give me one good raisin

Like a dress to water

2011-04-18T17:08:00.001+01:00

Redressing the balance between consumption and disposal, From Somewhere re-thinks the fashion industry’s leftovers, reclaiming and upcycling them as a design solution to environmental problems.

So far, so on trend you might be thinking. But get this – From Somewhere was way ahead of the curve. Ever since 1997, they’ve been making their collections with pre-consumer waste: brand-new, often previously unseen, latest trend designer off-cuts, proofs and remnants such as damaged and surplus fabrics reclaimed from the fashion and textile industry.

In other words, solving problems is what they’re all about. That’s exactly how their ground-breaking collab with Speedo came about. Following the decision of FINA, swimming’s governing body, to change the rules regarding swimsuit design and prohibit the use of full-body suits from January 2010, Speedo was left with a surplus of the record-breaking LZR Racer suit.

The LZR Racer suit was worn in 91 world records, so just incinerating this wonder-stuff was out of the question. A limited edition capsule collection developed by From Somewhere includes a statement dress constructed purely of Speedo LZRs, as well as a directional mini collection of swimmdresses, an entirely new concept of swimmer as daywear.

Launched exclusively at Selfridges in London and online through yoox.com, From Somewhere with Speedo is upcycling in its highest form: a fashion-forward design concept exploring innovative environmental solutions.

S-Sew-S

2011-04-15T16:29:00.005+01:00

Ok, I'm not going to go on about it but... how much fun is it to take some rubbishy old thing taking up space in your wardrobe and reinvent it so it actually does you proud? Call me old fashioned, but I find this nothing short of super fun.

However there is sadly a limit to my abilities. Which is why I'm unfeasibly excited to have discovered costumier Claire-Louise Hardy's sewing school The Thrifty Stitcher in Stoke Newington and her concept SOS Sewing Surgeries. The freestyle drop-in sessions last three hours and cost £35. Bring along your stack o' rags and Claire will share her expertise to help you transform them. You can even book online - but you will have to elbow me out of the way first.

www.thethriftystitcher.co.uk

Ring the changes

2011-04-06T08:17:00.004+01:00

Ah lovely jewellery! You are so sparkly, so delicate… so breakable.

What to do with your tattered trinkets to ensure they get the chance to swing again? The Papered Parlour is offering a class in Recycled Jewellery on Sunday 17 April from noon to 5pm where you can join expert silversmith Caren Hartley to discover how to repair, reshape and revive old baubles.

Transform pre-loved pendants, broken bracelets and neglected necklaces and get all the skills you need to upcycle jewellery at home. Using basic silversmithing techniques including sawing, soldering, texturing and annealing, you’ll learn how to reinvent your faded finery as polished showpieces.

Instructor Caren Hartley studied Goldsmithing, Silversmithing, Metalwork and Jewellery at The Royal College of Art. She’s won commissions and awards from the Crafts Council and V&A and has exhibited at the Designers Guild, Mint and RCA.

To book your place email thepaperedparlour@googlemail.co.uk

Cut some rug

2011-04-05T09:20:00.006+01:00

My friend and fellow freelancer Flemmich Webb has been keeping an eye out for upcycling ideas for me. And how's this? Top ten uses for old carpet, supplied by Brintons in time for Earth Day on 22 April...

1) Insulate the loft

2) Insulate plumbing with carpets reborn as pipe lagging

3) Accelerate decomposition by covering your compost heap

4) Make carpet rests to go under the legs of heavy furniture

5) Fashion a kneeling pad to protect knees while working in the garden

6) Carpet your garden shed

7) Make a bespoke car mat

8) Make a hallway mat for mucky shoe storage

9) Make a carpeted scratching post for the cat

10) Insulate a rabbit hut to allow your bunny to live in luxury

Watch out!

2011-03-23T20:02:00.003Z

This week I wandered to a press day promoting Cornish makers organised by Minky Publicity. I met Aimee Craddock there, whose work I immediately liked. After talking to her I realised the reason - she's a bit of an upcycler! (As well as artist, jeweller and silversmith.) Here's how you can tell...

"These key pendants are from my degree show entitled The Secret Garden. They were all inspired by the famous children's novel of the same name by author Frances Hodgson Burnett. Constructed mainly of sterling silver, materials used include brass, tourmaline, aquamarines, peridot and antique watch glasses that I found on one of my many rummaging expeditions!"

Smalls talk

2011-03-21T20:36:00.006Z

I've been thinking about it, and I don't think we're really covered pants enough on this blog. Pants are great. Pants are (kind of) essential. Pants can be fun.

Just ask the ladies of Flo-Jo, who offer for your buying and wearing pleasure smalls that have been upcycled from fine silk scarves. The fun does not stop there however. Also available for sale are make-your-own-knickers kits, for those who realise there's more to life than boring old briefs...

Jean ee us

2011-03-18T11:34:00.007Z

I don't know how it happened, but I seem to have made a subconscious resolution to only ever wear denim on my bottom half. I am a jeans junkie.

So, checkit, here's a very good floor covering for addicts like me. Denim is super durable (just ask Mr Levi Strauss, who initially used it to make camping tents for cowboys). Even after it has served its purpose as clothing, it's still got plenty of life left to give.

Woven Ground offers two versions of upcycled denim rugs. "Shaggy" is made by artisans on a loom using 100% recycled denim; no dying or chemicals are used in production so it's a truly eco choice. "Flat" is also produced on a loom, and it's made out of 100% recycled denim and cotton. Thanks to the flat weave, it can be used on both sides.

www.wovenground.com

Ocean debris reborn

2011-03-08T10:16:00.001Z

Sew and sew

2011-03-01T20:48:00.004Z

For every three items of clothing I buy, approximately two things go either to the bottom of my wardrobe or to the charity shop without being worn more than twice. It's not that I am wasteful by nature; it's that I'm not very good at shopping and stuff that looks good in a fitting room can look terrible in real life. Furthermore, everything I buy has to be shortened because the mannequin used in the ateliers of Topshop, Zara and Esprit is about eight inches taller than me.

The dress I'm wearing today is a case in point. I bought it knowing it would need to be shortened; I took it to a tailor and had it cut off and hemmed; then I decided it was too short and let the hem out; then I realised it just didn't look that great. AND THEN... I decided to wear it back-to-front. The result is depicted here. I'm glad I persevered because finally - after a delay of only about, um, 18 months - I have a brand-new dress.

This success story is a bit of a one-off however; mostly my shopping errors have no such happy ending. So I've been interested to learn about a service that revives clothes imprisoned in your wardrobe and mends old favourite pieces so they can accompany you out and about in the world again.

Designer Alterations has launched The DA Seamstress Squad, a handy new service that comes to your home and takes the hassle and time out of alterations and mending. The ‘Squad’ will come over armed with their sewing machines, tape measures and sewing kits to carry out on-the-spot alterations and repairs. They can even overhaul vintage, down to the last bead or sequin.

The Designer Alterations client base includes fashion editors, celebrities and designer retail boutiques like Gucci, Pucci and Burberry, so there's good reason to believe they really know what they're doing. The Squad’s service is £70 an hour; to avert wardrobe malfunctions ring 020 7498 4360 or visit www.designeralterations.com

Jeepers creepers

2011-02-16T09:08:00.003Z

Louise Kamara's ReVision range of limited edition jewellery debuts at the Barbican Art Gallery shop soon. What's in store? Well, each piece is handmade in London from discarded sunglasses and prescription lenses intercepted en route to landfill. The collection was inspired by New York's downtown scene in the 1970s, reflecting the era's taste for bold design statements in the face of economic crisis.

Forward march

2011-02-12T20:57:00.003Z

What kind of woman does not like shoes? A very rare and unusual one, that's who.

Most of us go through multiple pairs a year, but let's be frank: toe toppers in leather, suede, nylon and rubber are built to be sturdy. After we tire of old ones, where do they go? Pretty much the landfill. It's a dark, damp place, and I am not so sure that shoes even like it there.

Enter I Can Make Shoes. This N16 outfit is determined to facilitate the strutting of stuff. Learn to make shoes, learn to make sandals or... learn to upcycle your shoedrobe! It's a £50 workshop, but I feel it's probably a bargain at any price. Don't miss the opportunity to transform golden oldies into Cinderella slippers.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow

2011-02-10T12:33:00.004Z

Someone kindly pointed me in the direction of a site called Bachelor's Degree Online; specifically I was encouraged to check out a post titled 80 Awesome Upcycling Ideas for Your Dormroom Decor. If you live in halls of residence - or even if you don't - then roll up roll up, read up read up. (I positively challenge you to resist the lure of the snow globe made from a baby food jar.)

