Reclaim  Repair  Up-Cycle  Re-Purpose

In this Eco-Friendly Venture of Utilizing Pre-Produced and Manufactured Goods, it all Begins with a Mission to Reduce the Waste and Thoughtless Consumption of our Natural Resources.

All that we Use in Our Daily Lives Derives from Natural Resources; Many are Essential for Survival.  To Reclaim, Repair, Up-cycle, and Re-Purpose is Paying Respect to These Resources, and Staving-Off Their Depletion. Food for Thought: The Industrial Revolution Began Only About 260 Years Ago.

I Seek out Items that Strike my Fancy, and Display Elements of Good Design: Meritorious Lines or Shape, Interesting Pattern or Texture, Lovely Coloration or Patina, a Quirkiness or Whimsy.  Maybe it's Only a Random Part that Would have Possibilities Combined with Other Elements.  In this Case, it may be Stored for a While, Added to the Collection of Finds until the Moment for Use is Right. I have Found that Organizing the Little Bits and Pieces by Material or Flavor is a Must.

Often, My Home Decor and Furnishings Finds Require Repair, as with this Late 18th c. Fan Back Windsor Chair. The Bold Turnings and Up-Tilted Ears set this Chair Apart from the Crowd, but all Spindles and Stiles in it's Back were Loose.  I just Finished this Repair, Removing all Components, Scraping off the old Glue, and Re-Gluing.  It will Shortly be Added to Accent Furniture Available on my Fleur-de-Lis Flea.

You May Find me in my Studio Reclaiming and Altering Furniture. This Table wowed me with it's Great Legs, but the Original 1960's Drop Leaves on Either Side had to go. They Hid the Gorgeous Legs, and Made me Think Vintage Sears Early American. This was an Up-cycle Project with Re-Style, Complete Strip-Down, and Stenciled Decorative Finish...

Up-Cycling Salvaged Industrial Parts, Hardware, and Furniture Turnings into Decorative Objects to Incorporate as Home Decor...

Re-Purposing Waste Paper Gum Wrappers as Silver Leaf on a Lamp Base.  Pages from an old 1948 Dictionary Combine with a Plaster-Like Grout / Adhesive to do an Artful Up-cycle of a Pair of Shabby Metal Lamp Bases...

Decorative Tin was Reclaimed from Broken Moroccan Lanterns to Embellish a Frame.  A Cast-off  Demi-lune Furniture Drawer and Other Salvaged Furniture Parts were Re-Purposed into a Niche. Eco-Friendly Home Decor for the Individualist...

If not Involved with a Studio Project, it's off to my Sewing Workroom to Transform Cast-Off Apparel and Remnants into Artistic Wearable Clothing and Fashion Accessory Scarves.  The Tunic of Asian Motif Cut Velvet was Formerly a Badly Sewn Cushion I Found Digging Through Remnants of Fabrics in a Flea Market on the Outskirts of Marrakech...

It Might be a Re-Purposing of Upholsterer's Tufting Clips, Industrial Washers, or Vintage Buttons into Jewelry, Fashion Accessories, and Objects of Adornment...

Salvaging and Reclaiming Goods for Up-Cycle and Re-Purpose is not a new Idea.  This Tramp Art Box is Made of Notched Scraps of Wood and a Cigar Box.  The Berbers of Morocco Re-Purpose old Wooden Crates and Scrap Wood into Decorative Wall Shelves...

Reuse does Require a Little Extra Time.  If not an Item Created in Mass Production, One will be Re-Inventing the Wheel with Each Piece.  Aesthetic Judgments Regarding Design are Essential. Otherwise, the Up-cycled or Re-Purposed Creation may fall into the Category of Crafty or Hokey.  If  Reuse Involves Repairing or Refinishing, I Find that it is so Easy to get in Over one's Head by Under-Estimating what all may be Involved.

Would You Like to see More Eco-Friendly Goods with an Artistic Twist?  Visit Artisanaworks for all my Handmade one-of-a-kind Fashion, Fashion Accessories and Home Fashion Textiles and Pillows.

Also see my Fleur-de-Lis Online Flea Market, Curated with Choice Finds in Home Decor and Statement Finds in Personal Adornment.