Repurpose Upcycle Reuse Restyle Pedestal Plate Stand

Repurpose Upcycle Reuse Restyle Pedestal Plate Stand

Welcome to LilacsNDreams! Happy you found me, and are visiting. I am enjoying sharing pieces from when I started to repurpose, and upcycle things. I had made quite a few Pedestal Plate Stands when I first started. I did different sizes using dinner plates, sandwich plates, dishes, bowls, and so on. A lot of the bases were made from candle holders. Once in a while I might find a coffee mug that would add character to a plate. I enjoyed using lonely vintage colored glass goblets to make these stands too. So many possibilities I enjoyed it, and had fun with it. Sometimes pieces were united, and offered as is. Some of the stands I would consider adding some lace, ribbon, cut and shaped sheet music, and it depended on my inspiration at the time what I would do. 

Below you will see a simple, but adorable stand I had made once. I used a green sandwich snack plate that had character with the shape, and design in the plate. I united it with a darker green ceramic candle holder with some light colored design around the bottom base. You will also seem my first balls I had made to accompany this stand. I used some ivory colored lace, and some light brown ribbing which was wrapped around styrofoam balls to make these. I had fun, enjoyed doing it, and the new owner was happy to have this adorning their home as well.

I do hope you enjoyed what I shared with you today. I take pleasure in sharing, and I have hopes maybe it will help to inspire you with your own creativity. Remember if you do not want to create it yourself you can always search for someone who does make things like this. Adorable unique pedestal stands that have their own uniqueness. 

Thanks for visiting LilacsNDreams, and I hope you enjoyed your visit. Have fun, be safe, and see you again soon. 

Repurpose Upcycle Reuse What You Already Have

                                            

Repurpose Upcycle Reuse What You Already Have

Hello, and Welcome to LilacsNDreams! Happy to have you stopping by. Last night I was thinking of repurposing, reusing, upcycling, and how many times can we do this to particular items. How many items in your home have been repurposed, and reused in some way. Also, are the repurposed projects from home, were they found items while thrifting, or were some pieces handmade by others. 

I LOVE to repurpose, upcycle, and reuse things myself. It can be more cost effective using what you already have, it’s fun to thrift for items to use, and these projects are great for your home or reselling too. Another reason to repurpose is that some of your pieces already have character, maybe some patina, some of their own details, and so on. Newer pieces do not have some of this. So, before you buy new have a look around. Carefully look for some pieces that you could reinvent. Some of the pieces might just need a little updating which could be new material, maybe united with another piece, paint touch up, some kind of new hardware, and so on. Just have fun reimagining them in new ways.

Remember I am suggesting some ideas before we start throwing things away, or sending them off some where. Nearly everything has possibilities for a second life. Seeing beyond what things are to what they can be can be fun, and a money saver too. A few ideas have been shared below of images shared for viewing.

This is a small Pedestal Plate Stand that I had made. I used an adorable little dish bowl, and attached it to a glass candle holder for the base stand.

Great idea! Use some of your favorite coffee mugs that maybe the insides are worn from time, or just some extras not being used. Add some styrofoam to put some succulents into, and add some filler around that. Adorable showing this on shelf, counter, window seal, etc.

Always looking for ways to do some small organizing, and using an old muffin tray would be perfect for small things as shown. Add an old handle to it if you like to carry it from spot to spot. The pan can be cleaned, and used as is. It could also be painted if you would like too.

Another great idea to reuse with some of your favorite little plants, succulents, etc. Old single coffee cup, bowl, glass bowl vase, and so many possibilities.

Got an old grater not being used? Why not smooth the cutting sides, and then hang it upside down for storage of colored pencils, maybe some crayons, scissors, and different things by your desk or for the kids.

Have an old shutter, and wasn’t exactly sure what to do with it. Picture above is 1 of many ideas what to do. Give it some paint, add a couple shelves to it, and it is something uniquely done for your home. This would be great in the bathroom, kitchen, your bedroom, in your office, and many possibilities.

Thanks so much for visiting with LilacsNDreams! Don’t be afraid to share, or comment with things shared here. Love hearing from you, and enjoy reading what you share. Take care, be safe, and see you again soon!

Repurpose Upcycle Reuse Recycle With Discarded Treasures

 

Repurpose Upcycle Reuse Recycle With Discarded Treasures

Welcome to LilacsNDreams! Happy to have you visiting with me today. Along with many others I will spend time roaming the internet researching, learning, reading, shopping, viewing pictures and ideas, and so on. I enjoy seeing creations of what people are making, what they are doing, how they are doing it, any instructions, and etc. I enjoy creating things, find it relaxing, its fun putting thoughts and ideas into something, and I find the little things bring a smile to my face, and hopefully yours as well. 

