Turning what is old into something new

It seems there is a new trend that is catching on around the globe. More people are refurbishing old, used items rather than throwing them away. From using glass bottles in works of art to repairing and decorating damaged furniture, what is old can be turned into something “new.”

I see this in the real estate market, too. Rather than build­ing brand new homes, more home buyers are opting to find an existing home in need of some TLC and remodel it. HGTV is filled with show focusing on fixer-uppers. The transformations of these houses are amazing. We all like a good comeback story, and remodeling an old house that still has character certainly inspires us to see possibilities and hidden beauty all around us.

Being part of the creation of something that was old and turning it into something new also benefits the environment. The things that artists are doing with reclaimed wood, glass, plastic, and other materials shows us how we can respect nature by turning our trash into treasures. Maybe you have a few of these art pieces in your home already. If not, there are many galleries and shops throughout Southwest Florida that specialize in everything from jewelry to sculptures made from our daily throwaways.

The concept of turning old into new can even be found in beauty, wellness, and fitness messaging. Spas use slogans that encourage us to refresh the soul as well as the body. Get a fresh outlook on life by changing your old thinking into new ideas and old habits into new ones. Doing this can affect the body and actually make you look and feel new.

Of course, many will say that “beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” Just because you repurpose or repair what is old does not mean that everyone will instantly change their opinion of its new value. An old chair, they might say, is still an old chair even after being repaired and painted.

It is true that beauty is seen differently by different people. “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure,” as they say. Some­times, though, the value of refurbishing things is in the making of them. The one who does the actual work often gets the most out of it. This is the benefit of being “hands-on.”

I like to be hands-on. When I was a young girl, my father taught my sisters and me not to be afraid to work with all kinds of handyman tools. He would not accept us saying, “It doesn’t work.” His reply to that was always, “‘Doesn’t work,’ does not exist. Make it work.”

Today, my sisters and I are thankful that we have the skills to repair what needs attention and to turn something old into something new. We enjoy working with our hands and have saved a lot of money doing it too. Later in life, we even signed up for a class that taught us how to use chain saws! That came in very handy when I had to clean up after past hurricane seasons.

How about you? Are you ready to make something new out of something old? This issue of your favorite magazine is filled with ideas you can explore, taste, and maybe even try on your own.

Whether you are crafty, thrifty, or just a hands-on daredevil like me, I hope you will be encouraged to turn some­thing old into something new—even if it is just a new way of thinking. May you find true beauty in the doing, whatever it might be.

Daniela J. Jaeger
Group Publisher, TOTI Media