Repurposing Reusing Upcycling Restyling What You Already Have

Repurposing Reusing Upcycling Restyling What You Already Have

Welcome to LilacsNDreams! Today I was thinking about repurposing, reusing, upcycling, restyling, and wondering about how many items have had this done in our homes, and how many times it's been done too. Many of us will have projects in our home that we did ourselves, or we might have gotten things while we were doing our thrifting, searches, treasure hunting. 

I LOVE to repurpose, and rescue things myself. I have a habit of hanging onto things because I might need it later, something will come to mind to redo it, and etc. It's always more fun to rescue precious treasures, and give them a new life. Sometimes it might be a little paint, some varnish, maybe marrying one piece to another making something unique, and just being creative. 

I have found it to be more cost effective when you use what you already have, maybe thrifting for items to reuse for your home, repurposing for resale, etc. What I like about repurposing pieces that I already have is that they have their own character, patina, details, and so on. Newer pieces will not have some of these characteristics that we enjoy, or cherish. Keep in mind that some of the older pieces were sometimes better made than the new things that are being produced today. 

So, before you plan on buying something new, have a look around. Carefully look for pieces that you could reinvent. Some items might need just a little updating of maybe some new materials, gluing together, fresh paint touch up, new hardware, and so on. Remember to just have fun reimagining your treasures in a new way. 

Few ideas would be maybe that old tv armoire you were thinking of getting rid of. Why not convert it into a microwave cart, maybe some sort of a kitchen pantry for you, and some kind of a kitchenette play thing for your children...for a daycare would be really neat too! Don't get rid of your dining room table. Instead cut the legs down on it to make a coffee table. You could also update the table by putting a new top on it by adding some boards, and then painting or varnishing everything. Dressers is another thing that many of us decide to give away, or discard. Instead you could think of converting this too. Maybe use it to make a bathroom vanity, cut some of the drawers out making it a bench with storage under it. Another simple task would be to reuse a shower curtain. It's water resistant for use in the shower. So, why not cut it down to use for some of your outdoor furniture as covers, using on top of tables and benches, etc. 

Please keep in mind that I am not telling you that you need to go out, and do exactly what I am suggesting here. I was only thinking that instead of throwing things out, and before buying something new...that maybe you could consider some of these suggestions to repurpose, and reuse your treasures. Nearly everything has some sort of a second life by using our creative thinking to form some constructive ideas. Seeing beyond what it is, to what it can be can be so much fun! Also, it can save a few pennies for us too!

Hopefully this helped you along a little bit with some ideas, and getting into the creative mood with repurposing reusing what we already have. At my Etsy shop I have been listing some fun vintage items with some jewelry too. Soon I hope to have some creative pieces done that I can offer for sale. I will keep you posted. Small delay with that as our son who is in the service will be home for a couple of weeks. So, all of our time will be spent with him while he's here. 

Thanks so much for spending some time with LilacsNDreams! Hope to see you again soon. Take care everyone. 

Thrifting Junking Buying Research Preparations for Reselling

Thrifting Junking Buying Researching for Reselling

Hello, and Welcome to LilacsNDreams! Since I am preparing to get back into selling online again I have thoughts that come to me sometimes. I guess I'm curious how others do things prior to posting their sales. Do I do some of what they do, or am I the complete opposite from those who sell descently. So, here is kind of a schedule of how I do things up to that point of selling. 

Once I am done with thrifting, junking, yard sales, auctions, etc, and I am home that is where the preparations for selling take place. I have all my treasures home that I have picked for the day. I know we all have different ways, but what is next or how do you start?

I have gotten everything home, unloaded everything, and now it all sits out looking at me. I decide to sit down with a notebook, and make some notes of things. I note the date, the item bought, where I got it from, and I note the price I paid. All receipts that I got for the day are also gathered, and put together. I will also make notes of any flaws that I have seen or felt, any knicks, crazing, markings, and any stamps of brands that will help with my listing of them. Some of the pieces will be sold "as is" and some of the items I might have decided I will repurpose them.

