REcycle

REcycled glass jars

Just recently I've been hearing a lot of the buzzword 'upcycling'...I didn't really get it's whole meaning - is it a 'trendier' version of recycling or what?  It seems it's not!  Here is the Oxford dictionary definition of 'upcycle' and 'recycle'
Upcycle
reuse (discarded objects or material) in such a way as to create a product of higher quality or value than the original: the opportunity to upcycle trash, or turn it into new products, was vast (as adjective upcycled)

Recycle

return (material) to a previous stage in a cyclic process: the amino acids are recycled in the synthesis of other proteins

So recycling is not transforming an object for use, but REusing it I guess.  So, talking of RE using, when I was last up in Northumberland I visited this amazing space - RE - short for re-found objects.  Set in an old converted workroom, in an unsassuming but lovely market town in the north-east, it is a veritable treasure trove of household objects - raRE, REmarkable, REstored, REcycled and you can find anything from vintage juicers and cutlery to RElics such as plaster cast Virgin Marys!  If you're ever up that way  make sure you find time to pay a visit, alternatively you can shop til you drop on-line.  Here's a taster of what they have to offer:

Bone-handled cutlery

Embroidered cards

Old postcards

Household utensils

Tin plates

Old map of Tyneside

Some of these items are from another great source of REcycled goods Florence and Florence. There's something special about re-using an item, especially if it has personal significance, but it's also a great way to cut down on the excess waste we pollute our planet with on a daily basis!

My favourite re-used items are the bone-handled fish knives/forks from my grandparents house and an old-fashioned lemon juicer, found at a table sale.  What's your best RE-used find?