Got old sweaters? Make some seahorses!

These lovely seahorses ($40 for the set) by Snaulkter are made from 99% recycled materials; old (washed) sweaters and plastic shopping bags in the fins to make them crinkle. Not only do I love these guys because they are upcycled, but they are totally kid friendly. I could see my kids spending hours making up stories about the Papa Seahorse and his babies. What an awesome use for an old sweater!

My favorite upcycled products are those that are made from actual trash picked up off the ground. That’s why these rings from Metals And Thread made out of used cigarette lighters are just awesome.

In the listing for this ring, they write:

A sustainable and artistic approach was used to make these pop art jewelry pieces. The lighters were found on the street and were carved, sanded, shaped and finally filled at the top with acrylic to finish the look. Colors vary depending on what Nate happens to find in the street.

These seem like lots of work and are only $17.50!

I have no nostalgia for listening to cassette tapes. All that rewinding. Fast forwarding, rewinding. But I do have an old picnic basket way back in my closet full of them. Mix tapes, Cindy Lauper, long lost lo-fi projects and me doing a radio show at age 6. What to do with all these tapes?

Librarian Barbarian in Glasgow, Scotland, makes unwanted tapes into the cutest little change purses ($20). These would be even more awesome with a strap to turn them into wristlets.

This one has a cute little strap, making it perfect for a small camera:

Here, Kate Black turns an old tape into a notebook ($20):

And this rad necklace ($155) from Goblingblinggo has a tape as it’s focal point.

Tina Seamonster blogs her life and craft at I Like Seamonsters.com.