Stamp collection

2011-02-07T22:05:00.005Z

In case your calendar is broken, please be advised that Valentines Day is only a few days away. Mr Tiffany would like very much for you to buy a shiny shiny new thing for your special someone. And why not?

I'll tell ya why not - you might not have thousands to spend. This describes my personal situation too. So here's an idea. I have a super old set of stamps that came from my grandparents' house, containing all the letters and symbols a signmaker might have used before the advent of computers and printer cartridges, and prior to the easy dissemination of fonts like Verdana or Ariel. By simply borrowing a few of the stamps from the set, my home now now proclaims "S & V forever!" This is a handy reminder to the tenants of our home, and as an added benefit it did not require any of these said tenants to acquire a personal loan.

Chips and starts

2011-02-07T09:25:00.005Z

Our van propelled itself all the way to Devon and some of the way back chomping on delicious biodiesel from a company in our neighbourhood called Uptown Oil. Uptown Oil delivers cooking oil to restaurants, then returns to pick the stuff up once it's served its purpose in sizzling up saveloys and the like. From an railway arch in SE1 the stuff is cleaned up for motor use. Uptown Oil is the only manufacturer of biodiesel in London, and their product is 10p cheaper per litre from what you'll get charged at BP and all its dirty brethren. What I like about all this is that it's an opportunity to use a resource for a second time, doubling its usefulness before it's deemed "waste". Recycling cooking oil in this way is much more efficient than raising crops specifically for use as biodiesel (a short-sighted tactic which means less food can be cultivated).

Drivers, start your engines.

Cut and run

2011-02-04T11:34:00.005Z

Let's face it peeps; there's upcycling... and then there's upscale upcycling.

Some of us might have naff shopping tote bags to hand, and finding a new use for them is commendable. But how's this for an inspiring tale? Jeweller Sarah Stafford took two heirlooms belonging to a client. Altogether she had 88 diamonds at her disposal. From an old brooch and a pendant, two amazing rings were made. I've interviewed Sarah for a feature I'm working on - check out the tale of her uber-upcycling on her website, and while you're there you can also book a spot in her jewellery school to maybe render such sparkly miracles of your own.

Snap! It's a cushion

2011-02-02T09:36:00.004Z

A very nice surf shop in Braunton just closed down this weekend. We went and made some purchases and got a bag for life. A little tag inside reports the bag was not made in a sweatshop. And yet even this will not convince me to use it, because I have a huge catalogue of similar bags I am struggling to find uses for.

But it's a nice design, commemorates a fine institution and would look good in our campervan...

I had a vision. A feather pillow insert was stuffed inside and a new future for the bag became a possibility. I unstitched the handles; sewed on five press studs; discovered I'd put them in wrong way round and took them off; tried again with the press studs; broke a needle; stabbed a finger; drew blood; finished the pillow; was very pleased.

Hang it all

2011-02-02T09:23:00.004Z

Bags for life depress me. The cynic in me is convinced that a) they were all clearly made in sweatshops and b) anyone who dispenses such bags only does so to make me their branding packhorse.

I need no more bags for life. What I need are things to kit out our new campervan. Tea towels. Cushions. And suchlike.

After being outbid on Ebay for a tea towel in our van's livery colours of red and blue, I took matters into my own hands. One Paul Smith bag was unstitched along the sides; its front handle was removed; the resulting strip of fabric was cut down to tea towel size and pressed flat with an iron; the raw edges were artfully frayed; two seams were run along each side; a ribbon was sewn on the back corner.

The bag is reborn as a tea towel. After the procedure, the new towel is recovering well and the operation is deemed a success.

In the balance

2011-01-05T09:09:00.003Z

I have a thingie called an Indo Board that you balance on to get better core stability for board sports. I love it, but it was expensive and has the biggest, most annoying branding all over it. Next time round I will invest instead in a DIY Board. Here's one that Anthony made when he employed the skills of hacking and upcycling, and you can learn more about making one on his blog Dead Insect.

Flip the switch

2010-11-01T16:25:00.011Z

I have been given an advent calendar, even though we're only just past Halloween. Never mind; I don't like to look a gift horse in the mouth... So I've started munching my way through what was supposed to be my December calendar.

I'm not the only who likes to think about brighter, better Yuletide things well in advance of Christmas. Check out these decs - made from sequins, silver thread and upcycled lightbulbs. Well and truly - a bright idea.

Each is made to order, priced £4 each or £15 for four, plus postage and packing from caroline.smail@yahoo.co.uk

Ones and zeroes

2010-09-12T14:08:00.001+01:00

Old motherboards. Old keyboards. Old power cables. Old laptops. Old screens. Old CPU towers. Old plastic and metal and silicone chips... What happens with a computer that is dead and even less useful than a doornail?

My pal Amy snapped these shots of Bloomberg's studios, where old IT kit has been re-envisioned and reformed. What do you think? I like the thoughtful journey from digital and virtual to analogue and functional. Pull up a seat I say!

In a blue mood

2010-09-10T09:34:00.007+01:00

I interviewed a really fantastic lady recently, a fashion designer who is producing a luxury jeans collection in the UK (read the PDF of the feature here). Barbara Graham is her name and Laundry Maid is the label. And to prove she's got her finger well and truly on the pulse, she just sent me a press release about her new endeavours in upcycling. Here it is in its entirety:

Autumn Winter 2010 sees ethical brand Laundry Maid in a resourceful mood with the introduction of Laundry Maid Upcycled; a small collection of jeans, bags and a skirt all innovatively recycled from existing styles into newer directional garments. Developed to sit alongside the label’s core form flattering range of skinny, tailored and tapered leg fits, the concept minimises waste, cuts down on unnecessary consumption of raw denim and introduces exciting new product areas to the line.

A tailored chino in stone has been painstakingly unpicked to rescue knee patches and the brand’s unique uplifting back panel, which have then been applied to a signature tailored jean in slate grey denim. Excess stone fabric has been further utilised to make Jodhpur riding patches for the label’s current favourite, the high waisted skinny jean. The remaining top of the chino combines with the back panel of the tailored jean to create a skirt, nothing is wasted and excess stock is converted into new seasonal items.

Jeans styles have been further adapted to form a snap fastened fifties style handbag and a slouchy cross body bag, each featuring a base and strap handles made from the legs of the jean. In keeping with the label’s ethos, all items are designed, manufactured, laundered and customised in Britain. Due to rarity of supply Laundry Maid Upcycled will be available in numbered limited editions, exclusively at Potassium, 2 Seymour Street W1H 7NA and online at www.potassiumlondon.com and Ethics Girls www.ethicsgirls.co.uk, alongside Laundry Maid’s main line. Retail prices start from £80.00 for the bags to £150.00 for the jeans styles.

Swing when you're winning

2010-09-03T15:07:00.004+01:00

This week I finished writing a feature on hardcourt bike polo, an underground sport that touched down in London just three years ago. Here's a taster extracted from the story, with images courtesy of Chunk...

'With the sport still in its infancy, you won’t find a bike polo section in Foot Locker or Lillywhite's. As a result, borrowing and hacking are intrinsic features of the scene. Bikes are often cobbled together from spare parts, and Felix Cramer, a college student, illustrates how DIY skills have come in handy in fashioning his much-used mallet. 'It's a golf club and electrical tape,' he tells me. 'I played with it so much I broke the end off it so there was a massive hole. So what you do is put a penny on it or a cork and tape over it.'
Ski poles or bamboo are other common components used to serve as mallet shafts, while mallet heads are typically made from plastic piping requisitioned from building sites or roadworks. 'People find them, happily,' Felix divulges. 'The official rules say 12cm is the longest you can have. Drill holes take the weight out, or people will have one massive hole so they can scoop the ball with the side of the mallet.'
Wheel covers are another modification that calls upon a player’s upcycling savvy. These prevent damage to spokes, and also provide a tactical advantage. 'They’re quite handy,' Felix says. 'If you’ve got the ball on one side of you and the attacking or opposing player is on the other side of you, they can’t see the ball through the wheel.' In London, the ubiquitous signs of estate agents provide the perfect corrugated plastic medium for the job. One player’s wheels sport the unmistakable livery of one of the country’s most notoriously greedy agencies; 'I’m sponsored by Foxtons,' he grins."

For more information on rules and throw-ins (that's polo lingo for pickup games) check out the London Hardcourt Bike Polo Association site.

Teetotal thanks

2010-08-26T15:45:00.004+01:00

PSFK consultants are trained to keep their eyes on the future. In the course of their future gazing they quite often come upon upcycling ideas...

Here's a recent one: upcycling credit cards into guitar picks.

And another: upcycling billboards into bags for sale at major retailer Target.

And yet another (warning: this is the weirdest thing ever): upcycling wee into whiskey.

