Pinning Inspiration #28

For this week's Pinning Inspiration, I want to encourage reusing rubbish, but also thinking outside the box, with 101 Uses For A Tin Can*



* some uses may not be particularly realistic, but that's what the imagination is for :)


001. Tin can
002. Telephone
003. Kick it

004. Plant pot
005. Pen pot
006. Makeup tidy
007. Wind chime
008. Tie on back of newlyweds’ car
009. Part of shelving
010. Tubular pigeon-hole post system
011. Part of a spaceship
012. Emergency shower when washing in the jungle
013. Prison for worms
014. Dumbells
015. Throw it (at some criminal dude’s head, like in Police Academy)
016. Vase
017. Paint pot
018. Receptacle for melting wax
019. Chamber of a supersonic blaster
020. It’s actually a doodlywotsit, a key part of a TARDIS
021. Musical instrument


022. BBQ for bluetits
023. Brazier for rodents
024. Bin for Barbie (Sindy can use it too)
025. A decoration for a window sill
026. Kerplunk
027. Candle holder
028. Use to make sandcastles
029. A Nefertiti hat for a doll
030. Rattle
031. Wrist cuff
032. Charm on an oversized necklace
033. Money box
034. An unusual name sign for a house
035. A bell
036. Eyes for a robot
037. Pawn in a outsize chess set
038. A place to hide secret things
039. Time capsule
040. Bottle/cup holder on beach
041. Art installation
042. Micro-museum for woodlice
043. Stilts
044. Mini umbrella stand
045. Cup



046. Cruet set
047. Earplugs for giants
048. Golf hole
049. Tin coconut (for shy)
050. Vessel for fortune sticks
051. Button box
052. Build a tower to reach the moon
053. A car
054. Modern monolith. For budgerigars
055. Door stop
056. Lampshade
057. Stretching the imagination
058. Thimble for extremely large hands
059. A purse
060. Tea caddy
061. Jumps for My Little Pony
062. Target practise
063. Rollers for big hair
064. Rollers for tiny steam roller
065. Alternative to bottle in ‘spin the bottle’
066. Tiles for industrial-themed room
067. Legs for elephant sculpture
068. Metal tooth for a giant
069. Jelly mould
070. Gag for annoying person
071. Jug
072. Rapunzel’s tower
073. Earring display thingy
074. Alternative to canvas when painting
075. Littering the countryside (it’s a bad thing to do, so don’t do it really)
076. Christmas tree ornament
077. Magic trick (ball and cups trick)
078. Juggle
079. Play catch
080. Fill with water and balance over a door (a mean trick)
081. Pedestal for important thing



082. Trophy
083. Legs for a foot stall
084. Zoetrope
085. Whirligig for bad beetles
086. Whirligig (the spinning, garden variety)
087. Emergency toilet
088. Outsize cotton reel
089. Recycling (good!)
090. Landfill (no good!)
091. Calendar
092. Cut into curtain rings
093. Columns in model of the Acropolis of Athens
094. Marker for location of buried treasure
095. A weight to stop a helium balloon from flying away~
096. Part of an elaborate contraption to boil a kettle
097. A small cooking pot, for when camping
098. Protecting a little circle of grass from the sun = polkadot grass!
099. Cheap burglar alarm, a la women living alone in the time of the Boston Strangler
100. Flatten into a coaster
101. Draw a face on it, take it with you wherever you go, make it clothes and talk to it, give it a name and make it your new best friend.


Okay, so this week's pinning inspiration was a bit different to usual, but I hope you enjoyed it nonetheless!
Can you think of other uses for a tin can?

Pinning Inspiration #27

As it's a little cold for playing outside so much now, it's time to play inside with a fun indoor fort.
(Yes, even if you're a fully grown adult. Indulge your inner child!)

Pinning Inspiration #26

This week's Pinning Inspiration is a little look at the marvellous creations of Kobi Levi.

Pinning Inspiration #25

It's the first Pinning Inspiration of November. To me, November speaks of jumping in leaves, chill air, eating soup and drinking hot chocolate! Therefore it seems natural to make a Pinning Inspiration post on the theme of kitchens.




Somewhere cosy to shelter from the wind (and get some tasty food!)

Pinning Inspiration #24

This week, I'd planned to write about a person for Pinning Inspiration (well, it has been a little while!)
But I'm feeling tired and non-wordy, so this week's Pinning Inspiration theme is amazing headdresses (something I've pinned a lot of, recently!)

Here goes...



This one is just plain stunning. Oh to have $200 and a place to wear it!

Pinning Inspiration #23

Continuing on from recent themes, this week's Pinning Inspiration looks at religious interiors.

 

Places of worship are full of beautiful decoration--and inspiration!
Religious places may make use of stained glass to depict scenes from holy texts and create shows of awe-inspiring coloured light to remind worshippers of the power of their deity.

Pinning Inspiration #22

Last week's Pinning Inspiration was about details. This week I'm looking at the opposite end of the scale: simplicity.




To me, simplicity does not mean 'complete lack of detail'. Simplicity is about finding the naturally occuring details, lines and imperfection (though 'perfection' is a matter of taste).

