small things big rewards

If you ask any crafter they will tell you about the value of the smalls. That is the little things they have in a basket or hanging to one side of their booth. things that are a small representations of what they "really" do. 
These are items they can turn out quick and cheap. bottle cap magnets, coasters, postcards, rings... These often make up the bread and butter for the crafter. If I sell one $100 item in a day I am thrilled but I can churn out $10 items all day long and make more profit in the long run.
For me I can make 2 wire wrapped stones in an hour. This includes cleaning, varnishing and packaging which I tend to do in batches. There are also things like package design and printing that probably factor in there and if I was honest I probably undervalue these stone pendants. 
But then I can and do make copper wire pendants from large gauge wire that take me about 5 minutes each to make them including stripping the salvaged wire and hammering the final squiggle and adding cordage. So make it easy and say 10 an hour. I can make $50 in the same amount of work time as it takes me to make $30.
There are lots of intangibles that go with making the more complicated item including the opportunity to spend time exploring local rivers.
Each item will apeal to different buyers so there is value in having more than just smalls.
I have seen 1st time craft vendors who only had smalls. hair bows for babies, clay fridge magnets, wire and bead rings. after managing to sell a dozen of more of their items they would recover their booth fee.
Yep I sell the smalls but after I sell a dozen of those I have also sold three of some of the higher end items and maybe even one of my big ticket items. 

How to avoid becoming a horder

One of the hazards in seeing so much potential in everything is that everything then has value. And when something has real financial potential value we tend to grab on to it.
So how do you avoid seizing every stick, old t-shirt, empty bottle, or old bone and sticking it in a corner while mumbling "my precious, my precious"?

I try to avoid picking up things because it ought to be good for something. I avoid picking things up because I am "saving them from the landfill". I try to avoid picking up things that have a nebulous future potential.

*I have a specific purpose for the item. I will use (blank) for (this use) within the next (number) of months. Never the less I do bite off more than I can chew and I have to reassess now and then.
*I rehome things that others are more likely to use. If that means that I end up taking something apart so it has more potential use for them I will. If it means I cluster things into batches that go together so someone else can use them I will do that too. And for somethings, like that batch of t-shirts I picked up that were too small to wear and I never got around to turning into scarves there is always the thrift shops.
Even then I end up with stacks I have to make painful choices about. For example I have been collecting lamp and lighting parts with the idea that I would turn them into table top or floor displays for a wide variety of items at sales and shows. But really when it comes down to it. I never have time to assemble them and I go back to my perfectly adequate standby displays.

*Remember that when you choose to pick up items to transform you maybe taking time away from another project you had planned. Does this new project have a better chance of being completed? Does this project have a higher monetary potential?

All that said, there are some things that either do not take up a lot of room or have many different potential uses. Wood is one of those things for me since we are in house construction mode. Trim pieces and moldings as well as the stray 2x4 are instant pick ups. They may not end up used in the house but then again they will be used.

*Stay organized. Keep like things together where they can be easily accessed when you are ready to use them or group all the items for a project into a "kit". So when you are ready to get it you do not end up searching high and low for a critical part.

*Keep it fun. If any project or potential project has become a chore or a burden it is time to free yourself. Donate the parts to others who can use them.

starting my upcycle with Wood

Today I would like to start on one of those new directions I have for this blog.
For most of my life I think I have been something of a scavenger. Making good use of the things others did not.
I have aspirations of writing a books about a 2nd hand life, but for now I want to focus on creative uses for things many other people would toss away. I will organize this mostly on material or source. I write this not only to suggest creative way to enhance your life directly, but as possible ideas for objects to sell. Value added to something you got free or nearly free is all profit for you and worth your time to go get it. Details on how to make most of this stuff can be found with a little internet research. This is just a place to get you thinking.
 So today I will start with the a simple material that is typically all around us though sometimes hidden from view.

WOOD

Sources: broken furniture, twigs, firewood, lumber scraps, pallets

Some skills with a simple saw, hammer, sand paper and pocket knife needed to make the best use of this "free" resource.

Things you can make from wood

Home decor:

• Boxes: use molding scraps and thin plywood to make open boxes.  Create small open boxes and add sand as a safe decorative place to put pillar candles.
• Ornaments: take turnings from old crib rails, cut them to a pleasing size and paint in festive colors. add a small eye screw to the top to thread ribbon for hanging or attach as knobs in ceiling fan pull chains. Fresh twigs can be bent into small or large wreaths to hang on a tree or your front door.
• Small shelves: made from moldings or the wood found inside that old sofa sitting on the curb. 
• Lamp: Use the wood from the old sofa and some lumber scraps to create a one of a kind lamp. You can glue them together in such a way that you won't have to drill for the cord.
• Game pieces: use small pieces of tree branches to create rustic chess or checker pieces. Wittle down a twig to create cribbage pegs.
• Other furniture: Willow twigs furniture, scrap lumber and salvaged wood from pallets and old furniture can be remade into chairs, stools tables.
• Cutting boards and trivets: Glue together scraps of wood into a sheet, then cut to shape and sand till smooth. Finish with oil made for cutting boards.
• Picture frames: miter cut scrap molding or even rustic barn wood to create frames.

Jewelry:

some bamboo tiles salvaged from an old table mat, marbled with salvaged spray paint and turned into pendants

• Use small pieces of exotic or highly figured wood to create pendants and beads for your jewelry. The easiest way might be to drill a series of holes in a thin piece of wood and then cut them into cubes with the holes centered in each bead. Sand and paint or lacqer.

Outdoor/Garden:

• Use pallets to create sheltered areas for delicate plants, or create a compost bin. Twigs and branches can be woven into fantastic trellises and even fences for the garden.
• Use shavings from hard woods like hickory, maple, birch or fruit woods for smoking. Each type of wood adds a subtly different taste to smoked meats. (do not use evergreen wood or exotic hardwoods)
• Build bird feeders and bird houses from firewood or scrap lumber

Toys:

• Blocks are easy to cut from scrap lumber or leave them in irregualr shapes and paint them in bright colors. Add pegs and holes to the blocks in random ways to add another dimension to building blocks.
• Carving skills can create anything from a simple wooden snake to something amazingly ornate.
• A broken rocking chair could become a rocking horse.
• Puzzles are also easy either with a jig saw or by stacking cubes into a matrix. laminate a picture on one side, cut apart the cubes and turn another blank side up on each cube the laminate another picture, cut apart. do this until all six sides of each cube is part of a puzzle.