The other day I found an interesting website called The Reuser's Guide to Green Living. They had a contest (which has since ended) for items created out of repurposed; a.k.a. "upcycled" materials. The cork letters pictured above are one of the items featured on their site. I love the cork idea, and the concept of reuse in general! Long before I was making shoes, I was dragging home odd pieces of furniture, hideous artwork, and horrible chandeliers {honestly, the uglier the piece the better the challenge} and turn them into something a little more au currant. I love the idea of taking something discarded and making it note-worthy, and I also like the idea of minimizing waste and being a good steward of the planet.

Additionally, I find these type of challenges a true test of human innovation; like on Project Runway, when they need to make a dress out of newspaper or trash bags or on Design Star where they have to decorate a room using only supplies from a pet store. Interesting indeed!


Along those lines, I thought why not do my own version. While, yes, I could use reclaimed fabric, we do that all the time, so I don't consider that particularly innovative. But why not create something that everyone would recognize, something unexpected, that looks like it was reused... a not so subtle nod to the discarded source. And--voila--interesting and very different pair of shoes. As for my reused materials, not too hard to guess...


These were made from a Target bag! Not a cotton canvas bag, the regular, old, how-do-you-do plastic bag your groceries come in. I lined it with a special technique, and they are actually very durable! The feel is like a laminated cotton.


Here is a picture of them worn....

I have another pair of shoes, similarly created out of uniquely repurposed materials. I will post those pair next week. I will probably sell them both at that time, too.