Thrifty Thursday~ Upcycled Home Decor

NY City Love Photo by Pixamatic

 Happy Valentine's Day!

We hope all of you have a wonderful Valentine's Day! 

Love is in the air and Spring is on the way!

I'll bet many of you are idly daydreaming of Springtime! Aside from being the season of love, it's also when we freshen up the home and get rid of the winter doldrums!

And it's a great time to go thrift store shopping for some "new" accessories for the home. The next time you walk by something you think is useless, think about these Etsy items from our team we are featuring today. It's always amazing what some of our Upcyclers can do with typical thrift shop finds~ Cast off's and junk are turned into unique and clever works of art, home decor and housewares!

Check out these eco-friendly, fun and functional finds for this Spring...

Paper Flower Collage Vase Trio by LaraLeib

1937 Mexico Map Coasters by All Mapped Out

The Corkdelier by kimbradley1

Upcycled Pedestal Stand from Garden Whimsies by Mary

Mason Jar Wall Sconces by Amy's Reclaimed

2 Quarts of Light by Flat Earth Rebirth

Upcycled Barbecue Grill by Tinkan Designs

Vintage Silverware Hooks by Love Letters Upcycled

Upcycled Jewelry Organizer by NorScott

Upcycled Vintage Children's Shelf by Once Upon a Firefly

Upcycled Magnet Board by LeMaisonBelle

Alphabet Block Terrarium by Roots in Rust

I know I may have made you even more impatient for Spring but I just couldn't help sharing these finds!

ENJOY YOUR LOVED ONES TODAY!
;) Cat

Editor's note: The "NY City Love Photo" is sold by Pixamatic on Etsy and owned by Lisa Futterman Photography, a member of the Etsy team~ POE, Photographers on Etsy. Please check out more of her work:  Pixamatic, Fine Art Photography

Meet & Greet: byABPryor

Ang loves creating treasures from found objects and things others commonly discard, and embellishes everything.

Ang sells upcycled Art, accessories, housewares, vintage and more.

Funky Toy Hess Truck Tire Swing Earrings

I asked her a few questions about herself and her shop and this is what she had to say:

Tell us a little about yourself and what you sell.
I'm a wife and stay-at-home mom. I am a former fashion international merchandiser. I create ooak jewelry and houseware pieces from recycled vintage jewelry, found objects and junk. I also sell vintage items.

Why did you decide to work with upcycled/recycled/repurposed/vintage materials?
This was an evolving process. I originally started with beading. However, I became increasingly interested in trash to treasure creations. I can't justify throwing out an items because it is no longer used for its original purpose. I can create new pieces that have meaning and history. Every piece has a story... just like people.

One Mod Pop Plastic Record LP Holder

What is your favorite thing about running your etsy shop?
First of all Etsy is an amazing organization. It gives artists an easy interactive venue to share their creations. It is affordable and user friendly. I enjoy all of the means of communications between the sellers and buyers. Also, the opportunity to join in on the learning process. Etsy wants us to succeed. If we succeed then they do... I enjoy being apart of this amazing, giving community. My favorite part? I get to do it on MY time!

Bourbon Street Liquor Label Necklace Vintage REMIXED

What inspires you to create/sell what you do?
I find inspiration in everyday living...fashion, nature, entertainment and relationships. I need to place more of my creations online... that's a confidence hurdle I'm trying to overcome. With the help of Upcyclers I will! ;)

Where we can find you on the web
www.tomboyaroundtown.blogspot.com - My junking adventures & upcycled creations
www.creativesoulfulsexy.blogspot.com - My life, times & musings
www.usableart.blogspot.com - My creations' store page
www.byABPryor.etsy.com - My Etsy Store
www.facebook.com/byABPryor - My Facebook Page

Thanks Ang!

See you next week,
Valerie
Everyday Inspired

Love 2 DIY on the Weekend: Anatomy 101 from Inside Utopia

Anatomy of a Custom Sign

Recently I stumbled across a beautiful piece of antique furniture and was so impressed with the amount of work that had gone into creating it I wished I could strip back all of the layers to see how all of the different techniques and skills of the artist had come together to create the finished product.

Then it got me wondering...if I was thinking this about the work of someone else, had any of my customers ever wondered this about my products and an idea was born...to create a demonstration piece to show anyone who had bought or was thinking of buying one of my signs just what goes into making them.

Another bonus of doing this was that it allowed me to see if there was any way I could streamline the process or improve things.

I can highly recommend giving this a shot with your own products, it brought back all the memories of when I was working all of these techniques out, the frustration of not getting it right and the pure joy of figuring it out and seeing the end product and knowing all of those long long nights had been worth it.

Check out the processes involved in making one of my custom signs on MY BLOG!


UtopiaUF is a member of Upcyclers! You can see more of his upcycled furniture, housewares and signs on Etsy!