At art school, upcycling and reappropriating found objects was a key focus of my art practice. I used to trawl the streets to see what goodies people had thrown away and think of ingenious ways that I could incorporate trash and unwanted items into compositions I was working on. The concept was to inject whatever had been discarded with new meaning and attribute value once more. Here are a couple of examples from my degree show work:
My artwork started to spill into everyday scenarios where I always wanted to find a use for something I was about to throw away, from using an old sauce jar to store bobbins or using a larger pot as a vase.
Now that I’ve shared my upcycling ideas with you, I wanted to set my readers a little challenge.
Upcycling Ideas
I want you to tell me what clever ways you have upcycled old things from jam jars, boxes to clothing? Perhaps you’re already working on a project?
Clever storage specialist Bedroom Storage Maker, who offer wardrobe storage systems, are offering one lucky reader £25 to spend in Hobbycraft!
If you share your ideas with me you could use the voucher to realise an upcycling or craft project.
Here’s how you can enter:
Let me know your tips and tricks for upcycling or revamping around your home. You can either:
- Leave a comment on this blog post
- Tweet me @ZoeLeeSkelton using the hashtag #scavengerupcyclingtips
- Drop me an email at [email protected] with your tip and your details so that I can contact you should you win
I will alert the lucky winner who submitted the best tip by the 31 August 2015. The prize is courtesy of Bedroom Storage Maker.
Good luck – oh and if you’re stuck for inspiration there are plenty of upcycling ideas on Pinterest.
i have a lovely 100 year old solid wood dressing table that needs a huge revamp. I would love some pastel paints to jazz it up.
@supermommy1983
I upcycle old clothes into cushions such as football shirts or babys clothes you just can’t get rid of
I used some really pretty napkins to decoupage some candles and glass jars to make lovely gifts for friends and family
Give old wooden furniture a coat of paint to match the colour of your walls 🙂
Spray bean cans gold, glue old nets (cut into ribbons) on to them and top with a frilly embellishment and use for storing art pens ect.
id love to win and get some card making goodies
My proudest upcycle was turning some old baby clothes and an old pillow into (to be fair – rather creepy) handbag.
I up cycled some pallets into seating area for the garden
If you have an old suitcase you don’t need give it a lick of paint and turn it into the perfect ottoman which will also double up as storage
I upcycle old shoeboxes into various storage boxes
I cut up old clothes into rags , use jars for storage of my craft bits , I also melt PEHD plastic into small blocks and will use it in the future project
We have upcycled furniture by giving it a fresh coat of paint and it can change the look and feel of the object so it seems like new.
My husband is really good at picking out ugly pieces of furniture from junk yards and car not sales and using paint and sand paper to upcycle them into some truly beautiful and unique pieces 🙂