We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Dori Baggs a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Dori thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

I was involved in creative interests and pursuits since childhood. When 7 years old I remember constructing an art museum out of a refrigerator box and hung drawings I made on the walls for my family to view.

In high school I was involved in Junior Achievement and gained business knowledge through planning and creating products to sell. I won a college essay scholarship in my senior year of high school by writing about my dream of owning my own store one day selling things I made.

I graduated from Moore College of Art and Design in Philadelphia, PA with a degree in Illustration. I worked in a variety of graphic art settings and did freelance design for a time. I stepped away from full time employment for a season to raise my family.

During that time at home I started to pursue my dream of creating things to sell. My sister-in- law opened a coffee shop in Ohio, decades before Starbucks was a thing, and asked me to make things she could sell in her shop. Then there were local opportunities to participate in craft shows. I was experiencing great joy in doing something I loved…using vintage ephemera to create something new.

A move to a new city, a new demanding full time job, my mother moving in with us and her subsequent health needs, significantly affected my time to create. But I still dreamed and continued to make things little by little, with the hope of one day having enough inventory to participate in another show.

As my inventory grew I began to search for area Makers Markets and local businesses that sold original art and creations. I got up the courage over five years ago to go to two local art and gift shops to inquire if they’d consider my upcycled creations in their stores. They both said yes!

I applied for a juried show a few months later and was accepted. It was a lot to juggle with my other commitments…but I was beginning…after so many years, to live my dream.

I continued to work full time and pursue my creative endeavors as a side hustle for a few years when, with the full support of my husband I took early retirement to pursue my creative dream full time!

There’s a quote by C.S. Lewis that greatly motivates me that reads, “You are never too old to set another goal or dream a new dream.” As I’m in what is considered my “senior” years, I’ve never felt more alive, confident, and energized as I engage in living my creative life….the life I’ve dreamed for myself and worked towards for so long!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

What sets me apart from others:

BaggsLady Upcycled is the name of my company. It combines my last name to what I do. I create a variety of vintage upcycled decorative items using authentic vintage materials. I do not use retro prints, photocopies, or facsimiles, it’s all authentic vintage. My niche is using vintage materials from the 1960s and earlier.

I do use new materials to embellish such as glitter glue, bells, beads, or charms, but the core piece is upcycled.

What am I most proud about:

I am taking fragile ephemera such as postcards, greeting cards, books, and photographs, some over 100 years old, and giving them a new chapter in their story. Honoring the past while creating a new purpose. I’m preserving moments and memories of yesteryear for a new generation.

What do I want people to know about me or my work:

I love what I do!

When I create my ornaments I’m thankful for the many people who kept, saved, and stored shoeboxes of postcards under their bed! The people who wrote and sent postcards and greeting cards to loved ones back home while on vacation, or who collected postcards as affordable souvenirs.

With every vintage children’s book I upcycle, I imagine how many children or generations of children heard that story while sitting on their parents knee.

I live in the past with my old postcards and dusty books every time I’m in my studio. I enjoy their company and delight to introduce these upcycled pretties to others who also love and appreciate days of yore.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

I sell my upcycled creations in three retail locations, but my favorite way of selling is participating in local Makers Markets. I love the interaction with the public! There is a palpable energy at every show! I love hearing feedback and appreciation of my work…it’s invigorating! I love helping a customer find just the right ornament for a special someone based on that someone’s interests.

I also love connecting with a wide creative community of fellow artists at every show, meeting and making new friends!

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

This is a great question…

Participate! Attend Makers Markets! Shop at artisan boutiques! Look online at Etsy or similar sites to purchase handcrafted items!

Don’t let box stores or large online retailers be your first place to shop. Make a difference by purchasing items made by individuals and not on a conveyor belt.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: #BaggsLadyUpcycledCrafts
• Facebook: BaggsLady Upcycled

Image Credits

All photos taken by Dori Baggs