Not only is this an innovative example of reuse, it's a potential solution to alcoholism. Now then, who would like to join me in climbing on the wagon?

Film 'er up!

2010-08-19T16:47:00.004+01:00

Yesterday a theatre, today a cinema... How cool is this? The Cineroleum is a pop-up movie theatre in a derelict petrol station. Everything in it has been made from donated, found and reclaimed stuff.

And.... ACTION!

Junkitecture!

2010-08-17T08:45:00.003+01:00

Jonathan Glancy's article in the Guardian will reveal to you just what junkitecture is, so read all about it here. The case study he uses is pictured above, and this is how he describes it:

“The Jellyfish theatre, which opens next week, is being built from the detritus of markets, timberyards and building sites; from redundant school furniture, hand-me-down front doors, recycled nails and pretty much anything that local residents and businesses have contributed.”

Like the Union Street Urban Orchard which we've covered before it's on... Union Street SE1.

The crate escape

2010-07-30T15:18:00.001+01:00

Recycling stuff the world is done with: good. Upcycling stuff the world is done with: even better. When you can reuse instead of recycle, you're doing the earth a favour by saving energy that's otherwise swallowed up in transporting materials to and from recycling facilities (many of which are literally on the other side of the globe) and by saving the energy that's required to melt down a can or a bottle (we're talking high temps here, peeps).

So don't be too quick to recycle if you can at all upcycle instead. Containers are always a great place to start - a metal can becomes a planter, a crate becomes a shelf, and so on. But there's a worrying trend reported in the Wall Street Journal article "The Great Crate Crackdown". Companies that use plastic crates in great numbers (like Coca-Cola, Rite-Aid and Sara Lee) have noticed huge thefts of their plastic delivery containers. Thieves are apparently selling these to recycling plants to grab themselves some free money (the crate itself is worth $3 to $10 when new; a pound of recycled plastics can be sold to manufacturers for 15 cents pound). But at what needless cost to the environment? These hunter gatherers are taking objects whose use is not yet exhausted, so there's not much virtue in recycling of this kind.

Get up stand up

2010-07-29T14:59:00.000+01:00

The New York Times recently ran a review of a new book about the spread of surfing across the world. The book is called Sweetness and Blood and it's by Michael Scott Moore. The review cites two examples of upcycling revealed by Moore in his book - apparently early Cornish surfers requisitioned coffin lids for their boards, while in Cuba surfers in the 1980s used plywood desktops. Gnarly indeed.

Pop!

2010-07-28T14:52:00.000+01:00

The original 1006 Navy Chair was designed by Emeco for the US Navy. The shiny little icon first appeared in 1944, and today it’s made of 80% recycled aluminium. Designed to serve the military’s need for lightweight, corrosion-resistant chairs for destroyers and submarines, each has an estimated lifespan of 150 years.

Made from 111 recycled plastic Coke bottles, the 111 Navy Chair (1944/2009) is the new plastic version of the 1006. The 111 expands the Navy collection by offering colour, plus it’s suitable for outdoor and commercial use, and and costs about half the price of the aluminium original - which is still in production.

Late edition

2010-07-26T14:37:00.003+01:00

What's that you say? You believe upcycled newspapers to be the covering of them there walls over yonder? Correct. Read all about it (ahem) at the online design mag Core 77.

Make my day

2010-07-09T16:16:00.003+01:00

Two new books support the notion that making things and doing stuff with your hands is actually good for you. Can upcycling some old piece of rubbish keep you on an even keel and save you lots of money otherwise spent on therapy? To find out, read Made By Hand: Searching for Meaning in a Throwaway World by Mark Frauenfelder or The Case for Working With Your Hands: or Why Office Work is Bad for Us and Fixing Things Feels Good by Matthew Crawford. Or instead you could tackle some interesting and creative DIY project and find out for yourself.

For kicks

2010-07-08T16:00:00.003+01:00

It's not just the host continent of the World Cup, it's also the cradle of upcycling. There's an article in the New York Times today about photographer Jessica Hilltout and her project to record the pursuit of the beautiful game not in glittering stadiums but on Africa's sandy beaches, dusty plains and cracked stretches of dried clay. Part of the project includes a series of shots of homemade balls she traded with her subjects, exchanging fine factory-made ones for their versions fashioned from socks, stockings, string and even condoms. Read the article here, or let the images speak for themselves by visiting Jessica's site here.

Leaving the city

2010-07-05T13:03:00.003+01:00

Here are pics I took yesterday at the Urban Orchard on Union Street, where tyres have been upcycled into swings and planters, and have also been downcycled into ground cover. Glass jars are the basis of a seed library, and shipping palettes are put to good use in landscaping and seating. It's there until September so go have a look.

Trash talkin'

2010-07-03T12:19:00.004+01:00

On this blog we've seen shipping containers and skips turned into coffee shops, swimming pools and gymnasiums. How much better can it get? You be the judge. Here's Oliver Bishop-Young's ping pong table made from a skip and it's right up my very own street (literally). In my old flat I could have viewed it from the kitchen window, which would have been preferable to watching every single one of my favoured teams get knocked out of the World Cup, or witnessing the UK's Wimbledon hope shuffle back home to Scotland.

Save yourself from sporting boredom and head to the Union Street Urban Orchard. It's - ahem - on Union Street (SE1, between Borough and Southwark Tube stations).

Salvage, sew, sit

2010-07-02T16:32:00.006+01:00

Samantha Peare's to do list might look like this:

Source some vintage fabric

Embroider birds and bugs onto salvaged cloth

Sew assorted pieces together

Produce covetable cushions (priced £60)

These one-off beauties are made to order; visit Samantha's site to see how she ingeniously brings old bits and pieces back to life.

Coffee container

2010-06-30T17:28:00.003+01:00

In the past we've seen shipping containers converted into swimming pools, and here they are upcycled into a cafe. Read all about it at Treehugger, where you'll find more shots of the green scene courtesy of B Alter.

Mary proposal

2010-06-29T10:18:00.004+01:00

Without a doubt, Mary Portas has been reading this blog. Why else could she have promoted the concept of upcycling to the owners of 37 Old London Road in last night's episode of Mary Queen of Shops? You can catch the show on iPlayer this week, or if you're in Kingston browse the shop for yourself.

[Hi Mary!!]

Better latte than never

2010-06-14T12:30:00.005+01:00

As I was drinking some coffee, I happened to read about the One Pot Pledge campaign. The initiative is led by Garden Organic, a charity that encourages people to grow their own food. The idea behind the One Pot Pledge is that gardening isn't difficult - you can take a disposable paper cup and get growing immediately. Here's a pic of Bojo with his coriander in a coffee cup to give you inspiration for your own one pot undertaking.

Palette o mine

2010-06-09T11:56:00.004+01:00

Soon many of my favourite subjects will come together. Food... flowers... upcycling... Wales...

Nomadic Allotments is a project for the London Festival of Architecture being launched by the Welsh School of Architecture in Borough Market next month. Read all about it:

"The final allotment structures designed by the students will be constructed from reclaimed materials such as pallets and packaging provided onsite by Borough Market. The allotment structures will offer a variety of growing, eating and seating areas for market-goers, local visitors and residents alike."

The allotments will be officially launched on the 4th July, so grab a drink and a seat on one of the structures.

Bag bunting

2010-06-07T08:42:00.003+01:00

Soon the World Cup will start. I wish the USA and England weren't in the same group; for a dual passport owner like myself things could get ugly. So I am supporting the Ivory Coast. All I need to show my colours is buy a bunch of stuff from Sainsburys and Marks & Spencer. With some orange bags and some green ones, I could make weatherproof bunting. Want some bag bunting of your own in order to show your own true colours? See a fabulous online tutorial by Hannah of Seeds and Stitches at Amelia's magazine, where she writes a column on creative reuse.

Crafty cakey gardening goodness

2010-06-02T10:29:00.004+01:00

From Reestore comes yet another product in step with the zeitgeist...

Fat Bird is the complete fat cake creation kit. When you finish cooking and come up with a whole heap o fat, you're not supposed to pour it down the drain right? So pour that oily goop into the Fat Bird silicon mould, add some scraps, sprinkle on some birdseed and drop in a piece of string. Whack the recipe into the freezer and then when it's good and ready, hang it out for a feast for all our feathery birdy tweety friends.

At last, an invention that upcycles oil, hooray. Can we get a couple zillion of these sent to the Gulf of Mexico...?

Long and short of it

2010-05-29T18:52:00.004+01:00

As many of you may know, I'm fairly obsessed with discovering new ideas for the creative reuse of surfboards. I was browsing Ebay for a VW Campervan, and found this four-wheeled wonder which contains part of an old longboard reborn as a table.