Sometimes common words used get used in many ways that I lose track of what the actual definition might be. So, I am sharing a little list here hoping to also help others too. These are definitions to some words when I googled them.

* Repurpose : You take one thing and use it for something else (repurpose it) before it goes through any breakdown, and reformation. For instance a shirt being used to make a handbag, or shopping bag. Maybe a metal pipe into a sculpture. Use something in a new way.

* Upcycle : Is familiar to recycling in that you are taking something, and reworking it into a new form for continued use. Main difference being you are not altering it’s form back into it’s components for reuse.

* Reuse : Whatever the purpose, you basically reuse the item for the same purpose more than one time

* Recycle : Return (material) to a previous stage of cyclic process; convert waste to a reusable material. For example a recycled box is broken down, and made into new cardboard. Or, plastic is broke down , and melted into new plastic. 

I know it can be confusing sometimes, but it also determines how we use the words and how we explain them to mean too.

Repurpose Vintage Items by giving new life to something already owned. Many things around a persons home that this can be done with. If you are like me, you won’t throw anything away because you might be able to use it some day. Looking through magazines, looking through thrift stores, roaming yard sales, and digging through junk there are always possibilities with things. 

I adore those who use bits, and pieces from the past to create something new to enjoy. Seeing beyond what it is, to what it can be makes wonderful one-of-a-kind treasures to enjoy for many more years. 

See how much fun junk can be? Hope you all enjoyed this topic today, and was able to maybe get a smile about a treasure or memory, see things in a different way, a little word definition assistance, and of course to maybe help you creating some ideas. If not reusing pieces as is, why not repurpose them in ways for you to enjoy, and cherish a little bit longer. Don’t forget the smile you could have with cherished memories too. 

Thank You for visiting with LilacsNDreams! Have fun, enjoy, and be safe everyone. I look forward to your next visit.

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.

Spring Time Clocks Change Go Forward Saturday Night

 

Spring Time Clocks Change Go Forward Saturday Night

Welcome to LilacsNDreams everyone! Been quite a while, and I am guilty of not being here. Sorry, no excuses will be used. Just Holidays, weather, winter blues, and so on.

I haven’t been crafting, and not really much of anything honestly. Spring is coming, I am excited with a few things I’ve gathered to craft with. Have a few ideas, and I hope I can do as I am planning on too.

 I have some doctor appointments I need to take care of. In May we will be in Tennessee for a few days attending my nieces graduation from college. Then, in June our niece gets married. This is a special time for us with her wedding. Her mother (my husbands sister) passed away about 5 days after giving birth to her. So, the aunts got together 1 weekend, and took her dress shopping. Along with her dress she got her veil, her shoes, a hair clip to wear with her veil, and a necklace and earring set. Since my husband, and I live closer to her we have been doing what we can to help her with her wedding preparations. Some of it financially too. No limit set. We want this special time to be fun, and memorable for her. Things are going pretty good, and the time is really coming up quickly too. 

I wanted to put a reminder out to everyone too. This weekend, Saturday night, need to remember that we set our clocks ahead an hour. Yes, that time of year again. We get to spring the clocks forward, and will unfortunately lose an hour of sleep too. Just think spring is soon here. I like this time of year when everything looks fresh, is alive, beautiful colors, getting away from the winter blues, and onto a great spring season. 

It was great having you visit LilacsNDreams, and Thank You so much for stopping by! Take care, be safe, and hope to see you again soon. 

DIY Repurpose Upcycle Handmade Restyle Your Home

 

DIY Repurpose Upcycle Handmade Restyle Your Home with LilacsNDreams. Welcome to everyone stopping by today.

Been staying in the new house. Still have a few more things to move here yet, and hopefully this week we get it finished. We were fortunate to be able to take our time moving in as we had no closing, or anything within our other home. We’re sill making payments, and hopefully soon we will work more on getting it sold. 

I’m looking at containers to be emptied, thinking of how I need to organize, and trying to convince myself I need to move a little faster with it too. The 26th our new table will be delivered, and I’m anxious to be able to start crafting using it too. I met the next door neighbors daughter who loves to scrapbook, and craft. Unfortunately she was only here for the weekend, and is now back home. 

Today I will be turning off cable, and internet at the old house. Need to get my new internet modem hooked up at the new place, and make preparations for the new TV we pick up this weekend too. New furniture, new table, new TV, and I think we’re set for a while. 

It’s time to get back to crafting, repurposing, and making things again. I’m anxious to work on things, and I can’t get to it fast enough. Patience, I keep telling myself soon, almost, soon. 

