Wendy's blog
Monthly Archives: May 2018
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Upcycling Ideas for Beginners
Posted at 3:54 pm , on May 13, 2018
I was on a walk with my dog Newt the other day, and whilst sniffing around on a grassy knoll she cleverly brought my attention to an abandoned hubcap. Most would have left it where it was… but I know a crafty opportunity when I see one!
If I find a lonely hubcap in good condition I always take it home for a crafty project… and once you start to look out for them, it’s amazing how many you see! The one Newt found only had a few wear and tear scuff marks on it and, after a wash in some soapy water and a touch up with some paint, it was ready to be turned into a mirror with a flower theme.
I had a set of chipboard flower shapes that had been sitting in my craft stash for ages, and now here was the perfect use for them!
I decorated the shapes with metallic paint, and added steam punk themed embellishments at their centres, for extra detail. These provided the perfect decoration for my revitalised hubcap, and gave my brand new mirror a gorgeous spring theme!
When I’d finished the project, I wondered what Newt would sniff out next. I didn’t have to wait long. On the very next walk we had, she came across a complete wheel from a bike. It’s in excellent condition and I have the start of an idea of what I can do with it, Crafty Beggars style!
Upcycling Ideas
New to upcycling and don’t know where to start? Since almost anything can be upcycled given enough thought, it can be a pretty daunting craft to explore! But it needn’t be… check out our upcycling ideas below, and give your first upcycling project a go!
Upcycling Old Boxes:
It goes without saying that boxes make excellent storage solutions – but old cardboard boxes certainly aren’t the most attractive thing to have on display. Enter upcycling! Cardboard is so incredibly versatile, you can paint it, decoupage it, cover it with fabric, add adhesive embellishments and more. Add extra strength to your box’s corners and edges before you begin with good quality duct tape, then decorate to match your decor.
Upcycling Coat Hangers:
Oh, the things you can turn a coat hanger into! Think wind-chime, photo frame, hair accessory holder and more. If you own the metal variety you can be extra creative by twisting them out of shape and creating something entirely new – but even if your coat hanger is not malleable, it’s still usable! Add some pretty coloured pegs and attach a row of photographs, or attach strings of pretty translucent beads to hang below, and pop it into your window as a colourful sun catcher.
Upcycling Old Glass Jars:
Glass jars are so upcyclable, we cannot do them justice in just a couple of sentences… which is why we dedicated an entire blog post to how to upcycle glass jars! You can read it right here.
Upcycling Old Clothes:
Maybe they don’t fit, maybe they’re no longer fashionable – whatever the reason, there’s no need to throw them out! The opportunities to get creative with old clothes are limitless – think pet beds, tote bags, toy bags, baby bibs, oven mitts… you just need to start thinking of unwanted clothes as fabric freebies! Take your scissors to them to create usable fabric squares and other shapes, then start creating things to love!
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