Essential oil

2010-05-27T12:52:00.006+01:00

As I become more obsessed by the concept that metal containers can make great seating, I have no choice but to share my findings with you. Atelier Abigail Ahern offers the Drum Chair, made from hammered oil drums. They come in blue or red and cost £365, and it's not wrong to want one.

Reestore meanwhile has all kinds of objects suitable for resting your behind upon. Like a chair made from a shopping trolley, a settee crafted from a car bumper and a loveseat devised from a clawfoot tub. Their oil drum chair goes by the name of Ray, and when you lift up Ray's seat he returns the favour by offering you a hidden storage compartment.

Slippery business

2010-05-26T09:31:00.000+01:00

Not long ago we read about the upcycling endeavours of Rafinesse & Tristesse, who make big olive tins into seating and toys. On my visit to Denmark last weekend, every corner held a giant olive tin or two doing double-duty as planters. We don't seem to have such aesthetic containers for our industrial fats in this country. It's just not fair!

Drink up!

2010-05-24T08:49:00.010+01:00

The Hotel Ville d'Hiver in the Gironde region of France has many eco credentials, but it's coolest claim to fame might be that it is itself a grand exercise in upcycling.

Its central building is a water plant that opened in 1884 and operated for a century until 1984, when it became the property of Arcachon town council in return for a symbolic fee of one franc.

Though it was ravaged by fire in 1990 and spent several years in a derelict state, it rose up from the ashes last year to be reborn as a luxurious, inventive and atmospheric hotel.

Its former life as a water facility is best viewed from the side of the pool - which was in fact sliced out of the original underground reservoir. Many of its features - including the funnel-shaped Victorian water pipes and smoothly curving ceilings - are in evidence. As you languish here in fluid serenity, these are reminders of its hardworking liquid past.

(Thanks to super shooter Vaughan for the photos, which he took while I was busy snooping around the grounds...)

Post script

2010-05-20T09:16:00.004+01:00

PS - I Made This is a whole new wonderful world where coffee stirrers can be reimagined as necklaces. There are heaps of projects - most leaning toward the fashion end o' the eco invention spectrum - and a weekly newsletter, so get yourself involved. In the meantime, take a gander at the chandelier made from plastic water bottles shown here.

The mastermind behind PS-IMT is Erica Domesek, a writer in New York City. According to the website, her "creative motto 'I see it, I like it, I make it' reflects the belief that one can find inspiration anywhere and transform what one sees into something fabulous to wear, use or look at." To that, we say hooray.

Beach rubbish bingo

2010-05-16T10:59:00.004+01:00

Check this out, and maybe check in...

Opened less than a year ago, The Scarlet is a gorgeous hotel not far from Newquay. In spite of its name, it's ultra green. This is reflected in the eco activities on offer - from tree climbing classes to sustainability courses to upcycling workshops. For the latter, read all about it here:

Recycled beach finds workshops with Sarah Drew: Sarah Drew is holding a series of jewellery workshops at The Scarlet. Guests are invited to spend a relaxing day making jewellery from salvaged materials collected from the beach below the hotel.

As well as creating some contemporary jewellery, you can also enjoy a two-course lunch, which is included in the price.

Dates: 8th May, 17th July, 18th September, 16th October and 13th November 2010

Location: The Lower Dining Room

Time:10am - 4pm

Price: £52

Booking is essential. Please contact reservations for more details on 01637 861800.

For more information go to www.sarahdrew.com

Not Ralph Lauren

2010-05-15T12:52:00.003+01:00

Once upon a time polo required a string of ponies, a handful of grooms and a whole shed-load of cash. In fact, a castle-load of cash would be preferable. Today, polo requires a fixed-gear two-wheeled vehicle, some scraps, some skills and the ice-cold nerves of a bike courier. There's a playground near where I live where men and women battle it out frequently. I inherited a polo mallet from my grandfather who used it when he was at agricultural college and everyone had to do some kind of junior cavalry business to get their degree. The riders I observed in Elephant & Castle weren't playing with wooden World War I era equipment though. After a bit of reading, it seems today's mallets are made by upcycling ski poles or golf clubs. Find DIY instructions at Hard Court Bike Polo and get swinging.

Canny idea

2010-05-05T16:14:00.005+01:00

Basically I've tidied up our balcony, but I still have some issues. Such as: where do I stick a bag of potting soil that I am not particularly fond of staring at? What I would really like is to get an empty container, store the soil inside of it and sit upon it. I'm thinking a gigantimous industrial yoghurt pot would do nicely, or something from a building site that possibly previously contained a vast amount of primer or what-have-you.

I did come across these natty stools over at Bouf.com. They're from the good people at Rafinesse & Tristesse, and I think they are really quite clever. Perhaps even more clever though are the kiddie sink and stove made from upcycled olive oil tins. Will they accommodate my potting soil as well, I wonder?

Casa suite casa

2010-04-28T20:03:00.004+01:00

The Casa Surf Project is a hotel with 10 suites, each one designed by a different surf brand. It would be nice if my fairy godmother would play concierge for just a minute and check me in to Suite 207, the Etnies crib. Upcycling ideas include a playful patchwork mosaic of shoe material scraps that serves as an artistic headboard and hand-painted skate wheels decorating the bathroom mirror.

Also in the bathroom is a kidney-shaped bathroom sink that doubles as a tiny skate pool complete with a pair of mini decks for finger boarding... Yo Fairy Godmother - are you reading this??

gives me a charge

2010-04-21T18:29:00.002+01:00

Curious to know what you're looking at? It's a sculpture made of discarded batteries by Michel de Broin, and it comes via the brilliant blog known as Designsquish.

Take a seat

2010-04-19T18:14:00.003+01:00

Read all about it… My blogging buddy-o over at Pass the Pattern couldn’t get the cushion she wanted at her local Habitat store. So instead she bought Habitat’s shopping bag made from the same fabric, unpicked the handles and the seam at the opening, inserted a cushion pad and used a slip stitch to close it all up. It’s pictured here with two salvaged Ercol chairs spruced up with a new lick of paint.

You could do the same thing with any shopper bag. I seem to accumulate these free at an alarming rate, but I will despair no longer now that I can see them in a new light – as (almost) readymade cushions.

Embellished bag bingo

2010-04-19T14:33:00.008+01:00

Lie Down I Think I Love You - The Life Of A Handbag from James Partridge on Vimeo.

Lie Down I Think I Love You is, first, a fantastic name for a brand and, second, a cool handbag company in London. They buy vintage scarves from Ebay, auctions and other secret sources and incorporate these into their bag designs. At the press preview last week they unveiled new designs that feature vintage mirror compacts too. Here's a fab video on what they're about and how they do what they do.

All hail heli

2010-04-10T00:25:00.004+01:00

One man's trash is another's treasure... And one tatami mat factory's reject is Mixko's choice material. Put it this way:

"Most Japanese homes have a traditional tatami room, called the washitsu. Tatami are rectangular mats, slotted together to cover the washitsu floor. Tatami are protected with a fabric border called heli. The heli border is often very special, incorporating traditional Japanese colour, pattern and family crests."

Special stuff should not be in the rubbish bin, which is why it's so nice to see it upcycled into new uses. If you're inspired by this tale, chances are wear your heart on your sleeve - and might be tempted to wear your heli on your waist.

Wishy washy

2010-04-09T08:37:00.004+01:00

"I’m not saying you need a wash but when was the last time you saw a bar of soap?"

How can anyone resist a good intro like that? Don't resist, just visit my friend Clare's blog called Pass the Pattern to learn how one savvy soap seller - Nostalgia Organics - includes instructions with every bar on how to upcycle her natty fabric packaging into something wonderful...

That's what I call good clean fun.

Hang it all

2010-04-01T11:47:00.002+01:00

When is a belt not a belt? When it's a surfboard wall strap!

Holding up a trouser is a noble cause. Holding up a board I think even more so.

(Thanks to Eugene for sharing this genius idea.)

Tale of New York

2010-03-29T12:22:00.002+01:00

Yesterday LA, today it's New York. Thanks to my designing, blogging, teaching friend Jo of Soupa creative network who brought this to my attention.

The GUN reclamation project is the venture of ken & dana design, who've decided to take an instrument that inherently represents violence and reframe it as a symbol of non-violence. With materials sourced from gun manufacturers, they transform gun parts into jewellery; with each sale, proceeds are donated to a buyback program to get more guns off the street. Through the program, the DA’s office and the NYPD partner with local churches to offer $200 bank cards for any firearm turned in at one of their one-day events. Since 2008, 5,700 guns have been taken off New York’s streets.