Sorry I don’t have much more for everyone this time. I do appreciate you stopping by to visit, and check on things. Thank you for visiting with LilacsNDreams. Take care everyone, be safe, and see you all again soon. Toodles . . . . 

Repurpose Upcycle DIY Handmade Vintage Collectibles

Repurpose Upcycle DIY Handmade Vintage Collectibles at LilacsNDreams. Welcome, and glad to have you drop by!

I’m so very very very sorry to all those who have visited, and no new postings done for you to read. I deeply apologize for this. Once in a while Life can throw a curve, or two. Well, that time came for us this past month. 

My husband was scheduled to have all his upper teeth pulled. That went successfully. The dentist liked how things looked his first day after surgery. The following few days from there husband was not feeling well. I was feeling a little off myself too. But, unfortunately for him he kept not feeling well. One of the biggest issues is he was not eating. About a week and a half later I took him to the ER. Great service there. 

Unbelievably he was not tested for COVID. They gave him an IV for dehydration, and talked with him about foods he could eat, and things to drink for protein.

Next day he had a dental appointment. Explained to them what had been happening, some of it they knew about the issues of not eating. Checked his upper mouth, things were still looking good for the healing process, adjusted his denture again to help him. My husband was getting bad headaches too. Dentist wasn’t sure what to say about that. The next night we had the ambulance at the house because hubby was having a hard time breathing, it would hurt, and some slight pain in his chest.

So, off he went in the ambulance with me following hoping we would get some answers as to what has been happening. He still wasn’t eating, drinking water, not enough, and the symptoms kept happening. Got him checked into the ER...different hospital than from a couple nights ago. Went over all the same things, same questions, blood work done, chest X-rays done, hooked him to the IV again, and we were asked again about COVID. He was not tested before his oral surgery, he was not tested at hospital other night, and this hospital was astounded no one had tested him. They tested him on this night, and it was positive. He had COVID Pneumonia, and he was admitted to the hospital. Here he stayed for about 6 days, and sent home with a few instructions. 

He came home on a Tuesday, and on Wednesday Night I took him back to the hospital. Same issue with breathing. He was tested, things look good, and given some instructions. Thursday morning I was woken very early, hubby had called ambulance again due to his chest, and breathing. Rescue unit got there first, his oxygen was good, and things calmed down. He cancelled the ambulance. About 1/2 hour after they left he had me taking him to the ER again. 

This time we spent all morning at the hospital. Ran tests, did a scan checking for blood clots, talked with him, etc. everything was coming out good, no clots, blood work good, etc. Doc spent time talking with him. Explained some situations of COVID, he had it at 1 point, nurse had talked with him about her having it, how long it can take to heal/feel like yourself , etc. This time they explained more, covered a little more, an gave a few more suggestions too. Some medicine had been prescribed, some over the counter sleep aid suggested, and an oximeter was suggested too. Now, with that object my husband treats it like a security blanket. It’s helping him get through this situation, he’s starting to eat more, getting more of an appetite, and he is up moving around a little more walking. He hasn’t worked for 3 weeks, its gonna be about another 2-3 weeks before he can consider working again. 

Who would have guessed this would happen, right? Never any issues with the cross country driving he does in the truck. I feel fine. Just dealing with allergies right now...that time of year you know. Lots of washing, cleaning, and spraying/sanitizing things around the house, the patio furniture, and the car too. 

So, to keep things healthy for him at this time I have not done any kind of crafting, thrifting, yard sales, shopping, etc. Getting a little antsy myself. Things will pass, they will get better...slowly getting there, and he will be back to work, and I can continue with things I have been doing. Slight delay right now, but it will be better soon. Just working with time right now, and this healing process for him. 

I’ve missed being here every week, and I deeply apologize for it too. I’m happy I could take a little time to share with everyone what the real issue is, and please ask for your patience with me during my husbands healing. 

Thank You so very much for visiting with LilacsNDreams everyone! Take care, be safe, and stay healthy! 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 . . . . .

Social Media Tools Use Vintage Collectibles Handmade Crafts

 

Social Media Tools Use Vintage Collectibles Handmade Crafts Repurpose at LilacsNDreams. Welcome Everyone!

I wanted to touch base a little bit about our Social Networking, and Social Media that we all participate in for pleasure, and many do it for business too. 

I think we can agree the more popular sites we use for our social connections are with Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, and LinkedIn too. Keep in mind there are a lot of places out there being used. Remember this is not all of them, and there are others that some use depending on your interest, business you might have involving it, your personal thoughts and feelings, your goals, etc. I hope this will help you a little bit with what you do now, or maybe any personal goals you have. 

