Purchasing pre-loved items will not only save you money but upcycling can also help save the environment. People are now donating clothes, home goods and other items in great condition more often than ever.
This propensity to purchase and sell has made thrifting a more lucrative habit for those who are trying to clear out clutter and make room for new stuff. Thrifting and upcycled art projects have many benefits for the environment, as well as the personal benefits of secondhand shopping.
Why Should You Do Thrifting
Upcycling has many environmental benefits. It reduces the amount of waste and materials that are sent to landfills every year and also helps to produce new materials. This results in a decrease in pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, as well as conservation of natural resources. Here are more reasons why you should encourage yourself and people around you to reuse items from thrift stores.
Keeping clothes out of landfills
The best thing about thrifting is the fact that it helps keep clothes out of landfills. The clothes that people don’t want are making a bigger impact when they are donated to thrift shops, instead of being thrown in the trash. Clothes that are thrown away can sit in landfills for hundreds and years. Because a lot of clothes are made from synthetic materials that don’t degrade, they take up space and contribute to our planet’s greenhouse gas emissions.
Even organic clothes won’t biodegrade in landfills properly and will produce methane gas. People who donate clothes or shop secondhand can play a significant role in keeping clothes from going to landfills.
Lowers carbon footprint
A significant benefit of thrifting and upcycling crafts is its ability to lower your carbon footprint. Many people believe that biking to work and using paper instead of plastic is the best way to do this. These are great ways to reduce our carbon footprint, but thrifting and upcycling crafts are activities that require very little effort.
Fast fashion is important because a lot of energy goes into garment manufacturing. The whole process–transportation of raw materials to the production processes and shipping to stores–takes up a plethora of energy and time. Fashion is growing faster than ever. Every week, millions of clothes are created to fill the shops.
You can avoid the huge waste of resources and energy that is associated with producing new clothes by buying secondhand. Thrifting and upcycling crafts are simple ways to reduce your carbon footprint and make small changes to help the world.
Celebrating artisanal work
Upcycling crafts are products of a person’s hard work and creativity. Although these people used art supplies, they were able to breathe new life into pieces that were left to deteriorate in time.
Artisan works such as accessories and pieces of clothing not only promote the creator but provide a sense of uniqueness for the buyer. If you want to start your own art projects, visiting a thrift store for used art supplies will be a great start.
Art Project Ideas From Thrift Materials
If you’re one of those people who enjoys being creative and getting involved in DIY projects, thrift stores could be a real gold mine for you. There are many great finds out there for you to make your next thrift shop DIY repurpose or thrift store painting makeover. However, it is important to be open-minded in order to get the most from your thrift store shopping trip. You will find a lot of items in thrift stores, and it can be difficult to see the potential of these items as your next ornament, piece of furniture.
Looking for ideas for your next project? Consider the following art projects for your home.
Vintage Drawers
Office desks are usually upgraded every five to ten years and the old ones often end up in thrift stores. There are cases where the desk itself is no longer usable but the drawers are still intact.
Turn these drawers into chic shelves for your living room or bedroom. All you need are simple tools like a saw, some jig, and of course, the old drawer. Start by removing the handles and the slides. Cover the handle holes with putty, although this step is optional.
Using a sandpaper, give the whole drawer a good sanding especially the exterior part if you decide to do a thrift store painting makeover. Add some boards if you plan for your shelf to have a divider and install it on your wall by drilling screws at the bottom (or back part)
Used Frames
Frames can easily house new artworks or pictures. If you want your space to have a little artsy feel, print some new designs or photographs and frame them. If your used frame is looking a little old, sand them a bit and apply paint.
Framed photographs or artworks can easily become the centerpiece of a room. Invest in old frames if you want to add a minimalist design to your space.
Corks and Bottles
Corks are one of the easiest materials to use for upcycled art projects. You can turn them into a memo board (if you have the right tools for cutting) or simply use them as ornaments in your space.
Wine bottles and corks are readily-available in thrift shops and you can use both to provide design in your house specifically in the kitchen area. As soon as you sanitize the used bottles, you can turn them into spice containers or even a makeshift vase.
Bottles can also be used as a hydroponic planter where you can grow indoor plants or herbs in water instead of using soil.
Wooden Bed board
Bed boards are huge, heavy, and upcycling them means you have to deconstruct the whole structure. If you have the right tools, however, wooden bed boards can be the base of a plethora of art projects.
One of the things you can make out of wooden bed boards are garden benches for relaxation. Another thing you can produce out of bed boards are vintage-styled chalk boards or bulletin boards for your office or study area.
Old Salt and Pepper Mills or Shakers
The next time your salt and pepper mill or shaker becomes unusable, don’t throw them just yet. These containers can be upcycled and be given a new life. Long pepper mills can be turned into candlesticks or candle holders while smaller salt and pepper shakers can be turned into organizers or containers for dried spices.
Vintage Trunks
Some old trunks are made from solid wood while others are made with leather covers. The variety of materials and design of these vintage trunks make them perfect as coffee tables to provide an old-timey feel to your space.
Create New Projects By Shopping At Haven House Thrift Store
Haven House Thrift Store Destin, FL is the right place to shop if you are looking to donate or collect pre-loved books. Haven House Thrift Store sells clothing, books and trinkets for every room in your house.
Haven House Thrift Store makes sure that all proceeds go to Haven House Recovery Center. This center aims at helping men overcome drug and alcohol addiction.
