Cyber Monday--Free Shipping on Jewelry Orders

Etsy Buy Handmade REFINERII

Today only: free shipping on all jewelry orders (within the us) Happy shopping :)
Amber

ArtiZen Gallery Tour-McCall

Located in beautiful McCall, the ArtiZen is one of my absolute fav. places: I have been displaying my work there since they opened a few years back :) A lovely big old Victorian house has been transformed into a unique art gallery/arts center concept: the store holds an eclectic mix of local & regional art, as well as furniture, home accessories, garden items, & more. The three story building is a maze of rooms, halls & stairwells; all open for everyone to enjoy. Art is displayed beautifully in every nook & cranny, along with unique furniture & home decor items: the feel of the place is warm & inviting; with the perfect mix of contemporary & rustic styles.

The ArtiZen even has a modern gourmet kitchen where they host cooking classes & baking parties; see the website for a schedule. There is also a wood-shop, art printing room, ceramics studio, & textiles studio: all under one roof!

That one looks familiar.....

Cool jewelry, eh??

The cutest salt & pepper shakers ever; this collection is from a Boise ceramacist :)

The ArtiZen is located at 300 N 3rd Street: as you drive into McCall from Boise; it's about 1/2 way between the stop-light & the lake: on the left. Check out the gallery website at: www.artizengallery.com for a list of classes & upcoming events. Stop in and visit next time you're in McCall: you will be glad you did!

Amber

Waste Exchange Initiatives (2)

I uploaded a post some months ago under the title Waste Exchange Initiatives, providing a list of 3 initiatives with brief information for each one of them. Today I came across a 4th one that I think deserves a post of its own. It is the National Industrial Symbiosis Programme (NISP) in the UK.

This programme is interesting for a number of reasons. It is nation-wide (probably the only in the world of such scale), it is free, it aims at bridging the boundaries promoting synergies between companies from different sectors, it does nothing more than fostering cooperation (there are no incentives involved), it appears to be popular (I wouldn't risk saying successful because of lack of criteria for success) since it has over 8.000 companies as members.

You can find more information and case studies in the official website.

McCall--Sculpture for ArtWalk

This summer, the McCall Arts Council chose to include one of my sculptures for the new ArtWalk. Located along the lake in downtown, about 15 sculptures will be installed in the brand new park along the walking path. Yesterday, we went up to move the piece from the ArtiZen Gallery to it's new location....First order of biz: we took it apart & loaded it in the truck; took it around the side to borrow some plug-ins from Mike's wood shop. The base of the piece needed to be trimmed a bit to fit on the stone pedestal in the park, & we had to drill holes for mounting too....Cutting the base; making lots of noise :)The finished cut...

and Kevin gives it a quick touch up to smooth out the rough edges.

flipped over: ready to drill holes...

Drilling away, with the mag-drill--this is one of the coolest tools, like ever! Makes drilling precision holes through thick steel easy....

The drill-bit even looks cool...

And there it is: drilled through 1/2 inch plate in less than a minute :)

Here we are at the park; getting the bolts on the pedestal ready.

Each piece was placed by hand, & then all the bolts were tightened up...

And here it is; all done in it's new home: with a nice view :) It is located in Legacy Park: right in front of Hotel McCall.

Thanks to everyone who showed up to help :)

Amber

Tis the Season for Trophies....

Just finished this trophy up for Hansen-Rice Construction: for their annual "Management of Steel" award. (HR specializes in huge steel buildings, like Walmarts & such... ) This is the big perpetual trophy; names are added to it every year. I used lots of steel construction-related elements: I-Beams, nuts, bolts, specialty hardware, etc. The base is a concrete form that I got out of their yard, & on top of that are concrete saw blades....
I really like the warm colors on this one; the combination of rusty steel, copper, & the dark bronzey color of the plaques contrasts with the shiny silver bolts nicely. The whole thing stands about 2.5 feet tall :)



And these are the beginnings of the AGC annual awards; to be presented at the annual convention in December: at a fancy party. ---I just found the perfect party dress to wear that night, btw--- (more on that later) Each one is slightly different: they are made out of scrap bearings & steel cut-outs. I'll weld the bases on tomorrow; nice heavy wide flange i-beam....
Stay tuned to see the finished pics :)
Amber

Lots of New Listings on Etsy

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Etsy: Your place to buy & sell all things handmade REFINERII.etsy.com

Lots of new listings for holiday shopping :) And, the October Sale has been extended: happy shopping :)

Amber

Utilizing agricultural residues for energy production

Sugarcane biomass, a significant waste product from sugar production, could be a renewable energy source for electricity production, according to research published in the international journal Progress in Industrial Ecology.

