Art from Recycled Materials

Lately I've been really interested in combining art and recycling. My first years last year made hats from recycled materials (the photos are on the blog) and they turned out incredibly well. Sometimes creating things and making art can be an expensive process, so I think being able to use found items or stuff that you have lying around at home is a really brilliant way of making something unique without having to spend a lot of money on materials.
I was recently at a festival in Westmeath where all the art was made from 'junk', and the effect was fantastic - stars made from tissue and twigs, umbrellas as a colourful hanging installation, cd's as personalised tree decorations - the possibilities of using recycled materials are endless and the results speak for themselves.
Finding a new way of looking at the junk you have lying around the house, being a bit creative with everyday objects, as well as knowing you're actually recycling as you do it! With the recession it's all the more pertinent, and more and more people are looking for ways to re-use, recycle and spend a bit of money. So if you're sitting at home with nothing to do, you've no excuse! Get making!!