Archive for July, 2010
Bottled water legal again in Concord, Mass.
Tuesday, July 13th, 2010
Remember that Town Meeting in Concord, Mass., where citizens voted to ban bottled water? It turns out residents didn't have the authority to make that decision, so bottled water sales are legal again in Concord. That's the story from the...
China moves full speed toward EVs
Tuesday, July 13th, 2010
After decades of R&D -- but little commercial progress -- the world seems to be on the cusp of a green car revolution. And the market that's moving the fastest just might be China. Yang Jian, managing editor of Automotive...
Jackson Browne: Humans are slobs
Monday, July 12th, 2010
Singer-songwriter Jackson Browne has long had a political streak, and today he made headlines in the U.K. for comments about bottled water. Browne has a column on the Daily Mail's website titled "I Blame bottled water for the oil spill!"...
Friendly Contradictions by Mylene Hillam
Sunday, July 11th, 2010Last weekend, I got to spend a whole day at the Bead and Gem Show in Brisbane and I can't tell you how much of a treat it was. I love talking to people who share my passion for beads, findings and stringing materials. It was such a pleasant way to spend my day off.
But of course, I didn't go to the show just to chat to people.... I was on a shopping mission! I found a whole range of great tools for my jewellery studio - tools which I didn't even know that I needed until I saw them! But as they say, you can never have too many tools and I promise that I will play and experiment with them. No doubt they will add another dimension to my work.
Amongst the wonderful array of beads and findings on display, I was hoping to find some glass pearls and crystal dangles to suit one of my marbled Friendly Plastic cutouts but I left it behind in my studio - not very helpful!
It's really hard to "remember" exactly how a colour looks and our minds play funny tricks on us. We remember it as being darker or lighter or sometimes we pick the wrong tone altogether. Colour matching from memory is something I don't recommend - too often I have come home with the wrong colour beads, despite having a good sense of colour. But this time my memory got it right - light olive pearls and dark olive crystals in just the right shade!
I've teamed them with a vintage-inspired brass chain and an unusual cameo, both from Vintage Groove by Making Memories.
Lady Olivine
I love how this piece is so contradictory - it is neither modern nor vintage..... and yet, it is both! The colours are modern and yet they're not; the cameo is vintage and yet it's not. Contradictions!
This is one of the wonderful things about Friendly Plastic; add a bit of sparkle and it will complement the bright metallic foil. Or tone it down with some aged brass and it works equally as well. Or do as I've done with Lady Olivine and use them together to create a modern vintage effect.
Happy creating!

But of course, I didn't go to the show just to chat to people.... I was on a shopping mission! I found a whole range of great tools for my jewellery studio - tools which I didn't even know that I needed until I saw them! But as they say, you can never have too many tools and I promise that I will play and experiment with them. No doubt they will add another dimension to my work.
Amongst the wonderful array of beads and findings on display, I was hoping to find some glass pearls and crystal dangles to suit one of my marbled Friendly Plastic cutouts but I left it behind in my studio - not very helpful!
It's really hard to "remember" exactly how a colour looks and our minds play funny tricks on us. We remember it as being darker or lighter or sometimes we pick the wrong tone altogether. Colour matching from memory is something I don't recommend - too often I have come home with the wrong colour beads, despite having a good sense of colour. But this time my memory got it right - light olive pearls and dark olive crystals in just the right shade!
I've teamed them with a vintage-inspired brass chain and an unusual cameo, both from Vintage Groove by Making Memories.
Lady OlivineThis is one of the wonderful things about Friendly Plastic; add a bit of sparkle and it will complement the bright metallic foil. Or tone it down with some aged brass and it works equally as well. Or do as I've done with Lady Olivine and use them together to create a modern vintage effect.

Offbeat plastics headline of the day
Thursday, July 8th, 2010
Let's start a semi-regular feature, Offbeat plastics headline of the day. The first winner: "Local Man Almost Killed By Plastic Salad Fork," comes from Dallas/Forth Worth CBS 11. There's no army of plastic cutlery roaming the streets of Dallas, looking...
US Army rebuilds Iraqi pipe plant
Wednesday, July 7th, 2010
Here's a plastics angle to the rebuiliding effort in Iraq, courtesy of the US Army's Digital Video and Imagery Distribution System: Troops in Maysan, in southern Iraq, are working to rebuild a PVC pipe plant. The story, "Plastics Factory to...
Think snow: Penn College seniors design ice scrapers
Tuesday, July 6th, 2010
With temperatures in much of the United States near 100 F, here's a story to help you think cool thoughts. Three Pennsylvania College of Technology students recently completed a project to design and manufacture injection molded ice scrapers that bear...
Friendly Plastic on Cool2Craft Live Monday
Sunday, July 4th, 2010
You can do ALOT with a little Friendly Plastic. Watch LIVE as Linda Peterson demonstrates how to make a cool - beach themed pendant with bits and pieces of Friendly Plastic on Cool2Craft Live
Monday - 12 eastern (GMT -6:00)
Linda Peterson is compensated and endorsed by AMACO. The guests features may or may not have any affiliation with AMACO.
Monday - 12 eastern (GMT -6:00)
Linda Peterson is compensated and endorsed by AMACO. The guests features may or may not have any affiliation with AMACO.
New VIDEO! Friendly Plastic Bits and Pieces
Thursday, July 1st, 2010
If you've been working with Friendly Plastic for a while, you've probably accumulated quite a lot of bits and pieces. The good news is there is NO WASTE in Friendly Plastic. This video gives you a quick creative idea on how to utilize those tiny bits and pieces. Enjoy!
Marbles can be purchased in the floral department of most major craft stores.
Friendly Plastic classes are available online at www.crafTECHUniversity.com at convenient times. No matter where you are in the world, you can take a class in real time. Recorded classes are also available for purchase.
Linda Peterson is compensated and endorsed by AMACO. The guests features may or may not have any affiliation with AMACO.
Marbles can be purchased in the floral department of most major craft stores.
Friendly Plastic classes are available online at www.crafTECHUniversity.com at convenient times. No matter where you are in the world, you can take a class in real time. Recorded classes are also available for purchase.
Linda Peterson is compensated and endorsed by AMACO. The guests features may or may not have any affiliation with AMACO.
Plastic bags: Untapped tax gold mine?
Thursday, July 1st, 2010
Washington, D.C., has generated more than $1 million in revenue to date from its 6-month-old tax on plastic and paper bags. The Christian Science Monitor reports that Washington collected about $150,000 from the 5-cent-per-bag tax in January -- the first...
