Two Years, One Sale- On The Upcycle

This April 27th 2015 marks the two-year anniversary of this blog and my creative mission to reuse, re-purpose and restyle.

2-years-old

For me, Upcycling is all about having fun and being creative with items that would otherwise be discarded.  The biggest challenge for me has been the writing. I love to craft, but I struggle with writer’s block from time to time.  The ideas for projects often come but the words to adequately describe them do not. Although I am not blogging with quite the same frequency as I once was, I am still happy that I was able to continue and complete a few larger and more challenging projects this past year, like my Lane Cedar Hope Chest. After two years of creating I am inevitably left with too many items and not enough room to keep them all. I was excited to hear that my daughter’s school is sponsoring a flea market in early May.  This seemed like a great oppurtunity to have my first “flea market experience.” I have never tried to sell my projects before, so this is a huge first step for me.  What better way to re-energize and make room for new projects?

It’s spring cleaning time for On The Upcycle. That being said, it’s also a fun time to squeeze in a few smaller projects in the days leading up to the sale.

I love wooden boxes and picked this one up for 99 cents at Goodwill.  I didn’t care for the boxes original design, but the box itself was in great shape.

20150419_201455[1]

I used a spray on white primer to properly cover the previous design on the box.

20150419_212220[1]

I had a nice celestial print.  I have been in a colorful mood lately and wanted to utilize a design with a lot of color

20150419_212452[1]

I applied Mod Podge with a brush, and placed the print on the box top and front.

20150419_212639[1]

I painted the box blue and pink to match colors contained within the print

20150420_212842[1]

This whimsical celestial themed box is one of the items crafted specifically for the sale.

20150420_212650[1]

Here are a few photo’s of previous projects I have agreed to part with for the upcoming sale:

Peacock Table
peacock table before and after

Star Wars Kid Chair:

Star Wars Themed Fabric Decoupage Chair

Strawberry Shortcake Kids Chair:

Upcycled Strawberry Shortcake Kids Record Chair

Kids School Desk:
Upcycled Kids School Desk

Happy Earth day to all of my friends!! How are you celebrating today? Do any of you have experience with Flea Market sales? I would love to hear from you! Any tricks of the trade or friendly advice?

10 thoughts on “Two Years, One Sale- On The Upcycle”

  3. Congratulations on your blog birthday. It is quite a milestone. I have only just achieve the one-year mark and was excited and surprised how quickly the time has passed.
    I understand your writer’s block. To overcome this, I now have a list of topics in my personal brain storm file for future use. It doesn’t how crazy the ideas seem just write or type them out. You will find your brain will magically create a story for each one.
    Give this a try and see how it works for you.
    Glenda.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Thank you so much for your kind words and suggestions Glenda! I think writing a list is a GREAT idea. Sometimes ideas pop in my head throughout the day and I forget them! I need to start writing them down for future use!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  4. Your work is so well crafted and artistic, I think it should fly off the shelf, UpMom.

    Happy Blog Birthday. I’ve been reading you since the start, I’m pretty sure. You are unique in our BloggyVille, our friend. Keep up with your purposeful repurposing. Happy Earth Day!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • You are so kind Mark! My biggest fear is I will end up taking everything back home with me and nothing will sell! That’s why for my first sale I am pricing everything VERY reasonably. I cannot tell you how much I appreciate your encouraging words! Hope you had a very lovely Earth Day and I so appreciate you following on the upcycle!

      Like

      Reply

      • Your work is art, UpMom. Don’t short sell your talents in your mind, please and thank you. We’ll see. I want you to send me a note when you drive home with an empty vehicle and a heart full of optimism. 🙂 That way I’ll know my eye for cool stuff is 20-20. 😉

        Liked by 1 person

  6. kathy & deb says:

    Good luck with the sale; your projects are super cute. From our experience with both attending and having sales you should: make an attractive display; clearly mark your prices; do some research for pricing in your area–can you find a junktique mart to visit?; and have a plan for when people ask you if this is your “best” price!!

    Like

    Reply

    • Thanks guys for all the great advice! I am a total newbie at this. Since it is a flea market prices will be VERY reasonable. I am hoping it give me a better idea at how these items go over for future endeavors. Thanks for stopping by!

      Like

      Reply

Leave a comment