Casa suite casa

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

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

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

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

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

"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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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