For the past couple weeks, I have been struggling to find something to build for the Upcycle project. I have had tons of materials come to mind, but not a lot of applications. After scouring through the internet, I have found a couple ideas that have inspired me. My favorites as of now are the plastic spoon lamp and the broom pencil holder, both of which could be useful. However, all these projects seem really fun and pretty straight forward. Which one do you all think is the most interesting?

1.) A beverage koozie made of wine bottle corks. The material would be a great insulator for a cold or hot beverage. They are also easy to work with, light weight, and have a cool aesthetic to them.

2.) A lamp made from a plastic bottle and plastic spoons. Here, the end of the spoon can be mounted to the bottle, overlapping each other to create a “fish scale” look, and once illuminated, the spoons and plastic bottle refract the light in an interesting way.[1]

 

3.) A pencil/pen desk organizer made of broom bristles. These bristles can be squeezed together and contained in some kind of box. The pencils/pens can then be stabbed into the bristles and secured by the support.[2]

 

4.) A wine bottle rack made of soup cans. The bottom of the cans could be bored out, creating cylinders that could be mounted together in different shapes.

 

Citations:

[1] Raczka, Simon, and Simon. “How to Make Plastic Spoon Lamp – DIY & Crafts.” Handimania, 5 July 2014, www.handimania.com/diy/plastic-spoon-lamp.html.

[2] “Office Brush Pen Holder — Brilliant Idea.: Diy, Pen Holders, Makeup Storage.” Pinterest, www.pinterest.com/pin/111816003219434043/.

[3] “DIY Wine Rack Made of Cans.” Cans for Life, 15 Apr. 2016, cansforlife.eu/diy-wine-rack-made-cans/.

[4] “50 Wine Corks, Winery Wine Cork, Wine Corks with Logos, Bulk Wine Corks, Used Wine Corks. Recycled Wine Corks, Up-Cycled Used Wine Corks.” Etsy, www.etsy.com/listing/561368055/50-wine-corks-winery-wine-cork-wine.