Nice little break during that time. Now is the next step I like to do. Everything has to be cleaned. Some items might need a light cleaning, and some items might have to soak a little bit to bring them back to life. So, I prepare my washing water with my Dawn soap that I always use. I also use a soft scrub sponge to help with cleaning into the lines/creases of some pieces. I worry about damaging, or breaking things so I make sure to take my time. No hurry here. I gently wash, and clean everything. During this time I can also note if any other flaws were found that were not seen the first time of viewing them. Most of the items will sit, and air dry.  

The cleaning has been completed, items are drying, and again I will sit for more preparation which is the research I will do of things. I like to check on pieces that are being offered, how many are being offered, checking to see if maybe I have something rare, and things like that. Also, I am noting which pieces I will be working with repurposing in some way. I check on what supplies I have for the project in mind, and if I need anything else I will make a list of things that I need to shop for. During this research I can also familiarize myself more with knowledge of the item too. Some of the treasures I find can also be looked at in some of the collectors books too. You can get more of a date of the age of the item, some of the history with it, and what they suggest the item is worth as well. 

I know it doesn't seem like much of what I do, and the steps that I myself use with preparations for reselling. It can be time consuming depending on how you do things. I try to hurry so I can list, but I also like to take sufficient time to better myself with each piece I sell. I enjoy doing what I do with thrifting, junking, the research and learning, and how I can connect with the pieces so that my listings are more completed with my offerings.  

This was a beautiful vintage lidded dish I had found, and Sold.

It's been a long time now, but these I believe were bought in a box at an auction. They have Sold.

This is something that I enjoyed repurposing. 2 different glass pieces. A glass bowl, and I added a very sturdy square glass candle holder to it as a pedestal making this glass bowl stand. Yes, it Sold.

This cupcake jewelry pedestal stand is something that I also made. I used a glass candle holder, a lonely homer laughlin snack plate, and to give it a little more character I add a bow to this too. Yes, it has Sold. I remember the customer requesting if I had any more plates like this that I could make some more of these. Unfortunately I didn't. 

After reading all of this if you have something to add to these preparations please feel free to do so. Love hearing from others, and the sharing that we can do to better help each other as well. 

Thanks so much for visiting with LilacsNDreams everyone. Hope to see you again soon. Take care till then.

Unique Diamond Marquise Engagement Wedding Anniversary Cocktail 14kt Yellow Gold Ring

Welcome to LilacsNDreams everyone! I’m excited, and had to stop by to share with you here. I have started listed in my shop at Etsy The pictures that you see above here are of 2 different diamond rings  that I have started off with. Tomorrow I hope to get a few more listings done. It took a while, but I have accomplished my start, and am excited to do more. When you get a chance stop on by to see what I have been doing. 

Thanks for visiting with LilacsNDreams! Hope to see you again soon. Till the next time, Toodles!

Vintage Collectibles Repurposed DIY Handmade on Etsy

Hello and Welcome to LilacsNDreams! Vintage Collectibles, Repurposed, DIY, Handmade on Etsy. Well, this week got by me, and it doesn't seem like I got a whole lot of things done. I started a couple of things, and then would work on another thing. I need better time management, right?

I decided to work with my shop at Etsy, and get things organized with that so I could start listing there again. Tonight I finally finished up with things there. I rewrote a lot of my introduction, shop policies, returns and exchanges, and things like that. I revised all the financials of everything there. A lot of it was updating things since it has been a few years away from there.

Last week I spent a little bit of time working on my blog here, and with my shoppe page on my blog too. I researched a little bit more where I need to be focusing more of my time. Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn seem to be places I can work with. Excuse Me, but I am having an issue remembering the link for my LinkedIn account. I apologize, but will revise it as soon as I have had some time to figure it out. 

So, I am hoping that tomorrow I can start listing a few minor things on Etsy. I have mostly vintage products until I complete some of my craft projects. I have a couple of 14kt gold diamond rings that I will be offering that are vintage. Appraisals for both of them, and one shows original receipt dated back to 1993. Beautiful unique pieces. 

I got some Easter Bunny tinsel wreaths from the Dollar Tree store. I have the bows, and the tinsel pulled off of them. Now, I need to get them wrapped with my own yarn, and fix them up a little bit with ideas I have. I will definitely share that with you once I have them completed. 