As an example of upcyling, I really like it because not only does it reuse durable materials that would be extremely energy-intensive to recycle but it also prevents these components from being used in violent endeavours. Decommissioning + reappropriating = happy new world. It's definitely time to think outside of the Glocks.

LA story

2010-03-28T10:34:00.003+01:00

My mom heard something cool on NPR recently, which is not surprising because NPR is filled with cool things and my parents listen to NPR pretty much from the moment their eyes open in the morning.

The story was about Recycle LACMA, a grand exercise in upcycling that you shouldn't miss. Pay a visit to see a 1960s Korean wedding coat transformed into a canteen cover or a textile from Uzbekistan made over into a travel pillow. They've made butterfly nets, beekeeper's hats, earmuffs and more. Any old ways, here's what the project has to say for itself:

"On January 14th, 2009 the Los Angeles County Museum of Art announced that it was deaccessioning more than 100 items from its costumes and textiles collection. Once carefully collected, catalogued, and cared for, these items have now been cast back out in to the world. What will happen to them? Like any other useless item, they will need to be recycled or disposed of.

Recycle LACMA is a project of Los Angeles-based artist Robert Fontenot. At three separate auctions he purchased over 50 items deaccessioned by LACMA and is now trying to find new uses for these otherwise unwanted items."

Fruit cocktail

2010-03-27T08:52:00.004Z

Beautiful bespoke furniture by award-winning designers Kay + Stemmer might set you back a few bob. But beautiful home accessories by Kay + Stemmer upcycled from silkscreened plywood fruit boxes will not. The pair initially came up with the concept last year when they crafted some lovely stools, called Tutti Frutti, out of upcycled fruit boxes for the Food with Thought Event at Borough Market during London Design Festival.

We've blogged about this work before, but till now there was no way to buy it. So roll up roll up! For a limited time you can visit their website if you want a way to support the upcycling cause. Your efforts will be richly rewarded too. The Flash animations are funny, and the two designs are each limited to an edition of 100. Each piece comes signed and numbered, and will cost you no more than £106.

Ahoy

2010-03-23T18:33:00.005Z

Sometimes I come across a mention of the Boex brothers in the design press, and other times I read about their surfing. Today I'm fixated on their inventive creation using redundant bits borrowed from sailing.

A design company needed a blind for their skylight, so Boex 3-D Creative had the bright idea to hoist an upcycled sail to block out the sunlight when the glare got too much. The client, a sailor himself, is understandably smitten with the solution.

Piece work

2010-03-23T10:27:00.004Z

ReVampt – which creates items only made from reclaimed and vintage textiles – launched their new collection of patchwork pieces just last month. The range, which includes throws, cushions, cot quilts, doorstops, bags, recovered chairs and stools, footstools, table runners, place mats and even a peg bag, coincides with the Victoria & Albert museum’s Quilts 1700-2010 exhibition which opened this week. As part of the quiltastic activities at the V&A, ReVampt owner and designer Sarah Baulch is running two stitch-centric workshops.

Denim features prominently in the work. Sarah explains, “Denim is such a great fabric to recycle. It is so hard-wearing with jeans and jackets normally only going at knees and elbows, leaving the rest of the item in great condition to turn into anything from a throw to a bag. People get so attached to their denim wear and often hate throwing it away; this is a great way of keeping hold of that beloved pair of jeans. Some of the items in this collection are actually made from denim stretching back thirty years, and with denim coming in such a wide range of colours, shades and weaves, every item in the collection is truly unique.”

Sarah will be working at the “Patchwork Social” quilt making workshop at the V&A 1st and 2nd May, as well as running the Re-Working Textile Workshop on 3rd May.

(Un)do me

2010-03-18T13:32:00.003Z

This comes from the braniacs at Conceptual Devices:

"A hoodie is not just a hoodie. In a world full of stuff, smart items should be transformable, editable. They should engage the possibility to be transformed into something else. We do not need a new object. We rather need to get rid of some of them, to reduce the complex network of things around us. Just undo it is a collection of reversible objects that could be made from a hoodie at no cost."

Someone there certainly has their head screwed on right. If you watch their videos and peep the how-to images, before you know if your hoodie will become: a backpack, a laptop sleeve, a pillow, a shoulder bag, a backpack... In the world of Conceptual Devices, less is indeed much, much more.

Decked out

2010-03-17T14:14:00.004Z

Skateboards are meant to be durable, and like many durable things this starts to be a bit of a liability once they wend their way into the landfill. Becky Hickey ain't gonna let that happen though. She's rescuing decks and turning them into iPod covers, clutch handbags, earrings and cufflinks. Tic-tac your way over to www.beckycity.com where you can view and buy her wonderful woody work.

Seeing red

2010-03-05T17:01:00.003Z

Ok so vintage on the Oscars red carpet is nothing new. But upcycled fashion? I think that is something to write home about. So does Livia Firth, who is in a bit of a better position to do so. As wife of Colin Firth, she's going to see that red carpet up close and personal - and she's going to do it in a dress by From Somewhere, which uses odds and ends of fabrics to create high fashion.

But do not take my word for it - hear it from Mrs Firth herself via her Vogue.com blog post on the topic.

Get shirty

2010-03-04T10:07:00.006Z

Plastic bottles into fabric shirts you say? What a clever idea. Which is why the big boys Nike and Coca-Cola are now getting behind it. This summer all nine of the World Cup teams sponsored by Nike will be wearing jerseys made from upcycled plastic bottles, and fan shirts will be cut from the same cloth. In all the initiative will keep 254,000 kg of polyester waste from winding up in a landfill. Coca-Cola's Drink2Wear programme has kept 5 million PET bottles from entering the waste stream. Best dressed in a bottle we think.

Barbican; can you?

2010-03-02T19:00:00.005Z

We've read about Urban Upholstery on this blog before, and we've also gained exposure to the wonderful world of the Eco Design Fair. Here they are once again, but they've brought a host of friends with them.

The Barbican hosts a pop-up Eco Design Shop this weekend, so do yourself a favour and be sure to attend. Here are some of the masterminds of the upcycling genre you're likely to encounter:

Found Inc – Revamped furniture

Osian Batyka-Williams – Recycled home accessories

Stella Corrall – Lightshades & coasters made from recycled plastics

Sparrow Kids – Recycled felt Kits for Children

Telabags – Recycling bins made from recycled banners

Urban Upholstery – Revived found furniture

Eco Design Pop-Up Shop, Ground Level Foyer, Barbican Centre, Silk Street, London EC2Y 8DS; Sat 6th March: 10am - 9pm and Sun 7th March: 10am - 4pm

Burn baby burn

2010-02-25T17:36:00.004Z

Have you heard about how enterprising old ladies are upcycling old books? Basically high fuel costs, the minimal value of most secondhand books these days, and the severity of this winter's weather have combined forces to entice pensioners into charity shops to buy old paperbacks and then burn them back home for warmth. Some people are outraged but I'm not so sure it's a bad thing.

Maybe you disagree, in which case you need to get yourself down to SE1 next week. Here's an event announced in today's City AM:

"BOOK SWAP AT POTTERS FIELDS PARK

Now here’s a worthy event if ever there was one. In honour of World Book Day on 4 March, Team London Bridge is holding a two-day lunchtime book swap, open to local residents, employees and anyone passing through the area, in Potters Fields Park next to City Hall. It is thought that 500 books will be exchanged over the course of the event and you’re sure to find some gems. Potters Fields Park, SE1. 12- 2pm on 3 and 4 Mar."

Two for tea towels

2010-02-24T14:09:00.000Z

And here's another find from Clare at Pass the Pattern.

Now I've made cushion covers from cotton napkins and my mom has made me tea towels from tablecloths, but Suzie Stanford has taken this idea to the extreme. She upholsters whole chairs and sofas with flavourful old tea towels. You can see her work at Liberty in London or see her lovely website here.

The key to creation

2010-02-23T15:32:00.001Z

When eating fish tacos with friends in Santa Monica on Superbowl Sunday, we were approached by a marketing girl from Tecate beers. Would we like branded keychains and other silly stuff? Silly stuff no, keychains yes. I never say no to a keychain. Not since I employed one to repair my bikini top (upon purchase said bikini had sported a nifty plastic ring that held it together in the front, but slamming the door on my swimsuit while it was drying on the roof of the car saw the plastic explode into a million pieces). Also, without some upcycled keyrings my suitcase would not open, and it most assuredly would not close (the zips both broke off in one of a lifelong series of events in which I sit and struggle upon the suitcase trying to will it to shut).

Has anyone else got a super excuse to upcycle a keyring?

Ready for take off

2010-02-23T14:02:00.004Z

Without even trying, I seem to have acquired the cleverest friends.

