Episode 8 Money for Nothing

How do you make money for nothing?

The answer could be hiding in the 20 million tonnes

of household waste we throw out every year.

Just before you throw it away,

would it be possible to have a quick look at it?

That's why entrepreneur Sarah Moore wants to get her hands

on things before they hit the skip.

I am passionate buyer, user and renovator of second-hand stuff

and I've turned that passion into a moneymaking business.

I turn old into new and I sell it for a profit.

Sarah's ready to sift through as many boots and bin bags

as she needs to...

That's vintage gold, isn't it? It's really exciting.

..in her search for tip treasure.

I love it.

And, with some of the country's elite designers and makers...

What are we going to do with that?

Oh, no!

..she can transform her finds into desirable...

Amazing.

..beautiful...

valuable...

Cha-ching!

..and, hopefully, saleable items.

That's £80 profit.

If Sarah is successful, then she can hand the profits back

to the very people who had no idea

there was cash to be made from their trash.

Fantastic! That's unbelievable.

Stockport, near Manchester,

where at the Bredbury Recycling Centre around 2,000 cars a week

roll up with all sorts of random junk for the skip.

I've got no idea what I'm going to find here today.

It might be a chair in despair or a toy with no joy

but, whatever it is, I hope I find something amazing

and make some money for nothing.

Sarah has got special permission to root through

-the rubbish for stuff to re-beautify and sell on.

-It's addictive.

Eyeing up people's rubbish and thinking what could I do with that?

Sarah is scouring the site for the first of her three items

and today it's rich pickings.

How about you? Got anything exciting in there?

Anything in your rubbish? I love it.

Sarah wastes no time snaring her first item.

She spotted mother and son Amanda and Connor

getting rid of some smashed up old-time glamour.

So, it's a cocktail cabinet. Have you had it for long?

It used to be my uncle's. He had it for about 30 years.

It used to be his mum's, funnily enough.

Is it something I could have a better look at,

maybe see if I might be able to take it away?

Oh, wow. I like the mirrors.

You're welcome to it. My mum will be over the moon.

-Is it heavy? Do you think you could help me carry it?

-Sure.

Top tip - when it comes to junk jumping

enlist a strapping young lad to help with the heavy lifting.

Nice and easy does it.

-This little beauty could soon be worth a bob or two.

-Lovely.

Sarah thinks she can see a profit here.

But what does Amanda think she'll do?

I haven't got a clue, but it'll be nice to see,

you know, something good come off it.

I love this cocktail cabinet but I think it needs a real makeover.

There's lots of detail in it that needs replacing.

I want to rip out all of this old, tired looking stuff.

I want it to be funky, I want it to be fun

and I want it to be really expensive.

First item's nabbed.

And Sarah has someone in mind to lift this cabinet's spirits

and make some money for Amanda.

She's scheduling a cabinet meeting,

maybe over cocktails with print designer Zoe Murphy.

Margate-based designer Zoe

has taken the reconditioned furniture scene by storm.

Zoe's speciality is transforming fuddy-duddy old pieces

with bright '50s-inspired designs.

And her exciting reinventions sell in some of London's most prestigious stores

including Liberty's.

I have got a big issue with waste.

I hate the idea of inefficiency on the planet.

Things going to landfill. It's always bugged me loads.

To the point where I even wrote a letter to the Queen

when I was seven years old, telling her about the environment.

My love of recycling has brought me right round to using second-hand furniture pieces as well.

Sounds like Zoe's studio might be the last-chance saloon

for this old cocktail cabinet.

Sarah is still sweeping through the car boots

looking for her second item.

I love things like this, when you can see how much wear there's been.

Look at that. That handle is... Look at the size of it.

How much it's been worn down. That is literally careworn, isn't it?

Just a little too careworn, even for Sarah.

Get a load of this, though. It's Gary with a trunk full of trunk.

Sarah needs to get her hands on it before it's in the skip and out of bounds.

-Been doing a little tree surgery in the garden?

-Pretty much.

They've been there a while but it's time to get rid.

It looks like it might have been a birch.

Actually, Sarah, I think you'll find it's a white poplar.

See those diamond patterns on the bark? Dead giveaway.

-Any chance that I could take a few pieces?

-Yes. Help yourself.

-Really?

-Yeah? Is it really heavy?

