Upcycling Links for September, DIY and Shopping from Etsy

This month’s upcycling links feature a variety of houseware items and three clothing upcycles. I like the shadow box upcycle for the reason that it reminds me of my wooden typography drawer which I have had for many years. It used to belong to a friend of mine who was the President of the Typographical Union at the New York Times years ago. In lieu of having a wooden typographical box this would be a great way to create a similar type of wall unit that can hold small knick-knacks and collectibles. Particularly helpful is that you could decide how high you want your shelves to be, for instance in the photo of the one holding various CD’s.

The gage dress upcycle I found posted at the Felted Fox blog. Apparently Nicole Prestholdt isn’t currently blogging but she had some great ideas in her previous posts. My favorites so far are the gage dress upcycle and her wrap crop top made from a men’s shirt. Both of them could be worn in fall with a sweater. If you are searching for a new fall/winter clothing item to upcycle you might want to consider her African Print Sweatshirt DIY, which offers a stylish, unique look, and you get to choose if you want very colorful African fabric or earth tones. She posted it as a spring item but I say carry the bright colors into fall and enjoy! Either way a sweatshirt will keep you warm on a chilly day.

If you are looking to buy upcycled clothing instead of making your own, you might want to check out the Etsy shop GarageCoutureClothes. Erin, the designer, made this steampunk harness and vest piece from recycled ties.

The piano bookshelf is a beautiful piece of furniture. It is a great idea if you have an old piano around and would like to recycle it. The mahogany finish is stunning. The bookshelf looks as if it has another long life span ahead of it. That is the whole idea behind upcycling, especially if the item is solid such as furniture.

Steampunk harness by Erin of GarageCoutureClothes

http://www.recyclart.org/2013/01/piano-bookshelf-2/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+Recyclart+(Recyclart)

The upcycled drawers turned into side tables are another good idea. Simple and no advanced carpentry skills needed. A bit of imagination and paint can turn old drawers into a handy side table, or as the linked post shows, you could stack the drawers to create a bookcase. I have a couple of stacks of old wooden wine boxes used that way in my apartment.

The wind chimes made from old bottle caps are just so cheerful and unique looking. I particularly like the ones made with multi-colored caps. They didn’t give DIY instructions but it seems rather obvious how to put them together.

Upcycled drawers from Hometalk

I found some robot sculptures made by assemblage artist Jen Hardwick. Her Etsy shop has a line of robots that can be used as Christmas ornaments, as well as other crafts, such as found object jewelry and art work. The photos I attached link to her shop and are among the robots that I like so much. They sure are adorably cute and cheerful.

Well I hope you enjoyed this post about upcycling links. I am hoping to make this a monthly post going forward. There are a lot of great upcycling ideas out there and many artists and crafts people making them!