Stephani Schuchart transforms items she finds in her apartment and antique stores into clothing and accessory pieces

Stephani Schuchart lives by the phrase "DIY or die." She counts photography, jewelry making and scrapbooking among her many artistic talents.

Schuchart, 24, is an anthropology major in her last year at Southeast Missouri State University. She said she has always been into making her own things and showed off her creativity at the July First Friday show at Buckner Brewing Co., where she also works as a server.

She often adds items she finds around her apartment or in antique stores to clothing and accessories to make one-of-a-kind pieces such as hair flowers. Recycling, she said, is an important part of the way she creates her art.

"I love having the ability to turn something that means nothing to someone into a treasure for someone else," Schuchart said.

There is little she can't do by herself, she said.

"If I see something that is too expensive at a store, I'll go home and make it," she said.

Miniature top hats, hair pieces made from silk flowers and bottle caps, and wire-wrapped jewelry are among her creations.

Schuchart said her other loves are photography, which she also studies at the university, and scrapbooking.

"I've always said that if I could just have a job where I could take pictures and make them into a scrapbook, I would be set for life," she said.

Mike Mills, who works as brewmaster at Buckner Brewing, is a longtime friend of Schuchart's. He met her when he worked as a teacher's aide in one of her high school art classes in Sikeston, Mo.

Mills said Schuchart is a person whose artwork exemplifies her personality.

"She's always just had a unique eye for art, and she's a very fun individual," he said. "She really thinks about things before she does them. There's a definite reason behind what she's doing when she creates something."

Schuchart said art has always been in her background. Her grandmother was an art teacher, and Schuchart enjoyed photography and art in high school. Her husband, David, and his family are also artists, she said. David Schuchart draws portraits, and his mother, Annie Schuchart, paints watercolors.

Stephani and David met in high school art class and got married in 2007.

"He really keeps me on my toes," she said. "David and I are both so much alike that we put our creative spin on everything we bring into our lives."

They use one bedroom in their apartment as a crafting room, and the couple likes decorating with their art and antique store finds.

"I really love the whole nostalgic look," Schuchart said.

Over the years, Schuchart has entered shows in Southeast Missouri and St. Louis. She said she plans to continue displaying her work in First Friday shows and wants to find a local place to sell her creations. She currently sells her work on her Etsy.com shop, at www.etsy.com/shop/folkknot.