Re-Purposing: Disassembling a K-Cup

I have considered using junk objects and re-purposing them for other things. It's not something I do all the time nor is it something I broadcast. But I think it would be interesting to see what I can come up with. For this new project, I have decided to take a closer look at the Keurig Coffee Cups and see what I can come up with.

So I heard about these Keurig Coffee machines a while ago, single cup coffee makers that are decently popular at the moment. Almost every bank or business I walk into has one. But I heard there was some issues with these coffee makers because of their coffee containers called K-Cups. Plastic cup that holds inside a coffee filter connected to the walls of the plastic cup with a sticky adhesive and of course the coffee or drink mix sitting in the filter.  I know this because I took one apart.

I ended up using a fork to breach the plastic foil seal on the top, those suckers are AIR TIGHT and probably for good reason. but I was sort of surprised with how it looked inside. For some reason, I didn't expect to see a filter. Sort of stupid to think that in hindsight but I digress. The reason for this "operation" was to see the issue with why it might be difficult to recycle these cups as they are after use. Each piece separately can be placed in the proper recycling outlet but I don't find it likely that people would even bother taking them apart like I did to recycle them. Throwing them away would be much easier than dealing with the headache.

So I have been considering what can be done with these thin walled plastic cups. How could I re purpose them in lieu of just throwing them away and letting them take place in a landfill? Well, with a puncture hole on the bottom from being used for coffee, they can't retain liquids unless the bottom is fixed. (When you place a K-Cup in the machine, it punctures the top and the bottom of the cup to allow water to pass through) I'm considering my options with what the machine has already provided me.

Pinstripe 23 - Threadless

So I thought I would try to give threadless another shot and I decided to work with an earlier design from the summer. If you look back a little,  you might see that 23 on a pair of headphones that made it all the way to the final stages of the Skullcandy Aviator headphone competition last summer. I wanted to see what I could do with the design and so I ended up making this. It's currently up for votes and if you happen to have a moment to spare, any positive input would be greatly appreciated. 

Follow this link to see.

As for other work, especially my on going series and projects like the "Plastic Beach" images, well to be honest I have done little to nothing with those. It's not that I have forgotten they are there, it's just that I've begun to lose motivation to bother with them. It's a shame really, because I was hoping to have these images completed one year ago. Despite certain personal setbacks, I'll at least finish most of them . . . if not all.

2,089

That is the total number of people who have seen my blog ever. Some of them might be repeats. Others might even be just Google snooping around. But still, 2K. I'm impressed that people have seen my blog that many times. It's quite flattering.

So I guess that means I'm going to be updating this blog more often. Stay tuned, let me actually make something nice.

Vital Signs - Logo and Type

So I haven't bothered to really get to updating this blog for a while. I hope to get back into the habit of posting things here and make myself a stronger presence online.

I was asked to do a logo for my sister's acapella group down in Elon University. Here is what I came up with for them:

It got relatively positive reviews from the group members and my sister, so I guess that makes this a job well done.

Pinstripe 23 Update and other News!

Remember these? Well these bad boys just made the cut for the Skullcandy Aviator Headphone Design contest! There were nearly 40+ pages of entries, some of them great and others not so much but man, these made it to the remaining 13 pages of designs! The alternate design I made, Obsidian Streaks, did not manage to clinch it but to be fair I didn't know where I was going with that to begin with.

ALWAYS HAVE A BACKUP PLAN

So if you, the humble reader, would be so kind as to vote for this design I would become a small step closer to becoming the happiest 22 year old in the whole wide world. No lie, I would be really grateful for any support. There is a catch though. Need to do it via facebook and let them do that whole information thing. But the good news is that you can vote once a day on three different designs once you do. But I must remind you, the title of happiest 22 year old is on the line here.

In other news, did I mention I graduated college the other week? Yeah, I did that. It was fun, rather enjoyed it. Trying to relax, enjoy my last real summer before becoming a working person in society. Meaning I have time for things now, some of them art and others just self promotion. And then Student Loans. Fun. I recently finished a commision for some very lovely people and will post some images of that in a later post.

I think this might just be one of the greatest summers of my life. And the good news? It's only just started.

Contest can be found here or click the image above to get a direct link to the voting

Contests

http://www.threadless.com/submission/345210/Lucky

I submitted a design into threadless and it's now up for voting. If you could be so kind as to offer your vote, it would be greatly appreciated. Here's what it looks like:

Also did some designs for SkullCandy's Aviator headphone contest which will all be up for voting in a few days. I'm hoping to see what I can get out of this. See? I am doing something here.

Ugh

Alright, this is the first time a little more/less than a month since I've updated this blog. I'm terrible, I know. Trying very hard to get into a regular schedule for this stuff. The side projects haven't gone anywhere, been busy with commission works for the past week or so but hopefully I can get to getting some of my personal projects done.