Upcycling: Create Beautiful Things with the Stuff You Already Have

by Danny Seo, Jennifer Levy (Photographer)

Renowned environmental lifestyle expert and Today Show regular Danny Seo shares 100 of his most inspiring projects for creative transformation. Have neglected items around your house? They can be the source for exciting craft possibilities! Turn your old leather belts into a cool doormat (or even a briefcase!); worn-out paperbacks into gorgeous bud vases; tennis balls into a quaint country swing; chopsticks into a handsome trivet, and many more. With full-color photos throughout to guide and inspire, Danny shows that it's easy to be crafty, and fun to be budget- and eco-conscious.

Genres: Crafts, Nonfiction, Adult, Reference, Green, Environment

224 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 23, 2011

Reviews

[LGMF · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book looked like it was gonna be great, but I did not think that the materials were "stuff you already have." Unless you happen to keep five plastic bananas, an abundance of paint stirrers or quick drying concrete about your house. I wouldn't have a problem with the crafts had it not been advertised this way.

[April · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not even one project I'm interested in making. Also I think the title is misleading. Do you have 5 plastic bananas sitting around waiting for a new purpose?

[Christy Baker · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quirky, craft book full of reused and found objects, Upcycling is inspiration for your own found objects. The encouragement to find ways to recycle rather than toss are numerous and while a few look like they take significant time, the majority feel like they could be done without too much effort. The style is funky and whimsical. Objects range from trivets and hourglasses to stamps and art. There's crayon made crayon holders and tennis ball swings, tote bag shower curtains to old towel picnic blankets. I wouldn't necessarily want all of these type of objects around even after an upcycle, but do take to heart the idea to look again and differently at what we toss and consider trash vs. what it might become or how it might be saved for another purpose.

[Dodi · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm looking to DIY a new shade for a light fixture, and a blog post I read recommended this book. The writing is kind of cute, and it seems the author has some design experience. Despite that, there isn't much of anything useful in this book. I'm not interested in any of the projects.

[Ligaya · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, I didn't hate this title as much as Danny Seo's Upcycling Celebrations book. Is that praise? So many of the finished projects I just looked at and thought, Why? (Really, more like, WTF?) The only idea I liked was the Button-Silhouette Artwork. I thought the Patron-Tequila Oil Lights were clever until I read the last bit of direction: "...make sure the wick continues to be exposed 1/2-inch above the washer, or it may become a fire hazard." Like, a Molotov cocktail-type fire hazard. It was, at least, a quick read from the library.

[Marie · Rating 2 out of 5]

While there are some interesting crafts in this book that I might do in the future, overall this book suffered from prioritizing quantity over quality. There are 100 projects in this book and the book as whole would have benefited if the weakest ideas were cut out. As an example, one of the projects is a jar-lid dining table which consists of gluing jar lids to a dining table. Why would anyone want to give their table an uneven surface and make it more difficult to clean?

[Margaret · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was really excited to find this book at the library as I'm really "into" up cycled crafts. However some of the crafts were just ridiculous! Who would want to make a cement water bottle? The very first project in the book involved cutting up an oriental carpet to make a "bearskin" rug! Nevertheless, there are enough interesting projects within this book to make it a worthwhile read.

[Megan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Maybe I’m not an upcycler. I thought a few things were cool. But a lot of projects were pieces that would take a long time to acquire - chopsticks? Paint stirrers? And just bc something is Free doesn’t mean taking a lot of them is ok- laminate counter samples?

Edit 2/21. This is how non memorable this book was to me - I just requested it at the library again🙄. 2 weeks later.

[Justin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh man! This book is so rad! Danny Seo has an interesting mind to be able to pick out all these clever things to make with, well, garbage. I'm excited to try some of his ideas out for myself! I recommend this book to anyone who is even remotely interested in crafting.

[Starbubbles · Rating 3 out of 5]

I felt a lot of this would require you to obtain objects and supplies that most would not have. Also, a lot of felt like extra clutter or at worst, more trash. But the other projects were pretty cool, such as the wine cork bathmat. Though, you would need a lot of them. That's a lot to accumulate before crafting.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

It had a lot of interesting ideas. I saved a few of them to possibly make in the future. Some of the ideas to me were still "ugly" or just dumb in my opinion, but I do like how resourceful Danny is and how he created various things out of a few items. To each their own. I enjoyed reading the book though and how everything was made.

[Betsy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting book! I’m not sure how many of these I’ll actually do, but I came away with a few more ideas for reusing materials than I had before reading this book so I’m pleased.

However, I’m also glad I got the book from the library because the actual usefulness of most of the ideas is a little bit limited, IMO. I will probably check out some of the author’s other books given the chance.

[Dana]

surprisingly good:

Cut up an old oriental rug into a bearskin shape
Glue softened river rocks to mason jars with E6000 as handles
Dismantle keyboards to spell messages
Wrap wet newspaper into logs, let dry, and put eucalyptus in the middle. = Free fire logs

[Patti · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great source of ideas for a hobby crafter.

