TRASH TO TREASURE

I just love making something special from nothing much.  It's possible that my propensity to do this stems from being raised by parents who had been through the depression and taught me this.

Use it up.

Wear it out.

Make it do

Or do without.

It could be about thrift, but I have a feeling that if we won the lottery, I'd still do the same thing.  Why?  Because it's just plain fun!

I'm one of  those people who  looks at a piece of junk, a decrepit old house or even something I'm about to throw into the recycle bin and ask myself this question.

"Self, what could you make from this?"

Well...here's an example.

This

                                    

became this.....

It's also, probably, about my natural creative streak.  A  favorite Colorado childhood Christmas memory is one year after Mom and Dad took the REAL Christmas tree down they left it in our back yard on its' wooden stand (remember those?) and I  re-decorated it with 'found' treasures.  Pinecones, of course, but also pretty rocks and bird feathers or nests, crumpled pieces of foil I might find or any available plant materials.  I had such fun doing that!

Speaking of creative streaks.  I truly believe that absolutely everyone has one.  We've just been brain-washed into thinking that 'creative' means making music or photographs or paintings or sculptures or books...or blogs...and that's about it.

Nay, I say!!!! 

Natural creativity is the reason YOUR living room doesn't look just like anybody else's living room.  It might mean you can cook without a recipe or that you're a wild and crazy lover or that you come up with unique solutions for a problem. Or, that you  build a model railroad...like my hubby.

This is a shot of the mine on his Canyon Valley railroad.

My absolute, hands-down favorite 'something special' I've made from nothing much is...TA-DA....

MY TWO LEGGED TABLE!!!

I was in my favorite shopping venue, a thrift store, when I saw a poor, pitiful table with one horribly mangled leg.  The round top was nice and so were three of the legs.  It was solid wood...not that pressed wood junk that so many things are made from today.  And it was CHEAP!

I had a round patio table with a broken top. 

Hmmm. (creative wheels in my brain turning, turning, turning)

SOLD!

I successfully married the new (used) table top to my table bottom.  See?

                                    

Now, what on earth could I do with those nicely turned legs?

Think.  Think.  Think.

AHA!

By George!  I think I've got it.

During one of yard sale forays-my second favorite shopping venue-I had purchased about a dozen vintage wood cabinet doors for $5. 

Why, you ask?

Because they are wood.  I like wood.  They looked like they had interesting possibilities. And they were CHEAP!

So...here's what I did.

First, of course, I painted the cabinet door and the legs with some nice, bright colors.

Next, using an angle brace, I attached two of the legs, with their apron, directly to the wall of a shed which is adjacent to my patio.

Now, using the still-present  hinges, I screwd the door directly into the shed wall

and...

VOILA!!!

LOOK WHAT I GOT!!!!!!!

I have spent many happy hours sitting beside that table, reading or writing in my journal or just BE-ing.  I love that little table so much that I painted its' portrait...even including my not-at-all-attractive, but oh-so -comfy chair.  And of course, a glass of wine.  My morning coffee cup just wouldn't have been right for this painting.

Oh...and here's one more thing I made from those cabinet doors. 

I hear you thinking..."Ok, but what is it?"

Well, I don't have any idea what 'it' is.  But, I have used it as display for small things at art/craft shows.  It's been used as the backdrop for a painting.  It could be an altar, of sorts.  Whatever 'it' is, I just love it.  And, except for some new screws, it is made entirely from scrap wood and two old cabinet doors.  All of which might have otherwise wound up in a landfill.

And that makes me happy.

This next picture has nothing to do with the subject at hand.  But as I was searching through my picture files, I saw it and just had to post this photo of our cat, Codi.

But wait!

Have another look at the picture.  See those empty wine boxes on the top shelf?  OK...I admit it.  I'm just a low class individual with no redeeming qualities whatsoever regarding my taste in wine.  However, those boxes make the best storage for such things as magazines, catalogs, or, in this case, my collection of the original collages from which I make my cards.

I am a recycling fool!

I am GRATEFUL for infinite possibilities to turn trash into treasures!