St. Patrick’s Day hat and clover decoration

You can have the “look” of the Irish along with the luck of the Irish this St. Patrick’s Day with buttons, beads and sequins from Buttons Galore and More.

To decorate the St. Patrick’s Day Hat and Shamrock I first played around with all sorts of color combinations of sequins, buttons and beads. Once I decided what each piece was going to get covered with I then chose some Folk Art Metallic paint colors that would show off the bling.

Then I glued on a mix of green sequins on the base hat, dark green tiny sequins on the hat shamrock and a gold mix on the hat’s buckle.

For the card holder shamrock I first glued tiny green buttons on the front in the shape of an “L” for luck.

Then I glued tiny white seed beads around the edge of the shamrock.

Then I dotted a bit of glue in the remaining space to add a few sporadic beads onto the surface to give it a faded look from outside to center.

If you’ve ever looked at a pile of junk and thought, “This is just trash,” Thomas Deininger might have something to say about that. Based in Rhode Island, this incredibly clever artist has a knack for turning what most of us would toss in the bin—think broken toys, bits of plastic, even old electronics—into jaw-dropping pieces of art. What’s wild is how his sculptures often look like realistic animals or landscapes from a distance… but when you step closer, boom—you’re hit with the chaos of everyday debris woven into a detailed scene.

I first came across his work when I was scrolling through some recycled art ideas, and his “Striped Bass” piece totally stopped me in my tracks. From far away, it’s like you’re looking at a photograph. But up close, you start spotting action figures, bottle caps, and tangled wires all working together to make up the image. It’s mind-blowing.

What I really love about Thomas’s approach is how it blends creativity with a message. His work is fun and clever, sure—but it also hits on bigger things like overconsumption and the mountains of waste we create. He somehow manages to make that message stick without being preachy, just by showing how beautiful and meaningful our “trash” can actually be.

Whether you’re into environmental art or just love seeing imagination come to life, Thomas Deininger’s work is definitely worth checking out. It’s inspiring, a little chaotic, and totally unforgettable.

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