Tiffany Threadgould: Turning glass bottles into lovely vases

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[Background on, & press coverage of, Unconsumption can be found here and here.]

Consumption is a word used to describe acts of acquisition – generally, the acquisition of things, in exchange for money.

Unconsumption is a word used to describe everything that happens after an act of acquisition.

Unconsumption is an invisible badge.

Unconsumption means the accomplishment of properly recycling your old cellphone, rather than the guilt of letting it sit in a drawer.

Unconsumption means the thrill of finding a new use for something that you were about to throw away.

Unconsumption means the pleasure of using a service like Freecycle (or Craigslist, Goodwill, or Salvation Army) to find a new home for the functioning DVD player you just replaced, rather than throwing it in the garbage.

Unconsumption means enjoying the things you own to the fullest – not just at the moment of acquisition.

Unconsumption means the pleasure of using a pair of sneakers until they are truly worn out – as opposed to the nagging feeling of defeat when they simply go out of style.

Unconsumption means feeling good about the simple act of turning off the lights when you leave the room.

Unconsumption is not about the rejection of things, or the demonization of things. It’s not a bunch of rules.

Unconsumption is an idea, a set of behaviors, a way of thinking about consumption itself from a new perspective.

Unconsumption is free.

CONTRIBUTORS:

Founder & Editor: Rob Walker, journalist, Savannah, GA

Editorial & Community Manager: Molly Block, marketing and business development geek, Houston, TX

Brian W. Jones, designer & writer, Göteborg, Sweden

Kashvi Kumar, Environmental Studies and Economics major at New York University

Deirdre Nelson, ever threading artist, Glasgow, Scotland

Shanna Trenholm, writer. catalyst. force of nature. San Diego, CA

* * *

Alumnus & Unconsumption logo creator: Clifton Burt, graphic designer, Portland, OR

Further information about Unconsumption can be found here.

3:17 pm - Mon, May 9, 2011: 7 notes

Tiffany Threadgould: Turning glass bottles into lovely vases

Earlier today we announced we’d be sharing the things that Tiffany Threadgould, author of the (awesome!) new book ReMake It! Recycling Projects From The Stuff You Usually Scrap, made, incorporating the Unconsumption logo.

Here’s the first one: A pair of glass bottles remade into lovely vases after having been etched with glass etching cream. The brown glass is an empty container of vanilla, and the clear one (with tulips) was a bottle of kombucha.

Tiffany says:

To make your own glass etched project of Mr. Cart or your own design, you’ll need a glass jar, electrical tape or vinyl sticker paper, scissors or a craft knife, glass etching cream like Etchall, and a paintbrush.

Create your design on your glass with the vinyl tape. Any area that is masked off with the tape will not be etched, so keep the positive and negative space in mind as you’re creating your design. Once your design is taped on, follow the directions on the etching cream for application.

Most etching creams take about 15 minutes to set. Once the cream is set, wash it off and you have a new-to-you glass jar with your own personalized design.

It’s clearly a great way to remake old glass jars into personalized creations.

Happy ReMaking!

For complete instructions, see Project Number 88 in ReMake It! Recycling Projects From The Stuff You Usually Scrap.

And if you’re inspired to create your own reuses of our logo, post a picture on our Facebook wall. Maybe we’ll feature it here on the flagship blog! Help build the Uncollection!