How to Upcycle your old shit into new shit

Do something with all the crap you collect. Photo: Birdsandshoes.comSo you finally put your winter coats in storage and did a little spring cleaning while you were at it. If you haven't yet, drop off your closet's cast-offs at Housing Works (or better yet, sell it on Krrb!) But before you toss out the rest of your trash, STOP. Instead, break out the Elmer's Glue, roll up your sleeves and make new stuff out of our old stuff. Here are a couple DIY upcycling projects that are fun and functional!

So one of my all time favorite upcyclers lives in Brooklyn. Bao Khang-Luu has a great sense of design and makes useful items out of trash you would never think twice about (no joke, check out the bench he and I made out of yarn from old knit sweaters). Bao's website, Relevé Design, has great upcycling how to's you can accomplish with a little effort. If you've accumulated a bunch of pasta sauce glass jars, he's got DIY instructions to turn them into decorative storage for your dry goods.

Your collection of wine bottles is embarrassing, if only because the massive amount of Yellowtail you can drink. Sure you could just toss them into the recycle bin, but you can also use them to upgrade your lighting. A search on Pinterest will pull up countless pendant lamp how-to's. If dealing with a light kit sounds too complicated, simply stuff your Christmas twinkle lights into a bottle for a whimsical look. Well okay, so its not that simple, but check out the tutorial for a look that makes your wino habit look intentional.

You know the messy stack of t-shirts in your closet? Whether you got them for volunteering or as gift from your Secret Santa, let's face it, you'll never wear these tshirts again. So take them out and grab a pair of scissors because you're gonna make a fancy new bathmat. Here's are the easy instructions — go wild!

These are just three ideas to get you started. Look around at home and use what you have to make more and waste less.

If you have any upcycling DIYs, speak up. I wanna hear em!