Today’s Advent Calendar window opens to repurpose the things you have but aren’t using. We all have things that just gather dust or are somewhere in the loft. To prove you can use things for different purposes, Emma, who runs Eco-Crafters and Sew Social, has repurposed Swap Shop clothes, cushions and toys for Wellingborough Eco Group’s entry at The Christmas Tree Festival this weekend.
So here’s the good news: repurposing is a real thing, the kind that turns your “maybe one day” pile into a treasure trove of creativity. Imagine transforming that old ladder into a chic bookshelf or an outdated suitcase into a charming chair.
When it comes to giving old items a new life, three terms often pop up: reuse, upcycle, and repurpose. They all involve extending the life of an item, each in their own way.
Reusing is pretty self-explanatory. It means taking something as it is and using it again for the same purpose. And while upcycling and repurposing may sound similar, they actually work in slightly different ways — one through artistic enhancement, the other through reinventing its functionality. To put it simply when you repurpose the item is just used differently.
Repurposing is about changing the function of an item to serve a completely different purpose from what it was originally designed for. This involves a significant functional transformation, like turning an old piano into a bookshelf or using a bicycle wheel as a clock. You’re not necessarily making it fancier, but you’re giving it a new purpose.
Let’s get Eco-Crafting!
Eco-Crafters are doing this all the time to make lovely new things out of unused old things. Join a group for crafty people who love to get creative and reuse or recycle to make new. You can bring your own projects or start something new with us. Join in 10-2 on Thursdays every week at Wellingborough Eco Group’s ECO HUB, Glamis Hall, or join us on Facebook and share your projects and ideas there.
If you would like to see our Christmas Tree, the festival is at Wellingborough United Reform Church on the High Street (more commonly known as the Pork Pie Church) It is on this Saturday 10am-4:30pm and Sunday 10am-3:45pm. Entry is £2.