As a kid I can remember spending hours in the trash pit behind the tin shed. I found these two wooden boxes with angled legs and somehow drug them home. I said to my mom, “We should paint these and plant flowers in them.” She either found or bought some bright yellow paint and we painted them up. That was “Trash to Treasure”… before it was a TV show! 🤣 One of my high school welding projects was a butterfly made out of scrap metal, a gift for my Gramma. Grampa did a good job of securing it above the garage doors, it’s still there almost 35 years later. I put welding on hold for about 25 of those years.

My new UpCycled treasures would be denim and barn wood. Old blue jeans have always been readily available for quilts, cut offs, and stockings. Then along comes Pinterest…the shorts got fancier and I learned some new quilting techniques. Who knew that old jeans could be transformed into really cute skirts.

Old barn wood is another medium that I didn’t have to look far to find. Add some rusty horseshoes, leather, or other vintage treasures and wa-la…a unique, original frame. With the addition of a laser engraver in October of 2019, customizing the frame or the mat board provides a personalized professional touch. Sewing and woodworking are still very much a part of my side hustle, it’s just the welding/metal art portion has become my true passion.

Finally, in 2015 I decided to stop talking about relearning to weld and actually did it! I was able to take classes at TSJC in the spring. That fall, just in time for Christmas I was selling the first of many metal angels. With the help of family and friends I am still learning and improving today. Speaking of family and friends… I’m so grateful for each of you that support my habit… I mean hobbies! 🤣