Annie completed her BA in sculpture and math from Davidson College in North Carolina, and received a Thomas J Watson Foundation Fellowship to travel independently for twelve months studying fashion and textiles. From Indonesia to Japan, India to Uganda and Tanzania, she worked with village women, dove through sprawling second-hand markets and explored fashion in the world’s biggest cities and smallest towns. The scope of her studies took her from preparing plants for organic dyes to exploring the factories that produce clothing for brand name stores.
Much of Annie’s inspiration comes from common or unwanted materials whose wide availability sparked her interest in recycling materials six years ago. Now she transforms repurposed clothing into sculpture for solo exhibitions and larger installations. Her work catches attention including that of trend forecasting companies in New York and private collectors on the east coast. Annie looks forward to blogging about her experiences and showing you how to create fabulous projects (clothing, jewelry and beyond) with materials from Goodwill.
Annie currently designs and makes clothing and accessories (and dances like-a-fool) in Charlottesville, Virginia. To learn more and to see Annie's projects visit: www.artemmink.com
I’ve noticed recently that more and more companies are playing with the surface treatment of their jeans. Bleach treatments in particular can make unique urban prints that are easy and inexpensive to do yourself. Bleach allows you to take an uninspiring pair jeans from Goodwill and turn them into one-of-a-kind, high-end denim over night.
Topics: upcycle, Upcycling, Upcycling Expert, Annie Temmink
Pins can bring humor to your style without a lot of effort or over-the-top costuming. You can be playful and particularly for guys, this is a great way to stand out and show everyone how interesting and unusual you are.
Topics: upcycle, Upcycling, Upcycling Expert, Annie Temmink
St. Patrick’s Day is next Monday (March 17th)! The day was typically observed by those of Irish descent and the Catholic Church to commemorate the start of Christianity in Ireland. Now St. Patrick’s Day seems like an excuse to wear green and pinch your forgetful friends. Regardless of your reasons for celebrating, holidays provide a great opportunity to try something new. This year, try dying basic white clothes from Goodwill green! You’ll have as much fun wearing your new, green clothing as you will pinching those unfortunate people who forgot.
Topics: St. Patrick's Day, Upcycling Expert, Annie Temmink
You will need:
Topics: upcycle, Upcycling, Upcycling Expert, Annie Temmink
Groups like STOMP and the Landfill Harmonic have shown us that you don’t need much to make beautiful music. Both groups use trash and common objects to make fantastic rhythms and percussive sounds. They show that anything you can hit with a stick or brush against something else will make a noise, and with a little creativity you can turn that sound into something performance worthy.
Topics: Upcycling Expert, Annie Temmink
Want to add sparkle and color to your Valentine’s Day get-up without spending a lot of money? Easy! Go to Goodwill for a fun pair of heels and give them Wizard-of-Oz worthy opulence with acrylic paint and glitter.
Topics: upcycle, Valentine's Day, Upcycling Expert, Annie Temmink
Valentine’s Day can be divisive, but this year make it collaborative! Instead of giving a coupon book, make an activity book to share with your significant other or friends.
Topics: Upcycling, Upcycling Expert, Annie Temmink
I never thought I would find a good reason to buy artificial flowers, until I realized that fake flowers are just like Legos. Don’t believe me? Take a look at the components: stems, buds, and connectors. They use a simple snap-on snap-off connection to make a wide range of life-like flowers. With these parts you can mix and match the variety of fake flowers you find at Goodwill to make exquisite hybrid, mutant flowers that are more fantastical than anything you would find on the shelf. There’s no need to buy new artificial flowers when you have such a great selection at a fraction of the cost available at Goodwill. Cook up your own flower varietals!
Topics: Upcycling, Upcycling Expert, Annie Temmink
January is a good month to rid your closets of unnecessary gadgetry and reassess your essentials. Consider the kitchen. Regardless of what you think the essential tools may be, I have compiled a list of seven unessential kitchen items that you can happily remove from your drawers without a second thought. By donating these non-essentials to Goodwill you’re giving yourself extra living space and also providing great up-cycling source material for your local (and friendly) artists!
Topics: upcycle, Upcycling, Upcycling Expert, Annie Temmink
It’s 2014. Despite your resolutions to be more eco-friendly, I predict you will continue forgetting your reusable bags with the same frequency you always have. Don’t despair. You’ll never have to face the shame of showing up bag-less if you stock up on long sleeve t-shirts from Goodwill. All it takes to be green this year is a little ingenuity.
Topics: re-usable bags, Upcycling, Upcycling Expert, Annie Temmink
