Things you can make with junk!

You have not heard much from me lately as I have been spending my time feverishly finishing an art commission!  This is made from many old McDonald's machinery parts. It's a commission for a retiring executive that went to its new home in Chicago this week!  McDonald's (yes, the fast food company) sent me a huge box of parts and I reassembled them into this:

Things you can make with junk!

This is Arcimbolt, my most recent robot creation made out of recycled objects. Can you name the parts I used?

Things you can make out of junk...

Buster “Tack” Smoots is an expert at sports trivia. Through his accumulation of even seemingly useless bits of information, he can assimilate complex variants and predict a football season even before it begins. He is everyone’s best friend when fantasy football season starts as he never loses. In his free time he likes to recreate WWII battles in miniature.

Principal Parts: Football cookie tin, metal bowl, wrenches, metal espresso coffee filters, square tin, sports equipment handles, drink coaster, condiment server, candle sticks, house number, and various nuts and bolts.

Things You Can Make Out of Junk...

HoneyDoo 0038

HoneyDoo is a home maintenance bot. He is an expert at taking out the trash, mowing the lawn, answering in the affirmative and has been known to even successfully change a diaper when the nanny bot was unavailable. In his free time, he likes to collect books on Shakespeare, mythology and folklore.

Principal Parts: Nestle cookie tin, honey candy tin, wrenches, napkin ring, bells, golf club shafts, and various nuts and bolts.

Sir Russell & Humphrey 0039

Sir Russell is the lead trainer of the Queen’s Guard. He has won many regiment competitions for motionlessly standing sentry. During his off duty hours he enjoys patrolling the grounds with his dog, Humphrey. Humphrey loves to chase squirrels and thinks his master is entirely too stiff. He will often provide many sloppy kisses in an attempt to loosen him up.

Principal Parts: Various storage tins, metal shot glass, wine opener, bracelet links, metal bowl, door stop, strainers, candy molds, light fixture parts, watch part, plumbing chain, baking tins, golf club shafts, and various nuts and bolts.

Things You Can Do With Junk...

Albert & Joey, 0036

Albert enjoys his job as editor because he gets paid to correct other people's grammar errors. He solves a New York Times crossword puzzle every day. Joey is his faithful companion, and Albert plans to take him to visit Riverside, Iowa, future birthplace of Captain James T. Kirk.

Principal Parts: Albert - Antique tobacco tin, candlesticks, tin plate, coffee grinder burr collar, tongs, oil funnel, metal cup, and various nuts and bolts. Joey – GI Joe lunch box, candy molds, strainer, spring, chain, vintage 1957 Kodak Medallion 8 movie camera and various nuts and bolts.

Things You Can Do With Junk...

What I did this weekend in honor of Easter...

Flopsy Bot was designed by the Easter Bunny to work in the Easter Egg Factory. However, he has decided that if he sees another Easter Egg he will explode. His dream is to work in pharmaceutical sales.

Principal Parts: Metal cup, metal bowl, beverage shaker, candy mold tins, metal blind bracket, wine opener, drawer pulls, measuring spoons, industrial coffee filters, antique adding machine gear, and various nuts and bolts.

Things You Can Do With Junk...

This is for a client who had an old lunch box that belonged to her father and some molds that she was given by a friend who is a baker. I added the rest and built the bot.



Principal Parts: Lunch box, jello molds, industrial hook, vintage (circa 1946) Brownie camera, industrial spring, test link, strainer parts, and various nuts and bolts.

Topper loves to dig in the trash and chew on the legs of Barbies. If he weren’t so affectionate and determined to be a human bed warmer, he would forever be in trouble. His dream is to finally catch a moth.

Things You Can Do With Junk

She just makes me happy to look at! Principal parts include tea tin, jello molds, drain, spring, measuring spoons, antique measuring cup, golf club shafts, pie tin, and various nuts and bolts.

Things You Can Do With Junk...

Made this last weekend from biscuit tin, old measuring spoons, towel rod, coffee grinder burr collar, parts from an old adding machine, decorative metal flower part (free from Goodwill as they did not even know what it was), metal cup, metal plate, house number, egg cups and various nuts and bolts (mostly from Habitat Home Store).

Sunday Junk Art Show & Tell!

I made the latest robot for my son who named him "Thomas." According to him, Thomas is a collector of toy trains and has three girlfriends. They like him because he has nice legs!

Principle parts include an antique Baby Brownie Camera, old train tin, tongs, jello mold, spring from an industrial pressure gauge, and electrical conduit.


The growing family...


What my kitchen looked like today!

My Latest Obsession - Robot Art

My latest project is creating robots with recycled parts. Here is Prince Scottie!


Principle Parts: Antique Ansco camera, sink drain, cookie tin, candle holder, wrenches, stainless plate and various nuts and bolts.



Prince Scottie and girlfriend Rosie.