Upcycling

Good Morning!

Today, while I was drinking coffee and browsing pinterest, I ran across this old picture:



It's from the Imperial Wartime Museums website, and it caught my eye because the message is so different from how most people operate today.  These days everyone, including me, has a tendency to throw things away at the first sign of a hole or a change in fashion trends.  I understand why we act like that these days, I really do, but I also sense a change in the air.  There is a whole generation of up and coming bloggers who aren't just throwing things away, nor are they just making do with their old things.  They're using their scissors and needles and paint and creativity to turn their old things into new things.  They're upcycling!

Oxford Dictionaries defines upcycling as reusing (discarded objects or material) in such a way as to create a product of higher quality or value than the original.

When I turned an old t-shirt into a tank top in this post back in April, I was upcycling, and I want to do it more.  Not only is it great for the environment because your stuff isn't ending up in a landfill, it also saves you money which is awesome because we all know how expensive crafting can get.
Here are a few examples of great upcycling projects from other bloggers:

1. Today's Nest made placemats out of old jeans:


2. My Tiny Universe turned an old t-shirt into this cute pillow:


3. Wood Pond Designs created these funny little stuffed animals out of old sweaters:

The moral of the story?  Next time you get sick of an article of clothing, google it to see how other people have upcycled it into something prettier, or get creative and make up your own new use for it.  The possibilities are endless.

Have fun!
xoxo
Laura