Quick Tips for Transforming Trash to Treasure:
- Looking at less-than-perfect antiques and collectibles with a fresh eye is the first step in recycling someone else’s discards into something useful or fun.
- Trash to treasure potential can be found inexpensively most anywhere from flea markets and estate sales to, yes, the dumpster down the block.
- Inspiration for trash to treasure makeovers abounds in do-it-yourself books, decorating magazines and even on this site. Look at the link to the user submitted photos in our trash to treasure makeover gallery for numerous clever ideas.
- Keep in mind that one of the most unique aspects of recycling antiques and collectibles in this way is being able to make them your own by incorporating your favorite fabrics, colors and decorating style into your makeover projects.
Hunting Trashy Treasures with Mom
When I was a kid, my mother had a habit of stopping to dig through piles of household discards when she spied something old. We could be on the way to almost anywhere and we'd always have a few extra minutes to stop and forage around a bit.
Now, I have to admit, digging through the garbage wasn't my favorite way to pass time as a child. In fact, it embarrassed me to no end on more than one occasion. As an adult, quite frankly, I find it intriguing. How things change with the dawning of maturity.
I also respect the vision my mother exhibited when she saw potential in something one of our neighbors had tossed in the trash. Whether it happened to be the remnants of a rocking chair my father could repair and she could refinish, or something she could simply clean up a bit and merchandise in her shop, she regularly recycled trash into treasure.
My Own Trash to Treasure Finds
Most of my own "trash to treasure" pieces have come from estate sales, antique stores and flea markets. My favorite was a very homely 50-cent footstool I redid to match the animal print motif decorating my bedroom.
The best part of that makeover (other than the price!) was being able to craft the decorative piece exactly the way I wanted it. And, having the opportunity to use a little creativity to design my own personal masterpiece made me feel like I'd really accomplished something.
I’ve also use beautiful chipped or cracked glassware I just can’t see tossing as pin dishes, pencil cups and the like, knowing that if I damage them any further with everyday use it won’t break my heart. Using an old enameled coffee pot with no lid as a plant holder or a piece of sturdy-yet-chipped crockery as a trash receptacle has been know to happen in my household too.
Getting Inspiration for Trash to Treasure Makeovers
I learned how to reuse old stuff watching my mother as I was growing up. No antique or collectible went to waste in our house. If mother wasn’t sprucing up the house with them, amassing her own collections or marketing her finds in her shop, she was using the less than perfect items out on her patio.
Now I often look to other antiquers for ideas. In fact, I’ve gotten some fantastic submissions for our trash to treasure gallery right here on the site. Some of these makeovers are traditional reupholstering jobs that worked out brilliantly, others are complete transformations that take a piece of what appears to be junk and turns into something fun or functional.
Finding Trash to Transform into Treasure
At this point you might be wondering about where to find the base pieces to work with. Many people shop thrift stores, flea markets and garage sales, and find lots of "stuff" to redo. But what about taking a literal look in the trash, too?
One of our forum bulletin board users once told me that she's absolutely hooked on rummaging through junk left on street corners to salvage antique and collectible pieces worthy of a makeover. "These past few months I have been treasure hunting in the trash. It's surely amazing what I find," she said.
From small furniture pieces and huge picture frames to quilt tops and wedding dresses, you name it and Gerrie has seen it piled in a heap of trash waiting for either a new home or the landfill. She opts to give these items new life or pass them on to someone else who will certainly do just that. Not all of her trash heap finds are "used," however.
"Recently I found a Hummel [figurine] in its original box," Gerrie remarked. She's also discovered brand new cookie jars, jewelry items, linens and the list goes on and on. Of course, these things aren't located in ordinary household garbage most of the time. Gerrie notes that a house being cleaned out for a move or before an estate sale offers the most potential.
While having loads of fun sharing her free of charge finds, she's even inspired a few others on the site to give her foraging techniques a try. "While walking through my neighborhood, I spotted a perfectly good mirror in the trash," said Rahuba, another About.com user. "Of course, I carried it home with me!"
Trash to Treasure Challenge
All this talk of finding usable and restorable items for no more than the cost of a gallon of gas or two really gets me revved. And thinking about being able to transform a few more discards into my own personalized creations makes me want to head out for some foraging to see what I can find to play with.
Perhaps you'll find some inspiration in these tales of trash to treasure hunts and makeovers. The next time you spot something interesting left for the garbage man to pick up, go ahead and stop to check it out. If you don't, I will!