Pinning Inspiration #21

Do you notice the details in the things you see?
This week's Pinning Inspiration looks at just that!

I think that details can make a huge difference, whether they're on a garment, a piece of artwork, something for your home, or a part of nature. Those details could be small or intricate or flamboyant and big and colourful.

 

I love the coils of wire used in the 'window garden' picture, for example. They slightly imitate the curved leaves of the plants and add extra interest to an otherwise plain piece of wire. This is only a small added detail, but is very effective!

Pinning Inspiration #20

As a break from the last two decor-themed Pinning Inspiration posts, this week Pinning Inspiration focuses on India's Gulabi Gang.




You might have already heard of the Gulabi Gang through the film of the same name. On their official website, they define themselves as:

Rural women in pink saris, wielding bamboo sticks in pursuit of social justice

They are essentially a large group of pink-sari-wearing, stick-wielding, female vigilantes who aim to curb violence against women. Which is damn awesome. 

The Gulabi Gang began when Sampat Pal Devi (founder) witnessed a man beating his wife. Everybody else tried to pretend it wasn't happening, but Sampat Pal couldn't stand the sound of the woman's cries. She petitioned the man to stop, but instead he beat her too. The following day, Sampat Pal Devi returned with five other women and a big stick, and they kicked the guy's butt! 

The news of this spread quickly and women began to come forward to ask Sampat Pal Devi to make more interventions--and also to join her team. She soon realised that the group needed a uniform and a name, and so the Gulabi Gang was born, with their uniform of a distinctive pink sari.

Sampat Pal taught her 'sisters' to fight. They continue to intervene in cases of domestic abuse and also protest women's issues. They have stopped a number of child marriages, protest against dowry and female illiteracy, and have forced the police to register cases of domestic violence.

Their work is not all about beating abusive men. On their website, their mission reveals that they aim to help women improve their basic skills, become economically secure, and develop confidence to stand against abuse. So basically, they are supporting women in getting one step closer to equality.

Since the formation of the Gulabi Gang, many other centres for the sisterhood have sprung up across India.


Official Website of Sampat Pal Devi - lots more information here :)

Pinning Inspiration #19

I have a bit of a fondness for pompoms. So that is the theme for this week's Pinning Inspiration. Pompoms!

Pinning Inspiration #18

I'm feeling a little dozy as I write this, so for this week's Pinning Inspiration, let's look at bedrooms.

Pinning Inspiration #17

Last week's Pinning Inspiration looked at reading nooks. This week, how about something to wear when you're chilling out with that book? The theme is customised clothes!

Some of the pins this week are from ready to wear designer lines--but offer plenty of inspiration for DIY customisation!

Pinning Inspiration #16

For this week's Pinning Inspiration, let us daydream of the perfect reading nook....




A comfortable little place to curl up with a good book!

Pinning Inspiration #15

This week's Pinning Inspiration is all about things you can do with all those little 'bits and pieces' that accumulate in junk drawers (and often seem to reproduce in the dust and darkness). Those bits of children's toys, those popped-off buttons and broken charms, wayward escutcheons and tiny keys from suitcases long gone.


  The huge and obvious answer is to stick it all to something and make it look awesome. The not-so-easy part is 'stick it to what?'

So here are some inspirational uses of 'stuff' compiled for your inspiration!

Pinning Inspiration #14

Last week was all about British coolness and included a few items of homeware. This week's Pinning Inspiration focuses on a very specific item of homeware: customised lighting.

There is some very cool stuff around, both for inspiration and for purchase (though some of the purchasable stuff can always be inspiration for a DIY!)

Pinning Inspiration #13

For all I might complain about my country sometimes, I'm still pretty proud to be British. We have tea, a damn cool flag and a queen who jumps out of helicopters! (Okay, not quite, but it was still an entertaining performance).

So the theme for this week's Pinning Inspiration is Cool Britannia! All things union jack, cream tea and Her Majesty.




Union Jack room, for those who really love it :)




It might not be a royal throne, but this chair is fit for a queen!




If you feel more like a Cinderella, this Union Jack-printed cooker is perfect (for boiling water for tea in an old-fashioned kettle, of course!)




Union Jacks getting a bit too much for you? Try a bit of Royal Pop Art!




British and Proud? Say it out LOUD with a t-shirt!




Or do it Vivienne Westwood's way, with a Union Jack dress. Equally subtle. ;)




And of course we have the Pearly Kings and Queens, their clothes decorated with buttons.




But let's not forget the morris dancers!




No 'British' post would be complete without this slogan (even if it is hugely overused now). To think that it was never used is amazing--the authorities certainly missed something with this one!




One key part of Britishness, and inspiration for your plate, is a 'Full English Breakfast'. Of course, this includes the tea!




Then there's the cream tea: clotted cream and jam on scones. Whether you go Devonshire (jam on top) or Cornish (cream on top) it always involves...tea!




He's not food, but he's British and popped up when I was searching for a good picture of tea. It made me laugh, so you get some Benedict Cumberbatch being a dork instead. Hurrah!


