39 of 39 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Cool and "Green" Reference Book, October 26, 2009
This review is from: 1000 Ideas for Creative Reuse: Remake, Restyle, Recycle, Renew (1000 Series) (Paperback)
Thinking that it was a "how-to" book, I ordered this book based on my artist friend's recommendation. Instead, it turned out to be more of a photo-gallery type reference book. As I was going through the book, the wonderful memories of inspirational and mind-expanding visit to the Portland Museum of Contemporary Crafts (Oregon), Museum of Art & Design (New York), American Craft Council Fair (alternate crafts section) at Fort Mason (San Francisco, CA) came to my mind.
In every visit, I was fascinated and amazed with how ordinary or found materials can be repurposed, recycled, or even re-manufactured into an entirely different entity. I saw several of them again in this book, and from the same book, many more examples of material reuse from many different categories were shown: fashion, home accessories, book arts, mixed media, and interiors.
Each photo (1,000 of them) has a number and the name of the artisan. If one wants to know what materials were used, one will have to find it in the image directory at the end of the book using the number as the index. However, the image directory is a bit confusing and difficult to read because it was not in the expected columnar format.
Despite the shortcomings of the book's layout design and the misleading title, I have found it to be inspirational as it enables me to come up with more ideas for what I can use with my own found materials. And if I need more information, I can look up a list of resources in this book.
Overall, I find this book to be a good sourcing tool for scouts who are looking for exceptional or "green" items to be sold in crafts fairs, galleries or other retail venues. It is also an excellent idea-generating tool for those who want to create, design or maintain a "green" lifestyle by either recycling with found materials or buying the handcrafted objects from the artisans.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Lots of Inspiration, November 19, 2009
This review is from: 1000 Ideas for Creative Reuse: Remake, Restyle, Recycle, Renew (1000 Series) (Paperback)
This book is a collection of 1000 artfully photographed items, all made from something else. The photos run the gamut from fine art to functional objects, clothes to accessories. It is a beautiful book and fun and inspirational to look at. I found myself reopening the book over and over as there is so much to see and be inspired by. This is a must for all who create and enjoy recycled art and craft.
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20 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Not what I expected, November 23, 2009
This review is from: 1000 Ideas for Creative Reuse: Remake, Restyle, Recycle, Renew (1000 Series) (Paperback)
I bought this book expecting a "how-to" book to do the 1000 projects, but this is not the case. It is, however, full of some very creative and extravagant art projects that are amazing. If you would like to know what they are made of, you have to search the resource info. in the back of the book. I find that to be distracting and would rather read about it on the same page as the picture. If you want a book to learn how to reuse, remake, restyle, this is not for you. If I had known just how over the top these projects were, I don't think I would have bought this book. I feel these are more for the serious artist than the person who likes to do re-purposing type projects, like me. It is a very good book, just not what I expected.
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