Antique Pharmacy Jar: Now Holds Sea Glass as an Art Piece
Moving on Up. Give Throwaways a Second Life
Old to New. Take your well-worn, destined for the dumpster discards, and give them a second life. Transform an item’s colorful history, its varied back-story, its one of a kind persona into a masterpiece—whole or by parts. Save it from a long life at the land ill. Upcycle It!
Coined by William McDonaugh and Michael Braugart in their book, “Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things”, upcycling in the simplest terms is taking something that is disposable and transforming it into something new. It’s a sustainable practice that should happen weekly, if not daily. But what does it mean to you—to me—in our daily lives. How do we upcycle? How to we practice cradle to cradle to make a more sustainable future. Follow these simple tips:
Buy Upcycled Items
You won’t find what you need in your local Home Depot (you shouldn’t shop at Big Boxes anyway), so you’ll have to expend a little elbow grease to find a short list of upcycled items. But it’s worth the hunt from both a utilitarian perspective as well as the evolving the back-story of your new find. Before you purchase an item, look for an item that is equal in functionality but created from the parts of something old.
When I needed new lamps I turned to the Bewley’s Rerun Productions, located in Arroyo Grande, California. Bewley’s produces handmade lamps from recycled and salvaged items—upcycling to create functional art. Each lamp is an eclectic mix of found items and comes in at about 80% of salvaged goods. My two lamps, part of Bewley’s Bamboo Series, include polished and tinted brake rotors, guitar strings, piano strings, computer hard disks, pressed pennies, and welded copper piping with patina. If you live in Santa Barbara purchase locally at Living Green, or review their list of retail outlets and more upcycled items at Bewley's Rerun Productions.
For surfers, water enthusiasts, beach goers, fisher-people, and gardeners who just like to keep it all clean, Patagonia’s Remat takes one man’s trash and makes it into a changing mat, a garden shed mat, a bathroom rug….all the while you are participating in the ultimate Upcycling Program. Patagonia’s Remat is made from a byproduct from automobile gasket manufacturing…. 100% synthetic nitrite rubber. See for yourself at Patagonia.
Do it yourself (DIY) Upcycle it Yourself (UIY)
Repurpose vintage and antique items, collectibles or not. Before you buy something new, look for something to repurpose either in your own house, from a local thrift store, or from a local artist who does the work for you.
Turn old ceiling tin tiles into a mirror, a Vintage pharmacy bottle now showcases sea glass, or to add unique color to your house.
What have you upcyled lately? Let Weekend Hippie post your Upcyled Goods.
Robert Ogden is also creating some unbelievable functional art from salvaged goods. Each piece is one of a kind. His website features a collection of used and found goods that can be easily repurposed as they are, such as industrial shelving, or as pieces of art. See for yourself at Robert Ogden.
For surfers, water enthusiasts, beach goers, fisher-people, and gardeners who just like to keep it all clean, Patagonia’s Remat takes one man’s trash and makes it into a changing mat, a garden shed mat, a bathroom rug….all the while you are participating in the ultimate Upcycling Program. Patagonia’s Remat is made from a byproduct from automobile gasket manufacturing…. 100% synthetic nitrite rubber. See for yourself at Patagonia.
Do it yourself (DIY) Upcycle it Yourself (UIY)
Repurpose vintage and antique items, collectibles or not. Before you buy something new, look for something to repurpose either in your own house, from a local thrift store, or from a local artist who does the work for you.
Turn old ceiling tin tiles into a mirror, a Vintage pharmacy bottle now showcases sea glass, or to add unique color to your house.
What have you upcyled lately? Let Weekend Hippie post your Upcyled Goods.
