Here at Unconsumption, we love cassette-related repurposing; check out our collection of past posts here.
However, this photo shows two products that were designed specifically for iPhones: An iPhone cover that looks like a cassette tape, and a case that fits it.
So, no, this is not an old cassette tape case repurposed as a phone holder.
That said, an iPhone can be placed vertically in an old cassette tape case. Try it — it works well!
(via TechCrunch)
New Mexico-based artist and environmental educator Nancy Judd uses fashion to engage people in environmental issues.
Nancy’s “Recycle Runway” couture fashion sculptures made from trash include a “faux fur” coat — old cassette tapes woven into the fabric of a thrift store coat. Discarded video tape accents the coat’s collar and cuffs, and material from a thrift store dress was used inside as lining.
Nancy’s “junk mail dress” was one of the first items we featured on Unconsumption (back in 2009!). It’s here.
(Photo by Sandrine Hahn, via Recycle Runway)
See also: Earlier Unconsumption posts on new uses for cassettes here.
Lindsay Pemberton ”rescues” vintage tea cups from secondhand stores and upcycles them into cute bangles. She even puts cups’ handles and bottoms, which often sport makers’ marks, to good use: They get made into pendants and brooches/pins, respectively.
(Spotted on Pinterest — from The Life of Miss Elly blog | Rarg.co.nz)
See also: Earlier Unconsumption post on turning pieces of broken china into key rings.
Have a chipped plate? Why not turn it into a clock?
Helen Kerrigan made these. (Photo via Auckland Art & Craft Fair.)
More new uses for secondhand and/or broken china can be found here.
DIY project du jour: Turn a broken garden hose into a door mat.
A tutorial, on Mark Kintzel’s blog here, mentions the idea of making something like this with a new “dollar store door mat” as a base. Instead of buying something new, I’d check with my neighbors to see if someone has an old door mat they’d let me reuse.
In Metropolis, Derrick Mead reports on RX Made:
Through the RX Made initiative, community members, including those with barriers to employment, train to reclaim building materials and turn them into products like this clock by Strand Design.
To soften clothes when washing them, do you use dryer balls, add vinegar before rinsing your clothes, or do something else, instead of using disposable dryer sheets?
The reason I ask is that I came across this tutorial (via the dōTERRA blog) for making dryer balls — which many of us could easily make using yarn from old sweaters — and wonder what fabric-softening alternatives the Unconsumption community has found that work well. We’re all for using something other than single-use disposable products.
Tell us: What do you use?
Outdoor ads designed so parts can be used in building shelters for those in need:
HomePro is one of the largest household hardware stores in Thailand. Recently, it came up with a heart-touching campaign to help those living in underprivileged neighborhoods. The Other Side project involves creating outdoor billboards that don’t just deliver an ad message, but they also double as a housing wall.
…
Knowing that many Thai people used the signboards to fix their shelters, HomePro decided to “dedicate the other side of the signboard to make their life better.” On one side of the board is the printed advert, while on the other side, the board is outfitted with a nice wallpaper and fixtures such as shelves, hangers, and lights. When the campaign is over, people can take these signs home and reuse it to remodel their homes.
(via Sidewalk Billboards Can Function As Furnished Walls For Houses - PSFK)
If you aren’t able to play the above-embedded video, check it out on YouTube here.
Park Tool's bicycle repair help and education pages | MetaFilter
A MetaFilter post packed with handy links for bike/repair enthusiasts!
Major bicycle tools manufacturer Park Tool maintains a neatly sorted bevy of repair, maintenance and technical information articles. Their lead mechanic Calvin runs a video channel that includes — among many other things — on-the-road bicycle repair tips. Even more bike info (new bike assembly procedures, road and mountain bike positioning charts, thread concepts, drive train troubleshooting, etc.) is available on the miscellaneous topics page. Don’t forget to check out the bicycle mechanics language spreadsheet!
It’s wine o’clock somewhere, which means it’s time to share a wine-related repurposing find.
Today, it’s corks made into a bird house.
For other items in Unconsumption’s wine o’clock series, check out the archive here.
(via tinnedpineapple)
Director-slash-artist-slash-upcycler Molly Card has successfully transformed trash into something beautiful with her piece Waste into Wonder.
Note: This post courtesy of our contributor dstitch, but for technical reasons seems to be coming from me.
