Tag upcycling

The image shows four pairs of brightly colored drop earrings suspended in midair from silver hooks, against a hazy pink background.

Upcycling and Sustainability with The Clarksville Youth Care Group

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The image shows two handmade wrapped packages with beaded drop earring of green, beige, and blue, above a bracelet with the same colors of beads.

By Nancy T.

The Clarksville Youth Care Group (CYCG), a student-run nonprofit in Howard County, is showcasing creative artwork made from recycled household items by talented local students. The display will run through the end of February in the display cases at HCLS Miller Branch. With support from a Howard County Youth Engagement Programming (YEP) Grant, CYCG has been actively promoting environmental sustainability, indoor composting, and upcycling throughout the county.

The display features more than 70 pieces of artwork crafted from everyday recycled materials, such as toilet paper rolls, egg cartons, eggshells, milk cartons, glass bottles, cans, scrap paper, paper cups, socks, sunflower seed shells, fruit nets, and more. Students have transformed glass bottles into vases or night lights, repurposed egg cartons and toilet paper rolls into animal sculptures and flowers, turned milk cartons into desk organizers, and fashioned scrap paper into jewelry. Old socks have even been upcycled into pumpkins!

The image shows four pairs of brightly colored drop earrings suspended in midair from silver hooks, against a hazy pink background.

Upcycling has become an increasingly popular part of the sustainability movement, allowing people to transform waste into new products while reducing environmental impact. This creative display hopes to inspire more people to explore upcycling, showing that all it takes is a little imagination and perseverance to create something beautiful. 

CYCG President and Co-Founder Amanda Wang expressed her appreciation for Howard County Library System for the opportunity to share student-created upcycled artwork. Amanda said, “We hope to inspire more people to start upcycling, which is easy and fun with just a little bit of imagination and creativity.”

The image shows papercrafted mini-parasols in shades of red and yellow, above three bracelets, one gift-wrapped package, and four cards which each have a set of drop earrings attached to them.

To complement the display, HCLS, in partnership with CYCG, is hosting a hands-on Upcycled Art class on Saturday, February 22 from 2:30–4:00 PM at HCLS Miller Branch.

Join us for this exciting workshop where we explore the art of upcycling through creative paper projects. Learn how to repurpose old magazines, gift wrap, and newspapers into stylish bracelets, earrings, and home décor. All materials will be provided—just bring your imagination!

Nancy T. is an instructor and research specialist and the display coordinator at Miller Branch. When she’s not in the branch, you’ll find her in the swimming pool, sitting with her cat, or out walking in the fresh air.

The picture us of a leaping reindeer made from colorful tubes of scrolled paper, against a lime green background.

One Person’s Trash…

Holly Leave a comment
The picture us of a leaping reindeer made from colorful tubes of scrolled paper, against a lime green background.
Join us for a reindeer craft on Stress Free STEAM evening!

By Holly L.

One person’s trash….is another person’s CRAFT!

Holidays have you feeling stressed? Relieve some of that tension and join us for Stress Free STEAM for Adults on Thursday December 2 at 7 pm at HCLS Miller Branch. We will be making easy, seasonal upcycled crafts using everyday materials. Try your hand at some dazzling wall art, paper pillow boxes (perfect for small gifts), or a festive paper tree.

The picture is of two paper pillow box crafts made from recycled cardboard from a Chex box of cereal, both laying on an orange tablecover.
Paper pillow boxes like these made from recycled cardboard are the perfect container for small gifts.

All abilities welcome. Beginners and the non-crafty are encouraged to come. Materials provided.

Registration required. Register here or call 410.313.1950.

For further reading, check out our collection of books on upcycling.

Also, did you know that you can access several crafty magazines such as HGTV, Simply Knitting, and Family Handyman online for free using your library card? Visit Overdrive to browse our complete collection.

Holly L. is an Instructor and Research Specialist at the Miller Branch. She enjoys knitting and appreciates an audiobook with a good narrator.

The photograph shows a white plastic bag against a gray background, with "Thank You" embossed on it repeatedly in red lettering.

