Scrap Metal Letters and The Benefits of Upcycling
For as long as I can remember we’ve been turning discarded things into something that’s unique, useful, and hopefully pretty too. So when my Upcycle Sharin’ friends suggested we make a collage to encourage people to #stayhome and upcycle, I was all for it. And let me tell you, I had sooooooo much fun finding rusty, dusty, broken bits to turn into scrap metal letters for my “UPCYCLE” sign.
Pretty cool right? I had to really think outside the box for this one too. Some of the letters like the “C” and “L” were pretty obvious, but the “Y” and the “E” had me scratching my head.
And don’t even get me started on the “U” and “P” in UPCYCLE. I could have used another horseshoe for the “U” but that still left me scratching my head about that “P”. Clearly, I failed 😀 But a rusty arrow counts right?
Either way, I wanted to share how we made the sign before quickly going into the benefits of upcycling and introducing you to some of the best upcycling blogs out there. Just in case you need some more inspiration to use what you have 😉 Okay, before we get to all the good stuff, be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or Instagram. And don’t forget to subscribe so you’ll never miss a post!
The Scrap Metal Bits I Used
As I mentioned the “C” was a no brainer. We have loads of old horseshoes lying around. We’ve used some in our craft projects like this “LUV” sign and the others are scattered throughout our garden. Iron rust is really good for the soil and our fairies love it too 😉 The “L” was straightforward too. Just an old nail and a rusty hinge. BTW if you do have rusty screws or nails lying around you definitely want to see how to upcycle them into these beautiful creatures.
We also have soooooooo many old ceiling tiles in our upcycle stash, so that worked for making a “UP” arrow. Simply cut the tile with a pair of tin snips and sand any rough edges.
For the “Y”, I finally decided to use my “Rusty Nail Muti” paintbrush. She wasn’t going to last too much longer anyway. I cheated a little by cutting a “V” shape from a ceiling tile scrap to finish the “Y” off. A rusty corkscrew would have worked too.
And that left the letter “E”…… Ahhhhh that “E”. Goodness me. That was a nightmare. I finally settled on the garden fork we had left over from when we made this concrete doorstop. Originally I was going to cut one of the prongs off but shelved that idea after trying to saw it off for ½ hour. I don’t mind flexing my muscles, but the saw didn’t even make a small dent. I’m convinced that garden fork is made from kryptonite 😀
So my “E” has an extra line thingy and I’m okay with that. It’s rusty, and I finally found a use for that old fork. I could never stand to see something with even a tiny bit of life still left inside it thrown away.
Other scrap metal letter ideas
Now, I realize not everyone is going to want to make an “UPCYCLE” sign, so I searched high and low on the internet and found the most amazing photographer, Steve Lovegrove, who went to all the trouble to mock up some rusty, scrap metal letters. I popped off an email, and within minutes this incredibly talented human being offered to share his pics. Which means I can share them with you so YOU can get some other ideas for making scrap metal letters.
So creative and awesome, right!!? You really need to check out his limited-edition Exquisite Corpse Prints too. I neeeeeeed one of those on our gallery wall.
Okay, let’s quickly make a backing board for all those scrap metal letters and finish making our sign.
Making the sign using scrap metal letters
Once I had all the scrap metal letters, I measured how long the whole “word” would be and cut some old pallets up to make a backing board for the “UPCYCLE” sign. Pallets always come in so handy when making a sign.
In a previous lifetime, some of the pallet bits I used were painted a bluish color so they all got a quick sanding first. Just a word of caution. Whenever you work with pallets, make sure to wear the appropriate safety equipment. Especially if you can’t see any markings or stamps that will help identify where they’ve been or how they’ve been treated.
After putting the pallets together, they were stained with Blue Thunder Unicorn SPiT.
I love my Unicorn SPiT. The colors are so vibrant, and that gorgeous wood grain is still visible after it’s applied.
I sealed the Unicorn SPiT with a clear polyurethane gloss sealer and positioned all the scrap metal letters…
…..before screwing them in….
….. or attaching them with fishing line.
And then we have that “E” again. Mmmmmmm. Not only is the fork heavy, so the fishing line won’t work, but that metal is &^$@*!$ fudging hard. Ask the hubby. He broke two drill bits making holes in that one for me. But hey, she’s up, and I’m happy. The hubby, maybe not so much 😀
If you’d like to make your own scrap metal sign don’t forget to pin it for later.
The benefits of upcycling
Did you know that when you recycle a tin can, you save enough energy to power your laptop for 3 hours? Just imagine how much energy you’d save if you upcycle it instead. When we upcycle, we reduce landfill waste and get to save a few lives too. Not only does that crisp packet someone threw away yesterday take 100’s of years to decompose it also ends up poisoning our marine life and damaging our ecosystem. And for me, nothing beats that feeling I get when I know we’ve done our bit to help sustain our planet. She’s the only one we’ve got.
Almost anything can be upcycled into something unique. All it takes is a little imagination.Besides saving the planet, upcycling means you get to make really cool things that are unique. And you push the boundaries of your imagination too. Upcycling encourages creativity and innovation and makes us put our wacky out-the-box thinking caps on. Always a good thing in my books 😉 So whether you’re making something yourself or you buy upcycled goods from someone else, you’ll always know that it’s a creative, one-of-a-kind piece filled with history and love.
