2 approaches to turning recycled materials into art

What have you not seen recycled into an art form? Everything from T-shirts to trash finds new life, as artists and crafters scramble to create something new out of something old.

Here’s a look at two couples who have found interesting ways to turn recycling into art, and enjoy doing it together.

Jennifer Wozniak and Mark Serwinowski of Denver scour antique stores and record swaps for vinyl records and album covers, which they turn into purses in their garage.

Wozniak had been developing ideas for making a beautiful purse that was sturdy and could hold a lot of stuff. “It’s been evolving, but when my husband figured out how to cut the vinyl, that’s when this really got going.”

Serwinowski uses a small Dremel saw with a diamond blade. Toward the end of the project, he drills the holes through which Wozniak hammers decorative rivets that help hold the purses together. Wozniak recycles leather belts picked up at thrift stores into the purse handles, and uses album liner notes to line the insides.

She recently started making mini purses with smaller 45’s, or record singles, and she opened an Etsy online store, ShesARainbowCO . Otherwise, she sells her vinyl record purses in boutique shops and at summertime art markets.

Avid recyclers who work in parallel fields — Wozniak works for Xcel Energy and Serwinowski is a sustainability consultant — the couple tries to toss as little waste as possible.

“I have been passionate about recycling before recycling was the cool thing to do,” said Wozniak. “It makes me sad that a lot of people have this throwaway mentality, and it’s not a sustainable practice for our environment.”

Wozniak often pieces the