[Amberwench · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not the usual upcycling book of junk glued together and called 'art', this one has ideas that look good and some of them are even useful. (It does still have a few 'art' pieces too)

[Wicked · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great ideas, inspiring me to get into upcycling more.

[Robin Leach · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pg 24, 32, 38, 48, 56, 70, 76, 100, 124, 126, 170, 176, 200

[Dana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun projects but didn't find anything I wanted to make

[Lablover · Rating 1 out of 5]

The stuff in this book looked like a child completed most of them. Really poor workmanship and very disappointing ideas.

[Miss Pippi the Librarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Upcycling is a little bit of recycling, and a little bit of craft."

Upcycling includes ideas for decorating, entertaining, giving, kids and the great outdoors. The setup includes a full-page picture opposite of a page explaining supplies and instructions. I greatly appreciated the visual index in the back which involved a small picture of each project with the page number imbedded in the picture.

Some of my favorite craft projects include...
Plastic-Bottle Hourglasses
Leather Belt Doormat
Fallen-Branch Shelves
Button-Silhouette Artwork
Jar-Lid Dining Table
CD Dumbbells
Newspaper Fire Logs
Lipstick-Case Crayons

[Marcia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great craft ideas using stuff you have around the house. The projects are cool and feel fresh-creations you would be proud to have in your home. I liked that each project is attractively photographed and has a short supplies list with common materials, nothing exotic, and brief directions. They all feel do-able!
Several projects feature using multiple samples for the home store (carpet squares, counter top chips) and this trend pops up on Pinterest too. I appreciated that the author stresses to make a purchase and then grab a few samples, and not just go in and wipe out the displays. Crafters have ethics!
These will be fun to try.

[Mandy · Rating 2 out of 5]

There are very few things in this book that I have any interest in actually making. There are a few great things like the cast-iron pipe hooks and towel rack, the tiered trays made out of mugs and plates and the pots and pans robots. There are also some things that are down right ugly. I love the concept, but the execution was a bit weak. I guess the biggest problem is that a lot of the projects that are so easy a kid could do them look like a kid did them. I enjoy a certain degree of childishness, but I was hoping for more ideas of trash to treasure that obscured the trash part a bit more.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Got this from the library also. Some really great ideas in here. I like it for decorating the more rustic style of our family lake house. Although, others in my family are strongly opposed to a "carfty" look. This book should be perused at a time that is NOT Christmas! I am having trouble getting into any of these ideas, as the time is not available right now. This is a January, February book! But I really liked it!

[Tamara · Rating 3 out of 5]

The thing about upcycling is that it is often not eco-friendly at all.

Taking objects that are already useful in their own right (such as clothing, office supplies and tote bags) to make other objects, especially objects that are simply decorative (wreaths, wall art, throw pillows) is not helping the cause.

However, there were some useful projects included, such as:

Restringing a plastic lawn chair, p28
Wine cork bath mat, p36
Carpet sample patchwork rug, p66
CD dumbells, p148

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A few great ideas here, but do not believe the line that you will just have this stuff in your home. Not at all. I really liked 1/2 the ideas. Some give inspiration to change a little to work more in line with what you like or need. The other 1/2 might be treasure for another man, but were not at all motivating to me. This book was OK, but I have seen a lot of better ones with the same recycling ideas, but actually had ideas to do with things I had at home already in truth.

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Most of the crafts aren't that practical or use things that most people don't already have, which belies the title.
For instance, I love the faux-bearskin rug, but it involves cutting up an oriental rug, which most people don't have just lying around waiting to be recycled/upcycled/destroyed.
The project I am planning on trying is the leaf silhouettes. If they turn out as nicely as they look in the book, then it will have earned its three stars.

[Kate Woods Walker · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book like this one is worth it's weight in glue sticks if I can find one or two good projects for my crafts group, and in Upcycling I found five.

So thanks, Danny Seo for (1)chopsticks trivets, (2)hourglasses from old bottles, (3)potato chip bag "mirrors," (4)twine- and rope-wrapped bottle vases, and (5)plastic water bottle flowers.

[Barb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! This is why, and I'm direct quoting the description for the Spoon-Plant ID Markers, "If you're stressed, or need to get some aggression out or simply hate spoons, this upcycling idea is for you because you need to hit, hammer, and bang the hell out of spoons to make this." Hilarious! I love this guy and this book! Very clever and creative!

[Bunny · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are some really fantastic projects in this book that I loved.

And there are also some really god awful projects that fall into his own description of "downcycling". Like, in a big way.

I do love the idea of the tennis ball swing, though. I think it would drive our dog absolutely out of his mind.

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

He has some really cool ideas. This book is a keeper for me, sporting lots of neon pink sticky tags jutting out of the top of many pages. A doormat out of leather belts? Check. String-wrapped scented diffusers? Looks cool and easy. Plenty more great ideas with complete directions and color pictures.