Works for Me Wednesdays

We all love the idea of recycling, and for me it has become something that I strive to do both in my work and personal life. A lot of the jewelry concepts I've developed revolve around the need to recycle, reuse, and rethink what might originally be thought of as "trash" or unusable (glass "shards" and scraps of silver) and I strive to carry that over into my personal life as well.

Lets face it though, sometimes recycling can be hard. It is hardly ever convenient, especially if you live in a town like mine where, for whatever reason, recycling glass has not caught on. To give Florence credit, they have a wonderful curbside pickup program where all you have to pay is $6.00 for your bin and that is it. No monthly fees. No anything. You put the bin out on trash day, full of your recycle-ables (cardboard, newspaper, plastic, cans), but NOT glass. There isn't even a facility in our county where glass can be dropped off. If you are intent on recycling glass you have to drive a county over and use their facility, which is about an hour away. And for me that is just a bit too much. (Props to the people I know who DO hoard glass and make the trek to Athens.)

What I choose to do instead is reuse. I am not a fan of the energy it takes to recycle items in the traditional way (melt 'em down and reform them) so if I can find a use for something, I will. Bottles have been a bit more of a challenge (more on that in another post) but jars are pretty straightforward...clean them up and use them as storage. I have a riverglass collection and a shell collection, both of which are always growing, so spaghetti jars automatically have a new life once their sauce is gone. Jars also make great pencil holders, paintbrush receptacles, or even drinking glasses (hey, I do live in the South...mason jars, anyone?).

However, and this is the true point of this post, getting that sticky glue gunk off glass is enough to make you want to throw the whole thing out! Washing with simple soap is not enough, and using WD40 (which works) is disgusting as well as hazardous and smelly. I have found the perfect tool though. Ladies and gentlemen, I give to you, Mr. Clean Magic Erasers!

I peel the paper off the jars and put them in the dishwasher to get rid of any residue. Then its time for the Magic Eraser...a little water and elbow grease and the glue comes right off! The Magic Erasers are good for other things too (wall smudges, etc.). I am a big fan of matte wall paint, even in my kitchen, so these guys are handy to have around.

Here's some of my riverglass, waiting to be made into pendants...and being used as sun catchers in the windowsill in the meantime.