-designer artist and maker based in Liverpool (we met on the Chic & Ethic project) and she suggested we have a go at make shoes or sandals. We experimented trapping fabrics between layers and spray painting through lace and had a good day getting creative.

http://chicandethicuk.blogspot.com/

I volunteer for a charity called Action For Sustainable Living (http://www.afsl.org.uk/) and this photo was taken at a fashion show back in November or October...I can't remember now. Kelly Joseph, Kym Cooper and I all went and did free mini workshops of how to make shrunken jumper corsages. It was really good fun.

I'm sporting one of my fascinators made from recycled zips, feathers that have floated out of my feather sofa (Ha!! you can find stuff to use EVERYWHERE!) and some broken bracelets.

I also have an obsession with chopping out the little ribbons you find on the inside of clothes...they're lovely to use in and on all sorts of things. One of the things I like so much about textile recycling is you are limited to the things you can find around you. I don't buy anything if I can help it. Perhaps the odd brooch fastening or an extra ALICE band, but pretty much everything I make is either found on the street, given to me, salvaged from somewhere or re-made from something else. I love how natural the design process is. I let the stuff do the work, I don't plan things too much I like to be spontaneous.

Look at this! My boyfriend wrapped and made a HUGE recycled bow "thing" for my Christmas present, it was a gorgeous pair of Brogue style boots. He's a good 'un.
- He's currently building and designing me a lovely new website. I've got to be the luckiest person in the whole wide world to have met such a supportive partner.

Thanks Jim!!

A young boy and his mother participating in the "making your own stocking from recycled clothes" workshop...or how as it advertised, "Alice Eleanors Little Elves Workshop" It was so hectic I only had time to take 2 photographs!!

This young boy was very talented and asked me "are you Mrs Claus?" - it really made me chuckle!!

Here are some more Xmas decorations for the MCC craft Xmas craft fair. All of the decorations are recycled on my insistence. I think that it was just as well really!! :-D

Christmas crafts for the St.Wilfreds MCC craft fair we had just before crimbo. I put my foot down and said that we weren't allowed to buy any cheap nasty decorations and then had a whole team of lovely people come and help me in my living-room, by the time Christmas actually arrived I was sick of it!!

Magazine wreaths, loo-roll flowers & snowflakes, wrapped in rippons and scraps of fabrics. Little boxes made from last year Xmas cards, inspired and taught to me by Danielle Lowy of Rubbish Revamped. Thanks Danielle!!

Also Jake Williams, Bethan Coomber, Tori Bee, Elle James, & the fabulous Katie Hanratty. Thanks guys it was really good to have all hands on deck to make the place look so lovely!

I think they look lovely and it was such a brilliant group of young people!

http://www.myvp.org.uk/ http://fc-utd.co.uk/

http://www.myvp.org.uk/

Some photographs from a bespoke workshop for MYVP and FC United.

Teaching a group of young people to recycled creatively, in order for them to then pass on the skills learnt in my sessions to even younger children.

I think it's a really lovely concept, Good on MYVP and FC United.

We are making mobiles from old paper plates, loo-roll tube flowers, CDs and bits of scrap paper, newspapers, magazines, wrapping paper, envelopes etc. They looked lovely in the end and everyone seemed to really enjoy themselves!

The gorgeous Laura Meehan, in a few upcycled creations, clothes sourced from swap-shops and vintage stores.

Photo's were taken by Joe Smith and taken in "Sewing Box" a project I was involved in with MCC setting up a shipping container as a working creative space.

It was all a bit last minute and thrown together, but hopefully inspiring.

These pictures have been taken from the Liverpool Design show. I am involved in a project called Chic & Ethic...7 partners come from different backgrounds: from the academic area (Poland), from the civil society area (Romania, Greece), from the private sector (UK and Italy), from the public sector (Turkey and Lithuania).

We all have a common goal, inspire, recycled, re-use and educate!

Beccy Williams, Ally Burr, Sophie Bland, Sara Han were all exhibiting also from the UKs Chic & Ethic team. It was great fun. We also delivered a tote-bag making workshop throughout the weekend.

I feel really excited and honoured to be a part of the project and have met some lovely people. Here's to the future I say!!