New life for the unwanted
A venture to minimise waste began in 2016 and has now evolved into a thriving creative venture for local craftsman Lee Li Ghien.
A 46-year-old driven by an enthusiasm for environmental sustainability, turns discarded items into functional artistic pieces for her local business in Ipoh, Perak.
She is a talented crafts person who makes a wide variety of items, including not just cooled food storages like fridge magnets which are soft and made from papier-mache, but also beautifull objects like decorative vases made from different kinds of bottle collections.
Lee also incorporates sculpting skills in her designs for stationery containers and mirrors.
“Saya sebenarnya berdepan sukar untuk membuang barang-barang yang saya miliki.”
I used to be fascinated with collecting empty bottles and attempted to decorate them with paint, but unfortunately, my efforts didn't meet my expectations.
"At the chatting session there, I wanted to give them fresh life and conceptualised of turning them into functional items," Lee shared when meeting me at her stall inside Time Tunnel Ipoh Memorabilia Museum on Jalan Panglima.
L Lee mentioned that to transform recyclable materials into a single fridge magnet, a series of steps were taken, including submerging cardboard pieces in water, applying papier-mache techniques to reshape it, and allowing it to dry under direct sunlight for a span of one to three days, contingent upon the thickness of the material.
She would then create various designs by formatting and moulding them.
Nature has been my source of inspiration for my crafts, with me creating fridge magnets that resemble Ipoh's famous limestone hills, the rare Rafflesia flowers and tapirs, as well as bespoke vases featuring seahorses.
I utilise randomly gathered objects such as cartons from delivery packages and tin cans to craft something distinctive on a daily basis.
She even created accessories from empty beverage cans.
In every Malaysian kitchen, it's common to find sauce bottles, but Lee has come up with a creative way to give them new life, transforming them into a unique vase with a rustic touch, she said. Lee plans to enhance her creations by colouring them with shades of turquoise and rustic gold to give them an interesting, fossil-like appearance.
A photograph of Chinese tourist Inga Wang purchasing a fish-shaped magnet and a whisky bottle converted into a seahorse-decorated vase at Lee's stall.
I was really drawn to the colours, and I also appreciate this concept of making creative use of recycled materials.
I've attempted crafting things from recyclable materials before, but the process proves to be most challenging.
"These items are extremely appealing to me," said Wang, aged 46.
At a different stall, Leong Chai Yuen, 51, described her venture in creating functional items from discarded batik fabric as not only an outlet for her creativity but also as a therapeutic journey.
Leong, who brings forth craftsmanship in handmade batik shopping bags, bookmarks, and brooches, started by creating plush toys for commerce.
"Melihat saya ada banyak liris sisa, tidak seperti kepentingkan membuangnya. Saya anggap idea untuk membuat sesuatu yang berguna seperti beg ransanganonline dan resleting tanduk," kata beliau.
A seasoned sales and marketing professional from the hotel and property development sector, Leong took a six-month break from her career to nurture her creative inclinations.
““This travel has been healing for me,” she mentioned."
