Those of you who follow me on Facebook have seen some of my renovation projects, like my park bench makeover, hall tree, or small table. I love being able to salvage things that still have lots of life left to them for a variety of reasons. One of them is because doing so reminds me of my grandfather. He could fix ANYTHING, but on top of that, he came from a time where even the smallest things, like a nail, were precious. I remember him having a collection of nails and screws in the garage in little baby jars because in his day you didn’t throw out useful things.
Now that we’re moving, I find myself doing the same thing as I organize my little section of the garage so that I have a place to work. I’ve got jars filled with screws, nails, and bolts for assorted projects. I’ve got a list of things I want to do and am excited about tackling them.
Another reason I love upcycling is that I get to see a project take shape in a way that is much more immediate than writing. That provides a lot of satisfaction. So does saving money on not having to get new things, but making old things seem new!
Finally, I feel like keeping something useful from ending up in a landfill is my little way of helping the environment.
How much do I love upcycling? Well, the heroine of a new book I’m working on is going to be a furniture flipper! That’s how much! LOL!
