Jacky Acosta: DREAMer, Dama, and Maker of Awesome Plastic Jewelry
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Don't be lazy and buy last-minute socks at MainPlacel! Think eco! Think Plast* Eco, accessories crotched from the hands of Jacky Acosta, a SanTanera who fuses plastic bags and bottles into wallets, tote bags, earrings, laptop covers, and even floormats. "Shop local products made with heart and details versus the malls that are generic and not unique," said Acosta.
Acosta thought up of Plast* Eco during the stress of college finals, and decided to start her business in 2009 to fundraise for her UC Irvine tuition. A tote bag takes her between two and three hours. "It took me over 200 orders to pay for my bachelor's, and I saved more than 500 bags," said Acosta. "I usually get grocery bags, and pick the ones that are not too thin, and gather the thick bags, cutting them into long strips to make a yarn ball and it is not only myself putting together these bags, it is a family collaborative of eco love."
Even better, part of her revenue help fundraise for her coming master's degree in education; she donates her items for raffling to the Orange County Dream Team Scholarships, an issue close to her heart, as Acosta is undocumented. Acosta has also recently collaborated with Workshop for Community Arts, a group of local artists collaborating and providing workshops in Orange County--recently, they put together a workshop titled "Cartonography," fusing memories, cardboard boxes and creativity onto a cardboard book. That book, SanTana Cartonographies are sold at Cafe Calacas in Santa Ana.
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Acosta's goals for Plast* Eco is to create more series of youth workshops that'll motivate youth to care for their environment. "I make my own functional art, and I want youth to get the idea that they can sell their own art, too," she says. As far as weaving more plastic bags, Acosta plans next to yarn-bomb a local Santa Ana street near you. "So if you start seeing plastic yarn, it wasn't me!".
You can contact Acosta for any custom orders and workshops at her blog, or at her Etsy store.
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