r/upcycling

The lampshade on my lamp broke, so I replaced it using a plastic pet recovery cone/cone of shame.

1,2 Finished product

3 Cone of shame laid flat

4 Measurements and construction of an octagon. I planned on making the new lampshade be 8 sided at the base

5, 6 Test using paper, only 7 pieces would fit

7,8 I planned to thread a thin piece of plastic through slits at the bottom, but the material was too rigid to fit well at the base, so I ended up taping a couple of pieces, then laid the rest down and secured them with the circular piece that held down the original lampshade

9 Desk

Works pretty well, seems a tad more transparent than the original lampshade.

For school, I created an ultra-light camping chair using recycled LDPE plastic bags that I pressed and sewed together to create the fabric for the chair. Then I modeled the brackets and 3d printed them in PETG; however, my new version uses PC as it's less brittle, so I don't worry as much when I sit on it. While not the best chair, I am really proud of it!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zz4P39WeTV8

This video by Brother's Made was a big inspiration for using plastic bags as the fabric. So watch that if you want to learn how to graph the pieces of plastic together!

Just wanted to show it off as I'm still getting accustomed to sharing my work more, and wanted to inspire people to try to make something hard!

Let me know if there is something else you would like to see with this design, or if you have any questions about the process, as for sharing the 3d printed files. I'm a little on the fence, as there is still some stuff I want to change and continue to work on, but I'm happy to answer questions about dimensioning and such!

I found an old duffel bag at the thrift store that I turned into a new (to me) bike frame bag. It was a fun project and saved me a load of money on bikepacking gear!

I love this apron, y'all. She even appliqued the lizard my daughter painted on it for me. Such a kind touch. I loved her creative use of old blue jeans and had to share.

So, I'm chronically ill and also suffer from chronic fatigue issues. I have loads of ideas for things I'd love to do, but sadly I am struggling to manage basic care for myself and my home, so I rarely feel capable of doing anything except trying to address my mounting chores.

Anyways, last weekend I was trying to reorganise some of my things and I found some old wrapping paper I had saved from gifts I got last Christmas. I had two old wooden lids from jars of candles that I had been informally using as coasters. I decided to use some scraps of the paper to decoupage the lids and I painted the bases and came up with these really cute little upcycled coasters that bring a bit of cheer to my home. Hoping to find the energy to do a bit more in the coming weeks.

They're not perfect, but I'm so pleased with how they came out!

Hey everyone,

I know this might sound like sacrilege in a vinyl community, but I need to clear them out, and if they don’t work as records, I’m hoping they might still have value as raw material.

I have a big batch that I’ve already tried (unsuccessfully) to sell as music records, but the reality is they have very low artistic/collectible value, so there’s almost no interest in them in the usual market.

Instead of just throwing them away, I’m trying to reframe them as material for creative reuse, such as wall coverings, furniture decoration, installations, DIY art projects, flooring, or anything where the physical object matters more than the audio content.

Ideally I’d like to move the lot in bulk to artists, designers, artisans, or anyone working with recycled vinyl or unconventional materials.

Maybe here someone know platforms, marketplaces, or communities where this kind of bulk material gets interest..Or studios/collectives that work with repurposed records

Any advice would be really appreciated.

(I'm based in Milan, and the pic just a random found on the web)

TIA

the bags are from old jeans and the white scraps from a shirt, i printed the designs on a laser jet and transfered with lavenderoil,

and for the button up- it had a huge oilstain so i added the patches also drew some animals, changed buttons and embroidered a part to make it cool again

(for my bfs bd - he loved it plus got the 2nd bag)

Started with a plain black hoodie and upcycled it using my own original DTF artwork, then added a hand-designed organic pattern on the back.

I’ve been really drawn to organic forms lately~

things that feel like growth, roots, veins, natural systems. I like the idea of clothing feeling more alive and personal instead of mass-produced.

Still experimenting, but I’m happy with how this one evolved.

I like to make kitty toys out of upcycled materials. Here are three examples:

•Scrap cat ring using the plastic ring from around the top of a bottle with scrap fabric strips tied around the outside

•String mouse made from cotton string dyed with madder root and crocheted into a mouse shape, stuffed with fabric scraps

•Kitty Coils using pipe cleaners twisted together and crocheted into a coil shape with t-shirt fabric strips

All handmade and sewn in my room! Let me know what you think! :)

I accidentally smashed the wall sconce in my hallway, and instead of buying a new one, I went hunting through a flea market for parts. An elderly woman was selling old junk from her kitchen — pieces of a broken food processor and an old brass faucet.

Most people would have seen scrap metal. I saw a future lamp.

After a few evenings in the workshop, polishing, fitting parts together, rewiring, and experimenting with the shape, this industrial-style wall light was born. Now it hangs in the hallway with a completely different character than the original one ever had.

I really enjoy giving forgotten objects a second life — especially things that were never meant to become art or lighting in the first place.

I see this sub is a lot of people showing kind of elaborate upcycling projects which is super fun. But I don’t sew (bad hands) and in this case it doesn’t really matter…😏 You could certainly elevate these if you did sew though. Anyway- save the sock tops but don’t try donating the bottoms to any shelters or anything. Love you

I have an original Crouse-Hinds explosion proof cage light. Original stamped glass too. I’m replacing the ceramic socket today as the original cracked. What do you think of I drilled a hole in this old car wooden wheel chock and wired a chord with a switch to make a lamp. The light has some real value it seems. Would it be a cool industrial piece or is the wood too old where it would waste the light? I’m open to ideas or let me know if you think it looks cool.

I dont know what kind of lamp shades where originaly on here, but I dont think anything can top this paper flower upgrade

This idea came to me after just finding a few Gildan tees I had lying around . I buy so much random stuff that I forget about it until I find it while looking for something else. These tees were no different. But the color on these things are crazy. Ofcourse I added vinyl for support and a zipper on the inside for those a little more careless than others (I’m those) 😂😂😂

“SEAMOSS”

I had the fleece lining fabric already, and it's cold here, so I thought I'd make a warm coat. It's mostly finished, I'm going to add another pocket to the inside, and I'm contemplating adding buttons. I plan to do some visible mending as well because it is seperating in quite a few spots.

I'm going to make a bunch of other things with the rest of the fabric to use all of it. I might make a matching fleece lined bucket hat next and a bag.