-My original plan was to do something with it.

Then it dropped to, maybe, put it on the wood burner

-and now it's just...

-Get rid?

-Get rid, it's in the way.

Maybe I should make a whole range of seating, or stools,

or bread boards, or something like that.

I'm going to wheel a few away, OK? Thank you ever so much.

-Sarah's on a roll now and full of ideas.

-What do you reckon?

Six, seven big serving bowls? Something like that.

And what does Gary think Sarah might do with them?

A bowl, or some seating? Maybe. It'll be interesting to see.

So, Sarah, you could have just landed a pile of rotten wood.

Good luck with that.

I'm hoping that you've got six enormous, beautiful bowls here.

But I can't really tell what condition the wood is

in the centre because, obviously, it's been left out

and it's in bad condition on the ends but...

..must have some potential, mustn't it?

Well, if there's money to be made, yes, it must.

Sarah's second find is a rather sorry looking lot,

but she knows exactly who to turn to for help.

Top-notch crafts folk Max Bainbridge and Abigail Booth.

Hidden away in an east London garden shed,

creative couple Abigail and Max run a successful business

making handmade homeware from reclaimed natural materials.

From beautiful wooden utensils to luxury soft furnishings,

the fine arts graduates really know their craft.

We're so flooded with manufactured, throwaway consumer items,

it's like, actually, we wanted to make things that lasted.

There's a kind of physicality to it, which I love.

From being out in woodland and forests sourcing stuff,

or chainsawing it,

there's a real physicality that you have to enjoy.

We love it.

But can they make anything out of Gary's sodden poplar stumps?

Maybe they should carve a magic wand first.

So, that's two items in the bag.

Now, Sarah needs to find a third item to work on herself.

After all, she shouldn't be hiding her own talents under a bushel.

You've got to love what comes in here.

Someone's just throwing away like a mini plastic car. It's just great.

You think that's mini? Take a look at Paul's little beauties.

-Where are these from? Are these yours?

-They're old.

-Dismantled and broken toys.

-Pop it down. They're a bit heavy.

-Yeah.

I do know some of them were collectors' items, but they're

pretty well shot, to be honest.

My father died a couple of years ago. They're out of his house.

-Did you actually play with these?

-A long time ago.

Is this something that I could take away?

-Just see if I can do something with them.

-Yeah, fine.

That's fab. I shall cherish those and look after them for you.

-Thanks ever so much.

-No problem at all.

I absolutely love this stuff. I love it.

The condition is really bad but these are just iconic 1970s fabulous things.

Diecast model cars became a huge craze in the 1950s

and are massively collectable now.

Rare cars in pristine condition can make hundreds of pounds.

Though making a profit on this play-worn pile will mean that

Sarah will have to step things up a gear.

It's like diamante in the lights. Absolutely love it.

I've still got some of it at home which is kind of sentimental, really.

Batman, Thunderbirds, Joe 90 stuff.

What does Paul think Sarah might do with this bounty of bashed up toys?

No idea whatsoever. No idea whatsoever.

You and me both, Paul.

Sarah's a champion boot raider.

She's got hold of three potential treasures for free.

The glass cabinet will be reimagined by Zoe,

the wood blocks carved up by Max and Abigail,

and those old toy cars will be transformed into something special by Sarah.

I've loved the things I've saved today.

The question is, can I actually make any money out of them?

Sarah's next stop is the glorious seaside town of Margate,

which has been enjoying something of an artistic revival lately.

Happily riding the crest of Margate's creative wave

is print designer Zoe, who's helping turn the town all trendy.

Little does she know what Sarah's got in store for her today.

I do trust Sarah's judgment. I like how in the past she's

really let me do whatever I want, though.

So, yeah, I do trust her, just.

That smidgen of trust might be thrown out the window

when Zoe claps eyes on that clapped-out cabinet.

How you doing?

I've brought you another little beauty.

Careful, you two.

Brilliant, thank you.

-Oh, wow.

-First impressions?

Yeah, I like it. Very feminine.

Nice solid print on the glass.

Zoe's making all the right noises,

but Sarah knows this is a challenge.

I think it'd be difficult to see it selling

and being a very commercial object, unless it has a real makeover.

The one thing I do have a lot of lying around that

I do like to show off sometimes

if I can is my high-heeled shoes, and I can really see a cabinet

like this being great if repurposed as a kind of shoe cabinet.

