Upcycling previously used items is a great way to be creative on a budget. Leaves, rocks, fabric from old clothing, old building material, corks, etc. all have potential for creativity.
A while back, I started collecting wine corks when I saw a giant glass jug of them while visiting a friend in Virginia. This family had been collecting them from their Shabbat dinner table each week for years. They had filled an entire jug and were on their way to filling a second one. I instantly fell in love with the idea of creating a simple conversation-starter with an item that came free with every bottle of wine that we opened. It has now become part of our weekly Shabbat ritual. If we’re eating at home, we open the bottle of wine for Kiddush and slip the cork into the glass vase. If we’re at a friend’s house, we’ll politely request that we keep the cork, if they weren’t already going to. I’ve got friends from all across the city collecting wine corks for me (got some? want to send them to me?).
A while back, I started collecting wine corks when I saw a giant glass jug of them while visiting a friend in Virginia. This family had been collecting them from their Shabbat dinner table each week for years. They had filled an entire jug and were on their way to filling a second one. I instantly fell in love with the idea of creating a simple conversation-starter with an item that came free with every bottle of wine that we opened. It has now become part of our weekly Shabbat ritual. If we’re eating at home, we open the bottle of wine for Kiddush and slip the cork into the glass vase. If we’re at a friend’s house, we’ll politely request that we keep the cork, if they weren’t already going to. I’ve got friends from all across the city collecting wine corks for me (got some? want to send them to me?).
Corks are not the only items that I have recently upcylced in my home in the form of art. I’ve got a chalk board in the kitchen decorating the wall, a headboard on our bed made from railing taken from a re-modeling project my parents did at their house, a handbag made from seatbelts, and I have a few more ideas in the works.
Visiting the Simon Pierce glass blowing studio (and gift shop and restaurant) this past week, I’m wondering how I can recreate this piece on a smaller budget. In their shop, they showed a few different examples of inserts - corks (which obviously immediately caught my eye), three balls of yarn with knitting needles, and a scene with rocks and bamboo.
Visiting the Simon Pierce glass blowing studio (and gift shop and restaurant) this past week, I’m wondering how I can recreate this piece on a smaller budget. In their shop, they showed a few different examples of inserts - corks (which obviously immediately caught my eye), three balls of yarn with knitting needles, and a scene with rocks and bamboo.