Beauty and usefulness can come from the most unexpected places 鈥� just ask crafting extraordinaire Denise Corcoran.
The North Vancouver resident is bringing her 鈥楥rafting with Crap鈥� workshop to Quest University for a run of six classes as part of the school鈥檚 Winter 2015 continuing education program.
Corcoran said upcycling is a big part of her class, and the hobby has taken over her life since she discovered her passion for it rooting through the Sechelt dump about seven years ago.
鈥淭hey have a share shed at the Sechelt dump, and people have the opportunity to buy things that still have some life in them,鈥� she said of the start of her love of the activity. 鈥淚 started to gather things, upcycle and sell them and it鈥檚 just grown from there.鈥�
She started bringing life to items such as chairs and tables, but then moved on making earrings out of wine corks and even made baby booties out of a wool sweater.
鈥淥ne of the things I love about what I do is surprising people,鈥� she said. 鈥淲hen something has outlived its original purpose, it doesn鈥檛 mean it should be discarded. There鈥檚 so much you can do and it doesn鈥檛 cost a lot. You figure it out as you go along and it鈥檚 a lot of fun.鈥�
Corcoran said thrift stores are gold mines for items but also said local dumps can have hidden treasures. Locally, she said 麻豆社国产ReBuild is a great spot to find potential projects.
鈥淚t鈥檚 also amazing what you can find in your own house,鈥� she said. 鈥淧ilfer your old jewelry, go to your recycle bin 鈥� it鈥檚 surprising what you can work with.鈥�
She said she鈥檚 excited about the class and has experience leading groups. She鈥檚 held workshops throughout Metro Vancouver and is excited to return to Quest University, where she was a part of the original team at the school.
鈥淚 have a love affair with Quest,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 was hired there to do web, print and marketing work before the school opened. I remember taking students up there with construction stuff on.鈥�
The class has a different theme each week, with attendees getting the chance to work with different material each class.
鈥淭he class is fun,鈥� she said. 鈥淵ou get to meet new people and you don鈥檛 have to track down the supplies. My goal is someone leaves with two or three things each class that they鈥檙e happy with.鈥�
Corcoran said she鈥檚 also hoping to have special guests like Ines LeBlanc from 麻豆社国产ReBuild and Squamish鈥檚 Karen Yaremkewich from Endure Upcycled Designs.
Crafting with Crap runs for six Wednesdays starting Feb. 18. The class is one of 12 winter courses offered at Quest starting in February and March. The courses vary widely, with topics ranging from water scarcity to dancing to business advice.
For more details on all the courses, visit www.questu.ca/continuing_education_courses_w15.html.
