Water bottles, soda cans, anything pretty much aluminum or plastic… useless junk, right?  But what if we can take all these things and use  them to create something cool? Like jewelry?  Lost Cause Revival aims to do just that.

Since at least 60% of the world’s trash cannot be recycled, we need to do what we can with the remaining 40%.  Lost Cause Revival, a small business run by BJ alumni Kaylie Miller, tries to find beauty in the trash.

The shop is hosted on etsy.com, a marketplace for artists and vintage goods. Miller creates unique recyclable jewelry and accessories out of what many would consider unsalvageable objects.  The shop is promoted through social media and a blog.

In her words, she makes “rocker necklaces made from bicycle inner tubes, to vintage button rings, to bohemian earrings from shampoo bottles, Starburst wrappers? A brightly colored bracelet. Old sweaters? A new purse.”

Her bedroom, which also serves as her studio, overflows with chopsticks, old keys, pop tabs, plastic bottle caps, and other items one may see in a trash bin.  Miller has always had a passion for the environment and for design – in fifth grade, instead of throwing away a pair of favorite jeans, she sewed them into purses. This project encouraged her to begin saving more scraps, leftovers, and lost causes. From there, she began her life of enthusiastic dedication to creating recycled items, to finding objects considered worthless waste and making them desirable.

If you’re looking for a cool gift for a friend– one that also is good for the environment, check out Lost Cause Revival.