Engineer Vikram Seebaluck of the University of Mauritius and energy technology Dipeeka Seeruttun of the Royal Institute of Technology, in Stockholm, Sweden, have demonstrated that an optimal blend of sugarcane agricultural residues (30%) mixed with 70% sugarcane bagasse (the fibrous residue left after sugar production) can be used to generate electricity at a cost of just 0.06 US dollars per kilowatt hour. That figure is on a par with the costs of other renewable energies, including wind power at $0.05/kWh.

Abstract

This paper deals with the potentials and opportunities of Sugarcane Agricultural Residues (SARs) for green power production in sugarcane-growing countries. It focuses on the possibilities of cofiring SARs with sugarcane bagasse, a similar physicochemical resource which is currently being commercially converted into electricity in state-of-the-art cogeneration plants. It also assesses the climate mitigation potentials of the resource through its eligibility for Certified Emission Reductions (CERs) as well as its socioeconomic benefits. A mix of 70% bagasse and 30% SARs was found to be the most appropriate cofiring option to avoid slagging in furnaces due to the inherent high ash content of SARs; this scenario required a 35% collection of SARs from sugarcane fields, which would increase the net export of surplus electricity in cogeneration plants by around 37% per tonne of cane harvested. SAR conversion into electricity is estimated to displace around 230 kg of subbituminous coal and 560 kg of CO2 per tonne. This feature can enable such a project to be eligible for CERs in line with bagasse cogeneration plants, which already qualify for these emission reductions.

Inderscience article link (needs access to the journal)

Sources: sciencedaily.com, inderscience.com

Boy Scout Food Drive-remember to put your stuff out tonight..

Remember to put your stuffs out tonight for the Boy Scouts to pick up in the morning (for those of us who live in the Boise area) Just fill the bag they left on your front door last week, or a box, & place it outside your front door--they take care of the rest. All the donated goods go straight to the food bank to help out those in need. They only accept non-perishable items: anything packaged, boxed, canned, etc.This is a great way to help out; & they make is so easy :) So, take a look in your pantry & cupboards & see what you have to spare: you might be surprised how much you have to give!

Amber

New Yard Art

Made this cute little sculpture last week. Misc. salvaged steel parts, including gears, bearings, bolts, chain, a plow disk, & glass insulators :) It stands about 5 feet tall. Right now, he is welcoming visitors to my house; right next to the front entry (not that I really ever have visitors, but I can pretend). I think he makes a nice addition to the yard; as with most of the pieces I make like this; I'll keep him around for awhile to enjoy, & let all the neighbors see (and comment, if they are so inclined). Then I will probably take him to the gallery in Eagle. I would like to see the patina start developing before he goes...Who knows...maybe I will keep him around for the holidays; might have to put some lights on him :)

A Lovely Fall Day at Home

What a perfect day today...some pics from around the house:



Happy Autumn :)

Join us for First Friday in Eagle--Nov. 6th

Join us this Friday: 4-9 pm at Galerie Belle Ame. See my collection of large outdoor sculpture & a nice selection of funky jewelry too! Wine, nibbles, & fun: hope to see you there :)
179 South Eagle Road--parking is available at Albertson's. For more info, please contact the gallery at 938-7342. www.GalerieBelleAme.com

Make sustainability fun!

This website is dedicated to showing that by using fun it's easy to guide people to more sustainable decisions. I personally believe this is very important, positivity and fun are strong drivers for decisons, combined with sustainability this results in more sustainable behaviour and more happy people!

http://www.thefuntheory.com/

I'm on JunkMarket Style

Leafy Sail Sculpture is on the front page of JunkMarket Style :) Check it out at www.junkmarketstyle.com

Amber :)