Eye Opener: Junk on the Brain

PART 1

1. Antique:  any work of art, piece of furniture, decorative object, or thelike, created or produced in a former period, or, according toU.S. customs laws, 100 years before date of purchase.
2. Antiquing:  to shop for or collect antiques;  to make or finish (something, esp. furniture) in imitation of antiques.
3. Junk:  any old or discarded material, as metal, paper, or rags;  anything that is regarded as worthless, meaningless, orcontemptible; trash.
4. Junking:  the retrieval of ordinarily discarded things and materials.  (http://www.davmagic.com/junk/PAGES2.html)
5. Flea Market:  a market, often outdoors, consisting of a number of individual stallsselling old or used articles, curios and antiques, cut-ratemerchandise, etc.
6. Thrift Shop:  a retail store that sells secondhand goods at reduced prices.
7. Upcycling:  is the process of converting waste materials or useless products into new materials or products of better quality or a higher environmental value.  (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upcycling)
8. Resale Shop:  the selling again of something purchased.  (http://www.thefreedictionary.com/resale)

*  Unless noted, these definitions were found on Dictionary.com.  

PART 2

All of the above terms relate to environmental health in that they are bettering our environment.  Instead of throwing our "junk" away, we can breathe new life into it.  If we really see no use for it, then we can donate it to other shops so that others can reuse our unwanted "junk."  It is all about using old items in new, sustainable ways and creating less waste.  

1. Antiques/Antiquing: Father Time Antiques 395 S Lake Ave # 1, Duluth, MN 55802-2311(218) 625-2379 ‎.
2. Junk/Junking:   Old Town Antiques & Books 102 E Superior St Duluth, MN 55802 218-722-5426.  
3. Flea Market:  Downtown Hinckley Fleamarket 100 Old Hwy 61, Hinckley, MN 55037(320) 384-6938.
4. Thrift Shops:  Salvation Army 2101 West Superior Street, Duluth, MN 55806-2012(218) 722-7723.
5. Upcycling:  I was unable to find any local resources for upcycling.  
6. Resale Shops:  Goodwill  700 Garfield Avenue Duluth,MN 55802 Phone: (218) 722-6351.

I do use places such as Goodwill or Savers quite often actually.  I recently went to Goodwill to look for items for a Halloween costume.  I love looking through antique shops as well.  Sometimes, it is a total dud and I find nothing, and other times I find tons of trinkets and treasures.  It is always a unique experience.  My mom an I always used to browse through an antique shop on our way to the cabin.  I have never been to a flea market, but I have never really looked for one to go to.  I am now able to use my resources and get out there more.  

PART 3

Here is a project that I instantly fell in love with.  It is simple and anyone could do it!  This is a dust pan bird feeder.  All you have to do is mount it to a fixture and put bird feed in it.  It actually looks pretty cool too.  

Here is another easy project.  Instead of spending money on a valentines present or just a little trinket, this was made of leftover bits and pieces found around the house.  This project is great because anyone could make it, but each person would have creative reign with the items that they find.  I want to go dig through my mom's scraps and see what I can create!

This junk-turned-treasure is an old typewriter that did not work.  The new owner turned it into a decorative centerpiece and rotated pictures throughout the years.  I love the concept here.  Just because something doesn't work like it used to doesn't mean that it can't be used in a different way.  This is a great example of upcycling.