Post 3 2024: Upcycle Progress

For my project, I decided to go with an industrial-style bar cart. The plan for this bar cart is to have two shelves for glasses and various drinks. The cart will be about knee height and be on wheels. I decided to go with an industrial bar cart because it seemed harder than making a…

For this project, I have decided to use a branch from a tree to create some coasters. My aesthetic for this project is a rustic aesthetic. While I had previous intentions of creating a coaster out of a variety of types of wood and combine them all into one singular coaster, using a branch better…

I have decided I want to focus my project in on a single sculpture. I think a sculpture of a human looking creation is where I want to go. Putting the sculpture into some sort of dance pose would be funny. I’m not sure if ironic is the right word but a very industrial almost…

A brief recap of the project before we get into the update: The goal of this project is to construct a chalk “bucket” that will be used primarily for indoor climbing/bouldering. The idea behind the bucket design is that it can hold more chalk than a traditional chalk bag, as well as brushes, tape, and…

For my upcycling project, I have been finishing my final preparation pieces to get ready to assemble my final product. As a quick project reminder, I am taking 2 old unused brackets that did not fit in their desired application and giving them new life as a suspension sculpture that embodies the floating nature of…

For my upcycling project, I decided to make a picture frame using a mid century modern aesthetic. I choose this aesthetic because I like the principals of using different materials, while remaining somewhat minimal in design. I also enjoy photography as a hobby and wanted to make a custom frame for my favorite pictures.  CAD…

I have made significant progress on the preparation stage of the upcycle project. This progress includes the planning of the overall construction, or more accurately, the method of reupholstery that will be used on my vehicles sun visors. I’ve homed in on a simple concept in reupholstery that applies to fabric encasements like the ones…

As a recap for anyone who might not have read my previous post, I am going to make a 3D art shelf type project made out of pages from a book I had a duplicate copy of.  It’s going to be made into a sort of mushroom shape as well as dipped into tea to…

Progress stands mostly in prepping and planning on the design and materials for the project, first task was to figure out what sort of Victorian style toy there was to be made. I’ve thought of boats or ducks and nutcrackers but ultimately ended on the decision of going with a classic style toy train. Not…

I want to begin with recapping the plan for my upcycle project. I am planning on using old vinyl records that no longer play music as canvases for new art pieces. I plan to paint on each record in a surrealism style including musical elements to tie the canvas in with the art. Surrealism is…

My Upcycle Project is creating a metal sign out of used soda cans in the Googie/Space Age aesthetic. I have started to collect cans and cutting out templates to use in my design. The shape of the sign itself includes a rocket with a trail, this part of the design is influenced by an Oldmobile…

To be honest I am not as far ahead as I would like to be. I haven’t sourced my materials yet and I am just barely getting a grasp of what I want to do. I initially had an idea where I would make a 3D Design of a house, 3D print it and use…

Overview The goal of my upcycling project is to turn my brother’s old jeans, that I don’t fit, into something I can wear and use. Using three pairs of denim jeans, I will be making a tote bag with a patchwork aesthetic.  Phase 1: Design Sketch and Plan  I first started off sketching four different…

For my upcycle project I am making an art piece or functional piece in the aesthetic of retro patriotism. I decided on this aesthetic because it includes the primary American colors of red white and blue, and most of my bottle caps are red white and blue. In preparing the materials for my project I…

For my upcycling project, I have decided to create an artistic scene on a scuba tank at the bottom of the ocean representing an oceanpunk aestetic. I chose this aesthetic because I thought I would be able to use very minimal materials, many of which are from everyday items. I also decided to go with…

This week I acquired almost all of the materials necessary to create my ring and hook game. It has been challenging to find materials that match the Japandi aesthetic for all elements of the game. For example, the hooks and rings will have to be metal because that is the material available to me. On…

For my upcycle project, I will be creatintg a rustic picture frame which holds a CU Boulder Buffalo logo. The materials I will be uisng for this project are cardboard, paper, and glue. I have designed, sketched, and prototyped (initial prototyping) my project, and I plan to begin testing laser cutting methods and assembling my…

  Update: Since the initial publication of this blog post, the upcycling project to bring Wall-E to life through welding and scrap metal has garnered significant attention and praise. Creative minds from around the world have been inspired to embark on similar endeavors, using discarded materials to create art that not only captivates the imagination…

