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The weather gets warmer and many of us know this means one thing: yard sales. If you are a crafter, yard sales can be great places to find someone else's castaways and turn them into your treasures.
As a person that loves to do decoupage, I am forever on the lookout
for wooden boxes to decoupage. But remember that yard sale bargains
can also inspire you to try a craft you haven't done before. A baby
quilt I found made a great pillow, when I had little practice with
sewing projects.
When looking for "a find", what should you look for? If you can
already imagine the object taking on a new life as something else,
that's great. But there are plenty of things people have overlooked
that with some time and imagination can be objects of beauty in your
home.
If it is broken, do you know how to fix it? A dresser without knobs
only needs new knobs but a dresser without a drawer is going to take
some more work. Could you replace the dresser with a wicker basket
you pull in and out? Could that drawer be replaced with a flat
surface you could keep items like a handbag or shoes there? Start
using your imagination and the solutions will come. Most objects
can be recanted, repainted, repolished and reupolstured.
Sometimes with a trash to treasure project you may think it will
become one thing and you change your mind halfway through the
project. Be open to inspiration. Something may catch your eye and
you choose to change the color scheme or the function of the craft.
Trash to treasure crafts can be very chic. "Shabby chic" as it is
called is found in many decorating magazines. You are also doing
something good for the environment, by reusing materials.
It is also important to know that not every trash to treasure
project works and this doesn't mean it isn't successful. You may
succeed in learning a new painting technique or something about
quilting. Or you may learn something about what kind of project you
do want to put in your living room, or what you really want to
create right now. Every project is part of your learning experience
as a crafter and an artist.
Some great trash to treasure items include chairs, tables, dressers,
vintage cocktail dresses, baby quilts, spools, jewelry boxes,
suitcases, costume jewelry, dolls, picture frames, magazines, books
and mirrors. You probably can find many more items that begin to
inspire you to create something special.
The only challenge about becoming a trash to treasure crafter is
then it becomes very hard to actually allow others in your home to
throw things out! Happy crafting!
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