Because this is a narrow piece as well, it will put it

in a bedroom, maybe, or a hallway, if you wanted it there.

I can imagine, probably, some big, bold prints coming in across here.

It will instantly make it more fun.

So if it's potentially going to be really glamorous shoes,

maybe we've got a lot of glitter going on, maybe we've got some sparkle,

perhaps some gold detail and bright, attractive colours

that are all about a glamorous occasion or a big, fun night out.

A glittering, sparkly high heels cabinet. I'm totally sold.

But how much will the work cost?

It will probably cost me a couple of days' work

and all of the materials, about £500 to do it for you.

That just sounds fantastic.

And you're right, it's those people who love their shoes that will

love this, and that will make it sell.

A glamorous showcase cabinet for shoes - what a novel idea.

But can Sarah find a well-heeled buyer for such a niche piece?

She is just so creative and that idea is absolutely inspired.

And the price tag that comes with it means

I'm going to make some money, I hope.

I hope so too, Sarah.

Zoe's charging £500 for her work,

meaning Sarah must sell high in order to stomp up a profit.

Vibrant Walthamstow, in London's East 17,

is awash with artists' studios and galleries.

Honest.

Hidden away in a quirky little garden shed, creative couple

and business partners Max and Abigail

specialise in making luxury handmade homeware.

I can cut it on the chainsaw.

-Very unexpected.

-Yeah, great.

OK, let's see what we can do.

The wood block should be in good hands,

though they haven't got a clue what Sarah's rolling up with.

Well, knowing Sarah, it could be anything.

You could end up with some pallets.

-What Sarah thinks is a feasible idea could be somewhat of a challenge.

-Yeah.

Well, I don't know what can actually be made of these,

but they've got plenty to work with,

and they're really heavy.

KNOCK ON DOOR

-Hiya.

-Hello.

-Hello.

-How are you?

-I'm good, how are you?

-Yeah, really well. I've got a lot of something for you.

-Wow.

-Right.

-Do you want to come and see?

-Let me have a look.

-Yeah, come on down.

-Wow.

-They're great. They're fantastic.

-Yeah?

-Yeah, absolutely.

-Brilliant.

The things I do in the name of recycling.

So, time to find out if money DOES grow on trees.

I've had a few ideas, like, things that I think would be

great for me to be able to sell,

and one of them was this lovely suite of bowls.

But I'm all ears to hear what sort of stuff you can make out of this.

Absolutely. I mean, bowls is definitely something that we do -

if the wood's OK -

if it's sound and there's not too many splits, and if it's not rotten.

But how will you know which direction to go in?

The only way really we're going to be able to tell is to cut into it,

-so to get the chainsaw on it and, kind of...

-See what's inside.

Let's get to it.

If it turns out to be rotten inside, they won't be able to make anything.

Well done.

So it's not rotten, but it does feel...

Wow, that's really wet, isn't it?

It is wet, yeah.

Wet wood is not ideal.

But at least this bit isn't rotten.

So, given this state, it's difficult

to imagine what you can actually make out of it.

Have you got any examples or anything?

Yeah, shall we take it in the workshop

and I've got some stuff inside that you can have a look at.

So these are a couple of maple bowls that are from

recycled stuff from a timber yard.

But all of these are from red oak

and English oak from Epping Forest.

These are absolutely beautiful. The shape on that is really lovely.

I agree. But you're not out of the woods yet, Sarah.

Looking at how wet these are,

the risk when turning bowls,

really, is that the moisture may mean that they crack.

-I mean, we can certainly try.

-We've got enough.

-We've got six hefty bits, haven't we?

-I think we've got enough, Sarah.

Cracked bowls ain't going to sell, so we need a plan B.

If we didn't get bowls out of it, what utensils do you make?

Because I know you make amazing spoons and things.

A lot of spoons, coffee scoops.

So this is a wild cherry coffee scoop that we're working on.

You can see that these have got, kind of, patterning.

So, again, it all depends on what it's like when you start to work.

So there's definitely potential here.

Maybe for bowls, or, at the very least, some utensils.

But how much will their craftsmanship cost?

I think if you leave us with 250 quid and let us crack on...

-We can see what we can get.

-We can see what we can get.

-On that basis, I will happily hand over 250 quid.