Plastic Bags Upcycling

Kimberly J 1 Comment

by Kimberly J.

many plastic bags
“Many Plastic Bags” by Keng Susumpow is licensed with CC BY 2.0.

In the United States alone, it is estimated that 100 billion plastic bags are consumed each year. I’m guessing that we all have a few extra laying around the house, saved up from the last grocery trip, or hiding in a cupboard or box. Why not try upcycling them? Upcycling is the process of turning trash into treasure. These DIY projects and ideas help to reduce waste by reusing items that are destined for the landfill and transforming them into something new, useful, or beautiful. Two instructors from Howard County Library System have filmed classes for ideas on how to upcycle plastic bags into something useful. They are available on HCLS’s YouTube channel, which is full of On-Demand classes.

In the first video, the Central Branch’s Tamarah Nuttle gives a step-by-step tutorial on how to make plarn. Plarn is a heavy duty plastic yarn that can be created with all types of plastic bags. She demonstrates two methods for transforming them using scissors – creating loops and knotting them together, or making a continuous strip with the bag. The plarn can then be knitted or crocheted for endless practical purposes. Some ideas include rolled mats for the homeless or a sit-upon for camping or outdoor activities. If you’ve got experience with knitting or crocheting, you should check out Tamarah’s plarn tutorial here:

Upcycling Plastic Bags – Making Plarn

Not a knitter? No worries! Another video has been produced by Kimberly J, who is an instructor at the Elkridge Branch’s DIY Educational Center. She too has practical tips on how to upcycle plastic bags. Kimberly’s tutorial involves cutting loops and then braiding the plastic strands into a rope. She then uses this rope to make fun coasters using a hot glue gun. Watch her tutorial using simple steps for this crafty upcycle here: https://youtu.be/utMvzWsoS7s

Looking for more ways to reuse plastic bags? Check out the link below for a list of ideas for your household, home improvement, crafts, and more: https://tinyurl.com/ReusingPlasticBags

Kimberly is a DIY Instructor and Research Specialist at the HCLS Elkridge Branch. She enjoys reading, photography, crafting, and baking.

Brown paper bag decorated with book spines, as a way to reuse or recycle.

10 Ways to Reuse Your Contactless Pick Up Bag

abennetthcls 3 Comments
  • Brown paper bag decorated with marker and tape to say Happy Birthday, with tissue paper sticking out from the top.

By Anna B.

HCLS is thrilled to now offer paper bags as a more eco-friendly option for Contactless Pickup. If you’ve stopped by to see us a few times, you probably have quite a collection piling up! Here are ten ways to reuse your Contactless Pickup paper bag:

1. Gift Bag

Decorate your bag and use it to surprise a friend or neighbor with a fun treat! Or save them for the holidays for easy gift wrapping.

2. Cat House

Decorate your bag to look like a house and see if your pet will nap inside.

3. Ripen Fruit

If you want your fruit to ripen up a bit faster, try placing it inside your paper bag and folding over the top.

4. Package Filler

Use your paper bag as an eco-friendly way to fill space when sending a package. Cut the bag apart and crumple the pieces so they act as a cushion.

5. Weed Blocker

Paper bags work great for blocking pesky weeds. Cut a hole in a piece of paper bag and arrange around seedlings in your garden.

6. Make a Luminary

Cut shapes out of your bag and place battery-operated candles inside for a lantern effect.

7. Book Cover

Use your bag to cover textbooks or cookbooks to keep them looking nice.

8. Recycling Receptacle

Use your bag to collect paper recycling for easy transport to the recycling bin.

9. Crab Paper

Cut open your bag and use it to line your table when picking steamed crabs at home.

10. Craft Station

Use your bag to protect your table or floor from paint and glue while you make something creative! Consider sharing your new creation with HCLS’s Created While Isolated.

There are so many ways to upcycle your bag to get the most out of it. We’d love to see how you are reusing yours!

Anna has worked at the Glenwood Branch as a Customer Service Specialist for 6 years. She loves crafting, yoga, and baking.