Have you ever wondered whatever happened to all of those old tapes people used to have??  Well, it seems like cute little wallets aren’t the only things that really creative people are making out of them!  Check out the work of Brian Dettmer.  It’s absolutely amazing what he’s managed to make from these items that most people would consider a useless relic of the past.  Except for my husband that is.  For whatever reason, he loves old tapes and insists on playing them all the time!

These intricate sculptures are made without any glue or tape to bind them together.  The pieces are made up only of the casette tape case and tape itself in some cases.  The pieces are a metaphor for a dying breed of analog media in an ever increasing digital era.  The thought struck him one day as he saw a dead bird lying on the road.  He pondered the idea that what used to be alive was now irretrivably lost with all that remains was it’s physical, solid form.  The metaphor became a reality in 2005 when he began sculpting the bones of the dead from the dead form of analog.

The skull of the ram shown above is made of altered cassette tapes melted together.  Nothing but the cassette tapes themselves were used in these pieces.  The artist has only revealed that he molds the pieces with wet hands and melted tapes.  The exact process of the art form itself remains a mystery.  I can only begin to imagine the time and energy it has taken to make some of his pieces.

This is especially true for his most intricate sculpture to date.  The skeleton is made up of over 180 individual cassettes.  It is amazingly true to form and instantly recognizable as the human skeletal system.  Mr. Dettmer has made a series of skulls of different themes.  There are 12 in the series with the one shown here being a 80′s metal theme.  Notice that the tape around the skull’s mouth is Motley Crue’s Shout at the Devil.  I too was once called a metal head!  It’s good to see artist’s with a sense of humor as well as the creativity that is required to repurpose everyday items into extraordinary art.  This work is an example of upcycling at it’s finest!

The Etsy shop Londons Gate is jam packed with wonderfully steampunk designs.  Their pieces range from steampunk to gothic to victorian to just plain dark.

Many of their pieces involve the use of watch movements being repurposed into the focal point of the entire piece of jewelry.  They’ve got a fantastic selection of rings available on their site featuring many different kinds of watch movements.  One thing that I really like about this site is that what is pictured is exactly what you receive.  It’s not similar to or like what’s pictured, it really is the actual item.  This means you know exactly what the piece you choose will look like!

They do custom pieces or you can choose from their ever expanding selection available in their store.  I use the term “store” loosely as they claim this is not a business.  Just two young people working together developing their craft!

The pieces are quite affordable as well.  The ring pictured here is priced at $35.  It’s a 17 jewel watch movement attached to a filigree adjustable band.  That’s a steal of a deal for the huge statement that such a piece would make!  The ring prices vary in range but all are extremely budget friendly.

They’ve also got a variety of necklaces, cufflinks and even earrings for sale that utilize various watch movements.  My favorite necklace is the one pictured here with the black flower.  What a stunning accent piece that would look good in everything from casual wear to the office to a beautiful necklace to go with that little black dress.  It uses a vintage watch movement mounted to a vintage silver setting.  The black rose is what really set it off though.

This is definitely an Etsy shop worth checking back into again and again.  It sounds as though items are added almost daily.  They currently have 273 items for sale and I love almost each and every one.  Some of my favorites are the Lolita gothic hair clips that they have available in vintage silver settings.  Absolutely adorable!!  I love the flower designs and the skull designs.  You can even have them made in a different color to match a certain outfit!!

With Valentine’s Day being the next major holiday, I thought I’d share some great, eco-friendly gift ideas for that special someone on your list.  These erotic brooches are literally torn from the pages of used trashy romance novels and repurposed into cheeky pins.  The Etsy seller, rebounddesigns, tells buyers to wear them if they dare!

I love the erotic and retro nude pin-up girl used on the card the brooch is clipped to for sale.  It’s intriguing that the naughty bits of a book is covering the pin-ups naughty bits!  This etsy craft rescues books from dumpsters, yard sales and library sales to make these sexy pins. 

She also makes a line of wallets and purses that re-purposes books in bad condition as well.  These sorts of second life products would make great and original Valentine’s gifts that will declare your love (& desire!) for your special someone as well as your love for the planet.

The brooches come in a range of phrases that are carefully cut from trashed trashy books.  This ensures that the pin you receive is a virtual one of a kind creation which is mounted to wood and varathane to ensure that the pin is protected.  There are pins listed such as “being deep inside”, “slowly stripped off” and “her orgasm hit”.

Check out these cute and functional wallets made from upcycled cassette tapes by Marcella Foschi.  They’re available for $39 on Design Boom and would make a great Christmas gift for all those eco-friendly girls on your Christmas list this year.  Yes, I know that Christmas is still months away but it really does pay off to shop ahead!

Imagine how many of these tapes have been tossed into landfills around the world with the advent of the CD.  There’s probably enough tapes sitting in the garbage to fill all the purses of even a shop-a-holic purse lover!!  These are definitely worth checking out.  As they are each handmade, each one is different.  You could get anything from an Alvin and the Chipmunks cassette to a Slayer cassette to the Beach Boys!  You’ve got to absolutely love something so entirely random…

Thanks for the link Bibi!!  Check out her travelling adventures blog Flash Nomad.  She travels the world with an eye for style, design, grace and elegance with a camera in one hand and a laptop in the other.