Ever since I started this blog, I have been meaning to write on "upcycling" vintage (and not-so-vintage)"junk." I have been doing this sort of thing for YEARS.
Long, long, long before the "Picker Chicks" even existed (or even thought about doing the things they do) I was creating many things from "junk". As early as I can remember I was creating things from "trash". Craft and art supplies are expensive. Why go out and buy them when you can get them for free or near free?
This carries over into the world of antiques, collectibles and vintage items...and the business of selling those items.
One of the things a hardcore picker and a newbie picker have in common is:
Needing to sell that low-end merchandise....and in the process end up making some real money from it.
The newbie may have bought the items in error, and needs to re-coup some of their investment. The hardcore vet likely has accumulated the items as parts of bulk purchases, auction box lots, house clean-up contents, etc, etc, etc.
Hardcore vets, like myself, like to maximize our money. Combine that with the fact that this sort of low end, common stuff is impossible to sell to bulk to our regular dealer and decorator customers. Plus, we are not afraid of doing work.
You CAN make lemonade out of those boxes and boxes (and boxes, etc....) of lemons.
All you need is IMAGINATION...and a little hands-on effort. "Upcycling" is a recent term, but antiques dealers have been doing it for YEARS. Human kind has been doing it for centuries, actually.
The concept is darn simple....taking low and/or "no value" junk and creating something of value by reworking it and/or combining it with other low/no-value items.
Here is a simple thing, that takes items with low and no value, all items you have lying around, or ready to go to the trash, recycling or thrift store, and makes something you can sell at a flea market, craft sale, and even in your antiques store.
Grab that box of round cookie tins you have been hesitating putting in the recycle bin. Dig in the boxes of old hardware you have in the back rooms, the ones you bought at the auction so you could get the antique door knobs and Eastlake drawer pulls from...oh, and snag that busted 1980s table lamp you scavenged a socket from...you can use some of the parts from it, too.
You can create an item that you can retail for $15 - $45...just from some of these tins, some short lengths of copper, brass, or chrome tubing, (or even rusty pipe!), maybe an old lamp part or 2 some washers, and some elbow grease!
Below you will find a link to the article describing how to do it. With a little imagination and your own pile of "junk", you can now create some salable inventory from that trash you have been hoarding....!
----- Click here to go to what I call the Vintage Tin Tree Storage/Organizer article -----
After you sell a bunch of these creations, you can get back to pickin'!
Long, long, long before the "Picker Chicks" even existed (or even thought about doing the things they do) I was creating many things from "junk". As early as I can remember I was creating things from "trash". Craft and art supplies are expensive. Why go out and buy them when you can get them for free or near free?
This carries over into the world of antiques, collectibles and vintage items...and the business of selling those items.
One of the things a hardcore picker and a newbie picker have in common is:
Needing to sell that low-end merchandise....and in the process end up making some real money from it.
The newbie may have bought the items in error, and needs to re-coup some of their investment. The hardcore vet likely has accumulated the items as parts of bulk purchases, auction box lots, house clean-up contents, etc, etc, etc.
Hardcore vets, like myself, like to maximize our money. Combine that with the fact that this sort of low end, common stuff is impossible to sell to bulk to our regular dealer and decorator customers. Plus, we are not afraid of doing work.
You CAN make lemonade out of those boxes and boxes (and boxes, etc....) of lemons.
All you need is IMAGINATION...and a little hands-on effort. "Upcycling" is a recent term, but antiques dealers have been doing it for YEARS. Human kind has been doing it for centuries, actually.
The concept is darn simple....taking low and/or "no value" junk and creating something of value by reworking it and/or combining it with other low/no-value items.
Here is a simple thing, that takes items with low and no value, all items you have lying around, or ready to go to the trash, recycling or thrift store, and makes something you can sell at a flea market, craft sale, and even in your antiques store.
Grab that box of round cookie tins you have been hesitating putting in the recycle bin. Dig in the boxes of old hardware you have in the back rooms, the ones you bought at the auction so you could get the antique door knobs and Eastlake drawer pulls from...oh, and snag that busted 1980s table lamp you scavenged a socket from...you can use some of the parts from it, too.
You can create an item that you can retail for $15 - $45...just from some of these tins, some short lengths of copper, brass, or chrome tubing, (or even rusty pipe!), maybe an old lamp part or 2 some washers, and some elbow grease!
Below you will find a link to the article describing how to do it. With a little imagination and your own pile of "junk", you can now create some salable inventory from that trash you have been hoarding....!
----- Click here to go to what I call the Vintage Tin Tree Storage/Organizer article -----
After you sell a bunch of these creations, you can get back to pickin'!
