Latest news with #upcycling
Arab News
3 days ago
- General
- Arab News
Saudi artist transforms scrap metal into sculpture
JEDDAH: Where others see scrap metal destined for the trash, Saudi artist Mishal Al-Amri sees opportunities to create artwork. In his bustling studio in Jeddah, Al-Amri works to remove rust before cutting, rolling, shaping and joining thousands of pieces of shaped scrap metal by hand. He has been upcycling unwanted bits of metal throughout his artistic career, which has spanned 20 years. 'The artist has an eye that sees what others cannot; an eye that captures the beauty in the heart of the damaged and neglected, and restores it to life and meaning. My ultimate hope and goal are to give scrap metal a new life,' Al-Amri told Arab News. When growing up, Al-Amri loved to draw. As he got older, he started painting. It was not until he retired at the age of 59 that he discovered his true passion and began sculpting with recycled metal after teaching himself how to weld. 'As I said before, it was just a hobby and I stopped it for a long time after I joined the banking sector due to the difficulty of balancing the hobby, the job, and then the family later on. 'Anyhow, when I was approaching 40 years of age, and after having a family and professional job, I began to pursue my artistic journey once again. I worked on paintings during my free time and vacations, and I lived for nearly 26 years just painting, readings, attending art seminars, workshops, and holding exhibitions alongside other local artists.' Speaking about how he started collecting scrap metal items from the street, the 65-year-old said: 'The spark for this artistic journey was the first moments of an evening walk, when my eyes would trace the floor littered with scraps of plastic, scraps of iron and discarded remnants of lighting and plumbing, no longer fit for use or neglected.' He added: 'These pieces I picked up from the streets would become the core of my personal art collection — materials I plucked from the fate of neglect to submit to my ideas and participate in the creation of beauty.' These materials can end up waiting for days and sometimes years in storage in his studio until an idea suddenly emerges. 'The journey of constructing the painting or sculpture begins; from choosing the colors and sizes of the pieces, to weaving the relationships between them into an artistic composition that gives it a new spirit.' The Saudi Arabian Society for Culture and Arts recently hosted his first solo exhibition showcasing under the theme 'The Neglected.' 'This exhibition is the fruit of those moments; an invitation to see the beauty in the unusual, and to contemplate art's ability to redefine what is damaged and neglected to ultimately become more precious and valuable,' he said. 'My artistic experience in this exhibition is based on two complementary principles: First, protecting the environment from the effects of pollution and human-caused damage, by collecting remnants of harmful materials in the soil and saving them from becoming a burden on the earth. 'Second, sustaining the usefulness of objects, by recycling them and using them in the field of art after their original function has ended, reborn as works of art that convey an aesthetic, humanitarian and environmental message. Al-Amri says that he plans to continue creating scrap metal sculptures and paintings. 'On a personal level, I want to reopen the Cezanne Fine Arts Center, which I founded years ago and continue to cultivate art until its very end. 'On a more general level, I strive to raise environmental awareness, enabling people to respect and preserve the environment.'
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Fact Check: Serving up the truth about Wimbledon donating balls as new homes for threatened harvest mice
Claim: Some of the 55,000 balls used during the Wimbledon tennis tournament are annually upcycled into homes for threatened harvest mice. Rating: As the annual Wimbledon tennis championships played out from June to July in 2025, social media users claimed that the thousands of tennis balls used at the tournament get second lives as homes for tiny mice facing habitat loss. For example, one Instagram user shared an image (archived) with text that read: "55,000 tennis balls are turned into homes for harvest mice after Wimbledon." The caption of the post, which had amassed nearly 20,000 likes as of this writing, claimed that the balls "are donated to conservation groups" that cut out small entrances for the mice to enter in "grassy meadows and hedgerows." Similar iterations of the rumor appeared on Facebook (archived) and Reddit (archived). In short, while Wimbledon has previously donated some of its tennis balls for conservation groups to use as homes for harvest mice, these donations appear to have been one-offs. For this reason, we have rated this claim as outdated. The oldest source for the alleged donation appeared to come from a 2001 BBC article, which at the time stated that some of the tournament's 36,000 tennis balls were donated to The Wildlife Trusts — a British federation of wildlife conservation charities — to be recycled as homes for harvest mice. A 2003 BBC article featured a small follow-up note to that story, stating that Wimbledon had donated 350 tennis balls to The Wildlife Trusts two years earlier. Snopes contacted The Wildlife Trusts and Wimbledon to confirm if the tournament has continued to make