Upcycling saves the planet, and your budget.
We have been told that the way to save the planet is to “Reduce, re-use, recycle”…
Most of us listened and now have bins for tins, glass and paper, we compost, we have way too many reusable shopping bags (sitting uselessly in a cupboard at home or in your car boot) and we feel super guilty when we buy single use plastics.
As much as this helps, we seem to have skipped one of the most creative and fun parts of reducing our waste.
Don’t just REcycle, UPcycle!
Story time: My mom is a classic Afrikaanse Tannie and Trad-wife (Traditional Wife), without all the political conservatism. This means that she always had a home cooked meal ready by 5 o’clock on the dot, wore dresses and did her hair every day, had fresh flowers and a thriving vegetable garden, and, most importantly, carefully, and frugally managed her household. She made our clothes, mended everything and anything, made jams and tarts and cookies as Christmas gifts and saved greeting cards to re-use. (I still do this today)
Fast forward about 30 years and die Tannie decides to get a quote to re-upholster her dining room chairs. Meanwhile, she also realises that she needs new curtains in the living room, as the ones she’s had (since before we had colour television) are now looking distinctly moth eaten. The quotes for both come back and the shock the tannie with their exorbitant prices. No way was she planning on paying this much just to have new curtains and chairs without gravy stains. She came up with a plan. She finds a seamstress and goes ahead with her plans. With the help of a YouTube video on re-upholstering chairs, an industrial sowing machine, a glue gun, and that famous Afrikaanse tannie can-do-attitude, my mom makes new curtains in a jiffy and her dining chairs got a total overhaul!
She had such fun while doing it and such a glow of pride and accomplishment that I decided to try my hand at this Upcycling thing. For inspiration, I went to the internet!
The first thing I learnt was: Not all upcycled decor is created equally.
Let’s be honest – simply spray painting a glass jar or hot gluing stuff to it, does not count as upcycling in my book. I want to see something completely transformed and made useful and aesthetically pleasing. I’m talking old CD racks made into drawer organisers or bookshelves becoming shoe storage. Give me some glam and innovation.
Good old furniture
A trend in upcycling that I picked up on as I did my research, was the repurposing of older wooden furniture. These items were usually well made and sturdy, dating to a time before flat-pack convenience furniture, and stands up well to a bit of DIY-ing. One of my favourites was the old display case that was given a contemporary twist and made into a botanical show piece to add gravitas to any home.
No time for messing around.
If I’m going to take the time to upcycle something, it has to be useful. I want something that saves me money and solves a problem.
Another upcycle that got my attention (possibly because I have an overcrowded closet that can do with some organizing) is the one where wooden ladders and some scrap wood became a super handy clothes (and shoe) rack.
Quick fixes that last
Upcycling does not have to be long term project, or necessarily involve getting dirty. A super easy and low fuss upcycle project that will really make a difference in your kitchen uses ice-trays, cupcake tins and other types of bakeware to organise that one kitchen drawer that has to keep the sunscreen, spare headphones, loose change and extra lip balm…and everyone rifles through when they need a Band-Aid.
