Repurposing Treasures For Home and For Resale

 

 

Repurposing Treasures For Home and For Resale

Hello, and Welcome to LilacsNDreams! Happy you stopped by! So many things that so many of us do when we craft. Some like to do completely handmade, some like to repurpose…upcycle…restyle…reuse…we like to paint, some items need glue, we design by sometimes uniting pieces, sometimes just a light cleaning gives new life to pieces too. These treasures are special because to us they are one-of-a-kind pieces that are special in many ways. I think it is fun, and enjoy seeing the creativity and excellence of so many talented people that is being shared too. I am often in awe of seeing so many things others are sharing from their vintage collectibles to their repurposing crafting styles. Some share through their blogs, their websites, and of course with all the different selling platforms being used too. 

So, what are some of your favorite things you like to share, or offer for sale? What are some of the things that you use to craft with? Are you specific to 1 area, a certain category, or maybe your interests are spread with different things. I love my vintage collectibles, and always will. I also take much joy in repurposing, and restyling different things I find. I love glassware, sometimes different plates bowls pans, I like different wooden pieces I can work with, and I truly enjoy many things with possibilities. Many pieces found are lonely pieces, come from unwanted broken sets, most are gently used, once in awhile new or like new condition, sometimes vintage pieces may be used for crafting, and so on. A lot of these treasures are found in Thrift Stores, Good Wills, Market Place, Junking, Yard Sales, sometimes curbside pieces are found, and pretty much anywhere that someone has something to offer. Sometimes my own treasures are used giving a new life to things, or a change with home decor. 

When I first started repurposing I did a lot of cake plate stands, candle holders, soap dish stands, jewelry holder stands, candy dishes, catch all pedestal stands, cloches, and many things to fit in with home decor. I enjoyed making these pieces because they were quite universal with many uses through out the home. Sometimes I showed how some of the pedestal stands could be flipped over used in another way too. That would determine the base that it had. I often showed different displays with my pictures to give everyone ideas, and maybe help them be creative with pieces too. 

Now with some of these things I did some light sanding, gluing, painting and spray painting, uniting pieces together, doilies, sheet music, ribbon, modpodge, and so many things you can use to create with. 

I enjoy doing this, find it relaxing, I’m at peace when working on things, and take pride in all the treasures I offer for resale, or for those that adorn my own home. I enjoy seeing the work of others who craft, and learning from many who have shared their treasures too. I am by far no expert with this, but do enjoy sharing with you. Even sharing my mistakes so that we all can learn from those too. 

So, what do you like to do? Is it pleasure, fun, business, or a hobby for you? What favorite things have you had the pleasures of making, creating, repurposing, restyling, finding, and etc.?

Below I am sharing just a few things from times past that I have made. 

Cloche Cheese Plate that I painted a pink slipper color. I laid a vintage doilie within it. Very fun piece to use, or mostly to decorate with.

Cheese Plate Cloche which I painted blue. I later found a doilie to lay in it. I also added some little trinkets with small pictures within it too.

Christmas Wall Decor I had made using plastic candy canes from Dollar Tree store, I braided some red and green ribbon to use as a hanger for it, mini green and red ribbons from Dollar Tree, and a Joy ornament I found at Walmart for the center of it. 

Black Cloche Cheese Plate Stand that was fun to make. I attached a wooden candle stick as the pedestal stand. I painted it black along with the cloche base too. I added white ribbon around the neck of the stand. Then, I cut some organ sheet music from a book to put in the center, and in middle of the stand. Used modpodge to seal this. This was really fun to show, display, and do different things with. 

Decorative Couch Chair Bed Pillow I made using 2 cloth placemats from Dollar Tree. I glued the pieces together around the edge, and used poly fill to fill it. These are so soft, and was actually my first one I made. 

White Cloche Cheese Plate was done here. I painted the base a pretty clean white color. In the center of the base I then added a cut from some sheet music I had. This was so adorable in person when it was dressed for displays. 

Blue White Cake Plate Pedestal Stand that I had fun putting together too. I found a pretty soft blue plate that has white snowflake designs through out it. I used a metal scroll candle holder, and painted that white which I later attached to the bottom of the plate. I enjoyed using this new lonely plate I had found, and uniting it with the metal scroll candle holder as its pedestal stand. Looks so much better in person, and it has so many possibilities too! Cake plate for serving, make it a candle holder stand with decoration around it, use it as a jewelry dish, in the bathroom or kitchen with some rolled cloths, set your dish soap and scrub pads on it, use it for organization, and many endless possibilities. 

