Meet Cheryl, a talented artist that is sharing her gifts with the New 2 You community!

Cheryl has been making and creating things for as long as she can remember. Growing up, she sewed her own clothes and practiced art throughout school. In her adult life, she worked at Grand Rapids Christian Schools as an art teacher and costume director. Her love for creating continues today as she upcycles fabric. We are so blessed at New 2 You to be receiving dozens of her textile art and will be continuing to receive batches in the future.

To Cheryl, upcycling is about “finding beauty in the ashes.” She loves to create clothing, 3D objects like fabric plants, and 2D landscapes out of fabric that she thrifted or was headed to the landfill. Something about a fabric’s color, texture, or pattern will usually catch her eye and inspire her to create a specific object. No two art pieces that Cheryl creates are identical. You can visit her Instagram page (@cherylrandall19) to see some of her start-to-finish creations.

What Cheryl loves the most about upcycling is that it’s an opportunity and a blessing to answer God’s call to redeem the world around her.

“There’s something very redemptive about taking an item that’s been cast aside and realizing that there’s still potential there—the item can be brought back, fixed up, reimagined, etc. There’s so many things in life that you can’t fix or change, so there’s something that’s very redemptive about upcycling.”

We are so blessed by Cheryl’s generosity! Next time you’re at New 2 You, we encourage you to see the display of Cheryl’s creative artwork and buy one for yourself or a friend! They are so special!