I love the concept of taking something old and turning it into something new…
Maybe that’s why I love Etsy so much.
The online marketplace for handmade goods is a great place to find recycled and up-cycled art works and crafts, by everyday people who decided to turn their craft passion into a small business.
This is exactly the case with Chuck Gardner from South Carolina. He has 2 good crafty hands- and love for the USA!
Aren’t they amazing?
What’s more amazing is how Chuck started making his flags to begin with… (inspiring words taken from Chuck’s bio on his Etsy store)
It all started when I went to a bonfire with friends in rural north Georgia. The wood they were using for the bonfire was taken from a very old shed they had recently removed. I had thought about making flags before this, but when I saw the rare antique wood in the burn pile I rescued what I could and started using it for my flags. The old distressed wood was a perfect fit for my antiquing process.
American wormy chestnut, black walnut, hickory, cherry and hemlock are a few of my favorite woods, although most of my flags are made of durable red oak. No pallet or plywood used here! Only solid boards, that will last a lifetime.
My flags weigh in at between 20-50 lbs. for the large ones, with an average of about 25 lbs. Solid and heavy means they will last, and they all come with sturdy wire attached to the back for hanging. Both sides of my flags are coated with a thick durable oil based finish, so they are suitable for indoor or outdoor display.
The Governor of Georgia, Nathan Deal, has chosen Chuck’s art work to be displayed in his office, and there’s no greater honor than that.
He hasn’t stop selling since, to places all over the world, household and businesses, and I can defiantly see why. Some of the buyers of Chuck’s wooden flags have posted images on his Etsy store, sharing how much they loved the flags and where they’ve placed them :