It’s the beginning of the week, and I wish you all a great week! Take care, Happy Crafting and Treasure Hunting Everyone! Thanks for visiting LilacsNDreams! See you next time.

Repurpose Upcycle Handmade DIY Crafts For Vendor Fair

 

Repurpose Upcycle Handmade DIY Crafts For Vendor Fair with LilacsNDreams. Welcome everyone who is visiting today!

This Saturday the 13th is our big day. I’m excited, and getting a bit nervous too. I have so much I want to have done for this vendor fair I am doing with my niece. I have started a few things, have a few items that have been completed, and of course more items I want to have done for this event too. This week is the last week for me to truly work on anything. I need things completed 24-48 hours before we load to leave. Things need to dry, set, and seal properly before they are moved, displayed, and going to their forever homes. 

Below are a few pictures of things started, and now are needing their finishing touches for completion.

Cutting board I found when thrifting

Above, and below shows front and back of what I started with using napkins

             Above, and below shows both napkin sides with words I have added to them also

Below is a pizza pan I lightly sanded, and the process I have done so far with a little painting, some mod Podge, scrapbook paper, and christmas ornament word JOY that will be centered

I luckily found 3 of these glass bottles from the DollarTree. They are being filled with ornament filler in the body area. I could not find angel wings to be used for the angels I am making. At the Dollar Tree I did find a silver, and a gold like pointsettia flower with some glimmer to them. I am using leaves from this to make the wings for the angels. The halos will be made from red, and silver glittered pipe cleaner. I have the little colored bows that I will be adding right at their necklines. 

Once I have completed these, and other projects I will be sure to share more pictures with you. It feels so good to be crafting again! I am really enjoying it! I am so excited to be doing my first vendor fair, and of course I am a little nervous too. I’ve always shopped at these places, and never knew I would be a vendor at one of them. Not only having completed projects to display for sale, but to organize everything else too. The application for acceptance, getting tables, planning how to display and organize things, business cards, and so on. Luckily I am doing this with someone I know. In the spring I am hoping to maybe convince a dear friend of mine that we do one of these craft fairs together too. You know, make it a girls weekend with work, and fun!

Wish me luck everyone, and thanks so much for the support of many too. Thank You for visiting with LilacsNDreams! Take care, be safe, and see you again soon. Toodles . . . . .

Vintage Collectibles Repurpose Refresh Upcycle Handmade DIY Crafting

 

Welcome to LilacsNDreams! I’m a little excited, and motivated right now. So, that is the reason for another posting here this week. 

At the top of this page under my banner you will see other tabs that you can click, and it takes you to another page that is associated with this main page of my blog. One of those pages I have hung onto is something I am slowly working on. Trying to anyway. It is a page I wish to use for the items I will be offering for sale. I am in the process of changing from using LilacsNDreams Shoppe to LilacsNDreams Shop. Shortening it a little bit, and a little more memorable too. 

Things are so crazy with EBay, their payment system there, how they do things, the rules they have, and for me it just isn’t fun selling there anymore like it use to be in it’s earlier days. 

I like Etsy, but they have been doing some changes themselves, and I do not like these more recent changes. For one thing the fees are terrible!! Not only do you pay the percent with them, but they charge you a percent if the sale you got resolved from an advertisement. When you put the numbers together you end up paying around like 12% - 15% roughly. For some items sold there you hardly make any kind of profit. I was fortunate since my sales were not much there I was able to opt out of the offsite ads, but some were not able to. They have no choice if they want to sell there, they pay the fees like that. Even more upsetting is in the spring Google went from paid selling, to a free selling. If you do things correctly you have chances of being placed within Google Searches yourself. Something Etsy talks about, and is included with fees. So, why charge sellers for Google when they have made the changes. Etsy fees stayed the same with No changes. Sad. 

So, this is where my LilacsNDreams Shop page is being worked on to use more for me selling things I have to offer. I intend to do some selling with Facebook Marketplace as well since I will be offering shipping with things there too. Doing things this way, using these places for selling I should be able to offer just a little bit better price on items since I won’t have all the fees to consider when doing those wonderful numbers. 

I will still use USPS for shipping, but getting the little bit cheaper shipping price using Pirate Ship. Invoices/Payments will be done using PayPal. I have used them for years with no issues. Trying to do everything as cost efficient as possible. If I would ever do enough sales to justify I am an online seller than I could move onto having my own website, use shopping carts there, and have it feel more like an online shop. Till then I am doing the best that I can.

