What do you like to upcycle & why?

[TangleCrafts]

Not a promotion thread, just a bit of 'common interest' chat! Do you dabble in all kinds of upcycling, or do you have a specialist area? Is there a reason why you work with particular materials? Have you had any upcycling disasters? Feel free to share any general stories about your creative upcycling experiences, methods, ideas, whatever springs to mind. :)

[Former_Member]

I like upcycling broken jewellery into new jewellery or items like keyrings. I upcycle magazines into collages and greetings cards and also use them for writing prompts for the creative writing classes i teach, I upcycle sea pottery and sea glass into jewellery (and would like to do more of this). I keep an eye out for anything with potential, i have a collection of real oddities that I'd like to think will one day end up in eye catching items of modern jewellery, but it may never happen....

[SimplyCharmingukshop]

I love to work with driftwood, I have boxes of it just waiting for the right idea to pop into my head. Sometimes I have to leave a special piece in a place where I have to constantly walk by it, it can be there for weeks before an idea evolves.

The best time for collecting is after a blustery night, but you have to get there just after high tide or the best bits will be gone... its a very sought after commodity here in Brighton!!

[Former_Member]

Hi Tricia, I love driftwood too and the crafts you make with it are lovely!

[SimplyCharmingukshop]

Thank you Juliet, I have lots of sea glass too. I used to make and sell sea glass jewellery here on etsy, but found there was too much competition and hardly got seen.
I love your sea pottery, we don't find any of that in Brighton

[TangleCrafts]

Juliet, I'm really liking the sea pottery rings you added to your shop, recently. Maybe you could do something similar with the sea glass?

Tricia, your driftwood artwork is so original - I really love it! I especially like the pieces which integrate/are led by the natural shapes of the wood. :)

My own crafting has gone through lots of phases and experimentation, beginning with embroidery & weaving (I used to make kits for weaving on & with leftovers) then veering into mail art. I discovered faux postage (making tiny stamp-like artwork) and I think it was finding inspiration for that in real postage stamps which finally led me to my current world of collage.

In stamp collecting, there are stamps that are quite rare that collectors will seek out and pay lots of money for. By contrast, there is a surfeit of hundreds and thousands of far more common vintage stamps that are simply in excess of demand. There are also the stamps that are too heavily postmarked, or slightly torn or creased which again render them undesirable for collecting. I love that I can rescue these poor unloved, unwanted stamps from philatelic oblivion, and I love all of the hidden history (both geographical and personal) that is intrinsic to them.

The reason why I continue working with postage stamps, though, is that they are a ready-made palette of beautiful, faded - or sometimes very vivid - colours, crossing the whole spectrum. The fun part for me is picking out sympathetic shades then blending them together into new (admittedly slightly impressionistic) landscapes.

I usually have an idea of a particular colour pattern I want to follow when I begin a new collage, and it invariably is drawn in a different direction by whichever stamps catch my eye on any given day. I love that sense of natural, organic progression in the creative process sitting alongside the overall evolution of these tiny fragments of history taking on a new shape altogether from their original purpose.

I find it fascinating how individual artists are drawn to such varied materials, media, and processes...

[Paperise]

I love breathing new life into an old thing. I love old papers, textiles, keys and buttons. I love thinking about the old life of that thing, and turning it into a new thing for some else to enjoy.

[artdp]

I love upcycling vintage jewellery boxes that have sadly been forgotten.
Most of my finds are dark wood and rather depressed looking !
I decide on a gorgeous colour to paint them and then I either butterfly stamp them or decoupage, or decide on both methods.
Either way they they are totally transformed into really gorgeous jewellery boxes !

[textilechicken]

I love textiles and I love to give t shirts a new life as chair cushions
which i rug hook using t shirt strips and hessian.
I use wool blankets,skirts, and unwanted remnants to fashion my rugs.

I like to make bags from used clothing or waste from manufacturers.

Our earth is precious and should be treated as such.
I am so glad that many like minded people recycle and upcycle,
and such beautiful items are available here on Etsy.

[Former_Member]

I love to upcycle gently used clothing and bed linen and fabric samples into something new both in this shop and my sister shop https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/PinkLabelMollyMoo

My favourite upcycled items to make are Memory Quilts. I love it when customers post me their children's clothes and other textiles and I make them a quilt. I feel genuine excitement when their parcel arrives as I don't know what I'll receive!

I'm off to peruse around your shops to see what wonderful upcycled creations you all make :-)

[Rowanberrybute]

I live on the Isle of Bute off the West off Scotland.
I love fabric but we don't have a fabric shop on the island.
We have charity shops and the one I buy from for projects is called Bute Oasis.
Everything this shop sells goes to help the island food bank.
They also sell all their clothes for just a £1!!
I buy clothes to use for upcycle-presently for bag linings!

I love this -Helps the poor and the planet!

[JuliaKWalton]

Maria - that sounds like a win win situation!

I love to recycle clothing/fabric off-cuts and remnants, and I can usually be found rifling through charity shops and auctions (as well as our wardrobe!) :o)

[PerfidiousJewellery]

Really interesting to read about what people use, how, and why. A mix of Eco friendly, cool sources and necessity!

I use old and new broken jewellery, picked up from charity shops, sold cheap new (because of damage) or given to me by mates. I mix those parts in with new elements, to create new jewellery. I've also just started using vintage keys to create necklaces, and mixed media keepsake art. I love how stumbling over stuff gives you ideas and parts you can't buy from the usual shops, and it's nice to see a single earring become useful again!

