Cassette-Cycle: The Art of Recycling Cassette Tapes

Learn about the unique art of transforming old cassette tapes into sleek and modern accessories and home decor. We turn musical relics into exciting new pieces through ingenuity and a variety of simple crafting techniques.

What inspired you to make this project?:
Knowing that cassettes could be used as building blocks, and also knowing that they are a huge source of waste as they are an obsolete medium that hasn't caught on again yet is my overall inspiration for Cassette-Cycle. I started on this project when I made the first fabric cassette tape clutch in 2010. At that time, I was tinkering with a new scanner I bought and came up with the idea to make a purse with it. I began selling these purses on Etsy soon after and the demand skyrocketed over the next few years. Friends and acquaintances started giving me all of their cassette tapes, and I couldn't use most of them for my purses because they were clear tapes. I still did not want to throw them away, though because I knew I would use them at some point. I got an idea online to make a nightlight from the clear tapes, and it turned out to be one of my very favorite things I have made! I realized then that I could stack the cassette tapes and use them like building blocks. I started thinking of more practical things I could make with them around the house. I thought of desk caddies of different sizes and more night lights. I began participating in Mini Maker Faires around the Western New York area in 2016, and came up with new projects made with cassettes for each Faire, including a large dollhouse, Christmas and decorative wreaths and a full size, functional tote bag. I also learned how to use zip ties with cassettes recently, allowing me to make the tote bag and a floor lamp.