Sunday, June 24, 2012

Take one broken umbrella ....

Pushed along by Mary Jane and inspired by Fiona I have made a start on creating my Peace Flags for the flags for peace project - 2012. As you can see from the photo below in keeping with my desire to recycle I started with a broken 'rainbow' umbrella'.

©2012 Barry Smith - Potential flags for peace????
Having cut all the ties I ended up with a circle of rainbow and a broken down metal frame.

©2012  Barry Smith - 'Rainbow' fabric
©2012 Barry Smith - Umbrella skeleton
Then came the testing part - cutting the rainbow circle into pennants and hanging cords.

©2012 Barry Smith - From rainbow circle to flags
But that paid dividends as I was rewarded with a colourful string of pennants and strings.

©2012 Barry Smith - Peace flags in the making
©2012 Barry Smith - Once was an umbrella - a splash of colour
The next part of course is to reinforce the top and print on the individual flags. But it was a good project for wintery wet days on our mountain. And it didn't involve hammering metal.

11 comments:

  1. I love this! The girls have rainbow umbrellas...which aren't broken and so will continue live as umbrellas rather than be transformed. Wonder what it would take to get the girls to break them...? Bad mommy, I know.

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  2. J- you really made me laugh - bad mommy indeed.; but I will keep my eyes peeled in case a rainbow turns up on your post!!! Go well. B

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  3. B, it never ceases to amaze me how you can take the simplest materials that most people would toss away as broken and of no real use, and give them a second life as something perhaps even more beautiful. I can imagine your pennants whispering in the breeze saying "once I was an umbrella, made for one purpose, and when I could no longer serve that purpose, they threw me away. Then I met Barry, and now I can do and be anything - and live forever."

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  4. I could do with a bit of colour on this gloomy morning. THanks Barry.

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  5. nothing more suitable than a rainbow colour scheme for a suite of peace flags; I am so glad you are back to creating, posting, commenting! I wish every day is a better day in all respects.
    Warmest greetings from New York!

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  6. What a great idea Barry! I'm wondering what you will use the umbrella skeleton for.

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  7. I am sure these pieces bring much needed color into your weather as we are moving into summer and you are moving into winter.. can't wait to see the finished flag.

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  8. Brilliant, Barry, what a lovely line of flags. Now, when you get back to hammering metal, I wonder what the discarded ribs will become?

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  9. that turned out magically gorgeous!

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  10. TT/G, JM, AM, R, D, C &TL - thank you for responding positively to the colour of the discarded. TT/G- loved the story you created about the umbrella - made me smile. AM - thanks the well wishes - getting back into it - can't quite do the sustained or heavier metal beating yet. R&C - I knew as soon as I posted there would be the challenge about the frame - now I can't but respond??? D- colour in our bleak water days is most welcome. TL - colour magic!!! Go well all. B

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  11. Fabulous....the process and the line of beautiful flags! Bravo, Barry!!!

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Comments are welcomed - it is good to connect with fellow travellers.