7 artistic ways to recycle your old CD-ROM collection
Using an old CD as a coaster is so yesterday. We know you're out there — those of you putting your coffee mugs on old AOL install disks and snickering to yourself. While you do win points for helping the environment, we've spotted a few other uses for old CDs that blew us away.
CDs are going the way of the casette tape, but we've all still got them, and old discs are as common as locusts during a seven-year plague. Don't fret: there are countless ways for you to up-cycle your CDs, from looking on Google for a place to recycle them, to turning them into fun and unique art projects. Here we'll show you seven of the latter, most of which are DIY projects with instructions for how you can replicate the result.
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1. Build an easy-to-make CD lamp Who wouldnât want a lamp that looks like this on your desk at work? Youâll find people hanging around your cube like you never did before. Hereâs the best part — creator Jim Watters has put together instructions on how you can build one of your own. Weâre sure you can translate from the Canadian — and just donât stare into the light for too long. [Source]
2. Make some shiny CD blinds Another do-it-yourselfer, Sean Shrum has created a complex and blindingly brilliant project: CD-ROM blinds. At first we werenât sure how much we might want to see our distorted reflection staring back at us, but Seanâs step-by-step videos and for the DIY impaired sold us — you can even buy one from him. Not included? Those lovingly displayed Star Wars figurines acting as the trim for the room. [Source]
3. Turn it into a CD-ROM CD Rack We picked this one for the sheer irony of it. A CD-ROM holder made out of CDs. Very industrial and very functional. Thereâs not much not to like — it encapsulates birth and death of technology — the endless cycle of life in your living room. Let the project begin. [Source]
4. Make a pretty dress you can really wear A special shout out goes to this totally promising 16-year-old designer from Iceland. Elena Velez created a dress made out of meticulously cut up pieces of CDs and candy wrappers. Sheâs eco-conscious and she can create a dress that will make geeks everywhere salivate. Check out the dress blowing âem away on the runway in a video here. [Source]
5. Create a 65,000-CD landscape Check out this glittering art installation created out of a whopping 65,000 CDs cobbled together by French artist Elise Morin and architect Clémance Eliard. Called âWasteland,â it takes up over 500 square feet in Parisâ Centersquare. People can wander through it and on it in France through September before it takes to the road. [Source
6. Make a working weather vane We envision a future where the Midwest is studded with these crazy weather vanes — not only will we know the direction of the wind but we hear they work a treat in scaring away birds and other undesirables from the garden. We also can't help but wonder whether or not they blind pilots from planes passing overhead. [Source]
7. Pimp your ride with just a CD Finally, in the very honorable mention category we came across this picture of a car that has cleverly been blinged out. Not much is known about it, though Ariel Schlesinger, who spotted the car in Jordan and posted the photo on Flickr, writes that "some folks believe that placing a CD on the rear or front of your car will confuse the police radar in getting a good read of your speed, supposedly." [Source]
