Upcycling!

I ran into the term "upcycle" the other day shopping on Etsy. I can't remember what I was initially looking at, maybe scarves or jewelry, but I ran into a site offering "upcycled" glasses, coasters, and other things made from old bottles. I have a fondness for crafts like this as my father, a retired shop teacher, had his students making glasses from coke bottles and things in the 70s. Cutting glass is a lot harder than you might imagine, and Dad explained that they used the welder and wires or something to create the cut. Anyway, I love the glasses and coasters on the site.

Wikipedia defines upcycling as "the process of converting waste materials or useless products into new materials or products of better quality or a higher environmental value." While I don't upcycle on quite as grand a scale as YAVA Glass on Etsy.com, I do have my moments. Here are pics of my efforts (with a lot of help from family!):


These are "upcycled" cheese boards my aunt made in her pottery kiln. The one laying flat is a gorgeous cobalt blue. The jars are my own upcycling efforts--not nearly as exciting as my aunt's! I cleaned up my junk drawer and needed small containers for safety pins and Christmas ornament hangers. I luckily remembered jars that I had just washed up and saved, knowing a non-cluttery woman would just go ahead and recycle them. I couldn't bring myself to because these two jars are just too cute! The shorter one is a pesto jar that comes in an adorable Atlas jar with measurements along the side. The taller jar is a Polaner All Fruit spread jar that has gorgeous facets. Here are close-ups:



Another "upcycled" piece I have is an olive oil bottle I use for dish soap. I guess I really like glass, and I have a difficult time getting rid of bottles and jars that are unique, cool, or pretty!