Upcycling… There are no downsides

Upcycling, recycling, thrifting, repurposing.

For some people, that implies cheapness or lower class; For my family it was a fun and time-honored tradition. Taylor and I come from an altogether upper middle-class family. We weren’t rolling in money Scrooge McDuck style, but we had things that other children didn’t, and our parents were big on providing us whatever opportunities they could.

However, they were also big on teaching of the value of things. Not just the monetary value, but the real value of any given thing. My dad is from a small community in Wyoming, and he did not grow up with nearly as many opportunities as Taylor and I did. My mom was raised by parents that were a product of the great depression. Both believed firmly in using the most of something that you possibly could. Waste not, want not.

Dad is big on quality over quantity. Buy less but buy nice and if you take care of it- it will last you forever. Mom was big on finding a way to give something new life and see it in a whole new way. They both stressed how important it was for our environment and for the planet to not be so big on ‘disposable’, and to not throw something away just because it got scuffed or slightly worn. Part of the reason we go thrifting or upcycling still to this day is that it is so much more environmentally friendly to buy something second hand (especially clothes) than to get a newly manufactured one. The apparel industry alone accounts for 10% of global carbon emissions.

One of my favorite things as a kid to do was go hunting with my mom and her best friend Sherry on weekends. We would hit antique markets, garage sales, and thrift stores and it was always an adventure. The hunt was half the fun, and I got to spend time with my mom. We never knew what we were going to find, I frequently got to save something from a landfill or scrap pile, and my wardrobe was always unique to me. I like to think it taught my sister and I to look at things in ways other people didn’t. Sherry and mom were big crafters and could fix and repurpose anything. They taught us what to look for and became our earliest DIY instructors. We would come home with our pile of jee-jaws and scraps and second-hand furniture for pennies and nickels and the occasional $5 in allowance spent that turned into hours and hours of crafting and fun, a hobby that I like to think has served us fairly well so far in life.

I also think it taught us the importance of giving back. We rarely ever threw things away. There was always going to be somebody who could re-imagine it, or someone that needed it more than I did. You could always help a neighbor in need if you were paying attention and willing to give.

You also always learn something when it comes to upcycling and rebuilding. Some of my proudest learning moments have come from repurposing.

A few of my favorite crafts, antiques, and saves include:

• Multicolored rope baskets: my parents had these plastic crisscrossed laundry baskets when Taylor and I were little. I think everybody had them. They were small and round, and I think the dollar tree probably still sells something similar to this day. They had started to see better days, and dad finally went to get rid of them, so I swiped them. I now have a set of nice, fabric lined rope baskets and all it cost me was some hot glue, a couple yards of scrap fabric, and some jute rope. I’ve used them for blankets, decorative containers for plants, and sometimes still a laundry hamper.
• Grandma’s corning wear: this is an older generation thing that is so underrated, and you can fight me on, but will never change my mind. I happened to steal mine from grandma before they donated it, but I find it all the time at goodwill as well. People are throwing them away as they clean out estates or updating for sleeker looking options. Corning ware will never wear out on you. It’s cute and vintage. And it heats SO evenly. You can cook almost anything in it.
• My dining room table: this one is probably my absolute proudest project moment. It was a long labor of love. I will be honest, there was a lot of swearing involved in this one. it was a big project, and I had to teach myself a handful of skills. But it came out almost exactly as I envisioned it, and I love it to bits. Taylor and I bought this mismatched table and chairs at goodwill for $10. it was scratched, but it was a beautifully cut, old fashioned solid wooden table underneath that. It still had the original hardware, and these amazingly shaped legs and it just screamed “TAKE ME HOME!”. The chairs were hideous, and did not match in the slightest, like doctor’s office waiting room chairs. So, we sanded down the whole table. Dad had to teach me how to use a belt sander for the top of it and remember those awesome legs I was talking about? that’s where the swearing started. It took weeks. After the sanding, we stenciled this giant mandala pattern into the center of it and then wood burnt the pattern in (insert more swearing and severely cramping hands). When all the stenciling and woodburning and staining and sealing was done though, I had this moment of complete satisfaction of a project well finished. I learned a lot. And I also have this gorgeous table that is unique to my home. The best part is that altogether it probably only cost my $35 by the time I was done buying sandpaper and wood stain.

There is so much you can do and find with upcycling and thrifting. I have met the most interesting people, learned a number of useful skills, and thoroughly love the positive impact on my community and my environment. We’re really excited to be able to share some of our up-and-coming projects with you, and we hope they will inspire you to try a few of your own.

Not sure where to start? Keep your eyes out for our next updates! Taylor will be sharing some of the things we have learned over the years in the hopes that it will seem a little less intimidating. See Taylor’s post, How to Maximize Your Thrifting.

Happy Hunting!

Mikaela