The Final project to wrap up 09

My last creation of 09: a custom frame for a neighbor; it's a surprise gift for his wife's birthday :) We are going to deliver it tonight while they are out for dinner--I hope she likes it! The photo is 2' x 3'; the frame a bit larger...I used lots of scraps of thin sheet in different shapes for texture & interest, without adding a huge amount of weight.

A letter B: for their last name :) & a few pieces of cable for silver sparkle....

A little detail for the bottom of the frame; a key, a crystal heart, & a little bottle: to be filled with family mementos and/or notes.

And, a set of matching candle sconces :)

My fav. part: a copper vase with some aluminum skwiggle sticks :) This was a fun project & I'm really happy with how it came out. We mounted the photo & glass already; it looks even better with the pic! Will post more pics of the final install....

Happy New Year; looking forward to more fun projects in 2010. Already in the works: a park project for the City of Boise, some giant steel vases for a collector in Spokane, new jewelry creations, more treasure hunting, & a trip to Italy (more on that later).

Amber

S'more Romantic Jewelry; preview pics :)

Made a few more pieces of jewelry over the holiday; here's some preview pics. I'll be listing them on my Esty shop this week--prices range from $52.50 to $72.50 :) Little fuses: so cute :)

This one looks rather vampire-ish to me....

Old brass hotel key--this is the last of these keys: they went fast!

And a meter gauge, with crystals of course :)

The Reuseum: Treasures & Oddities & Surplus Fun!

We finally made it down to Garden City to check out the Reuseum in it's new location: OMG--what a cool place!! The space is much larger, with everything organized & priced; husband & I spent hours there wandering through the aisles & looking at all the cool stuff. There is everything from military surplus: camo pants & shirts, gas masks, clean suits: a nice selection of lab glass, every conceivable electronics part you could every wish for, computers & computer parts, radios, and so much more.....

The place is packed with all sorts of industrial tidbits & oddities: the possibilities for creating are endless....

There are even some useful housewares; including stainless steel measuring cups & mixing bowls, all kinds of storage bins & little boxes, scales, test tubes, peitri (?) dishes, etc...

The selection of lab glass is very interesting; makes me want to turn my kitchen into a laboratory, mwha ha ha ha!

This is my selection of goodies: got some tiny bottles for jewelry, little round glass disks, some nifty industrial stickers, a bunch of test tubes (don't know what I'll be doing with them, but I couldn't resist!), a bunch of tiny light bulbs & fuses for jewelry making, & a bunch of little plastic dishes: for organizing all my loot....

And; my fav treasure of the day; this glass laboratory thingy----so cool!!
I added the colored water just for fun; was also thinking it would make the coolest terrarium ever....

Also brought home a selection of these glass measuring tube things, too much fun!

And these things! Some sort of vacuum tube type things: the bigger is about 3.5 inches tall; love it!And here are all my new treasures displayed on the mantel :) A nice addition to the big letter T (see the last post) I think the glitter & gears go well with the laboratory treasures; what do you think???

The Reuseum is located in Garden City: 108 W 33rd Street. Check out the website for hours, classes, & events: http://www.reuseum.com/

Amber

Big Letters & Glitter

What a find! At the scrap yard a few weeks back, I came across a bin of old sign letters: had to get some :) Purple: hmmmm....well, that can be fixed. They're big too; 13 inches tall and 3 inches deep: perfect for sitting on a shelf or hanging on a wall. So, I gathered up an armful of them, and as usual, got a lot of funny looks from the guys who work the scrap yard: after weighing in my loot & paying, I filled the back of husband's car with old dirty purple letters.

I chose a T to experiment on: decided to glitter-ize it: I thought my fireplace mantel could use a bit of sparkle to go with the chains & rusty steel :) I think it turned out great---love the way it looks silhouetted against the lighter colored wall. Also added a couple other little Ts that I had in a bucket of scraps....Husband doesn't quite know what to think about the glitter, but that's ok....

The rest of the letters are listed on my Etsy shop, if you want one to play with---$15 each. Already sold the A (it got shipped out the Sweden yesterday) and the other T. Still have: S, L, I, & H (2).

Too much fun; I'm already thinking about what else I could do with them in my house; or adding them into some fun wall mounted sculpture for the outside. Will be going on the hunt for more today :)

Amber

Frosty Morning

Cold & frosty this morning....hoping for snow for Christmas :)

Amber

Emerald City: The sustainable eco-polis of the future

Emerald city is a collection of the world’s most innovative buildings, utilities and initiatives into one imaginary eco-topia. CNNGO.com published this article were they looked for the best of what already exists or is in development, and integrated them in one city. This project, apart from giving a nice view to a possible sustainable future, serves also as a good list of "state of the art" in sustainability. It includes at least 22 categories of innovations and initiatives, among which: industrial ecology, smart grid, renewable energy, recycling, urban farming, and much more.

