We are all big children

Last weekend we have celebrated the birthday of my oldest son. We have chosen for him and his friends the birthday party with workshop in the museum for children  Villa zebra in Rotterdam.
Every kid have made the birthday cake from scratches of fabric, polyester blocks, papers.
It was funny to see them ''baking'' own strawberry, chocolate or cheesecakes.
They were very happy to leave a party with their crafty piece of cake.

Today I came through the site of Jennifer Collier who makes amazing goodies from paper and other unnecessary materials.
''We are all big children'': I thought about our adults hobbies reminding us our childhood.

Few art works of Jennifer Collier

And the amazing Paper cuts creation of Etsy crafters:

Cardboard sheriff hat and 6 shooter by Mark O'Brien

Cardboard hanging lamp by Uquworkshop

Cardboard wall clock by Oupas Design

Vintage caravan paper broach by London Handmade

Cardboard swiss pastry by Art on the menu

Enjoy your hobby and upcycle too!

Show must go on

After almost 6 moths of designing, sewing, setting up my new shop Cabassole I am back to the up cycling part of me. Back to Moi Aussi activities and my main product - apron from upcycled jeans.
I have received positive feedback from my Etsy friends who are also constantly busy with the improvement of their shops and products. One of the comments was about sides of my apron, which are not covered with fabric.
In the beginning I was using only front of the old jeans.
Then I have decided to use the back in order to propose the bigger size.
The back of the same jeans is always larger.
It is funny, but women choose only aprons made from front.

The main purpose of the apron is to protect our clothes during cooking.
One evening I did not want to work and just browsed blogs of couture, recyclers and eco-fashion designers.
Without any purpose, just to pass time. Suddenly new idea highlighted my mind - how to improve my design.
Here it is my apron from upcycled jeans with the side parts from new fabric.
Cook in style and upcycle toooooo!

Tie me up & tie me down

 The men tie attracted my attention while typing the previous post about Guerra de la Paz.
This essential attribute of business men dressing code went through the experiments of eco-fashion designers because of it's enormous color and pattern palette and I suppose quite good state after even years of usage.
Here is the examples of upcycling ideas picked form internet and collection of great Etsy-designers working with this material.

Alabama Chanin takes recycling to funky, stylish new heights with ladder-back kitchen chairs from the 1920's-1970's, reworked and artfully woven with vintage men's ties

Recycled tie necklace by Laura Skelton

New year tree via NYC daily photo

Etsy eco-fashion designers

Upcycling idea - Standing lamp of Ikea

We are very busy with our new house. After years of leaving in the rented apartments or houses, where you not always have a possibility to change the environment as per your personal taste,  we explore now all our creative ideas. Some old stuff still placed here and there and I was ready to continue my upcycling experiments. One of them is transformation of standing lamp of Ikea. Many of young couples (as we were 10 years ago) start to furnish their leaving space with Ikea - affordable, nice and easy. So did we. From one house to another we took our Ikea lamps and they came almost to the end of their life cycle.
Instead of throwing it away I have tried to re-look one.
This is the initial image:

The entire lamp made from numerous conical frustums. In the beginning I had the idea to prepare the drawings of each section using mathematic formulas:) What an interesting idea! Finally I have found it too much preparation and cut the paper for every section in order to have ready pattern. I had many peacies of the colorful silk which I have used for my rainbow bag. 

Here is a result:

Catch the idea and upcycle too!

