corner view~repurposed

Before the children were born (when I had more free time) I got really into making mosaics.  The strawberry pot, pictured above, was my first piece.  I also made a scene above my bathtub with broken tiles and plates, and covered a long wall in the backyard with pieces of marble, slate and granite.  I befriended a woman who had a tile store and she used to give me all of her old samples, included rare marbles from Italy!  I made tables and picture frames and flower pots.  We don't live in that house anymore but once I master scanning old photos I will share them.

Francesca's theme really got me thinking about making something old into something new.  For me, it's second nature.  My parents loved antiques, and I grew up surrounded by old things often made into new things.  Being of a thrifty nature coupled with the joy of discovery, my dad and uncle once jumped into a dumpster to get an antique wood treasure.  They beautifully refinished all of the wood pieces they gathered, and now their homes are filled with them, and many have been passed on to their children.

For me, repurposing seems to encourage not just reuse, but creativity.  A few years ago we had a tree trimmed and I fashioned a trellis out of some of the thickest branches.  The bark is now peeling, and the beans that grew up it didn't do so well, but it still sits in the garden, smiling down on the peppers and Swiss chard, beckoning me to remember that no matter how busy I am, I am still an artist.

To see more corner views about repurposing, go to the sidebar here.  And be sure to check out my daughter Sky's corner view.