such donations and, if so, for details about what is included in them. A spokesperson for The Wildlife Trusts said: "Unfortunately, the tennis ball story is very out of date as we haven't worked with Wimbledon in this way for some time." Similarly, a Wimbledon spokesperson confirmed that the story about harvest mice was an old one. In 2011, The Guardian newspaper reported that Wimbledon again donated tennis balls to house mice, this time at the request of an aquarium in northern England. The Guardian did not say how many tennis balls were donated at the time. It was not possible to find more recent articles about the tournament making such donations, although other tennis clubs in the U.K. have reportedly gifted tennis balls for the same purpose. While not endangered globally, harvest mice are considered "Near Threatened" in the U.K., according to the Mammal Society, a British charity. Harvest mice are Britain's smallest rodent, which means a tennis ball with a hole cut into it can be a place for the mice to rest safe from their predators. During the tournament, Wimbledon sells its used tennis balls on-site, and the proceeds go to the Wimbledon Foundation, its charity organization. Wimbledon has been selling its used tennis balls for the last several years, according to the tournament's spokesperson. Wimbledon's website did not include any information on the fate of unused and unsold tennis balls, but Keith Prowse, a sports hospitality company that partners with Wimbledon, said they are donated or recycled in the weeks and months after the tournament finishes. Keith Prowse's website added: "Previously, some of the balls have been donated to the UK Wildlife Trust who cut them up and used them to make homes for harvest mice!" "Harvest Mouse." Mammal Society, Accessed 16 July 2025. "Having a Ball at Wimbledon!" BBC, 2003, Accessed 16 July 2025. "'New Balls, Please' for Mice Homes." BBC, 25 June 2001, Accessed 16 July 2025. "The Championships, Wimbledon Facts and Figures." Accessed 16 July 2025. Wainwright, Martin. "What Happens to Wimbledon's Used Balls? Ask Cumbria's Mice." The Guardian, 29 June 2011, Accessed 16 July 2025. "Watermead County Park Mice to Live in Tennis Balls." BBC, 26 Apr. 2013, Accessed 16 July 2025. "What Happens Post Wimbledon | Tennis | Keith Prowse." 16 Aug. 2022, Accessed 16 July 2025. Solve the daily Crossword
Irish Times
6 days ago
- Lifestyle
- Irish Times
Out with the new, in with the old: antique furniture back in vogue in Irish homes
There is a quiet but substantial move away from sleek, contemporary design as the dominant interior style in homes over the past few years. And while some people still opt for a minimalist mood, many more are forgoing flat-pack furniture and embracing an eclectic style that includes older, solid-wood furniture alongside durable contemporary pieces. Speaking with participants at a recent furniture upcycling workshop, it was striking to hear how many of these homeowners are now mixing modern furniture with vintage and antique pieces – some of which they redesign to suit their spaces. 'People don't appreciate the full modern look any more. We pick out one or two statement pieces to mix in with modern furniture,' said Mary Kennedy at the workshop, led by Waterford -based artist and interior designer, Marianne Heaphy. Michelle Burnett of Cush Interiors agrees. 'The thing is, you don't need to have a period house to include pieces of antique furniture in your interior style,' says Burnett. She says her clients often want to incorporate a favourite 1950s armchair or another piece of antique furniture handed down through the family into their homes. READ MORE And while so-called brown furniture can still be a step too far for many homeowners, learning how to upcycle selected vintage and antique furniture by painting tables interesting matt colours is allowing people to bring new life to old pieces. Putting brightly coloured patterned fabrics on the seats of otherwise dull but sturdy chairs or spraying gold lacquer on small, elegant cabinets or sets of drawers are more examples of this DIY approach to design. 'Post-recession, the design world has changed and I have a different perspective, too, in the last eight years. People don't want a home out of a catalogue now with everything new. Many want to mix antique and contemporary furniture together,' says Burnett. The Financial Times recently highlighted a new generation of dealers who started trading furniture for fun on social media and then moved into it being their main pursuit. From careers in the music industry, photography and graphic design, this new breed of antique and vintage dealers trawl through some of Europe's more obscure auction rooms for hidden gems. They then resell everything from art deco lamps to Henry Moore sculptures to vintage pottery to clients inspired by their personal taste. These London-based dealers include people such as Toby Ziff, Mario Kardana, Marine Edith Crosta and Katie Ridges. Some of this new generation of dealers sell in pop-up community or retail spaces while others have gone the whole way and sell their wares in bricks-and-mortar stores. Anyone in London reading this could check out the stalls at the Spotlight Market in Clapton today. Back in Ireland, there also seems to be a revival of interest in antique fairs held in community centres and hotels countrywide as individuals and couples seek out quirky and unique pieces of furniture