Tag Archives: upcycled

35mm Slides Make Literal Slide Curtains

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Curtains come in all shapes and sizes and colors. They even come in sheer fabrics to let a bit of light in. But maybe you want something a little more colorful, that will the light through while looking unique. These 35mm slide curtains will do nicely.
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Scott Sherwood made this colorful set of slide curtains. Getting so many images was easy since he has amassed a huge collection of images from around the world by different photographers over the years. Naturally he made curtains from his selections in his 35mm film archive.

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Scott arranged the 1,152 slides by dominant color, which flow from pink to red to orange to yellow to green to blue and to purple. The slides are inside slide mounts, which are connected to each other with 7,000 metal rings and held on to a curtain rod with 36 large rings. The 5’7” by 6’ curtain took four months of work, but it looks pretty awesome, so it was worth it.

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[Recyclart via Neatorama]

Batman’s Tumbler Recycled from Dead PlayStation 2s

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So you’ve got a couple of dead old video game consoles lying around. While you could just throw them in the trash, it’s better for you to recycle them. And what better than to turn your old game systems into Batman’s Tumbler?

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That’s exactly what recycling artist Daniel Shankalonian did when he got his hands on a couple of deceased PlayStation 2 systems. He completed his build chopping up the bits and pieces of the consoles, mixing in a liberal dose of printer and hard drive parts, and placing the whole assemblage on a broken down old Dell XPS laptop.

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While it’s certainly not as elegant of a job as Lucius Fox did with the original Tumbler, you have to give Shankalonian credit for being able to make lemonade out of the lemons he was dealt. And Lucius had the slight advantage of having millions of dollars from the Wayne Foundation to work with too.

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Best of all, you can own this recycled PS2/Batmobile. It’s available over on Etsy for $250(USD). It’s a shame you can’t hook up a DualShock and play Arkham Origins on it.

iMac Pet Bed: The Ultimate Computer for Cats

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There’s no denying that cats like technology. Whether they’re playing Fruit Ninja, stepping all over your keyboard, or playing the synthesizer, cats and tech go together like peanut butter and chocolate. So why fight this natural phenomenon? Instead, get your cat a computer of its own.

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Okay, this former iMac isn’t exactly a functional computer anymore, but it is a lovely place for kitty to hang out and catch a cat nap. It’s been decked out with a cozy cushion for your pet, then bolted onto a colorful base assembled from an old chair to help give kitty the kind of elevated view you know he demands.

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The guys at Atomic Attic upcycle these old iMacs into comfy and stylish pet beds, presumably because your cat wouldn’t be comfortable inside of an original 128k Macintosh, let alone today’s razor-thin iMacs.

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Each one is fitted with a custom cushion with a removable slip cover. Prices for these iMac pet beds range from $129 to $229(USD) and can be found over on Atomic Attic’s Etsy shop.

Darth Vader Gets Upcycled: The Junk Side of the Force

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We’re so used to seeing Darth Vader dressed in all black, but his iconic helmet really works well no matter what color it’s done in. Heck, even Hello Kitty Vader was pretty imposing. But I think that this version of Vader, built out of old bits of reclaimed electronics and other junk looks really awesome.

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I kind of wish that when they peeled back the helmet on Vader in Return of the Jedi, this is what they would have found underneath instead of Sebastian Shaw. I can’t tell for sure what all of the components came from, but there’s definitely some old adding machine and typewriter keys, circuit boards, gears and resistors on this handmade helmet.

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It was created by Indiana artist Gabriel Dishaw, who has a love for making sculptures from found junk. The Darth Vader helmet is selling for $800(USD) over on Etsy now. While that may seem like a lot of money, I’m betting that Vader’s actual helmet cost him just as much.

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Milk Crate Stereo Puts the Hammer(s) Down

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I’ve seen some unusual audio gear over the years, but if you’re looking for a truly unique stereo for your living room, I’m betting you haven’t seen one that looks like this.

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Handmade by Devin Kain of Bugcicle, this unusual stereo is made from an old milk crate, stood up on legs made out of four antique hammers. The face of the stereo has been adorned with a cool, backlit original photograph. Under the hood are four 3-inch full-range speakers, and if you look carefully, you’ll notice that porcelain door knob on top is actually the volume control.

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It’s definitely a one-of-a-kind stereo and would look pretty cool if you’re into that upcycled look. You can find the Milk Crate stereo for $999(USD), along with a number of other unique recycled stereos over on Bugcicle’s Etsy shop.

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Tombox Speakers: The Upcycled Sound

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There’s something about old speaker housings, especially from the 60s and 70s. They are usually thick, big things that have a great look with design appeal. These speakers made from discarded old speakers that have been upgraded with new components.

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Each Tombox speaker is unique, and the built-in battery will last up to two weeks before it needs a recharge. It’s maker, Diefabrik hand-selects some nicely designed old loudspeakers as suitable candidates for each upgrade. The sound varies from Tombox to Tombox, but each of the ones I’ve seen looks pretty awesome.

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The compact Tombox looks like a cool way of sharing your tunes, while the bigger Tombox+ looks like a decent speaker to have at home. Diefabrik list their available Tomboxes and Tomboxes+ on their site, and you can send them an email to get yours. Prices typically range from €190 to €420 (~$233 to $515 USD).

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[via NOTCOT]