By PHYLLIS ZORN

Staff writer

Amy Plett’s love of making old things new led her into a fulfilling and enjoyable part-time business.

Reincarnations are sold in a small number of area stores and at area craft shows.

“I started this because I got tired of fighting the kids over the TV,” Plett quipped.

For her, creating new things from old is relaxing.

She makes plaques, boxes, sewn items, paintings, candy bouquets, baskets, and the like, and rehabilitates old windows and doors into décor.

“I feel the need to have the ability to create something,” Plett said.

Not everything she makes starts with something old.

Some of her items, like candy bouquets, are made with new materials.

“I don’t do one specific thing,” she said. “I like the variety.”

How much time she dedicates to working on her creations varies from one month to another. She puts in more time — about 15 hours a week —when she’s preparing for one of the numerous area craft shows where she markets her wares.

Although she does custom work, she doesn’t actively seek out orders.

When someone orders a custom creation, she asks them for photos from the Internet to help her “see” what they want. She usually is able to create what they envision.

“It’s taken lots of practice, and lots of fails,” Plett said.

This work is balanced with her full-time job as an administrative assistant at Hillsboro State Bank. She’s been at the bank for six years, as long as she’s been making her creations for Reincarnations.

Plett said she’s not ready to give up working at the bank.

“I don’t think I could make a living doing it,” she said. “If I retired, I’d probably travel to other shows. I’m not willing to miss out on that stuff.”

Her creations are always on sale at Mama C’s Take and Bake in Hillsboro and Kay’s Pharmacy in Herington.

She travels to craft shows at Marion, Hillsboro, Canton, the Salina area, and Whitewater.

Plett said she’s considering going to an annual craft show in Superior, Nebraska. Although the driving distance is longer, she can get in a visit to her parents.