This is gonna be a little bit shorter tonight everyone. I sure do appreciate you stopping by to visit with me. Keep a watch out for my Etsy Shop, and you can always check out my Shoppe page with this site too. Just click on the tab at the top to get over to it. I am trying to post some things there, and once in a while I feature a friend of mine who does online sales too MaryLouLavender*s You can find her store at Ebay, or just click one of the links I have posted with my shoppe page.

Thanks for visiting LilacsNDreams, and hope to see y'all again real soon. Take care till the next time. Toodles.....

  

Thrifting Junking Vintage Collectibles DIY Crafting

Welcome to LilacsNDreams! Thrifting Junking Vintage Collectibles DIY Crafting. I apologize for last week. Weather, sleep, etc. I had every intention of posting to you, but I fell asleep. When I woke I was disappointed in myself for missing the opportunity to post on a scheduled time. 

Snow, sunshine, cold, winds, more and more and more...will it ever end? Being in Iowa we have been getting our share of that white stuff...that I don't seem to like anymore. Would be a great time to sit at the table, and work on things I have accumulated. Everything has been washed, has air dried, and I should have most of the supplies I need to make what I want. Yet, I haven't done that. 

Today I spent the afternoon working on a business page for Google. I didn't realize I had done one, was trying to update my address and everything. Then, I was being told I was suspended. For what I don't know, couldn't get it figured out. I finally got a response, and it was something about fixing/finding the root of the problem? I'm no expert when it comes to codes, and things like that. So, we'll see what happens. I get told suspension, then I go in again and I have to wait for a postcard with a code for me to use. So, not really sure, but I have done all I can for now. Hopefully tomorrow I get back in here to work on some issues found with my blog here. Need to fix some links not working, remove some things, in other words...clean house a little bit. Some of it consists of doing codes here which I had no problem before, and was use to it. But, it's been a long time, things change, and....we'll see how I do.  

We have had quite a bit of snow. It's still piled around the house, and by the alley. Last Sunday I was out shoveling, making a path to our car, and was gonna work around it so I could get the car out on Monday. A good samaritan with a really big tractor, and bucket stopped on the street. Backed up to me, and he cleaned around my car, pushed snow off sidewalk down to the alley, cleared my driveway and the neighbor next door, and I was so very happy for him to come by like that. I never got to talk to him, but thanked him many times. Neighbor across street didn't know who he was, but complimented how nice that was of him to do that. 

I did get some thrifting done by myself on days it didn't snow, and it was sunny. So, I've added more to the supplies, things to repurpose with, and I have picked up a few vintage pieces that I truly need to get listed. I think I am going to go into Etsy, and start there again. I just need to work on revising everything, updating it, rewording some things....since it has been a very long time for any activity there. 

Here are a few pictures of some things I have recently gotten to work with, or some vintage pieces too. Looks like a couple of pictures didn't make it here that show some more glassware I had gotten along with some glass salt pepper shakers too. And, I got some big old thread wooden spools that have thread on them too. I love crafting, and I do love my vintage pieces I can find too. Above here is a bronze plate that production was stopped for it back in 1979. Now with some of the other pictures are you seeing some possibilities of things I can make? Getting some ideas? As I come along with making things I will make sure I picture it, and share it with you too. 

I want to thank you all for visiting with LilacsNDreams! Glad to have you, and hope to see you again soon. Till the next time...Toodles!

Repurpose Restyle Handmade DIY Vintage Collectibles

Welcome to LilacsNDreams!  Repurpose Restyle Handmade DIY Vintage Collectibles. What a week it was! I was excited because I had things I was hoping to be sharing with you like some completed projects. Well, that was all pushed to the side again. 

Hubby was home all week. When he is home we take advantage of it as it doesn't happen that often. This time home was unplanned. Love it when he's home, and it's always nice that he gets back into the truck too. I seem to accomplish a little more when he is absent. I had cleared my table, and was ready to sit down to start doing some cutting, gluing, creative thinking, etc. And, you know the rest.

