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Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Recycled Goodness

Some people have the greatest imaginations when it comes to using recycled materials! Pop Culture Rehab uses records, material, scrabble tiles etc. to make some really wonderful items!
*Where are you from? Tell us a bit about yourself.
My name is Dawn Anderson and I'm a Southern girl through and through. I was born and raised in Richmond, VA and have lived here my entire life. I've been married to my best friend and college sweetheart for the past 20 years. I'm a self-proclaimed ADD crafter and have yet to meet a craft I don't like.

*How did you decide on your shop name? Why did you start your business?
My current shop name is very new - it was chosen just this year. A few years ago I started to use recycled materials in my work and in 2008 I decided to only use recycled materials. My former name didn't reflect that which made marketing my business a bit of a challenge. A good friend and fellow craft business owner came up with the name Pop Culture Rehab and it stuck! I started crafting professionally in 2003. Like most of us, I was making items (back then it was diaper cakes) for friends and kept hearing "you should sell these". So I did!

*What got you started in recycling?
I've been recycling my entire life. My family encouraged it with the general homespun philosophy of "use what you have". My mother was a school teacher and always had her kids doing crafts where they could bring the supplies from home which usually meant using something everyone had (jars, newspaper, etc.). I really feel that we all have to be good stewards to the earth. Nature is beautiful and we need to keep it that way.

*What’s your supply addiction; is there a specific color or type of supply you just can’t pass up?
My supply addiction really is trash en masse. I work heavily with my Goodwill Clearance Center. The Center is where all of the items go when they don't sell in our local Goodwill Stores and it is the last step before the landfill. My addiction will be whatever I find there especially if there is a lot of them. I find so much great stuff there I've even opened a recycled craft supply store to help save it and sell it. As far as commercial supplies go, I can't live without The Ultimate Glue by API. It is my go-to adhesive for anything that doesn't need epoxy.

*What motivates or inspires you to create?
I haven't really figured this out yet. I just know I have to create. I even get grumpy when I don't have time in the studio!

*Which item in your shop did you enjoy making the most and why?
Of what's in the shop now, I'd have to say the SCRABBLE Tile Ornaments. The current design was born out of a "smack your head" moment. I as making a previous design and not really liking it. I had the tiles sitting on a holder waiting to be used and just looked over and said "doh! Why not keep them on the tile holder and make that the ornament?!" I love that its something universal and can represent so many good memories to so many folks all over the world.

*Are there other places on the net we can find you?
I'm a little bit of a web junkie so you can find me at the following:
PopCultureRehab.etsy.com
TheBins.etsy.com
PopCultureRehab.com
larkstudio.typepad.com (Blog)
twitter.com/PopCultureRehab

*What is your favorite shop that uses recycled materials, and/or your favorite blog about recycling?
There are so many, it's impossible to pick one! I love any blog or shop that is recycling :)

11 comments:

  1. Great post, thank you for sharing, I love the Record Wall Clock..

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  2. Great find, Audrey! I even love the name.."Pop Culture Rehab..."

    Thanks for sharing!

    My fave is the album journal...

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  3. That's an awesome way to recycle items for sure!

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  4. I love the journal cover!

    I bought some revycled records turned into bowls on etsy. Wonerf where they are???


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  5. I'm a Scrabble junkie and I LOVE the tile ornaments!!!

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  6. Very creative. I just love those scrabble tile ornaments.

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  7. I love those ornaments; they're super cute!!!!!

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  8. Wow, totally unique idea's, Love them all... Thanks for sharing.
    Mel

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  9. Lots of people are making money off of other people's junk too. We have a neighbor who collects cans and turns them into beautiful decorations. They sell their creations in front of their house.

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