Good morning, I hope everyone is well this morning and ready for another beautiful day. One question I hear often is what is the difference in recycling and upcycling?

You wouldn't think that there is much of a difference, but there is.

By definition recycling is the process of conserving and reducing waste by subjecting old products to a chemical process that makes new products.

Examples of recycling:

1) empty aluminum cans are recycled into new aluminum cans.
2) old milk jugs are being made into toys.
3) old cars and other metal are melted down to liquid form and made into new products.

Upcycling is the process of making a new product from an old product without sending it to a recycling center. Upcycled goods have an increase in value from the original product.

Examples of upcycling:

1) Making an old tire into a tire swing or planter.

2) Reusing windows, doors or building materials from houses that are being remodeled.

3) Making a set of earrings out of a broken necklace.

There are many ways to recycle and upcycle items from your home, helping both the environment and your pocket book.

Quarks.....

A quark is one of the fundamental particles that joins together to make protons and neutrons. Or in other words they are the building blocks that make up everything....

I have changed the definition a little to suit my needs. As a crafter it takes bits and pieces of many different items to make something beautiful. I came up with the name Q.U.A.R.K.S. to reflect some of the ideas I want to share. Each letter stands for a different craft and will be discussed on different days.

Q = Quilting  
U = Up-cycling
A = Arts and Crafts
R = Recycling
K = Kitchen Skills
S = Scrapbooking

I am excited about trying something different and sharing some of my knowledge and the knowledge of others as we learn more about quilting, scrapbooking, arts and crafts, cooking and up-cycling/recycling. 

If there is anything you would like to discuss or you have questions about my techniques please let me know... I will do my best to answer your questions.

Oni Brewer