Upcycling- The Coolest Trend to Hit Your Home

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Upcycling is a bit like recycling, except instead of reusing something for the same purpose (rewearing clothing from a thrift store- which is awesome in its own right), it involves taking something that’s been used and giving it a newer, higher value than it had before. How so? Here are three things you can do at home:
 
Take that favorite sweater from the back of your closet that doesn’t fit anymore, or has a hole you can’t fix but you love it too much to donate it. Find a simple pattern online and upcycle it into a pair of mittens for yourself, a warm tunic for your daughter, or legwarmers. You’ll be saving the sweater from going to a landfill and giving it a new life.
 
What about those beautiful gift boxes from the holidays and birthdays? Some are constructed very well and beautifully adorned! While you could feel good about recycling them, what about upcycling them into drawer organizers? I use gift boxes to sort my daughter’s hair accessories and growing collection of couture jewelry (hand crafted with love & wooden beads).

Were you the recipient of some XL, or XXL t-shirts for a charity event you participated in? I am- and realized the shirts could become more comfortable for sleeping than just throwing them on. I used one of my daughter’s nightgowns and traced it on the shirt, leaving enough room for a hem, and viola- an instant 100% cotton nightgown. I figured if someone went through all the work to create the logo for the charity and hand these out, it would be nice to give it a proper life before it lands in the landfill, or becomes upholstery filler.

What are some of your favorite upcycling projects you do at home?
 
About Petit Marin:
 
Rachel Schohn and Melina Harper are the co-founders of Petite Marin, an eco couture children’s clothing line made from upcycled men’s dress shirts. While pregnant with her third child, Rachel was inspired to make a romper for her new baby from the beautiful fabric of her husband’s dress shirt. Realizing that men’s dress shirts could be a source of amazing material for kids clothing, she joined with Melina to start Petite Marin. They hope to educate others about upcycling and textile waste.

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