We had a great sale at the Big Red Barn this weekend. Hope you were able to make it out! I had a lot of great discussions with the buyers and lots of suggestions for upcycling/recycling items we sell in the barn. We get many, many artisans and craftspersons at our sale who are looking for items to make everything from robots to bird feeders. I’d like to share a few ideas with you.
This was one of my favorite ideas. This clever crafter, takes large round doilies and wraps them around different pumpkins at Halloween/Fall. Easy! She will just tie up the top for great holiday decor. I liked the idea of using the different colors of doilies. You could also experiment with the tie for different looks – ribbon, twine, fabric, etc.
Another idea was using the multitude of miscellaneous glassware pieces you can find at garage sales to make bird feeders. You could use milk glass, depression glass, etc. It’s a great use for pieces with a tiny chip, imperfection, or cloudiness. I liked the idea of using the square dishes or even the divided dishes. You could assemble them with a base, or not, and place them in your garden.
I also find literally, hundreds of punch cups at sales for practically nothing. Everyone is trying to get rid of them. I would suggest using old punch cups for a single serve at a party. They are perfect to hold desserts, snacks, salads, etc. They’re a perfect grab and go for your party and come in a variety of shapes and sizes.
Finally, the frames and trophy tops. People bought the frames to use for projects from simple painting to embellishment. The trophy tops were used as pegs to make hangers on a board. I thought this would be cute for a kids room. You get tons of trophies with no future life.
Thanks to everyone for the great ideas. More will be shared soon. Happy hunting!!
Jackie
Big Red Barn Blog 