As an engineer I am accustom to the principle of form follows function. Which is why this project is a challenging one for me. I wanted to create something that could be useful in my everyday life but also reflect my person style. I started with identifying a need and then brainstormed solutions. I find…

Source: https://www.delish.com/entertaining/g3815/upcycle-beer-bottles-diy-projects/?slide=1 My First post was about my thinking process about this project. After thinking a lot. I decided to use some o the bottles I have as flower vases. This idea I found while searching for innovations for utilizing empty bottles. Also, I am planing to add some decorations to the bottles such as…

The inspiration of this project came from my house key. I was fumbling around with where to put it in my room, and came across my cable holder and a cork. I started brainstorming and flipping through pins on Pinterest to find projects that people had done with corks for keys or reminders. The two…

Kintsugi is a pottery technique that glorifies imperfection and embraces the cracks that bring us together. The art-form dates back to the Japanese shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa, who sent sent a piece of pottery back to China to be repaired. After the piece return, lackluster held together with only staples, he decided to have it mended…

This is my upcycle design process. My way of thinking is that this project require a lot of research. The challenge of finding an idea which posses three conditions. First, it has to be aesthetic. Second, I have the skills to accomplish the plan. Finally, I should have most of the product materials. I built…

I started brainstorming with thinking what I need first and think about if it is doable by upcycle. And, here is the flow chart. I love to cook so I cut a lot of vegetables. While cutting vegetables, such as garlic or pepper, I always hated the smell and the spiciness stuck on my fingers.…

To begin this project I thought about which material I wanted to use. I wanted something that gave me a lot room for creativity and didn’t push me into a certain style. I also thought about what functionality do I want to get out of this project and not make something that has no purpose…

The design process that I took for this project so far is pretty standard. As you can see in the image of my flowchart below, I began by looking at the upcycle project that was assigned. I then began brainstorming ideas that involved what kind of materials I should use, what kind of function will…

I was very intrigued when I heard the first project we would be working on was going to involve upcycling. Upcycling is the process of creating something out of waste materials or products for a better purpose. I thought this challenge would be fun since it puts constraints on what materials we are allowed to…

Multiple Sketches for Further Conceptualization More Detailed Skateboard Mount Guitar Experimentation I have not completely decided on a final project to get working on but I have a far greater understanding of how I will achieve my aesthetic goals as I sketch more and more. I am currently considering the different applications of reused guitars…

As a warm up assignment we are recycling low value waste into aesthetic pleasing objects. Deciding what to do isn’t always easy however for me this time around it was simpler than in the past. Over the winter break I read “Creative Confidence” by David and Tom Kelley ( I highly recommend it to anyone…

Design Process: Available Materials: due to the requirement of the assignment, my first concern was what materials do I have in my disposal that can be used. Since I have amazon prime and being lazy, I end up with a lot of shipping boxes. 2) Brainstorming: my biggest concern in this step was to come up with as many ideas as possible. However, the option to build something out of card boxed are endless. Thus, i have decided to do something that would be useful. 3) Objective of product: after coming up with multiple ideas, I have decided to do a drawer because  it was something I wanted to buy for my apartment and doing this project will save me money. So two birds…

My family is coming for my graduation and I decided to make a board game for them. It’s called Jakaroo and it’s a really good game. I decided to go with acrylic instead of wood because it’s lighter and it will take less time in the laser cutter. I got the acrylic sheet and it’s…

Cutlery holder by Bianca Barreto and Sueli Pacci [1] For my upcycle project, it took me a while to decide what I am going to design. I am interested and focused on making something out of the stuff I have in my kitchen since I find cooking as a hobby and having an organized kitchen…

To recap my ideation process so far: I started out with no idea what I wanted to do. In an in-class sketching brainstorm, I decided to think ideate with toothpicks in mind as a material. I started coming up with ideas related to toothpicks, teeth, icepicks, and trees. Of the 3, I liked the idea…

I didn’t know what I wanted to do for this project until today, when I saw my friend’s abandoned helmet in my garage. My friend was into racing his car when he was studying at CU he eventually graduated and went back to China. The helmet is still in OK shape but the mechanism that…