-That's great.

-Really, really good.

-Lovely. Excellent.

Well, let me leave these with you and you can get back to your chainsaw.

-Thank you very much.

-That's fantastic. OK, bye.

-Bye.

So, Max and Abigail seem really optimistic that they can make

something out of that wood.

I'm just hoping I just haven't commissioned a £250 teaspoon,

when they find out it really is just rotten to the core.

Glass half-empty, Sarah. It might not be rotten.

Stay positive, like these guys.

It's going to be a challenge, but I think that's part of the fun.

Max and Abigail are charging £250 for their time and expertise.

Given the condition of the wood,

carving out a profit on this lot will not be easy.

The designers are firmly on board.

Now Sarah needs to work on her third item -

Paul's box of toy cars.

In rural Sussex, two of her children, Libby and Edward,

have come to lend a hand, and play...

while Bramble the dog snoozes.

Then it's off to the barn for Sarah to shine a light on her ideas.

Sarah has bought five simple slimline lamps from the high street.

And...

she's going to stick the toy cars onto them

and create novelty memorabilia lighting.

Now, why didn't I think of that?

So I've got a plan.

I want to keep it really simple and just stack a few of these

up on the bases of these lights and then get stuck in.

OK, Sarah. Pinny on, lamps, cars and glue at the ready.

A kind of totem pole of vintage vehicles.

Time to get cracking.

It's going to take some doing.

So I love Lady Penelope's car, and I want to give it a little bit

more space, so I'm just popping these tyres on. And then...

I think this one.

The Green Hornet, obviously. Aston Martin.

The most popular die-cast model car ever made was

James Bond's silver Aston Martin.

Alas, Sarah doesn't have one of them,

but she's still hoping to make a pretty Moneypenny.

This one's really cool. Look at it. It's got a dog inside it.

BARKING

I thought that one looked a bit rough.

Can I get the same one in his... in his Volvo?

Oh, I think that looks fab.

Sarah has categorised the cars for maximum customer appeal.

This really cool rescue stack.

Everything's got its little hazard lights,

and there's a really sweet little snowplough there on the top.

And I get that on next.

And maybe pop that one into there.

The cars are stacked, but need to be stuck.

And for that, Sarah's using a special kind of traffic jam.

This is two pack glue, and it's really useful.

It dries in about five minutes, something like that.

Got a little bit of working time, and it's really thick and sticky.

-It is useful.

-Yeah, I also find it very useful when glue is sticky.

So plenty of glue, because there's lots of uneven surfaces on here,

and I just want to make sure there's enough contact between the car

and the wheels and the glue.

Sarah will glue the car stacks together

before attaching them to the lamp bases.

That way, there's less risk of messy glue marks all over the new lights.

I'm going to put a big blob of it on the roof of the Green Hornet's car.

Remember, glue can be dangerous, so use with caution, or else.

Right, what's next?

So I'm just checking it from all angles

cos I'd like it to be as neat as possible when it's done.

Cos even though they're really scratched and old and shabby,

it needs to have a certain cleanness to it, a kind of designer styling.

Oops.

Sarah's spent £180 on materials for the lamps.

But, with the spotlight firmly on the profit margin,

the finished products will really need to shine.

In Margate, the buds of creativity

are starting to blossom in Zoe's studio.

So, I have this really interesting looking piece from Sarah.

It's been broken on the side here

and also the lock has been, kind of, locked open.

When I talked to Sarah, I suggested somewhere to, kind of,

put your glitzy, glamorous going out shoes and things like that.

Or your trainers.

Ah, I can see it now.

My old trainers beautifully displayed

for the world to smell, I mean see.

This cabinet needs serious TLC.

I'm not too intimidated by the challenge,

I'm looking forward to it.

Some of the glass is broken, so Zoe's going to carefully remove

it all to avoid further breakage,

or, worse still, the need for a plaster.

Because the overall condition of the wood is poor,

with flaking varnish, Zoe has decided to send it off

to be professionally polished.

Meaning Zoe can take some time to nestle in her loft space,

where she does all her creative thinking.

It's always very important for me to sit down somewhere peaceful,

surrounded by all my inspiration and a lot of reference books

and colours and materials and art making supplies,

and then have a really good think about what I'm trying to evoke

with a piece of furniture.

