Thursday, June 19, 2008

Usually the design items worth talking about with guests are things like fine paintings, handcrafted furniture, and high-tech equipment, like showers with touchscreen systems for customized shower head and temperature settings.  There are, however, simpler designs worthy of conversation.  

"Stores are starting to warm up to it," said Danielle DeMasi of the cloth shopping bags she uses to carry groceries out of stores.  "For a long time there I was getting strange looks, but I think the world is starting to warm up to the idea."  The stay-at-home mom recently designed a pattern for shopping bags made entirely out of old shirts.  Men's dress shirts lend the perfect parts for her smart designs.  "See, you can roll the bag up and close it with the cuff of the shirt," explained DeMasi.  "I made it to close that way."  

Recycling is important to DeMasi who is already teaching her two young children how to be environmentally conscious.  "The plastic bags just add up and add up," said DeMasi.  "They don't disintegrate and they're hardly recycled anywhere."   The cloth bags DeMasi makes in her home roll up to smaller than the average size wallet.  

Keeping with the earth-friendly gesture of reusable grocery bags, DeMasi also tries to be "green" with the packaging materials she uses to ship her products sold online.  "I use empty cereal boxes to send bags to customers who've bought from me." 

If you would like to see DeMasi's work in person, visit the art exhibition, "Reincarnated" at Galley S.P.A.C.E. in downtown Savannah at 9 W. Henry Street.  The exhibition showcases 12 artists who use found art or recycled materials in their creations.  The exhibition runs through June 27th.

Copyright 2008 by WJCL 22 / ABC and WTGS / FOX28, The Coastal Source