The Gussy Owl on Old Clothing

Let me start off by telling you a little fact. Did you know the average American disposes 68 pounds of clothing a year- as of today, May 16th, there are 315,866,240 people in the United States. Lets do some simple math: 68 x 315,866,240= 21,478,904,320 pounds of disposed clothing each and every year.

This doesn't even include the clothing we are re-using, donating or handing down.
Pretty daunting, huh?

People don't think of their clothing being an environmental risk- they couldn't be more wrong!

Different fabrics have different impacts, depending on what they’re made of:
Courtesy of Green Choices
Nylon and Polyester:
They are synthetic material and are NON-biodegradable. Nylon is 310 times stronger than carbon dioxide.

Rayon:
Another synthetic material that was created from wood pulp. Sounds green, right? Well, the wood pulp needs to be treated with hazardous chemicals such as sulphuric avid to be created.

Cotton:
Did you know cotton is the most pesticide intensive crop in the world? These pesticides injure and kill many people every year. It also takes up a large proportion of agricultural land, much of which is needed by local people to grow their own food. Herbicides, and also the chemical defoliants which are sometimes used to aid mechanical cotton harvesting, add to the toll on both the environment and human health. These chemicals typically remain in the fabric after finishing, and are released during the lifetime of the garments. The development of genetically modified cotton adds environmental problems at another level. Organic cotton is quite another matter.

We need to all try to obtain at least 25% of our clothing second-hand or upcycle our current clothing into something further useful. I will be honest, I didn't realize the impact on our clothing. I thought it would just decompose and it would reincarnate into another shirt or pair of pants!

Upcycling an Old Mirror using LOTS of Elbow Grease!

So yesterday I was itching to work on something new! I stumbled upon the beautifully horrific VELVET mirror.

It was haggard, dirty, gross! The brass detailing is what stood out, and frankly I think is gorgeous!

The key to good upcycling is good structure, if it can be converted into something modern and in style, and if it could last for many years to come.

So, I thought when I bought this piece that there would be some dated wood underneath or something somewhat pretty- turns out it was this odd manufactured wood. I tried staining it, sanding it but it just soaked the mahogany stain I used, and it looked so flat and boring!

I then tried to paint it- nope! Didn't like it!! So I was thinking some sort of fabric- everything I had on hand was extremely busy (I didn't want to take away from the brass part!) so I decided to use some duck canvas on the front and regular cotton on the back :) I used Elmer's spray glue, you can find it at any craft store, and a hot glue gun.

I then spray painted the brass frame and antiqued it with some sand paper to freshen it up a little bit!

Voila! I think this would go PERFECT for a baby's room, little girls room, a chic college girls dorm, or anyone who is with 2013 and respects the color of coral! :) I for one hope it stays in style for many years to come! It's such an airy accent color that can enhance a rooms appeal and style.