So, that’s the news I wanted to share with everyone. Thanks so much for visiting with LilacsNDreams! Wishing you all a wonderful weekend too. Take care, and be safe everyone! Toodles . . . . .

Mini Wooden Crates Handmade Restyled Repurposed DIY Crafting

 

Mini Wooden Crates Handmade Restyled Repurposed DIY Crafting with LilacsNDreams! Welcome to all who are visiting.

Today I am going to share with you an item that is used for crafting, and give you a few ideas that have been shared too. All of the pictures below came from one of the Facebook Groups that I follow, Dollar Tree Farmhouse DIY. So much fun, others helping others, and sooo many crafty ideas are shared there too. Many crafters you will find get a lot of their supplies from the Dollar Tree stores, and Dollar General stores along with other places too. With these 2 stores you get new products you can create with. Painting, Mod Podge, glue, calendars, placemats, wired garbage cans, pizza pans, sheet pans, and the list goes on. 

So, one of the members of the facebook group asked for some ideas that have been done with the wooden mini crates that are sold at the Dollar Tree store. What you see below the picture of the crates is just a few things of what everyone was sharing. 

Crates shown are what is being used for the craft ideas people were sharing

The mini crates here were painted, chalkboard tags added to the front, some wooden balls making mini pulls, and these mini crates were placed inside the bigger crates which have been painted, and stacked too.

This project was created with the mini crate which was added to 1 of the handled cutting boards. You can see what was painted, paper/cloth added, wording, ribbon, etc. How cute for a counter top, or on the table too.

This is cute too! Looks like the crate was stained, had some stained feet added to the bottom, white wording was added on the side, and some cute embellishments were added in the top of the open crate.

This is another crate stand that had been made by putting the smaller ones into the bigger stacked crate boxes. Chalkboard tags added to the front, and this piece shows how they can be used for pull out storage drawers probably in the bathroom.

Another popular craft to make with this mini crate is the appearance of stacked books with wording, some saying, names, dates, etc painted on the side. This one was decorated with some twine wrapping the books together.

Both of these pictures show the front, and side of this stand. You can use popular arrow signs for the sides with the wooden crates/boxes, or you could even use some paint stir sticks put together. A rope twine had been wrapped on the sides adding a little more character to this stand. The mini crate boxes could set within the trays used on this stand. 

There are so many things that can be used to craft with, and create with at your dollar stores, things found from thrift stores, and so on. The possibilities are endless. The next time you see something you like, you want it, but don’t want to pay the price on it. Keep in mind that maybe you can still have it by making it, and spending a lot less than what you see in the store. Plus, you can alter a little by putting your color on it, some little touch you want to change, something you might want to add, and etc. 

Hope you enjoyed this, and maybe are able to get some ideas of things you can do too. If you’re not the crafty type, but know someone who is, maybe they can help you out with your idea. Don’t forget to check online too. There are a lot of crafters out there who would be happy to help you because they love what they do.

Thanks for visiting with LilacsNDreams! Hope to see you again. Till the next time take care, and be safe. Toodles . . . . . . 

Merry Christmas Happy Holidays Holiday Fun Collectibles Crafting Handmade

 

Hello everyone! Welcome to LilacsNDreams! Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Holiday Fun!

Sorry I’ve been absent from here. I can say I thought of this place, and everyone visiting often. Some nights I had good intentions of stopping by here, and putting some kind of post here to say Hi, I was still around, etc. Then, I would fall asleep thinking about it. Don’t worry, I got scolded a lot from ME for letting it happen.

Above you will see some pictures from outside the home, and a few inside the home with Christmas decorations that have been done so far. Since most of the big stuff is done I hope to get started with pieces I have collected for some craft projects. Nothing difficult, or fancy, but should be fun.

 I so Love Christmas, and enjoy everything I can do involving this holiday. Got another tube of glue, got a new cordless glue gun, some glue sticks, I need to go pick out some acrylic paint to use, get some sponges, and couple of brushes for me to have some fun. I hope I can do all I intend to do. I have enough things to keep me busy for a while. I’m excited, and hope everything comes out well. Yes, I will share all I can with you too.

I so hope everyone had a fabulous Thanksgiving with everything you did. Different kind of year, and we’re all making the best of things that we can. I hope 2020 will end on a descent note with the Christmas season helping this too.

Thanks for visiting LilacsNDreams! See you all again soon. Be safe, and take care till the next time we can gather to converse. Toodles . . . .