One of my favorite earth-saving activities is upcycling. Now, if you haven't heard of upcycling before, let me fill you in. Upcycling is taking vintage or merely used items and recreating them into new, usable items. For example, if you were to take an old sweater, rip out the seams, and re-sew it into a pillow cover, you would be upcycling.
I enjoy upcycling vintage clothing the most. I usually purchase my vintage or slightly used clothing and trims at charity resale shops. That way, I can make a donation and get my supplies at the same time. Then, I have the opportunity to give clothing a second life.
You can check out some of my creations at www.etsy.com/shop/bohoandmo .
Right now, I'm feverishly working on my fall line which will premiere next month. I've been creating with beautiful wool and leather pieces I picked up at my church's resale shop.
The reason why it's important that we upcycle ourselves or purchase upcycled items, is because when we do, we keep these items from overloading our already "filled to the gills" garbage dumps. It is a fact that every year, Americans generate about 230 million tons of garbage. Out of all this trash, less than one-quarter of it is recylcled. The remainder is incinerated or buried in landfills. Now that's a lot of junk!
I urge you to recycle, reuse, and upcycle any items you can. I will be giving you tips in future blogs on upcycling certain everyday items, clothing, and furniture. I also urge you to donate gently used appliances, household goods, clothing and electronics to your local thrift stores. You never know when me, or the ever-growing population of those like me, are looking to refill our supply boxes.
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