Clare is one such person, who came over yesterday bearing Konditor & Cook cakes (bless her). We discussed her blog Pass the Pattern, which is poorly - for some reason it doesn't work on IE on PCs, and the Tumblr people are flummoxed as to why (I suggest jumping into Safari or Firefox and taking a peek).

Her other current activities have thankfully been less frustrating. She was recently commissioned to produce a craft project for Fairy Liquid. The folks at Fairy realise that your bottle of liquid will not last forever - at some point it will run out of dish-shining goo. Please don't let that be an excuse to throw it into your nearest landfill or ocean though please. Extend its life and let your kids make it into a rocket. Read Clare's how-to on i-Village here.

Snip stick send

2010-02-22T18:15:00.000Z

My dad has a lot of old Life magazines, and I went through the ones from the 60s and 70s to find some old ads to frame and hang. Getting them home in my suitcase without damage might have posed a problem, had I not located my upcycling hat. The lids from two pizza boxes (Mellow Mushroom, mm), some tape and a heavy plastic bag became a sturdy portfolio... But not exactly a very aesthetic one. Rather than foist the sight of it upon you, here are the clips from the mags that I snagged.

Snow man

2010-02-20T04:54:00.000Z

There's been a whole heap of snow in my life lately. No matter where I go it falls from the sky. It makes me cold and grumpy, but I know many people treat it like an icy divine gift from the gods. One of these people is the uncle of my brother-in-law. (Maybe he is my uncle-in-law or something, I don't know.) Anyway, this man grew up in Alaska. He now lives in Ohio and hopes daily for lots of snow. He bought some old skis at a garage sale and upcycled them into a mega sled that seats about 10 people, weighs 130 pounds and has the option to be pulled by a snowmobile. To see this bad ass vehicle in action, visit the blog of the uncle of my brother-in-law (are you following this?) and click on "Sledding with the Wilstermans". It cracks me up - which very rarely happens to me regarding the subject of snow.

(The picture above, by the way, is from their homemade ice rink. The recipe is simple: lay a tarpaulin; add water; chill.)

Splish. Splash.

2010-02-19T22:53:00.000Z

My lack of blog posts has been due to being in the US visiting my parents and generally acting like a teenager: lying on my bed, watching TV, eating at Waffle House. Whilst there I also spent my fair share of time at the mall. In Atlanta we specialise in both kinds of malls: regular and strip malls. I read in ReadyMade magazine about a company called Macro Sea that is re-envisaging strip malls as living spaces. How do you upcycle a commercial space into somewhere a person might want to live? For starters, you can introduce swimming pools. Macro Sea is making 'em out of dumpsters. (If you speak British and not American, a dumpster is a gigantic skip.) Apparently the first dumpster pools touched down in Brooklyn. Next stop? A strip mall in ATL.

Jump in: www.macro-sea.com

Second skin

2010-02-19T12:45:00.003Z

Fashion may be fickle, but could quirky upcycling ideas be here to stay? Weleda are currently sponsoring The Green Shows Eco Fashion Week, the only event committed to environmentally friendly, ethically sound and fair trade fashion during New York Fashion Week. Over this four-day event, 10 eco-minded international designers are showcasing their fall/winter 2010 collections. Weleda teamed up with British design visionary Gary Harvey, who created a one-of-a-kind couture outfit made from recycled Weleda Skin Food packaging.

Upcycloholic

2010-02-18T22:35:00.004Z

Bright, bold and cocky, this chair by Ryan Frank is made entirely from plastic shopping bags. Called ‘Inkuku’ (the zulu word for chicken), it's based on a traditional African technique of using everyday discarded plastics to make objects for the home. A South African now based in London, Ryan was inspired by a chicken ornament made in this style. This influence can be seen in the colour, shape and texture of both the seat and the quirky legs it stands on. Ryan's other inventions include clothes hangers from reclaimed newspapers and a whole range of furniture made from salvaged office desks.

Jean-ius

2010-02-18T19:27:00.003Z

High street brand Fat Face is in on the upcycling act, and this can only be good news.

Here's the scoop from the Fat Face website:

"We believe our jeans should have more than one life, so this Spring we have launched the brand new Upcycle Denim Bag. Made entirely from recycled jeans, the Upcycle Bag is the ultimate accessory. Plus for every one sold, £5 will be donated to the Fat Face Foundation, which supports charities who protect the areas in which we most like to play. So, not only do you get a great bag, you'll also be doing your bit for charity! But be quick, there's only a limited supply so they won't hang around for long!"

Like it? They'll set ya back 20 quid.

Snow junkies

2010-02-18T12:51:00.001Z

I've still got snow on the brain, and so I'm going to share some snowy thoughts.

Justin Woods is a man who loves snow, especially when he's sliding on it. He invented junkboarding, which allows you to ski when the snow is less than a quarter of an inch on the ground. You take a snowboard and slice it in half - which is the upcycling part of this story. According to junkboarding.com, "This creates rougher, wider, and shorter equipment which allows the skier to plane over grass and ground that has light snow." It's all about making something out of practically nothing, which surely is sending shivers of excitement down your spine?

High and dry

2010-02-17T22:17:00.000Z

Here's an upcylcing experience so cool it pains me...

Generic Youth is a fashion label set up by a dad and his daughter. They started out making t-shirts using overstock fabrics that had been sitting unused and unloved in warehouses in LA. But that was not enough to satisfy their cravings to create a better world. They also sponsor Burger Wednesdays, where you can swing by their place and donate an old beach towel in exchange for a tasty burger (choose from ones made from bean or beast). The towel will be reborn as a sweatshirt and your belly will be full.

A win win win win situation, surely.

Ecstatic plastic

2010-02-16T22:05:00.003Z

Too many coffees today, not enough blog posts this month. So sorry! I will try to make up with both at the same time...

Look what I came across at the coffee shop in my sister's neighbourhood today - wallets and pouches and pencil cases made from plastic shopping bags. How do they do it? I have no idea. But you can visit the Unlikely Creatures shop on Etsy and try to crack the code.

In the meantime, make mine a cappuccino. Thanks!

Refuse to call it refuse

2010-02-03T11:47:00.005Z

My travel writer friend Amy was reading the Continental in-flight mag (as she is wont to do) and came across some upcycling on show in Bogotá. This is what Andrew Eitelbach wrote about it:

"Colombian-born artist Feliza Bursztyn used only found objects — primarily junked steel — to make her sculptures, turning an item's limitations into its most striking characteristic. Born in 1933, Bursztyn studied and trained as an artist in New York City. She helped pioneer the use of found objects to create art before her untimely death in Paris in 1982. Many of Bursztyn's sculptures are on display throughout February in the exhibit In Praise of Junk, part of a larger, longer exhibition highlighting Colombia's great native artists, at the National Museum of Colombia."

Little cabin in the woods

2010-02-02T11:53:00.003Z

There's an episode of Grand Designs that is doing the rounds on Channel 4 about a woodsman in West Sussex who spent 10 years living in tents and caravans before deciding to build a house on a budget of £25,000. In the end, he reports to Kavin McCloud that he went over budget by a little bit, but thanks to claiming and reclaiming materials he still kept costs - and environmental impact - low. Among the materials used in the project is lots of wood (obviously), straw bales, tumeric to colour the plaster, solar panels salvaged from the Big Brother house and enormous batteries that came from a submarine. Rainwater and wind are other inexpensive resources that keep the woodsman happy in his little house. Browse for more inspiration online by reading more about the episode here.

Thought for the day. Year. Century.

2010-02-01T19:13:00.001Z

Kate Krebs of the Climate Group is credited with the following profundity:

“Waste is a design flaw.”

Why do we humans insist on continuing to make and build things from non-biodegradable substances that can’t be downcycled, upcycled or recycled when their lifespan comes to an end?

Board room

2010-01-31T18:20:00.002Z

This weekend we went to Gulf Stream in Braunton to pick up a new longboard. The owners outfitted the shop to evoke a gentlemen’s club. Surfers tend to be creative both on waves and off, and those guys are no exception. When Braunton flooded a few years ago, the flooring of the shop had to be lifted up and replaced. But rather than getting thrown out, the old flooring became new wood panelling on the walls. Not only were useful materials salvaged but the members’ club vibe was enhanced. Once the floorboards went vertical, they were treated with about five coats of walnut stain. Onto this beading was added and stained too. I wish I had taken a picture but instead here’s a shot of the board – same ingenious craftsmanship, entirely different application!

Just craft it

2010-01-28T14:12:00.005Z

Craft London is sending out an invitation - come and satisfy your crafty urges!

Craft London is a celebration of London’s creative excellence, and their fun programme of Craft It Yourself workshops offers the chance for anyone to take part in craft. For upcycling crafters there's a workshop of revamping an Ikea lampshade and another on turning vintage fabric into pincushions.