to bring more personality into their homes. Joy Thorpe's antique shop in Castlecomer, Co Kilkenny. Photograph: And local antique shops such as Joy Thorpe in Castlecomer, Co Kilkenny, are inspiring many people to mix and match their furniture from different periods. Her Instagram page and website is a perfect shop window for how items such as a Victorian hall chair (€190), a Victorian lady's sewing table (€390), a Victorian slipper chair (€490) or a Georgian mahogany fold-over table (€490) can look so stylish and comforting in a modern or period home. Victorian Slipper Chair (€490) at Joy Thorpe's Antiques Store in Castlecomer. Photograph: Victorian Hall Chair (€190) at Joy Thorpe's Antiques Store Thorpe, who studied textiles at the National College of Art and Design in Dublin, first started incorporating furniture into her Kilkenny art gallery. 'Soon, I was selling more antiques than art,' she says. She later ran an antiques shop in Castledermot, Co Kildare, before moving to her current shop in Castlecomer five years ago. 'People are braver now with their interiors and want to mix things up. They see the value and character that older pieces bring,' she adds. The auction rooms at Mullens in Laurel Park, Woodbrook, Bray, Co Wicklow, have always been a great place for browsing through vintage or antique furniture that can bring novelty or even humour as well as functionality to domestic interiors. [ How to bid wisely at auctions: 'An emotional decision is rarely a wise decision' Opens in new window ] In their next timed online auction – which begins to close at 6pm tomorrow evening, there are many such items. Take the vintage oak nine drawer architect's plan cabinet (€300-€500) or the vintage camphor wood brass bound trunk (€100-€200) – useful for storage but also attractive additions to a room. Vintage oak nine drawer architect's plan cabinet (€300–€500) at Mullens auction rooms, Bray Vintage camphorwood brass-bound trunk (€100-€200) at Mullen's timed online auction, which begins to end on Sunday, July 20th, at 6pm Vintage oak and brass barrel with two open shelves (€100–€150) at Mullens online timed auction The cherrywood tallboy (€150-€250) is also practical, solid and suitable for either a reception room or a bedroom. The vintage oak and brass barrel with two open shelves (€100 –€150) is a little more playful. The Charles Rennie Mackintosh-style black lacquered side chair with medusa pattern upholstered seat (€60-€100) at Mullens auction rooms The Charles Rennie Mackintosh-style black lacquered side chair with medusa pattern upholstered seat (€60-€100) is like something you'd see on an interior design programme. The Glasgow-born architect, designer and artist renowned for his modernist works was – together with his wife, Margaret Macdonald – influential on European design movements such as art nouveau and secessionism in Austria. The auction also has a good range of oriental rugs, with estimates ranging from around €100 and up to €600-€800 for the better quality ones. , What did it sell for? The Rising Squall, Hot Wells, JMW Turner The Rising Squall, Hot Wells, JMW Turner Estimate £200,000-£300,000 Hammer price £1.9m (€2.2m) Auction house Sotheby's Diamond pavé clutter set bracelet, Matthews two-day auction Diamond pavé bracelet Estimate €12,000-€18,000 Hammer price €14,200 Auction house Matthews Sapphire and diamond cluster set link bracelet (€4,000-€7,000) Sapphire and diamond bracelet Estimate €4,000-€7,000 Hammer price €3,750 Auction house Matthews Art Deco diamond round cut bracelet, Matthews Art deco bracelet Estimate €20,000-€30,000 Hammer price €18,000 Auction house Matthews
The Sun
09-07-2025
- General
- The Sun
I work at Gumtree – here's the five tatty items from around your home that can give gardens an epic budget makeover
A GUMTREE expert has revealed the five tatty items lying around your home that could be used for an epic garden a makeover. Kim Faura, the online marketplace's consumer expert, said you can upcycle your garden without spending a fortune if you know what to buy or recycle. 3 He said: "Tastes come and go, and it's only natural to sometimes want to shake things up. "This can apply to both the inside and outside of your home, and why not take elements from one to help the other? "If you're looking for project pieces but don't have anything suitable at home, why not look on Gumtree? "You can either find a range of secondhand pieces to upcycle as you wish, or you can sell your old items to make some money to fund your project." Here, Kim reveals the five clever ways to repurpose your indoor furniture for use in the garden. Creating a herby bookshelf First up, the Gumtree pro says an old bookshelf you want to get rid of could be moved outside instead and transformed into a herb garden. He adds: "All it needs is sanding down, a coat of exterior paint and a little personalising and you're good to go." Displaying plants on a ladder A wooden step ladder can make a stylish plant stand by placing planks between the rungs, according to Kim. He says: "You could paint it in a bright colour or seal it with a waterproof varnish for a more rustic finish. "Dot plants along the makeshift shelves to create a unique focal point in your garden." My garden was looking so old and the patio was broken - now it's a lush oasis and people can't believe how little I spent Get creative with containers Another sustainable, cost-effective way of giving your garden a