Read more: Welcome to Emerald City, sustainable eco-polis of the future! | CNNGo.com

New Romantic Jewelry Collection

I'm very excited about a new line of jewelry I just started on; finished up the first pieces this weekend. Much more romantic & detailed than my normal jewelry; these are a lot of fun! They still have some of my industrial accents, like tiny lightbulbs, little fuses, & other bits & pieces, but done in a much more feminine way. Check out the pics:
There are some pieces of old jewelry that have been recycled into new designs, lots of freshwater pearls, old rhinestones, & of course old keys.... This one is my fav. of the moment; love the old crystal & the little lock :)

Can't get enough old keys :) This one too! An old hotel key; love all the details on the key itself!

See more pics & prices on my Etsy shop at http://www.etsy.com/shop/REFINERII.
Stay tuned; more to come :)
Amber

Holiday Open House Tonight!! Galerie Belle Ame in Eagle

Now available: a huge collection of funky jewelry on display at Galerie Belle Ame in Eagle. Recycled hardware, tiny light bulbs, gears, fuses, old keys, computer parts, & more--all adorned with sparkling Austrian crystals, pearls, & fun metal accents.The perfect stocking stuffer: what gal wouldn't love a pair of "gearrings" with glittering crystals???

Custom orders are welcome: got an old key with special memories or some other little tidbit? There is still time to have it transformed into a wear-able work of art for someone special; more details available at the gallery, or contact me by email :) Holiday Open House--tonight: stop in for a look at the new jewelry collection & enjoy snacks & hot cocoa. 5-8:30. 179 South Eagle Road: parking is available across the street at Albertsons. For more info, contact Melissa at 208-938-1342 or visit the website at: http://www.galeriebelleame.com/ The gallery is also home to a collection of my larger steel creations; outside on the patio.....the biggest--the Machine--is 15 feet tall!! Created from salvaged steel, cable, pulleys, & an antique wheel from a printing press--this one must be seen in person :)

Hope to see you there tonight!!

Amber

IS/EID/EIN Track at the Sustainable Development Conference, Hong Kong 2010‏‏‏‏‏

Call for Papers: Sustainable Communities with - not despite - Industry: Industrial Symbiosis & Eco-industrial Development / Networking

The 16th Annual
International Sustainable Development Research Conference
Hong Kong, 30 May – 1 June, 2010
www.kadinst.hku.hk/sdconf10/indexin.html

“A New Agenda for Global Governance”

Track: Sustainable communities with - not despite - industry: industrial symbiosis & eco-industrial development / networking

Chaired by:
Abhishek Agarwal, Aberdeen Business School, The Robert Gordon University, UK: a.agarwal@rgu.ac.uk
Ms Tracy Casavant, President, Eco-Industrial Solutions, Canada: tracy@ecoindustrial.ca
Professor Yong Un Ban, Chungbuk National University, Korea: byubyu@cbu.ac.kr
Professor Geng Yong, Chair Professor on Circular Economy and Industrial Ecology, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China: gengyong@iae.ac.cn

Overview

The last two decades have seen an ever increasing interest in Industrial Symbiosis (IS) / Eco-industrial Development (EID) / Eco-industrial Networking (EIN) by policy makers, industry leaders and academics alike. This has led to the implementation of IS programmes and development of eco-industrial parks / networks in many countries.

In attempting to encourage the adoption of industrial ecology (IE) principles such planned initiatives by Government have been supported by the use of a range of ‘new’ environmental policy instruments, with many reported corporate and environmental success stories to date. In addition to government policy and programmes, multi-stakeholder efforts have played a key role in the development of IS/EID/EIN initiatives. This provides a rich area of research, especially in examining the performance of such policy instruments, cross-sectoral partnerships and governance around IS/EID/EIN initiatives, and associated corporate strategies and programmes utilised by the international business community in contributing to broader Sustainable Development aspirations.

This Track seeks to attract high quality papers which aim to be both critical and reflective of recent IS/EID/EIN projects and policy initiatives around the globe. This is important for those of us who are keen to see IE/IS as a meaningful concept in the pursuit of sustainability rather than merely a public relations exercise for Government, Facilitators and Corporate Actors. Both theoretical and empirical papers are welcome, either in full or developmental form, in the following areas:
• Government Policy and Programmes to promote IS/EID/EIN:
- The Performance of New Environmental Policy Instruments e.g. Regulation, Market-based Instruments, and Voluntary Codes of Conduct
- Government involvement in promoting IS/EID/EIN initiatives
- Government-supported education and outreach
- Development of Performance Evaluation Indicators for Eco-industrial Parks/Networks
• Regional multi-stakeholder efforts to promote industrial sustainability
- Cross-sectoral partnerships and governance for IS/EID/EIN
- Regional government and other stakeholders’ role in the development of IS/EID/EIN initiatives
- Role of facilitators in IS/EID/EIN initiatives and success of the facilitation process
- Planning and development of eco-industrial parks / networks; land use planning
- Transformation of existing industrial parks into eco-industrial parks
- Transferability of IS/EID/EIN successful practices from one context (place) to another
• Cases from industry sectors / corporate actors
- IS/EID/EIN success/failure (case studies)
- The impact of IS/EID/EIN initiatives on Corporate / Environmental Performance and regional sustainability
- Reducing ecological / carbon / water footprint using IS/EID/EIN
• Tools and Techniques of IE/IS e.g. internet based resource / by-products matching system
• Evaluation tools and techniques for IS/EID/EIN projects, including environmental impact assessment and life cycle assessment

