A Throw Away Society
We live in a “throw away” society, where most of our household items are manufactured quite cheap. This means the retail price is a fraction of the average wage. Therefore when an item breaks it is easy and more cost affective to replace rather then repair.
However over the last decade or so there has been a drive to reduce the waste caused by humans to protect our planet for the future. Current companies look for more eco friendly materials to use in products. For everybody else we have looked at upcycling on a whole new level.
Upcycling
At the forefront of upcycling household items is Shabby Chic. This is where wooden items are sanded back and repainted with whites and greys. Some are sanded after the paint has been applied to provide a weathered/controlled distress look. This style has become very popular for furnishing homes.
There are various other types of reclaimed materials used to furnish homes and create a comfortable atmosphere. Old industrial items lights, sowing machine tables, pallets, scaffold board and much more of this nature are all very popular. This is just scratching the surface of the wonders of upcycling in an attempt to help the environment.
Wildcard Curiosities Aim This Year
It is only fitting that here at Wildcard Curiosities we are aiming to do more to help with the environment. The ability to source antique, vintage and retro items for resale only goes so far. We do come across a lot of items that are not fit for resale, due to dangerous parts/materials etc due to the age of the item. Whilst some items are destined for landfill we hope to utilise as much as we can to upcycle ourselves. I have mentioned in previous social media posts and blogs that we are so fortunate to have a fantastic man by the name of Gareth who can create wonders with upcycling. He has an eye for interesting items to create with reclaimed materials and has sold some amazing items to us before for resale to our customers.
Gareth is active on social media and can be found by searching Gareth Norman Makes. Recently we acquired some vintage stained glass windows. The frames were near non-existent, the glass has seem better days but Gareth had an idea. He would make indoor decorative lights. The outcome was amazing and we could not be happier with the end product. Within the first day of sale one had already sold. We look to work with Gareth in the future for more wonderful items. Until then please enjoy the link to the below video Gareth has made to show how the items were restored.
Where to find us
Wildcard Curiosities is based in Freemen’s Common Antique Centre, 8 Counting House Road, Leicester, LE2 7LT.
The centre is open from Tuesday – Saturday 10am-5pm and Sunday 10am-4pm.
There is a café and toilets on site
We also have an online shop