28 Jan 6pm Craft It Yourself – ‘Stitch n Bitch’ Appliqué with Emily Jo Gibbs – Your chance to show off! Pieces made in this workshop will be exhibited in the Craft London exhibition window display in March. Learn the skills with Emily and then collect your appliqué creation at the end of March. Cost £5 (including materials and complimentary wine).

4 Feb 6pm Craft It Yourself – ‘Looking Through Letters’, Make a Stencil with David Ottley* Get another view of letters through the craft of designing and cutting stencils in acetate, paper and brass.

23 Feb 6pm Craft It Yourself – ‘Pimp Your IKEA’ Re-vamp a Lamp with Michelle Mason* Put your own stamp on your home by re-inventing a plain Ikea lamp shade.

10 Mar 6pm Craft It Yourself – ‘Pins n Needles’ Make a Pin Cushion with Emily Jo Gibbs* Tidy up, and brighten up, your work table with a new pin cushion! Choose from vintage recycled fabrics or sumptuous felt.

15 Mar 6pm Craft It Yourself – ‘Hat Party’ Make a Fascinator with Katherine Elizabeth* Katherine will share her hat-making secrets - fashion your own fascinator!

* Cost £10 Booking required 020 7251 0276 (including materials and complimentary wine)

Craft Central, 33-35 St John’s Square EC1M 4DS, 020 7251 0276

So sew

2010-01-25T10:51:00.006Z

Recently I wrote up a trend report for a client, and apparently digital prints are going to be super cool for spring. I have an excellent digital print top from Urban Outfitters that I bought at a charity shop. Everything about it is perfect except... for the way it fits.

Hope is not lost however, since I just came across this press release from the charity TRAID:

Sew bad? Come along to TRAID’s free sewing workshops, and learn to sew good!

Sew Good workshops are run by charity and eco fashion hero TRAID (Textile Recycling for Aid and International Development) to help people take control of their wardrobe and extend the life of their clothes by teaching basic mending, adjusting and remaking skills.

Workshops are open to everyone, regardless of their skill level and take place every month in store at TRAID Shepherds Bush. For night owls, TRAID also runs an evening workshop called the Sew Good Lock In at its flagship store in Camden.

Bring a garment and the TRAID Sew Good team will help you to remake it into a gorgeous and unique piece you’ll love again. Participants learn their way around a sewing machine, and are initiated into some of the remaking secrets of TRAID’s recycled fashion label TRAIDremade which uses old clothes and textiles that would other be thrown away to create beautiful ethical fashion.

Booking is essential. To reserve a place contact Lyla Patel ‐ lyla@traid.org.uk / 020 8733 2591

Monthly Saturday Workshops at TRAID Shepherds Bush, 154 Uxbridge Road, W12 8AA, 11am – 3pm on January 30 // February 27 // March 27 // April 24 // May 29 // June 26 // July 31 // August 21 // September 25 // October 30 // November 27

Quarterly Thursday Workshops at TRAID Camden, 154 Camden High Street, NW1 0NE, 6pm – 9pm on January 14 // April 8 // July 8 // October 7

Wheeler dealers

2010-01-24T10:39:00.003Z

I just watched the feature film The Lords of Dogtown and the documentary Dogtown and the Z-Boys. They both cover the 1970s skateboarding scene in Los Angeles, depicting how a bunch of school-age kids basically invented the modern sport. Like a lot of underground movements, upcycling what society had abandoned played a role in their early efforts.

In the documentary version, the Z-Boys remember making their first skateboards by cutting up old roller skates and salvaging the front panels off of dresser drawers to serve as decks.

Photojournalist Craig Stecyk documented the phenomenon, writing in 1976: “Skaters by their very nature are urban guerillas: they make everyday use of the useless artifacts of the technological burden, and employ the handiwork of the government/corporate structure in a thousand ways that the original architects could never dream of.”

The elementary schools in and around Dogtown were built to manage the challenges posed by the valleys found in the area. Concrete drainage ditches existed in all the playgrounds, and the early skaters uses these as concrete waves, applying surfing moves to riding them on four urethane wheels.

Then a record drought hit California in the 70s, so people were forced to drain their swimming pools. The Z-boys would sneak into people's backyards and skate empty pools, an activity that essentially invented bowl skating, and paved the way for vertical and aerial manoeuvres that are central to skating today.

See? Shells

2010-01-22T08:49:00.005Z

Having spent the past week on a beach, I've been thinking a lot about packaging. The high tide line was strewn with orange, yellow, blue and green plastic debris, which although colourful is still ugly and heartbreaking.

A tiger clam shell however could never be described as ugly, and as all-natural packaging it biodegrades with relative ease. Still it holds opportunities for upcycling, as villages in the Philippines have discovered. Tiger clams are a part of their everyday diet, and previously the shells had been regarded as waste. But now they've been selling tiger clam shells to a spa company that's devised a way to use the shells in massage. Lava Shell massage is similar to hot stone massage, except the shells contain algae and dried sea kelp that, when blended with salt water, generate their own controlled heat for an hour-long massage. You can read more about it here.

In a seashell: some seaworthy trivia

Molluscs, the creatures that produce seashells, are among the oldest existing life forms on earth. The tiger clam survived the extinction event that wiped out nearly all other species on the planet and resulted in the Ice Age.

Seashells are composed of calcium carbonate, the same material found in our bones and teeth.

Tiger clams are a natural reducer of greenhouse gases; they process CO2 out of the ocean water, which in turn allows the ocean to absorb more CO2 from the air.

All clams, including the tiger clam, are capable of producing pearls.

Seashells are among the oldest forms of currency on the planet. Many of the first coins minted were emblazoned with seashells to show that they were currency. In fact, in some parts of the world they’re still legal tender.

Candy wrapper

2010-01-21T10:58:00.001Z

red candy peanuts from the cacuhette man
Originally uploaded by vaughan london

In Taghazoute the nut seller walks up and down the beach with baskets of his wares, a portable set of scales and a sturdy holiday catalogue. Once you buy your 20 dirhams' worth of sugary nuts, he wraps them up in a page of the catalogue, a low-cost and fairly biodegradable packaging solution.

Precious mettle

2010-01-18T20:27:00.009Z

It takes plenty of vision to take something old and make it new again, so I'm guessing jeweller Natalie Leon's eyesight is 20/20. Natalie's range brings together a love of all things vintage with a certain flair for design. Each of her handcrafted pieces of jewellery is made from beads and components sourced from all over the globe, many of which are over 50 years old. Browse her website - as treasures go most things are quite affordable.

Clearance sail

2010-01-08T09:46:00.006Z

What happens to the sails of yachts when they get tired and want to retire from sport? Some of them go to the online shop florestine to launch new careers as duffle bags. Each one is handmade from sails that have adventured far and wide across the oceans before being cleaned and fashioned into bags suitable for sailors and land-lubbers alike. Choose from two sizes, priced £64.95 and £74.95, ahoy!

Laughing matters

2010-01-07T13:42:00.003Z

My sister came across an Australian company called Rebound Books which turns pre-loved novels and works of non-fiction into diaries, notebooks and photo albums. The covers are from old hardbacks, and inside blank pages are 100% recycled paper. I've got my hands on one of their 2010 diaries, which was purchased from my old friends at Gleebooks in Sydney. Made from The Little Golden Book of Jokes & Riddles originally published in 1983, it contains such gems as this:

What's the best way to catch a fish?

Have someone throw it to you.

Knit wit

2010-01-04T12:17:00.004Z

Toot toot happy new year! To celebrate we've got ourselves a guest blogger today.

Lisa Margreet is a craftastic upcycling expert from The East London Craft Guerilla who can tell you how to transform a t-shirt into an iPod cover or how to harvest yarn from a floppy old jumper. It's not a whole bunch harder than dropping your old clothes in a recycling bin, so read on to learn how it's done. (By the way, the pic above is not a portrait of Lisa herself, but a pattern available to buy in her Etsy shop.)

Raisin: Why upcycle?

Lisa: People are really familiar with the concept of recycling e.g. taking your finished wine bottle and junk mail and chucking them in the recycling bin, then waiting for it to be collected once a week and feeling pleased that you're doing your bit for the environment. That's great, but upcycling is a more creative way of solving the issue of our consumer detritus. When you upcycle an item you take something that would usually be disposed of either by putting it in the bin, by recycling it or sending by to the charity shop and you think about ways that you can reuse it for a different purpose. By giving it a new lease of life you are preventing it from ending up as someone else's unwanted item, as a problem in landfill, or from sitting lonely in the charity shop.

