Things are Looking Up

Per Wikipedia (the most reliable source if you ask me), upcycling is:

“ the process of converting waste materials or useless products into new materials or products of better quality or a higher environmental value.”

Or, per Jenipedia (also a reliable source), upcycling is making old stuff into new stuff.   It sounds a lot like recycling, but it’s different because you skip a step — breaking something down to raw  materials — and save even more energy than you would with just plain old recycling.  Furniture, toys, paper, pots and pans…there’s a zillion things you can upcycle. 

In case my detailed definition wasn’t sufficient…here’s my real-life example.*

Old t-shirt once belonging to the nice gentleman that lives with me:

A bit of cutting, a little bit of sewing, and a little bit more cutting:

A new (pit stain free) shirt for me (don't know why I look so serious...must have taken a lot of concentration to push that button...):

Turns out, I love upcycling.  I’m off to raid my closet.   Or someone else’s.   

*Disclaimer: I have an awesome camera but couldn’t get it set up at the correct height so I used a crappy phone camera.  Whatever.