Happy holiday time

I am very happy today because of one good news : I was invited to participate in exposition ''Rotterdam Review'' in Studio Hergebruik! If I will be lucky one of my creations will see the ''real world'' and will be shown during month of January in the center of Rotterdam! The most interesting for me is to meet another experienced and young upcyclers and exchange the experience.
Voila, December was very busy with the preparations for the holidays.
And I would like to thank all my faithful and occasional blog readers.
Your support and comments are very important for me, give extra force and wish to go further with new upcycling ideas and constant search in this matter.
I have many resolutions for next year (hope you too) and few fresh upcycling ideas

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and
many many many thanks
Zvet

As last the upcycling ideas for new year tree:
Christmas tree by Design Pack gallery posted by Recycart

Book new year tree by Gleeson Library in San Francisco posted by Recyclart

Shopping cart Christmas tree by Anthony Schmitt posted by Recyclart

Have you bought already your Christmas Tree?
If not check the site of Dutchhandmade team (I am the member also) for great ideas and upcycle2

Pop Top - Upcycle2

Pop Top. What is it? Do you know?
I will make the presentation of this small and very useful thing.
I think everybody drinks time to time beverages from drinking cans.
The stay-tab opening mechanism calls Pop Top.

I did not know before that somebody collects this tabs and makes beautifull thing.

The initiative groupe of Escama Studio from Brazil assembled the hand crafters and local designers to make the recycled fashion accessories using traditional crochet techniques. 

Bag Leda 

Bag Luci

Broach Brooch

Belt Sandra

Behind this beautiful products are people with their stories, hard work and the intention to make this world cleaner. Watch the video showing how the pull tabs bags are made.

And the few words about Ermal Fraze who in 1959 decided to invent an improved beverage can.

First can did not have any openings and people had to purchase a separate opener.

After few adaptations of his initial design Fraze developed a can, known as a pull-top can.

Unfortunately pull-tops cans caused several injuries and drinkers even swallowed it.

Issue was solved in 1977 by the design of push-in and fold-back tab. 

The tab remains attached to the can and the principle is still used for the mass production of beverages today.

As last I would like to refer to the showcased on Brasilia Fashion week in 2006 the work of Ronaldo Fraga.

If you still have in your garage cans from the last summer party and you do not know what to do with them look at the tutorial given by Escama Studio and a treasury collection of designers from Etsy.

and

 try to upcycle too

Your everyday jeans - Upcycle2

I do not know a person who does not have at least a pair of jean ? 

It became so popular for any age and any style persons. 

Even in the offices it is now-days acceptable by the dress code to wear a jean for the managers. 

It is comfortable, it is trendy, it is sexy and you can wear it for years. I remember DamDam had a pair of jeans which was 10 years old when I put it in the waste bin. It happened before the upcycling revolution came at our home.
I have posted already my own upcycling idea. 

Upcycling is one of the important subjects which interests me and while doing my own search I came across the announcement for The Ecouterre Recycled Denim Challenge supported by Gap 1969 Stream. 

I was planning to post my apron but we left home for vacation. 

Many crafters and designers posted their inventions. I will show some of them.

The famous brands as Levi’s commits to produce the water less jeans. Company focuses on the sustainability, promoting reuse, recycling and upcycling.

I come from Civil engineering world and was surprisingly satisfied to learn that it is possible to make wall insulation from old jeans. Maybe we can earn money soon by selling our old jeans to manufacturers producing this type of construction material.

So you have more ideas now what to do with your old jeans.

Waist bin ? Too easy ! Start to upcycle2

Upcycling denim collection from Ecouterre Recycled Denim Challenge.

Cute for babies:

Bags

Lace denim clutch

Denim accessoires:

Table setting mat

Denim Jacket

Denim corset

Geometric dress

Form fitting dress

Denim table by Ciske van Berkel posted by Recycleart

Fasten seatbelt & Upcycle2

Today story is about car seat belts upcycling.
The cars become old, the seat belts are dirty after multiple usage.
But somebody has always genius idea to reuse it.
I think about my car when my boys are eating cookies and touch everything after with their small hands full of cream or jam.
Oh! It is not easy work, the belts are supposed to be washed first!
But the result is impressive.
If you would like to change your car for new eco-model or for electrical car do not forget to cut the seat belts before you leave it at scrapyard and Upcycle2

Variation of bags:

By Interrobang

By Harveys

By Sakoto

By Bagnole

Home decoration by Ting

Furniture
Repose Lounge by Chris Burton

Chaise long Roger

Funny renovation of old car by two artists Ann Conte and Jeanne Wiley