DIY Upcycling Projects: How to Craft, Renew and Repurpose Everyday Items: Recycle, Reuse, Renew, Repurpose

Introduction

Are you frustrated with how expensive it is to buy new furniture, decorations and household items?  Do you want to spruce up your home, but don’t want to spend a lot of money?  Do you want to learn to renew, reuse and repurpose things you have around the house?  This book will show you how to reduce your carbon footprint while saving money and crafting beautiful and easy-to-make items for your home.

Chapter 1 starts out with a basic description of upcycling.  Reasons why reusing, renewing and repurposing items makes sense today are presented.

Chapter 2 discusses strategies and tips for renewing old furniture to create beautiful like-new pieces for your home.  Detailed plans for crafting headboards and dressers will be presented.

Chapter 3 takes you step-by-step through the process of making useful and decorative items out of old picture frames.  You will learn how to make stylish mirrors and attractive trays with your old picture frames.

Chapter 4 provides easy-to-follow plans for reusing wood from old pallets.  You will learn how to create planters and patio furniture out of this discarded wood.

Chapter 5 gives you several ideas for easy-to-make household items out of common materials you have around the house.  Learn to make useful and creative items out of materials you usually throw out!

Finally, the Best Practices and Common Mistakes section gives you useful Do’s and Don’ts to remember as you start to craft, reuse, renew and repurpose items for your home and as gifts.

With these tips and strategies, you can start creating beautiful items for your home with old and discarded items from flea markets, thrift shops, or around your own home.

Chapter 1:  What is Upcycling?

A number of people are interested in reducing their carbon foot print.  Today most people want to reduce the amount of materials they use and simply throw away.  Upcycling is an environmentally responsible way to reduce what we waste. 

In this chapter, you will learn:

What upcycling is.

Why upcycling makes sense today.

Where you can find items to upcycle.

What is Upcycling?

Upcycling is the process of reusing discarded items or materials to create useful and beautiful new items.  Through upcycling you can take items that are no longer needed or wanted and transform them into creative and useful materials for your home.  Upcycling adds value to your unwanted items.  The purpose of upcycling is to create a more sustainable life by reducing the amount of materials that are discarded in landfills.  Upcycling also improves the