closetcrafty in THE STAR

Thursday July 31, 2008

Yuen’s green creations are not for sale

COLOUR ME GREEN

By THO XIN YI
Photos by CHUA KOK HWA

Turning junk into art is not unheard of, but Penelope Yuen is one of those few who live by the earth-saving rule.

The self-taught graphic designer had been very keen in creating things from junk since her teens, and that had attracted disapproving looks and later, admiration from the people around her.

Not just a knapsack: Yuen with her eco warrior, Pokok.

“I chanced upon a broken chair by the street and took it home, thinking that it was such a waste to throw it away as I could fix it in some ways.

“At first, my mum asked why I was bringing lap sap (junk) home but after she saw how I transformed the chair by painting it up and making it look new, she was very surprised and said it was very beautiful,” said the 36-year-old.

However, it was not until recently that she took up the hobby seriously under her Closet Crafty label.

“I attended the Utter Rubbish conference in Singapore in November last year, which brought in international designers to encourage people to use less and create more things,” Yuen said.

She then saw for herself the value in these green activities and started to create more things for the I Am Not Junk series, including notepads, dolls, pencil cases, bookmarks and bags... more