quick makeover is to turn unused objects into plant pots. Kim advises: "It's worth having a look to see what you can find lying around, from wellies, wheelbarrows, and teapots to tin cans, old pots and pans, and plastic bottles. "Sourcing unconventional containers can be a fun activity to do with the kids. "Once you've gathered your objects, you can make holes in the bottom of them, add gravel for drainage, then fill with soil and pot your plants. "They can be dotted around your garden or suspended from hooks – recycled colanders make great hanging baskets." Use mirrors to brighten dark areas Kim revealed that it's possible to give your gaden a homely feel by taking some interior decorations outside. "Accessories like framed mirrors can be put up in dark corners to bounce light around your garden and even make it look bigger than it is", he adds. 3 Hanging tyre wall garden Finally, if you've got an old tyre lying around then you could transform it into a planter. Kim says: "You could even add a rope or chain and make a hanging basket that looks equally fab suspended from a tree or up against a wall. "If you like, upcycle several tyres and paint them in a rainbow of jazzy colours." Parts of Scotland are set to be hotter than Tenerife this week too, so it's the perfect chance to do some essential garden maintenance. Glasgow will be basking in the glorious sunshine with the mercury to hit highs of 28C in the city, while Edinburgh is also set to see highs of 28C on Saturday, with temperatures of 23C in Aberdeen. The Met Office long range forecast from July 11 to July 20 states: "Many parts of the UK are expected to be part way through a period of high temperatures and humidity at the start of this period. "The duration, geographical extent and intensity of the heat are all rather uncertain at present, but there is the potential for some very hot weather to be realised, especially across some inland southern and eastern areas." And it's not just items inside your home that you could use to give your garden a much needed refresh to enjoy the sunshine. Kim revealed that old garden chairs can be repurposed in lots of different ways to give them a new lease of life instead of sending them off to the skip. So if you've got one destined for the dump, you may want to consider these tips instead. Kim recommends converting the chair into a swing by removing the legs and attaching thick rope to the sides of the seat. Alternatively, you could attach the chairs to walls either outside or in your shed to create shelves for plant pots or garden ornaments. And the legs don't have to go to waste, either. "You can turn chair legs or spindles into wind chimes", Kim adds. "Simply hang them by string threaded through screw eyes attached to the tops." Upcycling old garden furniture Here are a few tips from Gumtree's Kim Faura to get you started on upcycling old garden furniture to add some colour to your outdoor space. Upcycling teak garden furniture If you're looking to upcycle teak garden furniture, as a starting point I'd recommend sanding it down well, as this will remove any old varnishes or stains, and creates a smooth surface. You can then use a weatherproof stain or paint to change the colour of your item. The reason teak makes such great upcycled garden furniture is that it has a high natural oil content and tight grain. This makes it strong and weatherproof in all conditions. However, teak can become grey in colour and feel rough when it's exposed to the elements for years without maintenance. Because of its oil content, the wood doesn't need protection with oil or varnish after sanding, unless you want to give it a shiny surface. To change the colour from mid-brown, you could stain it darker. Alternatively give it a coat of primer and paint for a brand new look. Because teak is such a durable wood, if you choose to transform your teak garden furniture into garden accessories or planters, it'll still stand up to the British weather in the same way that it did before. Painting old furniture to revive it Painting is one of the easiest ways to revive tables, chairs, stools and benches in your garden. It's important to use paint that's made for the type of surface you're working on and is suitable for outdoors. You can make the process easier by using a primer created for wood, metal or plastic that'll give a smooth, durable surface for your paint to stick to. Before you begin, give your garden furniture a good clean with a stiff-bristled brush and soapy water or a pressure washer. This helps to ensure that any old flaky paint, varnish or rust has been removed. Secondly, you can give the surface a rub down with some sandpaper to make sure it's smooth and create a 'key' for your primer to stick to. Once your primer has dried, it's time to go in with your paint. You could choose a paint that needs to be applied with a brush. Alternatively, you might want to go for weatherproof spray paint. Spray paints are especially useful for metal furniture that can be a bit fiddly to paint with a brush. The most exciting part of painting garden furniture is choosing the final colour. Will you choose a bright colour that adds personality to your furniture piece? Or will you go for timeless black, white, grey or green for a more low-key look?
CTV News
08-07-2025
- General
- CTV News
Reuse and restore your belongings
Ottawa Watch We learn all about upcycling items we have around the house with Habitat Restore