A lot of my project so far has consisted of paying more attention to my surrounds and available material. We have a program at my work where we take the hard to recycle materials and bring it to the CHARM facility here in Boulder. Because of this, I’m currently loaded with charger cables, plastic bags,…

For my upcycle project I’ll be using scraps of wood veneer from a custom ski shop I used to work at in my home town of Telluride, CO. Wagner skis creates custom designed skis, and customers have the option to have a wood veneer as the top sheet for their ski. About 12 – 16…

My upcycle project is still in the works design-wise, but a great deal of my design process has centered around the materials that I intend on using. My cheap-o wooden IKEA bed frame recently gave up the ghost, and with its passing came loads of recyclable materials. Primarily, I’m interested in its plywood slats and…

Being born and raised in Colorado I have always had a general obsession for the Colorado flag. I love its colors and the uniqueness of it compared to many other states. Ever since I’ve lived in my own place I’ve had at least one Colorado flag hanging on the wall so my idea for an…

I have always been interested in miniature-style art. I have seen it a lot in both movies and in real life. One thing that I always been interested in is when major companies have 3D models of miniature cities. This really caught my eye because it is really interesting that those companies use these models…

Originally having no idea on what to do for the upcycle project I struggled trying to figure out what to create. While thinking about this I was focusing on the final product, what do I want to make? Then the idea of using LEGOs was brought to my attention. LEGOs are a very versatile material…

The biggest challenge in starting the design for my up-cycle project is trying to figure out what material I want to use to create the project and what it is that I want to make. I began by walking around my apartment trying to figure out what material I had that could be transformed into…

I have spent sometime thinking of what I wanted to make for my upcycle project. What I knew was that I wanted something which involved something I learned here as a mechanical engineer. I remembered seeing a toy which had a small circular platform, had evenly spaced slits on it’s top with still images of…

I was throwing a lot of ideas around about what I should create for the upcycle project. I knew I had and an old wood palette in my backyard and I thought that would be a good idea to put that to use. The wood has a dark color to it, it looks kind of…

It took me a while to come up with an idea for this upcycle project. I looked around my apartment trying to find a lot of unused material that I could use to make a project with. I came to the realization that I have a lot of trash. More specifically, I have a ton…

For my Upcycle Project, I am making a device that will allow the user to countdown days, much like an advent calendar or a countdown clock, but with far less utility. The basic design will have a spring, similar to the leaf spring on a vehicle. This will be bent back and connected to a…

Plastic waste has a significant impact on the environment. Since most plastics are not degradable i’ve decided to use this material for my upcycle project. I’ve also been inspired from companies like Parley and Adidas who created products from plastic waste in the ocean. These types of products satisfy customer demands while also helping the…

It took me a while to figure out what I wanted to do for this project and a couple ideas were bouncing around in my head. I was originally going to make some sort of plant based project that would grow within a glass bottle, as seen in the picture below. However, after contemplating the…

For my up-cycle project I decided to make a dress out of paper recycling bags. These bags are provided at grocery stores and are also handed out at the dorms on campus. The reason I wanted to make this dress is because I am attending a time travelers ball in mid February. Last time I…

http://www.designturnpike.com/pop_soda_and_beer_bottle_cap_art_and_maps.html I found two upcycle ideas that I was truly torn between. One of them was this idea of using bottle caps to create some crafts. I figured that since we are in a college town, bottle caps have to be one of the most abundant items that can be used for upcycling. Also, the…

We spend a lot of time reading and I’m sure everyone has that one shelf of books that is either held up by another book or a different random object. Rarely do I see a stack of books held up by the very object that is made to fulfill this purpose and provide an aesthetic…

My upcycle project is based on the t-shirt design above. I felt inspired by the design because when I was in high school I would wear a shoe lace belt instead of a normal belt. A regular belt holds up better but I liked the style of the shoe lace belt more. It gave more…

For my up-cycle project, I am making a fire pit out of cardboard. The idea is to laser cut pieces of cardboard and put them together such that they have some structural integrity while using little to no adhesives. Right now, the design is pretty basic, with no real artistic elements added onto of the…

The appealing look of a cork caught my eye instantly. I found cork projects all over google images, pinterest, and my friends houses. Corks can be used for apparel, furniture, jewelry holders, and decoration. The cork gives a house a very unique down to earth feeling. There are also associated unique wine and champagne labels…