Do you live in the St. Paul area? University of Minnesota is offering a week long summer workshop on Creative Upcycling by mixed media artist, writer and teacher Heather Allen-Swarttouw. Look at these adorable little notebooks upcycled from old cassette tapes. Perfect for fitting in your purse or pocket. Made and designed by Katie of punkprojects Look at what Maggie at Homemade Mamas did with toilet paper rolls. As my Grandma would say: “I tell you, what they don’t think of these days!” Upcycling isn’t just …

Check out this inspiring furniture from Design By Leftovers. The Swedish based design team of Linda Netsman and Jona Netsman use “leftovers” to create this unique furniture. Leftovers “believe that the old, discarded or forgotten can be reborn. That every person and everything has a story to tell.” The beautiful piece you are looking at here is from their “People” Collection. It is made entirely from “pre-loved, re-claimed garments and fabrics.” We love how the mono-chromatic patchwork gives each piece the comforting feel of your Grandmother’s quilt …

Start planning your spring garden with these classy garden markers made from upcycled vintage silverware. Anne from Bunny Hill Designs has a great tutorial here: www.bunnyhillblog.com Learn about the Jordanian Upcycling Designer Hana Faouri from the Green Prophet You can also see her step-by-step tutorial for a tin can lantern here: myupcycledlife.blogspot.com Visit the Muskegon Art Museum in Western Michigan now through April 3,2011 to see their Exhibit “Upcycling! Creating More with Less!” You can check out works by artists that use upcyled materials like this …

This stunning mosaic is made from upcycled junk mail! It’s called “The Birth of Venus,” and it is one of many creations from eco-friendly artist Sandhi Schimmel Gold. She upcycles junk mail and other paper waste into this truly fine art. All of her work is “hand-painted, hand-cut, hand-applied, hand-embellished, and hand-finished.” This unique technique is all her own, and she calls it Acrylic Mosaic Fusion. All of the materials are water-based, acid-free and non-toxic. Schimmel Gold’s initial inspiration came from a portrait made from colorful glass fragments …

A robot sculpture made from an upcycled old car? You bet. You are looking at a 200lb, 6’6″ tall statue named “The Transformer,” created by Netherlands-based artist Nikola Nikolov and his studio Studio-Re-Creation. This amazing piece of art was completed in Spring of 2010, and was built by deconstructing the artist’s first car and welding it back into… well… a Transformer. In the artist’s words, “The Transformer symbolizes the relationship between man and machine. Our first car, a Lada Samara Diva, has been re-created into a powerful figure. …

Upcycling is taking an item that is no longer needed or wanted and giving it new life as something that is either useful or creative. This seemingly basic concept has sparked an exciting revolution with this generation. History of Upcycling The term upcycle began to gain traction in the mid 90s. Then in 2002, William McDonough and Michael Braungart’s book ‘Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things’ brought the term into the public eye, and solidified its use in pop culture. McDonough and Braungart were pioneers …