I have decided to create an industrial planter for my plants. My decision came from a simple desire, I recently have become a plant mom, and Love the contrast and energy that plants bring into my industrial style bedroom. I wanted something that could not only house my lovely plant collection, but also support my…

Since my upcycle project involves utilizing legos to build a flower or plant pot I needed to source some of my old legos from my parents house where I used to live. Since none of my old legos are in Boulder this means I had to do this post a little later than normal. I…

This past week, I attempted to acquire the materials for my project. The main components are a side table/stool base and a used record. After using sources such as Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist in the past, I thought that they would be good places to start for finding the base of my table. There were…

Happy accidents, that’s how the progress on this project has been going for me. My initial plan of a vintage library inspired lamp has changed because of a new find. In order to find inspiration for projects I love going to the various thrift stores all around boulder where you can find the most eclectic…

For my upcycle project, I have decided to create a piece of scrap metal art out of used fasteners. My initial ideas were to create a sculpture of a person, possibly in the middle of an action or in a specific pose. I got most of my inspiration from my cousin, who is a sculpture…

For my upcycling project, I decided to create an artwork display to fit into the environmental aesthetic. I wanted to create a modern industrial town that was running off energy produced by wind turbines. I also wanted the town to be filled with plants that were planted on the roofs and sides of the buildings.…

I currently do not have much done on my upcycle project other than the general idea. I think I’ll run into significant issues gathering enough material to do what I want to do since I plan on using a lot of aluminum cans to capture my aesthetic and I am not much of a soda…

The upcycle project progresses as it should. I have since gone to the local goodwill and purchased 8 large (over 1 inch thick) books all for a dollar apiece. Seems like a good deal to me. While I was picking the books based on uniformity to each other, there happen to be a few books…

Project Recap Goal: Using remnant wood, build a bulletin board frame that will house a large poster of the United States so I can insert pins to the locations I’ve traveled to and then display it as wall art. Context: I’ve owned a 50″ x 32″ poster map of the United States for probably 6…

I think I have finally settled on an idea for upcycling project: keeping with the Afrofuturism aesthetic I chose last week, I am going to make an Afrofuturistic Tribal Mask. Some of my favorite projects have always been headwear, mostly helmets but now a mask. I think the reason I enjoy doing them so much…

It has been an exciting journey since I shared my concepts and ideas for the upcycling project involving the integration of unused Trex Wood from a previous patio decking project. Its composite nature, made from 95% recycled materials, aligns perfectly with the environmental theme of the project. Today, I am excited to update you on…

Post 3 – Upcycle Progress Main Update  Hi everyone! I’m excited to share that my Upcycling Project is going smoothly so far! This week, I’ve made some important progress on my prototype that I’ll be sharing with you in this post. Currently, I have a miniature prototype made up of cardboard that I laser cut…

Before I update my progress on this project, I want to give a brief summary of what my project actually is.  I will be making a topographic sculpture out of cardboard or scrap wood with an additional sub-aesthetic as well.  The scultpure will be of the words “Koho” and the purpose of it will be…

For my upcycling project, I have decided to make a frame for a poster I currently have. My goal is to use minimalism as my aesthetic. I chose this aesthetic because the poster is a detailed shot of Folsom Field during a football game, so I didn’t want to detract from that. The poster is…

My upcycling project is coming along on schedule. I have gathered all the necessary materials and I have a good idea of all the steps required to complete the project. Here is an image of the reclaimed wood I bought from the Boulder Recycling center: (This is 15+ feet of usable wood and it was…

What I have been working on for my project these past few weeks is starting the interlacing of the bottle tabs. I was trying to save bottle tabs to do this project but I found that there were too many tabs that I needed to use and not enough time so I bought a bag…

To recap my project plan, I am creating a wooden chessboard by using the Shou Sugi Ban architectural aesthetic. This is a technique that involves charring the wood to be used in the board, and sand components intended to be lighter. In this way, the un-sanded components will be charred to a dark grey or…

My upcycle project is a static piece of hanging furniture that serves as decor for my apartment. The piece will be a three-tiered combination of a wooden shelf storage display, a hanging plant-holder adorned in patchwork fabric, and a floral art piece. I have decided to call this project “Floating Bits of Life,” and it…

Summary: I acquired a used, beat up toy horse from Goodwill with another idea in mind. Upon getting the horse I became inspired, sketching out a concept of what I imagined. I went with the plan 1 and have since primed the horse and attached all hardware necessary to make it a functional purse. I…