Why Do Crafters Love UPCYCLING?

Some would say, DIY junkies like me, are not practical. DIY and upcycling or repurposing any object are just a waste of time when you can buy ready made stuff from stores. Well, crafters have got bajillion of reasons that a 'practical' person could not understand. In a busy world like ours, people think that things can be done in a speedy fashion and upcycling and DIYing are almost impossible due to time constraints.

Two of the prominent qualities of a Taurean are sentimental and creative. We take creativity and personalizing things seriously. I don't know with you guys, but that is how I see things especially in gifting. Giving away something that was created through 'labor of love' means more to me than its actual cost. That is why today, I would like to answer the question, "Why do crafters love upcycling?"

Sense of thoughtfulness 

DIY junkies have the sense of thoughtfulness. Instead of just giving things as they are, we love beautifying them, so recipients would appreciate them more.  Do you think crappy notepads like those in the left are attractive? You can actually give more life to an object through the use of colors or eye candies like different embellishments and pretty patterns.

Upcycling is both SCIENCE and ART

First, what is upcycling? It is a process of reusing (discarded objects or material) in such a way as to create a product of a higher quality or value than the original. It is almost similar to recycling, right? In both processes, it leads us to make things more sustainable. It is also a notion that any activity that promotes sustainability is correlated with science. But if sustainability is about meeting the needs of a growing society while incurring a limited amount of negative environmental impacts, then sustainability is probably only about half-scientific — because meeting the needs of society is also an art.

It actually allows you to save money 

Like what I've already mentioned, UPCYCLING promotes sustainable innovation, creativity, and can provide fun crafting time. Before crafting, I usually lay down all my craft materials or supplies that have been lying around in the house with no character and that are so plain. You get to think about so many ideas and designs on how to beautify them. That leads me to the succeeding reason...

It stirs up one's creative spirit

Once you get the hang of this habit - upcycling, you won't see things the way you do before. Ideas are just endless that you won't just limit yourself by converting old clothes to just colorful rags. You can upcycle an old sweater, jeans or a blanket into a fashionable bag, or a wall art or a table runner. It is all up to you!

Adding a new personal touch

If you are a regular reader, you probably know by now, that I like knowing more the person I want to give my presents to. That way, it is much easier to identify and create things that they'd surely appreciate rather than giving them things they'd just toss away. That would hurt us, of course. If they love funky school/office/stationery supplies, why would you give them a knitting kit? If you knew they love cosmetics, why would you give them carpentry tool kit? I know you are following me.

So there you have my compressed but elaborated reasons why crafters love upcycling. I'm glad I managed to keep this post short as I didn't want to bore you to death. If you'd like to see photo tutorials on how I upcycled these items, just let me know by commenting below. But if you are a crafter like I, you basically know how they were created. Have a blessed Sunday, everyone! 

sources:

Green Biz  

Pachamama