Vacuum tubes and the Green Green Earth!

I am quick to step up and do my best to recycle/upcycle/minimize my carbon footprint…I just don’t do it in the conventional way! Does that surprise you? What true red.neck does ANYTHING in the conventional way? I have to say I’m not willing to be the first…well, maybe a little bit, but…

Vacuum tubes! What are those you might ask?

“An electron tube from which all air has been removed. The vacuum ensures transparency inside the tube for electric fields and moving electrons. Most electron tubes are vacuum tubes; cathode-ray tubes, which include television picture tubes and other video display tubes, are the most widely used vacuum tubes. In other electronic applications, vacuum tubes have largely been replaced by transistors”… thefreedictionary.com

My definition? Nothin’ but boxes and boxes o’ fun!!! (How cool is this pendant?)

I am lucky enough to have discovered my OWN boxes and boxes o' fun readily available in the back of my Step-Dad’s store! whee hee!!! The wonderful tube man laughs and shakes his head as I wander out with my hands full…but I’m used to that, so no worries! Sometime remind me to tell you about daring my older brother to back my Mom’s very large station wagon out into the busiest street in town…

This lovely sign (watch for another post about this photographer (Robby Virus) coming your way soon!) is the only witness to that crime…oh – and the sign that guards and protects my boxes o’ fun (and has done so for over 50 years - the tubes were just waiting for me to catch up)!!! Not only are the tubes the most inspiring pieces of...

Well… Glass. But the boxes are chock full of vintage/retro graphics, so it’s a double-dose of fun for a red.neck such as myself! I have a few ideas of my own for things to create – but I thought I would hunt around for some more inspiration! This is what I found…

Here is a clock…is this like the ship in the bottle? Or, if you are a red.neck – the John Deere in the bottle?

And this chess set – I’m not a chess player, but this might get me started! Or not...but I could pretend right?

And this…THIS MASTERPIECE has made me the best knot tyin’ red.neck in the state of Texas. I’m knot kidding…78 fishin’ knots, 78 buttons, 78 drops of silicone glue, 78 fishin’ swivels…

And one rusty (yup, I clear coated that oh-so-perfect layer of rust) bicycle rim…what do you get? A few blisters and a totally red.neck chandelier! Fun, right? I mean it…boxes and boxes o’ fun, right at my knot tyin’ finger tips!

This interesting uh-uhm, lovely chandelier found a new home in less than a week (whoo hoo!!! And I DO so hope it is loved!) so now I have to create a different one! What should I use as the chandelier base? Any suggestions? As I type I am visually perusing my vast pile of junk…lamp shade, colander, some wire something, vintage scroll napkin holder…whatcha’ think? And…are you busy on Wednesday night, Thursday night and Friday night? I’m knot kidding…

And since we are in the recycling/upcycling mood...lets talk Green…

Audrey with Audrey’s Country Crafts has honored me with a wonderful award for blogs promoting "Green"! YAY! Thank You Audrey!!!

I met Audrey when she had me featured on her blog a couple of months ago! Have you been to visit her? Her blog is so neat! It started out as a place to promote her shop (and a wonderful shop it is!) and what she makes, but it has evolved into a place to promote other shops and things happening in her life! The only rules are to mention the blog that gave the award (thank you again Audrey!) and to pass it on to blogs that promote recycling, and offer "Green" tips on their blogs. Now – this is where it gets super-duper fun! (did I just say super-duper? the retro vacuum tubes could be affecting me...)

I am a member of the Junk Revolution community and I want to pass this along to each and every junk collectin’, crafty, junk-aholic, dumpster divin’, curb side watchin’, paint stained shirt wearin’, trash-to-treasure magician on that site…blog or no blog! I have such a ball over there in the community and log off each day with achy sides from laughing so hard and a head full of ideas! So to all of my friends at Junk Revolution – this award is for you! Post it on your blog, or just walk around grinning ‘cause I award YOU my junkin’ family!

That’s it for now! I’m off to tie the knot… approximately 78 of them…

Comin' to you LIVE from a single-wide...hee-hee

:-) robelyn