I have a very good friend who lives in Cedar Rapids. She sells things on ebay, and does quite well with what she does. Look her up some time MaryLouLavender*s is her store name. Hopefully this spring we get together as planned, and do some crafting and thrifting too. Until then we had discussed an idea I was kind of thinking of. "Christmas in July" I remember doing something like this back in time when I was selling online. I remember another seller commenting about how they sell christmas all year long, and it sells too. Perfect timing of these thoughts as I did acquire a few things during the year end sales for christmas items needed. Since then I have found a couple of thrift stores that have seasonal things all year long, and I can always sort through the Marketplace on Facebook too. 

So, anyway, I had proposed to her that maybe we should make this a goal with our crafting. Do things for "Christmas in July", and of course other things could be done too. Even some of the other holidays if we wanted to. I have some things here to work with, during all the year end sales I acquired a few things, and I still come across different things that can be transformed into what I need them for. 

One of the things I want to make is a Christmas Wreath with the manager featured on it. I got the 2 different mesh colors to use for it, last weekend I was thrifting and was fortunate to find a white star to use for the night star, I have fairy lights to use if I wish, and now I just need figurines/manger for this pc. I figured I could get started with what I had, and finish it with the last piece I need to find. 

I have different pieces of glassware that has all been washed, and air dried. With those I am going to make some little snowmen. I can put those together, get them close to done. I would just need some small pieces to get yet. Things to make the snowman noses, something for the hats, scarves, and etc.
I'm excited to being doing this. I know once I start I will keep going with it, and start producing things to have ready for July. 

I don't know about you, and where you're residing, but here we have had snow with more predicted. I love Christmas, but enough snow is enough. I am ready for spring time when things are new, fresh, and I have more energy to be working on things. I just need to stay focused right now. 

I want to thank you for visiting with LilacsNDreams, and hope to see you again soon. Feel free to stop by anytime, leave a message if you would like, and just browse around if you want to. I still need to work on my site here. Have made notes. All I can is it's a working progress, please bare with me. 

Thanks again everyone, till the next time. 

    

Personal Google+ Accounts Will Be Going Away

Welcome to LilacsNDreams!  Personal Google+ Accounts Will Be Going Away. So, has everyone heard, or have you gotten notices with your gmail email accounts? Notice has been sent from the Google+ Team to those who have a consumer (personal) Google+ account, or if you manage a Google+ Page. 

I guess in December of 2018 they announced their decision to shut down the Google+ for consumers in April of 2019. I guess they are closing this part due to low usage, and challenges that were involved in maintaining this. 

So, on April 2nd your Google+ account, and any Google+ pages that you created will be shut down. They will begin deleting content from Google+ accounts. Photos, and videos from Google+ in your album will also be deleted. You are able to download, and save your content. Just make sure that you do it before April. They did note that photos, and videos that are backed up in Google Photos will not be deleted. As early as February 4th you will no longer be able to create new Google+ profiles, pages, communities, or events. 

If you have a blog with Google they also have sent notices there for you to read as well about this issue. The Google+ Widgets: +1 Button, Google+ Followers, nd Google+ Badge widgets in your layout will no longer be available. All instances of these widgets will be removed from your blog. 
+1 Buttons and Google+ Share Links below blog posts, and in the navigation bar will be removed.
Please note if you have a custom template that includes Google+ features, you may need to update your template. Please contact your template supplier for advice. 
Google+ Comments:  Support for Google+ comments will be turned down, and all blogs using Google+ comments will be reverted back to using Blogger comments. Unfortunately, comments posted as Google+ comments cannot be migrated to Blogger, and will no longer appear on your blog.

If you have seen all of the notices regarding this issue I apologize for repeating it to you. For those who have not seen this, maybe overlooked the message, or for reasons unknown did not receive any of the messages I wanted to share this with you. 

Sadly, I hadn't used Google+ for a really long time. When it first came out I remember working with it, trying to adapt, and trying to do something with it. I was never really set on using it, and with some things it got complicating/in the way of what I was trying to do. It was a part of Google, and I thought maybe it would help with things involving my placement in google, my ranking in google, and so on. I later learned there were other things that were more helpful in doing all of that, and more for me. 

So, just giving everyone a heads up if you notices any minor changes due to this issue. Hope it was helpful to those who needed to know. 

Thanks so much for visiting with LilacsNDreams. I hope to see you all again soon. Take care till the next time everyone.