Re-cylced Handcrafted

LABOUR OF LOVE:

Each item you see on my website is hand crafted and often it took me (and other people) hours if not days to design and make these lamps and other items. I do not claim them as unique since other people have done similar concepts and may even improve on the techniques I am using. If you are interested on how it is done, please do not hesitate to contact me.

 

BUSINESS HISTORY:

EllieD re-cycling has been an idea since2005 when I started collecting bottletops on the polluted beaches in Sea Point, Cape Town and created my first bottle top curtain that still hangs at my brother-in laws office door.

Leaving the corporate world and moving to a remote area of the Western Cape, South Africa in 2006 left me without a car and I started hich hiking; collecting bottle tops along the road once again. My first beaded curtain was created! The lamps became my passion of an abandoned project by my partner, who for a while made lamps from tins. I picked up the concept and developed more complex patterns and designs.

 

TODAY:

The local supermarket, hostels and some of my friends collect bottle tops and tin cans for EllieD. I also visit a re-cycling project in Cape Town for materials. I train- and supervise a wonderful woman from the local community, who helps me with my projects.

 

FUTURE PLANS:

My aim is to train & empower more people in the area of beading, punching tins and other creative work. I do not believe in employment, but rather have woman and men work from their homes and workshops. This will enable me to concentrate on new design- ideas, advertising and distribution.

In the bigger picture I want to create awareness of our "wasteful" life styles, that do not actually serve us any longer. Even Re-cylcing is not enough- the only solution is to use less plastic in our lifes- re- use it and waste less!