We usually see familiar objects used in the same way. For example, most of us use corrugated boxes to hold things, and delicate twigs in floral arrangements. But studio artists are using familiar objects in unfamiliar ways to create home furnishings and accessories. 

Luci Lytle is fascinated with used packing materials,  "When no longer pristine, they have begun to develop character. Everyone sees corrugated cardboard as brown, but when. . . dissected, a full spectrum of color appears."

4-Panel Screen, 70" wide x 60" high x 1" deep by Luci Lytle.

Panels are made from corrugated cardboard from a Sun Microsystem mainframe shipping carton and sprayed with a layer of varnish to seal the surface. 

Luci creates her corrugated mosaics by peeling the surface layer of paper or cutting through cross-sections of corrugated materials and then cutting them into geometric shapes.

For more information, visit http://www.corrugatedart.com or contact the artist at 1-505-751-4372. 

Tor Faegre grew up in the New Hampshire woods.  He has made furniture since he was a child. He worked as a carpenter in Chicago for several years.  He said, "I like furniture that is light in weight, so light that it looks like it will float off.  I now combine my love of the natural world with the skills I learned in construction."

Faegre began working with twigs 15 years ago. He combines them with lumber and steel to make chairs, tables, mirrors, plant stands, and coat racks.  He finds the twigs in abandoned industrial areas and along rivers and railroad tracks. 

Contact him by e-mail at: tornsue@aol.com or at 1-847-869-1969.

Floating Table by Tor Faegre:  Board top with peeled willow legs

MetaForm Studio -- a partnership of architect and furniture makers Kader Humied and artist Chris Randolph -- crafts furniture that is practical and environmentally responsible.  As an architect, Humied often saw usable furniture and materials thrown away. "People think everything is disposable and has no intrinsic value," Humied explained. Appalled, he salvaged some of the cast offs and taught himself to make furniture with them. Eventually he quit his job as an architect to make furniture full time. 

MetaForm Studio uses industrial and recycled materials for the "beauty of old materials" and because the partners believe "recycling is imperative to maintain natural resources." To contact MetaForm Studio visit http://www.metaformstudio.com or call 1-845-947-9023.

Red Bungee Chair by MetaForm Studio:  Plywood frame and bungee cord.

The chair's construction requires no glue or nails. because the sheer force of the elastic cords pulls the frames together.  Available in adult and children's sizes.

Starlight Hanging Lamp by MetaForm Studio:  Made from recycled flower crates.  28" high x 14" wide.

Jean Norman-Kolling builds beds from discarded fence posts from her family's ranch in Nebraska. As the posts broke and needed replacement, she collected the durable ones, still beautiful. Because nobody ever threw anything away on the ranch, she used the posts to build beds for her B&B Guest House on the ranch. 

With encouragement from her guests, Norman-Kolling began selling the beds at craft shows. She expanded into making wardrobes, tables, lamps and picture frames from other surplus materials--weathered corral and barn lumber, accented with leftover barbed wire and bridle bits.

See more at: http://www.prairiepostfurniture.com/.  Call 1-308-665-2810.

Bed, by Jean Norman-Kolling, is made from recycled posts and barn lumber with handpainted headboard and footboard.

The John Gutierrez Studio crafts custom metal designs--including a table made from old 70 mm movie reels--for commercial and residential projects. John invented the table when a college roommate found a large reel and was searching for a use. John designed a table using the reel, and then incorporated the design into his portfolio. John finds used reels on Ebay and at local audio-video shops. See John's designs at: http://www.johngutierrezstudios.com; call (toll-free) 1-866-889-5341.

Film Reel Table, by John Gutirrez, made from a 70mm reel with a brushed aluminum base. The top is covered with 1/2" thick glass.

Many of us, lacking imagination or a plan, see leftovers only as leftovers. But imaginative cooks, adding a bit of this and a pinch of that, transform yesterday's meal into a new experience.

Amy Hemmert and Tammy Pelstring, authors of the Laptop Lunch User's Guide: Fresh Ideas for Making Wholesome, Earth-Friendly Lunches Your Kids Will Love, plan ahead. They cook extra food to set aside for the next day's lunch. Here are some of their suggestions for turning leftovers into luscious lunches:

• Prepare an extra serving of chicken breasts, and slice it for sandwiches the next day.
• Boil some eggs while you're making dinner. Pack them whole, make deviled eggs, or use them for egg salad.
• Grill extra vegetables and use them in sandwiches.
• Make extra pasta, couscous or rice and make side salads for lunch by cutting up vegetables and adding salad dressing.

The authors have permitted us to reprint their recipe for Rainbow Rice, a 20-minute recipe that incorporates leftover rice.

The Laptop Lunch User's Guide is a privately published book.  It is only available with the Laptop Lunchbox, an updated, self-locking bento box designed by the authors to promote healthy, waste-free lunches for children (and adults who like smaller portions).

We were overjoyed to learn that Office Depot and Staples office supply stores will provide postpaid mailers to recycle any and all used inkjet or laser cartridges.  Mailers are available at the Customer Service counter.  (Other large office supply stores might offer the mailers too.)