The East London Craft Guerrilla have been doing a lot of work with upcycled t-shirt yarn ever since we came across the technique and we keep on finding more things that you can make with it! T-shirts are interesting in themselves in that a lot of chemicals are required to grow the cotton for one t-shirt and there are often questionable practices in their manufacturing processes. They have become so prolific and cheap that they are now viewed as a disposable item by many people. You should think carefully about the provenance of your t-shirt when you buy a new one as so many of the cheap t-shirts end up in charity shops, worn once and then discarded. The charity shops then have problems selling them as there are just so many of them and I have heard of bags of t-shirts ending up in landfill as even the charity shops can't sell them. Of course, this is great for the crafty minded as we can save these t-shirts and give them a new purpose in life! Along with the many t-shirt adaptations you can do, you can also turn your t-shirt into yarn and then knit and crochet new items from them.

Raisin: What kind of project is t-shirt yarn best suited to?

Lisa: Knitted and crochet items that need a chunky yarn with a bit of stretch to it work best with t-shirt yarn. A lot of people are familiar with bath-mats made with rags from t-shirts, however we've made bookmarks, camera and iPod cases, clutch and tote bags, bracelets, necklaces and fascinators - I recently came up with a pattern for a really authentic looking 1960s pill box hat - move over Jackie O! I'm currently working on a waste-paper basket pattern made from crocheted upcycled t-shirt yarn with a fused plastic-bag lining.

Raisin: Can you give us a brief overview of the method?

Lisa: To make t-shirt yarn all you need is a pair of scissors and an old t-shirt! Place your t-shirt on a flat surface and cut off the bottom hem then start cutting all around the t-shirt at about 1cm width. It's easiest to cut it if you put it over an ironing board as it helps with turning it, but it's perfectly possible to do it on a flat surface as well. Keep cutting at 1cm width around until you have one long string of t-shirt yarn and you have reached the shoulders. Save the shoulders and the top of the t-shirt yarn for other crafty uses. To finish off the t-shirt yarn take small sections and give them a small tug lengthways so that the ends start to curl inwards, then wind the yarn into a ball and you're ready to start knitting or crocheting with it!

Raisin: How can we can learn more?

From February 2010 I will be running bi-monthly workshops at the East London Craft Guerrilla craft night on learning how to crochet using t-shirt yarn. There will be three initial three workshops starting with Learn to Crochet: How to Make T-shirt Yarn, learning basic chain stitch and then making a simple chain bookmark. The second workshop will cover single and double crochet stitches and then making a simple crocheted bangle. The final workshop will cover crocheting in the round and making a small fascinator or pill box hat. For more details on the workshops visit www.craftguerrilla.com or www.lisamargreet.com or email me.

Raisin: What can you tell us about reclaiming yarn from old jumpers?

Lisa: For the knitter and crocheter on a budget a really good technique to learn is how to harvest yarn from old sweaters. As a rule of thumb, hand-knitted, chunky sweaters are easiest to unravel but unfortunately these are hard to come by. Try sourcing them from jumble sales rather than charity shops. Any jumper without a lot of seams can be unraveled and the yarn then wound into balls for knitting and crocheting with. If you come across any jumpers made from natural fibres e.g. pure wool, then you can felt them in your washing machine and then use the resulting material for cut and sew projects. A word of warning though, a lot of modern materials are treated with chemicals to prevent them from shrinking when you wash them. Great if you want to preserve your favourite cardi but not so good for the would-be felter! If you're interested in learning the techniques for yarn harvesting and felting from old jumpers and want a few patterns to get you started then I've written a small booklet that you can buy from my folksy shop or my etsy shop.

Bookmark this

2010-01-03T12:12:00.003Z

My Zero Waste is a marvellous website that deserves your attention for the simple fact that it covers exciting how-to topics such as these:

Reuse greeting cards
15 ways to use up pesto sauce
Recycle your bicycle for Africa
Reuse plastic bottles for slug collars

And those are just on the homepage. If your new years resolution involves reducing the footprint you leave on the planet, then how about celebrating day three of 2010 by bookmarking the site?

Happy new year!

2010-01-02T15:01:00.002Z

Here's hoping that 2010 brings us lots of chances to view things differently. This pic comes from Felicity of Garden Beet - it's an unusual planter called the Wooly Vagabond. It hangs, it travels, it lives, it breathes... Truly the It Bag to have.

Play's the thing

2009-12-21T16:27:00.004Z

My mom's friend Mary pointed out an upcycling story in our very own local paper, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. This comes from a feature on 12 things to do over the holiday season with kids:

Though there are certainly exceptions in these hard times, most kids receive a stunning number of store-bought presents in coming days. A visit to the exhibit “The Power to Play: From Trash to Treasure,” at the William Breman Jewish Heritage Museum through Jan. 10, might give them the gift of understanding just how good they've got it.

It’s a show of 75 recycled toys made by children in war-torn and impoverished areas in Asia, Africa and the Americas. For instance, there’s a soccer ball made of plastic grocery bags wrapped with twine from Kenya and trucks from plastic bottles or wood scraps from Dominica. 678- 222-3700, www.thebreman.org

The exhibition was organised by ChildFund, and has already appeared this year at the Children's Museum in Boston, the Page Bond Gallery in Richmond, the National Press Club in Washington, DC, and the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles.

To the rescue

2009-12-14T00:04:00.004Z

What do you get when you combine a firehose, truck tarpaulin and safety belt? If you are the nifty German company Feuerwear, you get a messenger bag, shopping bag, handbag, laptop bag...

Hot hot hot, right?

Fruit toss

2009-12-09T08:50:00.005Z

My last post was about unusual aesthetic uses for fruit and veggies. Today I've discovered some fun furnishings upcycled from fruit crates and timber off-cuts. About a year ago I interviewed two lovely people called Sarah Kay and Andrea Stemmer, who together are the furniture design firm Kay + Stemmer. You can commission the pair to make bespoke furniture for you, or you can buy their pieces at places like Heal's and SCP. Or... you can take yourself over to Contemporary Applied Arts like I did last week and admire then buy their Tutti Frutti waste paper bin and magazine holders. These will soon be available on the Kay + Stemmer website as well.

Tater truths

2009-12-06T19:46:00.006Z

Don't eat potatoes that have started to go a bit green, because the change in colour indicates that the skin now contains poison that's similar to arsenic. I read that on the interweb somewhere, which I'm sure you'll agree is a very reputable source of information.

When your tubers turn radioactive in colour and poisonous in composition, they are no longer fit for human consumption. So why not turn them into a Christmas scene, as the greengrocers in East Wittering has done?

(Although Mr Green Santa Potatohead cannot talk, I can read his facial expression and it's clear that he also wants us all to consider his friend the chili pepper - pictured to his left - as a candidate to be upcycled into a nose for your next snowman.)

Tie one on

2009-12-04T11:46:00.005Z

Remember Esther Coombs, the designer/maker who takes vintage crockery and overlays upon it her own line drawings? Here's another example of a designer taking existing materials and giving them her own eco-styled stamp. Tamasyn Gambell prints onto vintage scarves to make something new and lovely from something old and unloved. I'm quite keen on her hardback notebooks - covered in vintage printed scarves, these are bound by a family bookbinders in Essex and use recycled paper stock from a 100-year-old British paper mill.

But hey don't take my word for it - Tamasyn's work will be available this weekend:

East London Design Show, Shoreditch Town Hall, 380 Old Street

Friday 4th December (12pm – 8pm )

Saturday 5th December (10am – 6pm)

Sunday 6th December (10am – 6pm)

Admission: £4, concessions: £2, accompanied children under 16 free

Bright futures

2009-12-03T18:24:00.005Z

Forget upcycling for the minute folks - can you believe there are still people out there who don't recycle basic things like glass, newspaper and aluminium? My brother lives in Miami, and lawmakers and taxpayers there apparently don't think recycling is a priority. If you leave cans, bottles and papers at the kerb they'll stay put till a tropical breeze comes and blows them away. If you want to recycle them, your only choice is to load them into your car and drive them to a recycling centre in Dade County. Not clever!

Maybe examples like this stem from the fact that recycling is kind of abstract (unlike upcycling I suppose, where the rewards are more immediate). Naysayers should take a look at Resilica's new website, where they will learn that "Resilica is a truly bespoke worktop and surface material which is hand made in the UK from 100% recycled glass waste. Mixed with a specially developed solvent-free resin system then cast into solid panels, the surface is ground away and polished to reveal fragments of embedded glass which reflect light."

If you click on over and view their case studies, no doubt you - like me - will come down with a bad case of kitchen envy. And maybe you'll be encouraged to collect a few more glass bottles to recycle for the cause.

Dual purpose

2009-12-01T14:39:00.001Z

A phonebox and library in one!

Read about it on the Guardian's website...