I really like these reuse art pieces by Liz Noonan; she created a Kickstarter project called “25 People, 25 Bucks, 25 Pieces of Art” and writes about it on Whip Up. She received 25 collections from people and turned each one into a work of art commemorating the collection, like the dog collars transformed into book covers or the antique gloves turned into a wreath, above.
She says:

I think the challenge here, is that there is a sentimental value to these items, which can be difficult to translate. As an artist I needed to really think about the appropriate remake, in order to reflect the story behind the collection. I couldn’t simply just make something because it would look good – I had to remake it and honor the memory, reasons for keeping it and have it be a usable piece in their life

This is such a fine line for many of us who collect things, either consciously or unconsciously. The end products are beautiful!