FACEBOOK is a social networking service that allows its users to upload pictures, and share text. There is Facebook Messenger that many will use to contact people with, send notices, share things, etc. Facebook Pages are still around. Some use them for maybe a personal blog, use for their business pages, and so on. With Facebook Pages you can collect fans, and followers that can better follow you, and your updates to things too. 

INSTAGRAM has become quite popular to use too. Those accounts can be connected to your Facebook accounts which is good for business. When you can connect some of your social media accounts you can put 1 message, picture, announcements in 1 spot that will share to some of the other accounts. This is good to get backlinks that will refer to your website, blog, business page, and so on. 

PINTEREST is another form of social networking we do by using pin boards. You use a photo sharing technique of things you find of interest which could include vintage collectibles, handmade projects, crafts you’ve done or of what others have done, repurposed projects, blogs, websites, selling platforms, etc. It’s a great way to organize some thoughts, and another way to bookmark things you find of interest too. 

TWITTER is yet another form of social media, and social networking that is used for people to share things. Pictures can be used, usually limited wording, and we seen how it was popular for our former president Donald Trump too. Usually when I share something on Facebook it will also go to twitter too.

LINKEDIN is another social networking sight that does focus a little more with business relations. 

For those who use the internet for selling, or maybe advertising your products Social Networking is something good to use. It’s free unless with some you want to pay a fee to get a little more of what they offer. Keep in mind being involved with social media will help you be seen, or found at times on the internet. Google picks up on things with your use of keywords, use of backlinks, and so on. Connecting everything where you can, or with those that offer that. Keywords, backlinks, and it all works together. Google LilacsNDreams some time. You will see places I’m connected with, and what is maybe working for me. Takes time, patience, and being consistent with it too. Don’t forget that for some it’s their pastime keeping in touch with people, and their interests. 

Remember you are always welcome to share along with things that have been discussed. If you have had success, or good things with a place please share with us. 

Thanks so much for visiting with LilacsNDreams! Always happy to see you. Till the next time take care, and be safe. Toodles . . .

Christmas Cane Elf Ladder Pointsettia Tree Handmade

 

Christmas Cane Elf Ladder Poinsettia Tree Handmade by LilacsNDreams. Welcome to Everyone! Glad you could drop by.

I Love Christmas, and really enjoy repurposing, restyling, upcycling, and handmade items with christmas decor too. I have often thought about making up as many things as I could for christmas decor, and offer it for sale all year long. After doing some minor research it can, and is being done too. Something to think about, and consider. If I would keep enough inventory of christmas supplies on hand I could spend the summer painting, gluing, and making a lot of things to offer. You know Christmas in July, and for the rest of the year. I really like the thoughts for this. We’ll see what I do.

OK, my 2 projects I have been working with are not fully done. I have a good start, but need to complete them with some other items added into the decor. Bows, Christmas items like pinecones, finishing ribbon around the trunk, adding a base, and just some different things to dress them more. 

These 3 pictures show 1 of my projects I’m working on. For this I have used 3 plastic candy canes to make this ladder. The 3rd candy I had cut to make 3 steps for the ladder. I am finally using a glue gun to help with a more quicker way of connecting things. Once things have bonded I then will add a little E6000 in different places to achieve a more sufficient bonding that will hold. As you can see I’ve added 2 little elves to this sitting on the ladder steps. I intend to add a little more christmas embellishments before I consider this completed. Fun!

These 2 pictures show my Christmas Poinsettia Tree I am making. I have added red, and white poinsettias to the top of a plunger making the tree top. This will sit, and bond over night. Tomorrow I will then arrange the poinsettias more making a fuller tree top. I then want to add some small glittered pine cones into the tree top. I’m thinking of using some green glittered ribbon for the tree trunk base, or silver glitter ribbon, or plain green ribbon. I’ll play with it a bit, and decide then. I have a red cardinal that will be added with this tree along with a silver christmas tree bucket for the base. The bucket will be filled with support for the the plunger to stand, and then I’ll cover that with some white snow filler. Of course I will be adding some christmas embellishments around the base, and so on. I will make sure to share with you pictures of the completed projects. 

This week is Christmas! Is everyone ready for this? Any special plans, gatherings, family, places to go, plans of how you will spend the day, and so on? I know this pandemic has put a curve to a lot of things. For us we have our son, and our daughter with her family joining us. Everyone’s health is great, and this is family time we do every year. This is 1 close to normal thing we will be doing together as a family. 

I want to thank you all for visiting with LilacsNDreams! I wish you all a very Merry Christmas, and a wonderful New Year too! Take care, be safe, and see you again soon. Toodles . . . 

                                                        MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!!!