And it's here that Zoe's artistic muse really takes flight.

Away from that glitzy idea, and landing firmly in...

Wait for it.

Mexico.

I decided to do a floral, sort of stitched looking design,

inspired by Mexico.

After putting a couple more layers of detail into this one, this

should be ready to go later on to be printed onto the piece of furniture.

The cabinet's back from the polishers with a new

coat of colour, giving it a more sophisticated sheen, I think.

All of these different colours are each going to be printed

one at a time on top of one another, using the silk screens.

When I first started planning the piece, I was thinking quite feminine,

glitzy and glamorous, but I'm actually liking this

kind of Mexican meets English patio garden that's kind of happening.

First, Zoe creates a rough surface for the paint to bind to,

then carefully layers up the patterns

using the silk screen she has made -

one colour at a time.

First one done.

The floral stitch patterns she's using are influenced

by a fabric she saw for herself on a Margate - Mexico exchange.

We've all been on one.

Yes. Yes. That looks good.

Ah, that is lovely.

Zoe's made a strong start with her Mexico to Margate floral design,

but building up intricate patterns with silk screens takes

precision and concentration. So, for now, we'll leave Zoe to it.

So, it's all rosy in Margate.

In Walthamstow, Max has got his chainsaw out again.

Some of the logs are in better condition than others.

Once sawn through, it's time for a confab.

If I spin that over, cut that into slabs to see what we can get

because we can get small, kind of, chopping boards

or some cooking spoons or eating spoons.

I think that's probably the best.

Max cuts the poplar with the grain, to maximise its strength.

After the trauma of being sliced and diced, Max and Abigail indulge

the new-look wood with what can only be described as spa treatment -

starting with a relaxing lounge in the sunshine.

We're just, kind of, laying it out in the sun, just to dry the surface off a little bit...

Yeah, make it more workable.

Yeah, so that when we feed it through the planer,

it's not completely saturated.

With the little poplar pieces all dried out,

it's time to make some shapes.

Then the slabs are run through the band saw.

Some of the wood's in too poor a state to use,

so wastage on the good stuff isn't an option.

There's still more than enough, in terms of depth, for me

to work with on this, and then it basically gives you a whole

other section of wood to get another couple of spoons from.

Max's woodcarving techniques are rooted in tradition,

and he spends many an hour happily whittling away. Whittle, whittle.

This is one of my favourite parts of the process.

I mean, the colours are amazing.

You wouldn't guess this, as you get in, that you get

the kind of greys and the greens running all the way through.

Like Michelangelo's David emerging from the marble,

kitchen utensils are starting to take shape.

But it hasn't been easy.

Even though Sarah brought us a lot of wood, it's actually been

quite difficult to process that down and get solid stuff out of it.

But I think we've done quite well.

Max and Abigail now take time with the precious few utensils

they have made and treat them to some gentle exfoliation.

When you're dealing with stuff that's all made by hand,

there's not really a way of speeding that process up.

-There aren't short cuts, basically, are there?

-No.

That's what you learn quite quickly.

It's great that stuff that they would otherwise either have to

take to the tip or would be burned,

we can actually take it off their hands and turn it

into something that then has another life, other than just landfill.

Finally, a loving wax and buff.

So it's a beeswax salve that we make ourselves,

which is just pure beeswax and mineral oil. It kind of brings out

the grain of the wood much more, once you've sanded.

You can see that the colour's completely changed.

The poplar pieces have had quite the makeover

under Max and Abigail's care.

They've lost weight, basked in the sun

and enjoyed a thorough pampering.

But I don't see any bowls. Hmm.

Back in Sussex, Sarah's in the barn,

putting the finishing touches to the vintage toy lamps.

Just use that last bit. There's Popeye.

I'm just going to pop him on there.

I think that's successful.

So you can have a lot of fun using up your old toys to make some

pretty lighting, like this.

I'm really pleased with the way these have turned out.

Before, these well-loved toy cars seemed way past their play-by date.

Now, with a bit of imagination and some very sticky glue,

they'll live another day, as fun, retro lighting.

They're perfect for child at heart grown-ups who like to take

a trip down nostalgia lane.

At the dump, Paul's collection of cars had long run out of gas.

I do know some of them were collectors' items,

but they're pretty well shot, to be honest.

Sarah created five bespoke lights with nostalgic charm.

