Book Necklaces 50 through 60

 Making these 11 necklaces has been a true joy from creating the miniature books, to choosing the "just right" bead or charm, to assembly with chain length and type- I love it!  Although I have met my threshold for now, there may be more Book Necklaces in the months to come. Take a long luxurious look at them, they don’t mind. I know I don’t need to say it- but if you know of a librarian, a book lover, reader, or cool cat that can talk literature- then this may be an optimal gift to give this season.
Peruse and then choose your Book Necklace, go to: http://www.gofundme.com/4lawj8
The number of the necklace corresponds left to right.

Donate and then send me, the artist, a message with your preference!

Book Necklaces 50, 51, 52, 53, and 54
Book 50 was purchased as a gift, yea
Book 51 is now joyfully going to Salem, MA
Book 52 was also purchased as a gift
Book Necklace 54 is going to Iowa.

Book Necklaces 55, 56 and 57

56 is now happily in transit to Salem, MA

Book Necklace 57 is happily being worn in Beverly, MA

Book Necklaces 58, 59 and 60

Book Necklace 58 is traveling in all it's awesomeness to Ohio

Book Necklace 59 is now going to Iowa.

Book Necklace 60 was purchased as a gift, enjoy!

Where do all the materials come from? EXTRAS (extras for creative reuse) READ ON!

 EXTRAS: Extras for Creative Reuse

Many of you know that this year long project has multiple goals, to increase and give form to my own creativity, to be productive daily in an artistic form, and to use the materials that I have been collecting, gathering and housing for more than 10 years. Yes, 10 years. Where, you might wonder, did these materials come from? In 2004 I was introduced to an amazing non-profit organization named EXCL (extras for creative learning) in Dorchester, MA, currently named EXTRAS (extras for creative reuse) located in Lynn, MA. This organization salvages (pick up in a truck) materials from companies that would ordinarily be placed in a landfill, good clean art materials (if you can expand the definition of what you understand to be an art material – which is what art therapists and art educators are especially good at doing, and perhaps you –even if you are neither). EXTRAS has been incredibly inspiring and each of my handmade books has at least one or more material that came from EXTRAS from over the years. I don’t know if I can express how exciting it is to go to their warehouse and see bins, barrels and stacks of potential art materials! Additionally, the mission to keep useable and often beautiful materials out of the landfill is wonderfully motivating as well. Check out their website and blog below. If you are local consider becoming a member- very inexpensive for a wide variety of materials that change and flow and get replenished. Truly it’s a mixed media artists dream come true.

Blog: http://extrasforcreativelearning.blogspot.com/

Website: http://extrasforcreativereuse.org/about.html

“Extras is a clearinghouse that recovers tons of material from being burned or thrown away and redistributes it for creative educational use. You won’t believe all the amazing supplies and products we have available every time you visit. This isn’t junk, it’s terrific materials of all sorts.”

“Our mission is to stimulate creative learning and help children awaken their creative potential in education and play through the use of reusable, recycled, and surplus material.”

Quotes from EXTRAS website.