When submitting your abstract, please categorise it as TRACK “Sustainable communities with - not despite - industry: industrial symbiosis & eco-industrial development / networking” and THEME "Industrial symbiosis, eco-industrial parks and eco-industrial networking and regional sustainability"

Detailed information and link about how to submit an abstract is available at:
http://www.kadinst.hku.hk/sdconf10/abstract_submission.html

In addition to submitting abstract online, please send a copy of abstract by email to a.agarwal@rgu.ac.uk

Deadline for submitting abstracts: December 31, 2009

For further information please contact:
Abhishek Agarwal, Email: a.agarwal@rgu.ac.uk

Publication

Papers (accommodating the discussion at the conference) will be considered for publication in a special issue of a reputed journal.

Even Better than a Christmas Tree....

Yup; I put lights on the sculpture out in the front yard....
Tacky? Perhaps, but it's as close to a tree as we're getting.... No need for ornaments....chain, bolts, & glass do just fine: thank you very much.

Way better than those blow-up Santa's & snowmen; hands down.....

Yes, the neighbors do think I'm crazy (and I seem to keep collecting cats too, 'sigh') :)

Amber

AGC Tradeshow & Gala

Yesterday was the 75th Annual Convention for the Associated General Contractors of Idaho; we arrived downtown at the Boise Center before it was light outside to set up at the trade show. And boy, was it cold outside!! Anyway, after carting all my stuff inside (that was Kevin's job :) we got set up around 7:30 am.

This is my lovely display; check out the big posters; I feel like a rockstar: my own posters & everything... The show went well; we got to meet lots of other AGC members & got to show off the trophies that I made for the awards to be given out later that night. These are the trophies... After the show was over at 1:30, we packed all our stuff up again & headed home to get ready for the big party :) After donning our party attire, husband & I headed back downtown for the Gala & awards presentation...The ice sculpture in the center of the room.The party was lots of fun; there was a silent & live auction with lots of fun things to bid on; I wanted the retro bicycle, but didn't win it: Kevin was going for a micro tool set & a giant RC dump truck, but didn't win those either... I did win one item though....a gift cert. for a tattoo....

Besides chit-chatting with everyone, the funnest part of the event was dressing up :) I wore a ruffle-y black dress--from the Brass Razoo, custom jewelry (that I finished up at midnight the night before), & a tiny hat with a feather! Yep; I couldn't resist when I saw it amongst the other hair accessories in the store. And of course, I had to bring it home & add my own touches to it; including an old necklace for a hat-band, feathers, pears, & some cute little gears :)
My shoes! OMG-these were fun---notice the green toenails to match the feather on my hat.... :)

It was a fun night; we got to meet some really nice people & chat with those we have worked with before. The award trophies looked great & everyone seemed to like them: looking forward to creating something special for next year.

Thanks to Rene, Mark, Molly, Donna, & everyone at the AGC offices for taking us in & making us feel welcome :)

Amber

Interview: Google on Industrial Ecology

Ever wondered what Google "thinks" about Industrial Ecology? Wonder no more. A smart little program called "Google Chat Bot" enables us to discuss with Google!

The program works in the following way: by entering three or four words, the system will search for this sentence at Google, find the next word and print that. Then it will remove the first word of the search string, add the found word and repeat.

By entering the words "Industrial Ecology" followed by a verb, Google continues the sentence letting us know what is the most popular understanding of IE in the web. In the following text, the verb used at each query is written in bold, and the sentence that Google Chat Bot generated is highlighted in red. The sentences are combined in a paragraph for easier reading. Keep in mind that Google is deep in wise and that many times in its answers it uses metaphors or riddles...

Google informs us that Industrial Ecology is inspired by biology but also draws on principles from different individual disciplines. Industrial ecology takes a systems view and enables industrial ecologists to tackle sustainability problems. In order to do that, industrial ecology uses the biological ecosystem as a model and a systems engineering approach for managing complexity.

Industrial Ecology was established on September ("Strategies for Manufacture" was published on September 1989) and has grown quickly in recent years. Google recognises IE's global importance by pointing out that it starts in the very centre of the world, while highlighting its additional role as a learning process.

Industrial Ecology is good for both the natural and the social environment since it gives us a way to save more animals while it lets consumers off the hook. It also benefits the economy since it can pay double dividends for business and it also looks for innovative solutions, thus boosting innovation

Google, referring to the history of Industrial Ecology stated that it had its roots in a religious response to environmental issues (the Gaia hypothesis triggered the emergence of some hippie religious movements). But it also highlighted the difficulties that IE faces in establishing its practices and ideas around the world by saying that IE takes place in a landscape called "a battlefield".

The discussion ended with Google revealing to us that IE is based on the true story of the three little pigs!!!

• For more discussions with Google visit the Google Chat Bot