U is for UPCYCLE

Since I missed posting yesterday, today you get another two-fer!

When I told my hubby I was going to post about upcycling he looked very puzzled and asked what it was. In case you're wondering too, I found a great definition on Wikipedia HERE. A particularly good excerpt:

 "Recycling," he said, "I call it downcycling. They smash bricks, they smash everything. What we need is upcycling- where old products are given more value, not less."

 I was very happy when I read this, as it was exactly how I had explained it to my hubby. Gotta take advantage of the moments when we get it right!

I have quite a few upcycled projects around the house so I thought I'd show you some.

Here is a quilt rack I found at a thrift shop for just a few dollars. It's still waiting for me to paint it. I think I've been putting it off thinking of all those curly bits to get painted. Perhaps that's why it was in the thrift shop in the first place?! 

Next up are some copper molds I was going to get rid of but thought they'd look nice spray painted. I was right, and now they are on my kitchen wall.

This is an old cupboard some friends were throwing away when they moved. It was old, broken, black, distressed, and not in a good way! I gave it new paint, some gentle distressing, and mod podged some of my favorite Anna Maria Horner fabric to it.

Lastly, this is a quilting frame which I painted and use as a frame to hold a finished quilt on the wall.

None of these projects cost more than $5, so you can see that upcycling can be both affordable and beautiful, not to mention you end up with one of a kind projects!

I have many more items sitting in the garage waiting to be upcycled. Maybe this is the year?!