RECYCLED – UPCYCLED

We live in a world where most people would tell you that we have diminishing stock of everything. We are running out of natural resources and that the earth is becoming too difficult to live in. These are the very people who have first utilised (over-utilised) every resource known to mankind and are now passing judgements. Compared to this are a bunch of people who are doing their best to ensure that we know a truth worth knowing- there is abundance on this earth and everything can be remade if love and care is attached to it.

What do you do with your old books? The ones that are just lying around and the ones that you haven’t looked at for so many years? Stampington and Co. at Laguna Hills, USA use old book covers to create artwork like magazines, embellishments, home decor, wearables- you name it. They have found a “novel” idea in something that you would not even look at. We were delighted to see a user on tumblr share pics of how she used her old jeans to make wall art and holders. The idea was unique and attention grabbing.

One of the most commonly used item which turns into waste in absolutely no time is paper. All of us use it and throw it. A very close friend used to create flowers out of used papers- coloured and otherwise. The wonderful paper art was used to decorate our workplace on occasions of new year, anniversaries and birthdays. The thought of using old paper instead of using new one was the real beauty behind it. What about old clothes? The old grey t-shirt you wear at night. Once it lives beyond its years, what would you do with it? Six20tees have used old t-shirts to create a necklace- yes you got that right! 20 inch t-shirt strands are cut up and interlaced with beads to make a beautiful necklace to give you a style statement that is both beautiful and thoughtful.

 

For the more crafty and artistic, there is always the skill of glass etching (soon to be elaborated on our website www.wudbox.in) which is a very simple way of using your old casserole dishes to Christmas ornaments to glass cutlery and converting it into a unique piece. All it requires is a stencil, tape, popsicle stick and etching cream.

But truly one of the simplest conversions was that of making old denims into a wine bag. Simple, classic and very chic by Hometalk.

On a popular e-commerce portal, we also saw a table runner made from coffee sacs and fabric. The old look and pre treated pattern was exquisite and utilised objects that would normally have been thrown away.

On a similar thought, Paaduks creates shoes made from recycled tyres. The designs are both elaborate and modern. The only difference from normal shoes- the feeling of making shoes that are unique, recycled and speak of the abundance of earth.

These people are testament to the fact that we are more than capable of reusing our resources and create things which are beautiful and pretty. Every day material turned into something amazing just by the use of hands, addition of some creativity and a dose of a lot of love and care. That creates a handmade up cycled product.