If the lack of tea in this post has made you feel somewhat cheated, here's the video for Earl Grey by Rizzle Kicks:  

 

Pinning Inspiration #12

This week's Pinning Inspiration looks once again at a person! You've all heard of the suffragette, Emmeline Pankhurst, but this is Dame Millicent Garrett Fawcett, a suffragist.

Why Millicent Garrett Fawcett is inspiring:

She fought long and hard for what she believed in.

Born to Newson and Louisa Garrett in 1847, Millicent and her siblings were always encouraged to have interest in political matters, expression of opinion and freedom of thought. 
Her interest in women's rights began during her visits to see her sister Elizabeth in London. Together they went to see a speech on the subject by John Stuart Mill, which led Millicent to become an active supporter. She became the secretary of the London Society for Women's Suffrage in 1866, at the age of 19. In 1867 she married the liberal MP Henry Fawcett, another supporter of women's rights.

She joined the Women's Suffrage Committee in 1868, which led her to speak at the first pro-suffrage meeting in London.
Millicent worked tirelessly to improve higher education for women and with Henry Sidgwick co-founded Newnham Hall, Cambridge (now Newnham College). The women-only college was founded in 1871 and run from a house until 1875, when funds had been raised to lease land and build a proper college for women. It was the second college in Cambridge to allow female students.

As a suffragist, Millicent took a more peaceful approach to campaigning for women's rights.

During the 1870s, she and her husband published several books on political subjects, including the popular Political Economy for Beginners.

Henry Fawcett died in 1884 and Millicent withdrew from public life for a period, selling the family homes and going with her daughter Phillipa to live with Agnes Garrett, her sister. Returning to work in 1885, she continued in her political interests. She joined the Liberal Unionist Party a year later and remained a member until 1904.

Millicent Fawcett went on to become the president of the National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies (NUWSS) in 1890. The NUWSS was an organisation of Women's suffrage socieities and members included men along with middle and working-class women. Through this, she continued to campaign for women's rights, mainly focusing on women's right to vote.

As well as the right to vote, Millicent also campaigned for other causes. Against child abuse, she supported the idea of raising the age of consent, criminalising incest and cruelty to children within families. She also campaigned for an end to the 'white slave trade' and the practice of excluding women from court when the offence was sexual in nature. Extending her thoughts to overseas British territory, Millicent also campaigned to prevent child marriage and regulated prostitution in India.

Millicent, along with others, campaigned successfully for a repeal of the 'Contagious Diseases Acts', which meant female prostitutes found to have venereal disease were imprisoned if they had passed it on to their customers. Checks were compulsory and any poor woman could be arrested under suspicion of being a prostitute--and also imprisoned for refusing the invasive and painful examination. Men were not subject to the act, which Millicent and other campaigners considered to be a sign of double standards within the law: it was due to men that there as a demand for prostitutes, but it was women who had to go through the humiliation of the examination and have their reputations damaged.  The act was eventually repealed in 1886.

When the First World War began in 1914, the NUWSS continued their work. Many of the members were pacifists and did not support the war. They used the war as an opportunity to continue the campaign, pointing out the increased contribution of women towards the war effort.

In 1918, women over 30 years old were finally given the vote in Britain--some six million women. Millicent Fawcett resigned from her position in the NUWSS a year later.

Millicent Fawcett was awarded an honorary LLD (doctorate degree in law) in 1899, and a damehood in 1924.

She died in 1929, having played a big part in the achievement of the equal opportunities for women that we enjoy today.

Millicent's name continues due to the 1953 renaming of the NUWSS to the Fawcett Society. A registered charity, the Fawcett Society continues to campaign for women's rights.

Have you heard of Millicent Garrett Fawcett before?

Do you believe a peaceful approach to rights campaigns is an effective one?

Do you believe in equal rights?

Pinning Inspiration #11

To continue from this week's Marvellous Monday theme, this week's Pinning Inspiration looks at inventive floral displays!

Source: stylemepretty.com via Kei on Pinterest

This one is utterly beautiful, like something from a fantasy tale or faerie glen.

Pinning Inspiration #10

Are you feeling artistic?
This Pinning Inspiration focuses on the art form, assemblage.

Assemblage is the composition of two and three-dimensional works using found objects. I see it as fairly free from rules and a great artistic process for any age group.

Source: musingrelics.com via Kei on Pinterest

The above work is by Lynne Parks. Her website, musingrelics, is full of intriguing, gorgeous pieces and lots of inspiration!

Pinning Inspiration #9

This week's Pinning Inspiration takes us right back to where the heart is: the home!
Today's theme is postage style (which is rather coincidental, since the writing of this post was interrupted by the postman!)

The above picture was taken in an (unfortunately short-lived) dumpling bar in Brighton. I totally dig the postage-themed cushion, particularly as it is stamped 'Japan' and the shop sold Japanese-inspired food.
Imagine how cool it would be to recreate this, with an old mail sack as the seat cushion (and yes, the base of the seat is an old suitcase...and yes, the floor is fake grass...that shop was cool, you guys).

Rambling aside, all kinds of postal paraphernalia can be used to create, and used to inspire, all manner of things for the home and for yourself!