The term “upcycling” was coined by William McDonaugh and Michael Braugart in their book Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things.
It’s also a much cooler way of saying, ??finding a way to use it again – preferably before recycling it.?
But it?s more than that.
It?s easy to find a reusable shopping bag these days; seems like every store from Safeway to Kohls has a branded bag for you to purchase. Or maybe you plan to dig your way to the back of your closet and unearth that faded-out canvas number ? Either way, Well Done. But, have you considered taking it a step up? I have an upcycled shopping bag, and it sincerely rocks.
An address debacle at the printers yielded a couple of reams of high end letterhead that I rescued en route to the recycle bin. Zipped into 3.5 inch squares and clipped together with a surplus of small binder clips they become handy little notepads.
Check out Amazon reviews for Rubbish! Reuse Your Refuse by Kate Shoup.
Check out Amazon reviews for Refashioned Bags: Upcycle Anything into High-Style Handbags by Faith Blakeney and Justine Blakeney.
Check out Amazon reviews for Sweater Surgery: How to Make New Things with Old Sweaters (Domestic Arts for Crafty Girls) by Stefanie Girard.
Check out Azazon reviews for Re-Creative: 50 Projects for Turning Found Items Into Contemporary Design by Steve Dodds.
Check out Amazon reviews for EveryDay Upcycle: 101 Scrap Crafts and Repurpose Projects by GreenCraftBlog.
Check out Amazon reviews for ReMAKE ReSTYLE ReUSE: Easy Ways to Transform Everyday Basics into Inspired Design by Sonia Lucano and Fred Lucano.
Check out Amazon reviews for Felt, Cut and Sew Unique: Upcycle Jumpers into One-of-a-Kind Clothes and Accessories by Crispina ffrench.