And if you really want to be inspired and to make your own one-of-a-kind pieces, then you’re going to love these upcycle bloggers.
Upcycling bloggers that inspire me
Homeroad is a master at repurposing thrift store finds into unique and unusual home decor.
Dukes and Duchesses share loads of DIY decor and upcycled projects with sprinkles of delicious recipes mixed in between.
Salvage Sister and Mister always make the best with what they have, and they love sharing their tutorials and tips.
Birdz of a Feather is a husband and wife team who loves to breathe new life into things, but their true passion lies in showing others how to do the same.
Junk Journal chronicles her thrift store journey and shares how to fix, clean, and sell all those junk finds.
Christina Faye Repurposed is passionate about saving old, worn-out furniture that’s destined for a landfill and giving them a new lease on life.
Duct Tape and Denim specializes in furniture and thrift store makeovers that are absolutely gorgeous.
A Fresh Squeezed Life believes that it doesn’t matter if it’s a quilt or a refinished piece of furniture; all you have to do is “fresh-squeeze” it until you love what you see.
If you love bringing nature inside, then Simple Nature Decor has a whole bunch of tutorials that will show you how to use natural objects to make your home and garden beautiful.
And last but not least, DIY Idea Center has some great upcycling craft tutorials from all over the world that are sure to get those creative juices flowing.
Oh, and if you’re looking for more upcycling ideas, we’ve got you covered. Disclosure: Clicking on the links below means we may receive a commission from Amazon. But don’t worry, it won’t come out of your pocket, and it helps us come up with more amazing craft ideas to share with you 😉
Or if you want to learn more about upcycling
And as always, wishing you a wonderful, crafty week filled with lots of love. Thank you for popping in for a visit. Please stay safe; we’re all in this together.
I love that old rusty vintage vibe! up cycling in on the rise and its soo awesome to see the designs coming out of it. you’re very creative. I love it. Thanks for sharing!
You’re most welcome Janice and it makes my heart do a happy dance when upcycling starts trending. We can all do our small bit to save our planet.
What an over the top creative use for horse shoes!!!! I just love this sign along with that fab vibrant teal… works so beautifully with rust!
I’ve featured this beauty on this weekend’s DIY Salvaged Junk Projects 526. Thanks for linking up!
OoooooooEeeeeeee doing the happy dance over here Donna ? Thanks so much. Those rusty oranges and brown were just begging for a teal backdrop and the horseshoes have a new purpose too.
Look at you pretty lady holding this very cool scrap metal sign! The UP and E are brilliant – such a clever idea and I love the blue backdrop to all that rusty goodness. Pinned 🙂
Thank you, Marie. I’m so happy we have a whole bunch of ceiling tiles to play with. They always save the day
I love how you used old items and with rust! It turned out awesome!
Thanks so much Christina, I had fun
The letters are fun, I love how you designed a whole alphabet. I’ve seen prints before were photographers take photos of letters in everyday objects like railings and old junk, then put them together to spell words.
Thanks Claire 😉 Steve Lovegrove is the talent behind creating the whole alphabet, I was just lucky enough to find him online
Such a beautiful sign. Rust and blue, girl your kind of talent amazes me. Beautiful sign.
Thanks so much Leanna
You had me at rusty! I love vintage and rusty finds. I just love your creative ideas!
We love our rustification 😉
Oh my! I adore this sign. What a great job. xx
Thanks so much Libbie
What a great upcycle indeed Michelle. If I go into my dad’s basement I’m sure I’ll find a ton of rusty things that can be upcycled. It is so nice to see the group thriving.
We do so miss you on the group Mary and I’m guessing a lot of people are digging in their basements for stuff to repurpose while we’re all under lockdown. I’m also guessing but I doubt any of those basements would come close to your Dad’s. You always found the most amazing things there
Michelle, your work is amazing. I love these metal pieces
Thank goodness we have a stash of rusty bits to play with and I’m super happy with how the sign turned out too.
Love the upcycle sign, Michelle. Gorgeous mix!!
Thanks so much, Lory. Rusty stuff on top of a gorgeous blue always seem to work together
This is so cool! I love a great upcycle!
Me too 😉
Wow Michelle, I love that sign! You sure didn’t need the ‘U’ of the ‘P’; that arrow is perfect. it’s incredible that Steve Lovegrove shared his pictures with you – so inspirational!! And thank you so much for your blurb about us! It was so much fun to participate in the collage with you and all the other ladies.
You’re most welcome Sara. I had loads of fun flexing my creative muscles 😉 And Steve is really a great guy and a super talented photographer. I managed to get one of those Exquisite Corpse prints for my son. I think he is going to love it. He has a really curious mind and a deep appreciation for the weird and wonderful so the print will be right up his alley.
OMG, I totally missed how cool this was in the group image. It was so small I could not see what you used. It is brilliant. I am disappointed that I did not join in, but work was so hectic at the time. Pinned
I’m sorry you weren’t part of it too Anita ❣ I would have loved to see what you would’ve come up with. Your creations are always so unique and different.