My art often uses a stash of brass rubbings from Nottingham castle, made, then abandoned, by the visitors. (Running low on these!)

[Former_Member]

I like to work with metal. I think this started when I met an elderly lady who is a blacksmith making rather delicate jewellery from iron, copper, brass... Something you would not expect when you see the raw material.

And one day when I was at her shop lokking at a bracelet I got the idea that something like that might work if made from old tin cans. The last months I have been experimenting, burning and bending metal - sometimes with success, sometimes not. ;-) I just recently opened an Etsy shop (so feedback would be appreciated) and now also use crown caps to make jewellery as well. My next project is combining metal with things I find on the beach: shells, driftwood, glass, maybe even some rusted metal...

I think the greatest thing with upcycling is that you are forced to develop new ideas every time you start a new project. Most times you simply have to work with material you have just found somewhere.

[SquintyStuff]

I'm quite similar to Lisa in that I use old jewellery to make new jewellery. In this last year I've branched out a bit to keyrings, magnets and cards. Next year I'm hoping to branch further into bags, purses etc to use up my fabric stash! I love using pretty much anything, and have various wee collections of stuff in my house, like corks, bottle caps, buttons, feathers, etc etc etc... :)

Don't think you can see the gold tulle underskirt* on my wedding dress in my picture, but I have a good few metres left of that fabric. I'm going to make my own gift bags out of it (once I've learnt how lol!)

*disclaimer, I didn't make my dress or underskirt, but I bought the dress on here! I bought a gold underskirt in a shop in Glasgow but it wasn't long enough, so I had a seamstress pal make it longer. I bought too much extra material so hey ho, gotta find a use for it ;)

[NJscollection]

for my shop i upcycle jewellery :)
around the home i try and upcyle as much as possible as i hate to throw anything away :)

[BuzzyNennyB]

My favourite thing to upcycle is old ties into new funky dresses :)

I am fascinated with the colours, patterns and textures you can get in ties and also love the way they weave around the mannequin to create a lovely fitted silhouette. I usually team them with roll end or offcut fabric from a fab market stall in Leicester, which sells all the fabric leftover from local factories :)

[KnitwitDesignsUK]

Any old vessel/dish/vase, they make great pin cushions once upcycled

[Ladydarinefinecrafts]

Hi everyone I am sue from ladydarinefinecrafts, I am new to the team, I was invited to join so here I am :):):) I am 62yrs going on 16yrs hahaha, very young at heart, I love crafting, painting in all media, also, sewing, knitting, crochet, needle felting, the list goes on, recently I started to upcycle :):)

I love all shapes of bottles which I collect now, I have recently upcycled two bottles, dressed them up in lace, fabric and embellishments, these are in my esty shop to buy, I have a discount code you can use if your interested in buying sunshinedays2016 to receive 20% at the check out !!!!! go for it if you like shabby shic !!! I alway send a free handmade gift in all my packages, sometimes they are what I make, also other beautiful gifts that I buy, so far my customers are always happy and I will bend over backwards to makes sure they are customers, its my Joy, we all need that in life.

I will also be having more upcycled items soon so keep posted, I will promote where I can and support this fabulous team....Have a great day with SALES !!!!!!

Lovely to be part of this great UK Team

[JuteAlors]

We upcycle genuine used coffee sacks into soft furnishings and bags. The different weights, weaves, colours and flaws in the sacks make each item individual. The hessian has its challenges though but that just adds to the sense of achievement when completing a project! https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/JuteAlors?ref=hdr_shop_menu

[DamianMilesJeweller]

I recycle and upcycle jewellery. People often think its a case of melt it down and re-use, but it's not often that simple. To do it properly, any solder or impurities need to be removed before melting. This is to keep the purity up so it will pass hall marking. I love working with 22ct gold in this way. Have a look at my 22ct gold drop earrings that started out as a wedding ring.

I upcycle gemstones to. I often use old diamonds in my work (these usually don't make it to Etsy) as they have a character all of their own. I use other gemstones to. If you have a look at my listings, you'll see a ring with a Victorian garnet in and another with a 70's Tiger eye.

It's always great fun looking at a gem and thinking about what can be done with it. I try not to use them in the same type of piece, for example a pendant would become a ring etc.

I have the great advantage of having access to many different shops and dealers through the repairs side of my business and they know what kind of things I'm looking for.

I am a big fan of recycling and repurposing and try to buy from people that share the same values wherever possible. Obviously there are limits to what you can do, but every bit helps!

Keep up the good work everyone!

[textilechicken]

I have to save textiles from landfill,
I either make bags or quilts with reclaimed fabrics
or I turn them into rag rugs,
also enjoy the teaching of others to make rugs and
love the joy when their first cushions or rugs are finished

[PrettyLittleByTerje]

I repurpose fabric! There's such a lot of clothes thrown away in Britain, just because they have a stain that doesn't come off, a little hole or simply don't fit anymore-but there's often a lot of good fabric left, something that could be made into a beautiful thing. Have a look at my repurposed denim Whales for example. Or my newest listing, a pink seahorse toy/decoration, was a ladies shirt.

[Former_Member]

I upcycle bottles mainly alcohol bottles into bottle lamps LED lamps and just started slumping them and making clocks and trays etc with them hopefully will I expand on this as I have a lot of bottles collected

[Former_Member]

I like to work with old tools and machine parts.
They form the basis of a bigger piece or depending on the size they will be the main item used.
Age gives metal a great patina and with some careful cleaning the colours are amazing.
I make lighting and furniture from these found items and each piece is unique and has its own story to tell.