Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Motivation

Have you ever watched "Picker Sisters"? on the Lifetime Channel starring Interior Designers Tanya and Tracy who own a store in LA and supply it with goods they find from around the country

Its a spinoff of the "American Pickers" series on the History Channel - I just love watching Mike and Frank comb through old barns, garages, and even a packed school bus looking for antiques to sell in their Antique Archeology Store. Super Fun.

What I like about Picker Sisters is that they find old rusty metal and turn it into furniture or fixtures for the home. They REPURPOSE!! Give it new life, they are so creative in their designs, I cant help but be motivated.
Like this old metal wheel

Which they turned into this

 See the sign in the back? How many of those have you seen on the side of the road? Its too cool. The table is made from Old chain found in a warehouse, they bought an entire box of this stuff and had to lift it with a forklift. They turned it into a table base.....Cool
And this hanging chair is made from rings removed from an old silo. A 10ft TALL SILO!! Genius.....

SOOOOO......How does a show like this motivate someone like me who makes repurposed jewelry?

I shop and create just like these women just on a MUCH SMALLER scale
I don't do drawings and sketches of my creations I just create while being inpired by a pretty piece of hardware


So I look at a pile of rusty stuff like this, which I found in an old mayonnaise jar in the garage of an estate sale

I wash and scrub and lay it all out so I can see what I have to work with
Repurposed from an old drawer pull- It is divine in itself, then I took an old broken necklace and hung it from the bottom! Is this fabulous or what?

This was just an old piece of metal, looks like it may have been a part from an old belt buckle, then I took an old broken clip earring, from the same set that was broken in above picture and then stamped out RECYCLE on the bottom

An old spring from that mayonnaise jar, with an old metal and I just added some pearls for softness

One of the best things about creating these pieces is that I am using items that would otherwise find their way into a landfill. By REPURPOSING I can create a unique one of a kind piece of jewelry to be worn by a woman who likes to be different, who wants to wear her individuality around her neck and who wants to do her part to help the earth

She is a Retreauxgirl!!


Off to Create,
Leslie



8 comments:

  1. Good grief - I can't WAIT!!! I'm going to be your picker sister - picking through all of your FUN COOL CREATIVE GENIUS wares!!!

    ;-D robelyn
    (I haven't watched the show yet... what's WRONG with me?!)

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  2. Fabulous and WHAT! BTW...now I want to see photos of you in your city shorts and full-on makeup scrounging around for your supplies!
    Deb

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  3. Brilliant! OMG!! I'm in love with the chandelier and the arrow sign art. But your drawer-pull necklace is such an inspiring piece! It deserves to win an award! Blessings on all your creations..keep inventing!
    Brande
    http://victoryvintageb.blogspot.com

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  4. Deb, its overalls, baseball cap and chapstick for me! LOL
    Robelyn, Watch the show! 22 Days!!! LOL!
    Brande, your praise is the only award I need : )

    Hugs
    ~Leslie

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  5. Absolutely beautiful pieces! Are these for sale? God, I love them! What kind of tools do you use?

    http://bresbaubles.blogspot.com

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  6. You have a great eye for style and you creativity inspires me!!! I saw an old house being demo'd last week and thought " I hope they stripped that beauty of all the trim and hardware first!" and "What would RETREAUX GIRL do " hee hee
    I am collecting my own stash of pieces and parts too! I should have plenty to keep me busy this winter!!!

    Smiles & Sunshine :)

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  7. GREAT designs!! I LOVE Picker Sisters!! My husband started to pick fun at the show a little (He´s an American Pickers" fan) and then started to get interested! They are SO entertaining!

    -Heather
    www.buckupbaby.blogspot.com

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  8. Haven't heard of Picker Sisters ~ where have I been?! But I'm a huge fan of Mike & Frank (met Mike at his shop when vacaying in Iowa last year!).

    Your work is just amazing ~ super creative and cool! I'm especially in love with the necklace you made from the drawer pull!

    ~Cindy

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