The Secret Life of Everyday Objects: Upcycling for the Discerning Collector
In a world filled with disposable materials, it can become very difficult to live a sustainable lifestyle, despite your best efforts. If you feel overwhelmed with waste lying around your household or are looking for ways to reuse old items, upcycling may be just the solution you need.
Upcycling is the process of transforming everyday objects into new, useful and high-quality products. It is a unique way of reinventing items that allows you to add value to their existing form while reducing waste.
As an environmentalist, I’ve always found a fascination for upcycling and how it helps conserve resources and encourage sustainable living. The concept of looking at ordinary objects through your own unique lens and breathing new life into them just strikes a special chord in my heart.
Over the years, I have worked on countless projects, some for friends and family and of course, many for myself. From upcycling old elastic bands to party decorations and even SEGA TUBBZ figures, there have been some obscure projects in my archive.
Nonetheless, each and every project I’ve worked on still brings me so much joy, that I can’t help but want to share it. Here’s a glimpse at some of my recent projects and how I turned some everyday objects around my house into one-of-a-kind treasures.
Harnessing Creativity for Daisy
Have you ever seen a pet product online that you thought your fur baby would absolutely adore? Perhaps, a new treat dispenser for your canine companion or a pair of high-quality horse clippers for sale?
There is a slew of pet products available online, however, more often than not, they come at quite a steep price. I felt the same way about my pet horse, Daisy. I’ve always loved spoiling her but with the cost of living rising day by day, it felt like I no longer had the means to do so.
That was when I thought, why not make the things I wanted to buy for Daisy? I’d never attempted pet care products before, but I figured surely there would be a few items that I could DIY myself, and right I was!
From making old t-shirts into hay bags to making stall toys out of plastic bottles, I felt unstoppable. My favourite project would have to be the DIY hoof pick I made last summer. After repurposing an old screwdriver with a sturdy handle as the base, I filed the tip to a point and soon had my pick.
To this day, it’s still one of the most effective tools I have when it comes to taking care of Daisy.
Running With a Dream
I’ve always found myself struggling to focus. With a mind that’s always thinking of new things, it can be challenging to concentrate on a singular task at times.
This idea came to me when I had just gotten a new work desk and could not manage to stay seated for longer than five minutes. One day, I was just sitting there when I happened to glance at my old runner machine that had been abandoned far too soon and now served as a hanger for my clothes.
I began to brainstorm and with a few days of research, I got to work. I had a vision of a workspace that let me concentrate and move, so I transformed my desk into a walking desk.
I detached the tabletop from my desk, it seemed sturdy enough to hold up, and attached it to my runner machine. Within four days, I completed this spur-of-the-moment project and created the ultimate productivity space.
If you’re someone who has trouble focusing, I feel a walking desk could also make a difference for you.
Ever since I started using it, I found it much easier to concentrate on sit-down tasks as I wasn’t really sitting down at all. I also found myself taking up reading once again as the movement helped me follow the plotlines better. Moreover, the bonus workout from using it is a great outlet to stay active during your hectic everyday life.
Without a doubt, making that walking desk was one of the best upcycling projects I’ve done that actually had a positive impact on my quality of life.
Mixing Fun with Pleasure
I’ve always been a bit of a sports fanatic and there’s nothing I enjoy more than watching a rousing game of football accompanied with good food and good drinks.
My penchant for drinking paired with my collector’s bug led to an accumulation of a variety of beer mats over the years. From your typical beer mats in the UK to some unique ones I had collected from around the world during my travels, my collection may have gotten a bit out of hand.
It was when I had filled my tenth beer mat album that I finally decided that it was time to make something of them. I looked online, visited multiple collectors and upcycling forums and finally settled on making a beermat tabletop.
I began the project by collecting all the materials I needed; plywood, epoxy glue, epoxy resin, medium-grit sandpaper, varnish and of course, many many beermats. I began by cutting the plywood into the shape I wanted. Since this was my first attempt at making a table, I decided to keep things simple and go for a traditional rectangular shape.
Next, I aesthetically laid out the beermats on top of the base until I was satisfied with the design. After planning what I’d like the final tabletop design to look like, I began to glue down the beermats one by one using the epoxy glue, ensuring to press firmly down on each one to keep them secure.
The glueing down of the beer mats did take a couple of days, but I found the whole process rather relaxing. After letting it dry down completely, I evenly applied a layer of epoxy resin over the surface to seal everything in.
Once it finished curing, I then sanded the edges and surface of the tabletop to smooth out any rough edges. Lastly, I applied a coat of varnish to protect the design and allowed it to dry one last time.
The final result turned out so much better than I had ever imagined, with almost every guest who entered my home complimenting it for its unique design.
Realising My SEGA Fantasy
Every person has a franchise or show that they love and become completely obsessed with. For some, it was Pokemon, others Dragonball, but for me, that honour would go to no other franchise than SEGA.
I fondly recall the first SEGA game I played; it was a classic, Sonic the Hedgehog. As a child, I took my Gameboy everywhere with me and the game I loved the most was Sonic. There was something about that blue hedgehog that just stuck with me as a kid and I soon grew into quite the SEGA game fanatic.
A couple of years later, I transitioned my love from SEGA games to SEGA-based TV series like Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, Street Fighter, and Earthworm Jim. There was just something so unique about all the characters from these shows and I couldn’t get enough of them.
As I grew older and began to make money of my own, my love for SEGA transitioned into a need to collect every bit of Sonic merchandise I could get my hands on. From figures to pillow covers to TUBBZ figures, I had to collect them all.
My SEGA TUBBZ collection is currently one of my most prized possessions, however, even I could admit that I didn’t need each and every one of them. It was just the collector in me who desired that feeling of accomplishment upon collecting every figure from a specific series.
A couple of months ago, I finally gave in to the little voice urging me to make things that were actually useful out of the figures I didn’t really like. With a little bit of ingenuity and hot glue, I turned many of them into bookends.
Next, I drilled holes into the backs of a couple of other characters and soon an entire cast was transformed into charming pen holders and planters. With a little bit of creativity, I really found myself living every SEGA fan’s dream, surrounded by my favourite characters every day.
To Wrap Up
Upcycling may appear a bit challenging at first glance, but it can also be really fun. It’s a great way to turn something old and overlooked into something brand new with a purpose.
Moreover, it is a sustainable hobby that helps cut down on waste in landfills and protect the environment.
If you’re not a natural crafter, you may struggle a little initially. However, with perseverance and determination, you will surely get the hang of things. I truly believe that upcycling is a craft that is not just pleasing to the eyes, but also incredibly uplifting for the soul.