Another fun way to upcycle your fab vintage finds is to re-purpose them as desk accessories.
I have acquired these over the years at yard sales, thrift stores or auctions.
I found this sweet little cable car planter at a yard sale about 20 years ago. A sweet little old lady was minding her yard sale. I picked this up. It wasn't marked so I inquired about the price. She asked why I picked up that particular piece. I told her I had just recently visited San Francisco for the first time and while there, I had taken a ride on the Powell & Mason cable car and thought it was an incredible experience. She proceeds to tell me she picked this up in the 1940s while on her honeymoon. I asked why she had it in the yard sale. She said her husband had passed on the year before and she wanted to ensure it found a good home before she passed. She asked if I was interested in it. I said "Absolutely, what is your price?" She said she wanted to give it to me. I told her I must pay her for it. She insisted. She wanted someone to love it. And I do.
I have used it in various ways over the years. Now it sits on my desk holding note pads and pens.
I have a small (OK, big) obsession with maps. I am attracted to anything with a map on it. This was in a box at an auction several years ago. I snapped it up. It holds my cords to all my misc electronics. OK, I will confess, I have another one on my desk as well. It holds all my jump drives.
This AMAZING tape dispenser was procured at my local Goodwill store a couple of years ago. It was marked a whopping 99 cents. It was 50% off day!! Woot, woot, 49 cents for this baby! It is so heavy. I love it.
This is the newest addition to my desk. I don't know what its original purpose was (condiments maybe?), but I use it to lasso all those small items that seem to always be on my desk—paperclips, spring clips, spare change and delightful little odds and ends that I haven't decided what to do with.
If you find something you love but don't need it as its intended purpose, think about ways to upcycle!
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