Trending Now: Upcycling

When you think of recycling do you think of blue or green bins with arrows in a triangle formation? Do you think of aluminum cans, plastic bottles or newspapers? Or, are you one of the members of a growing community of creative individuals who think….ART!

You have probably heard the buzz words; upcycled, repurposed, steampunk, reused. These are fancy words for turning something that one would normally toss in the trash or recycling bin and making it a unique and usable item. For those of us who are “creatively challenged” there is help! There are several websites that specialize in arts and crafts ideas using everyday household or office recyclables. Here are some of our favorites:

RecycleArt.Org

http://www.recyclart.org/home/

Upcycled Design Lab

http://www.upcycleddesignlab.com/

Upcycle That

http://www.upcyclethat.com/

Hands On As We Grow

http://handsonaswegrow.com/34-recyclables-to-upcycle-for-the-kids/

Bored Panda

http://www.boredpanda.com/creative-reuse-upcycling-repurposing-ideas/

Feeling inspired but not confident in your skills? You can still support the upcycling movement by purchasing repurposed goods from small online retailers.

HipCycle

http://hipcycle.com/

Etsy

https://www.etsy.com/search/handmade?q=upcycled+recycled+repurposed&order=most_relevant&ref=auto2

So the next time you are thinking about tossing that item into the recycling bin or donating it to a local charity, take a good look at it and think “THIS IS ART!”