AFRIGADGET

AfriGadget: Solving everyday problems with African ingenuity.

PLASTIC BAG COASTERS

PINK CHAIR SAGA CONT'D

After watching the instructional video on sock darning that Amy sent, I tried it out on the pink chair. It's better, but I'll probably keep the quilt handy. I am excited to get a hold of some holey socks though...

SINGING LESSONS

I had the privilege to hear one of the greatest voices of our time perform in Milwaukee last night; Neko Case. A well-seasoned performer, she was at the end of her tour and her voice remained pitch-perfect, clear as day throughout the show.

My appreciation for good vocals has grown over the past couple weeks as I’ve started taking voice lessons. Being surrounded by so much music, I wanted to learn to play something myself, but I don’t have the money to buy an instrument. So in the spirit of ‘nothing new,’ I’m starting with my voice because it’s built-in.

And no, don’t ask me to sing for you. Not yet.

LUCKY DAY!

The Gods and Goddesses of the Goodwill have answered a long-standing prayer of mine. I've been coveting Amy's converted sewing machine for quite some time, and today I finally found a stand so that I can convert my own. And...it was 50% off furniture day! This beauty only set me back $32.50; in excellent condition too. I'll be sewing my way through the Apocalypse.

FOLDING TABLE

Another "they don't make 'em like they used to," this metal table with 4 seats completely folds down to a suitcase! I picked it up from the Salvation Army across the street yesterday for $20. It will indefinitely serve as my kitchen table, until I need to pack it up for a game of Uno in the woods.

DRILL

This bad boy came from the Habitat Restore and yes, I used it to install the ceiling tile bulletin board. They don't make 'em like they used to.

Oh yeah, Happy Earth Day.

RUNNING SHOES

I gave up on running for a while. I was in college, and I couldn't afford new shoes, so I ran in the same pair of shoes for too long and ruined my knees. I'm easing myself back into it, with a good pair of shoes and a strategy to run on the ground instead of the sidewalk.

HYPERBOLIC CROCHET

VACCUUM CLEANERS

Used vacuum cleaners for sale on Michigan Ave, Sheboygan.

CEILING TILES

Drop ceiling tiles make an excellent bulletin board. These 2' x 4' tiles were purchased from the Habitat for Humanity Restore in Sheboygan for fifty cents a piece and the quart of gray paint cost one dollar. Project inspired by my college roommate Magda Wala.

FRUIT BASKET

Made from plastic shopping bags.

WATERING CAN

Although I like the charm of an old metal watering can, I like the simplicity of just using something that I already have. One less thing cluttering up my space.

SOME THOUGHTS ON PROCESS...

"I don't care too much about the medium. I don't even care too much about the object. I really care about the process." -Oliver Herring

I've been hand-sewing all of my quilt blocks. Sure, my sewing machine lives in South Carolina right now, but I truly prefer to hand-stitch. When using a machine, the process is exactly that-using a machine. More time is spent preparing the machine and fabric while the actual sewing takes little time and effort. Stitching by hand means every second is spent connecting one piece of fabric to another, stitch by stitch.

Also, when I use the sewing machine I feel once-removed from my material. I'm interacting with plastic knobs and metal gears, which are interacting with the fabric. I prefer to take out the middleman and alter the fabric with my own two hands. (This is perhaps why I've never taken to metalworking. There's too much safety gear standing between me and the material).

So my pieces take a long time, and I can't really price them to sell, but I enjoy the process. Ah, the trade-off.

DESIGNER SAMPLES

In the top image, I'm using granite samples as coasters.
The quilt block is pieced together by interior design fabric samples.

SOME THINGS JUST NEED TO BE NEW

A broom needs to be new because you can't move into a new place and bring along the dirt from your old place, (according to Amy Bogard). The plunger and the toilet bowl brush are self-explanatory.

VIVA LIBRARY

The (almost) nothing new lifestyle is greatly enhanced by the local library. I no longer have a video rental membership, and the Mead Public Library in Sheboygan regularly gets rid of old books that I collect and use for visual inspiration.

POTTING STATION

To avoid getting potting soil all over my kitchen, I made a temporary potting station on my stove with a scrap piece of MDF. Bring on the basil!

MAKING ENDS MEET

"This recession is so bad, I had to cancel my cable!"

Does anyone else hear this a lot? To put things in perspective, the New York Times ran the article, Making Ends Meet in the Great Depression.

REUPHOLSTERY

This pretty pink chair was $3 at the Salvation Army across the street, it's only major blemish being the rip in the seat cushion fabric. Reupholstery is so much work for a $3 chair...so a quilt works just fine.

PLASTIC YARN TOTE

Plastic yarn tote crocheted with approximately 12 blue grocery bags and the biggest crochet hook I could find.

MANUFACTURED LANDSCAPES

I recently stumbled upon this documentary at the library on photographer Edward Burtynsky. Burtynsky's epic photographs of industrial landscapes have been an inspiration to me as a creative reuse artist. Manufactured Landscapes brings his photographs to life.

I LIKE

INTRO

Hello Friends,

It’s been 2 ½ years since I completed the Nothing New Project, my one-year pledge to not buy anything new that I could not make or buy used. I consider that blog to be my greatest artistic achievement to date, as so many people have reported being inspired by the endeavor. I’ve thought about doing a follow-up blog ever since, but the pieces haven’t come together until now.

My life circumstances have come full circle since my last post; I’m back in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, furnishing a new apartment on a barista's budget, and learning how to live as simply as possible so that I may make a living doing the creative work that I love. I looked around and realized that I was still living the Nothing New lifestyle, so it made sense to start blogging about it again. I also find myself attached to my computer these days, so I should be able to update frequently.

The concept of this blog is very similar to the Nothing New Project, but with two amendments:

1. I am permitted to purchase well-crafted, socially-conscious, and/or educational “new” items, such as shoes, books, tools, etc. As I mentioned in the NNP’s farewell, I’m done with extremist behavior. Life is meant to be lived more organically and it is not good to withhold from the Universe. One must give to receive.

2. There is no end date. This is no longer a finite “project;” it is my lifestyle. And I am putting it on display in hopes of inspiring others to more creative, fulfilling, joyful lives themselves.

Please check back often and please spread the word about this site to others. The more the merrier.

Take care,
Elle

PREDECESSOR

Nothing New Project
10.10.06-10.10.07