Canvas picture

Many years ago in another life I lived in a beautiful house that had been decorated by an interior designer.  At the time I loved it but in retrospect it really wasn't me.  This canvas was one of several specially commissioned for us.  It came with us to our house in the country and then it came with me when I downsized to here.

I didn't have anywhere to put it but I kept it because I knew it was expensive.  It was stored in the garage and over time got a bit damaged and damp.  I recently cleared the garage and decided I could do something with it.  It's been sitting on a radiator to dry off.

So today, armed with a glue gun, buttons, shells and sea glass I covered up the worst of the damage and created a usable picture for my family room.

Although it's an abstract picture I always imagined it looked like a beach hence my idea to add the shells and sea glass.  The buttons were just to add a pop of colour.

Cost: free
Time: about an hour

Hope you like it!

Fresh Start

Hello and welcome (again) to the revamped My Upcycled Home.  My efforts to record the process of decorating my house and garden were getting lost in my other blog and to be honest I haven't done much recently.  So this is a conscious effort (again!!) to get back on track.  Last year at school (where I was a Sustainability Community Group Leader) we did some work on educating others about the difference between recycling and upcycling.  Easier said than done!

According to Wikipedia, recycling is the process of converting waste materials into new materials and objects.  For example, turning glass bottles and jars into erm, new glass bottles and jars! Whereas upcycling, also known as creative reuse, is the process of transforming by-products, waste materials, useless, or unwanted products into new materials or products of better quality or for better environmental value.  

So this blog will focus on my environmental impact on the world starting with my house.  I might share some interesting facts but I promise no preaching or politics (although in the interests of full disclosure I am a member of the Scottish Green Party).  I'm also aiming to restock my Etsy shop (The Tartan Tower) and maybe some local galleries again.

Watch this (upcycled) space!