And they've all been sold to Rowdy Roddy Vintage Store boutique

and online shop in Glasgow.

Now Sarah's back in Stockport to show Paul her car creations,

and hand over a profit, I hope.

-Hiya.

-Hi. How are you, all right?

-Nice to see you again, Paul.

-How you doing?

-Yeah, not too bad, thanks.

So it's been a while since I've seen you in the tip, how's things?

All right. Yeah, good. Not too bad, thank you.

When I had a good look at the toys you dropped off, I just loved

the fact that they were worn and they had signs of age to them.

So I thought they had to be made into something that was decorative

-and where people could see them just the way they were.

-Yeah.

-OK, so what I did with them is made them into lights.

-OK.

-I've got a few pictures here.

-Oh, wow.

I bought some retro-looking lights, so they sort of had the right kind

of feel, and got some really strong glue and stacked them all up together.

Yeah, that's cool. I recognise...

Gosh. Yeah, I recognise the old police van there.

-We have actually sold them.

-Oh, right. OK.

-A collection of five has been sold all together to a shop.

-Right.

-And I've made some profit for you.

-Oh, right. Brilliant.

So I've got £145 here...

Oh, wow! Brilliant.

..to give to you for your old toys.

Wow, brilliant. Thank you very much.

-That's super. Brilliant. Super.

-Excellent.

Well, they were a lot of fun to work with,

-so thank you very much for letting me have them.

-No, that's fine.

-Thank you.

-Pleasure. Well, thank you ever so much for that.

-Cheers, thank you.

-Take care. Bye-bye.

Sarah spent £180 on lamps and glue for the five car lights,

and they've been sold for £325,

meaning a pretty profit for Paul of £145.

Didn't expect anything at all.

It's a bit of old junk to me.

It was a nice surprise, definitely.

I think we'll go out for something to eat with it, maybe.

Take the family out for some tea,

and treat the little one or something. So, yeah.

In Margate, Zoe's waiting for Sarah to collect the finished cabinet.

This piece that she's picking up today,

I would be very happy not to let go.

I can see MY shoes being inside the cabinet, instead of someone else's.

I'd like to hang onto it, but I don't think she's going to let me.

Before, this was a smashed-up cocktail cabinet whose partying days

were well and truly over.

Now, the wood's been lovingly restored,

the glass replaced,

and that broken lock's been fixed and is sitting pretty.

Zoe's imaginative designs have been lovingly and skilfully applied,

giving the piece a refreshing burst of colour - inside and out.

It's the perfect place to house shoes or precious knick-knacks.

It could even be the belle of the ball as a cocktail cabinet again.

But what will Sarah think?

-Hello?

-Hello.

-Hiya.

-How you doing?

I'm really well. Oh, my word.

How have you managed that?

It looks beautiful, doesn't it? It looks really classy.

-I really, really like this one.

-I love it.

It looks just crispy and stunning.

Is it what you were imagining?

No, I have to say, it is so much fresher and so much more stylish.

It looks expensive and luscious.

Oh, I'm so glad you like it.

I think it's safe to say she does, Zoe.

I don't see this as just something for shoes, I think what you've

done with it is just make it into something that has got huge appeal.

You know, this could be whatever people want it to be.

I've really loved doing it, and I really want to keep it.

Well, too bad. You can't.

Zoe's idea changed from a glittery shoe unit to a more,

let's say, refined piece.

I think our initial budget, all in, we were hoping for 500 quid.

Is that still the case?

Yes, we have just about made that.

Fantastic.

It's great news all round. It looks absolutely beautiful.

At the tip, Amanda and Connor's bashed up cocktail cabinet

looked like it was suffering the mother of all hangovers.

-It used to be my uncle's.

-OK.

-And he's had it for about 30 years.

-They were happy for Sarah to take it.

-You're welcome to it.

My mum will be over the moon.

Sarah carted it off to Zoe, who added glamour and Mexican flair,

and it was snapped up by Janet, from Margate's Lombard Gallery.

She doesn't need to second-guess the appeal of Zoe's work,

because she's sold it before.

This lovely floral design on the top,

it's so big and bold and vibrant.

I love it.

Now Sarah's back in Stockport to show Amanda and Connor what's been done.

-Hiya.

-Hello.

-Hi, Amanda, it's Sarah.

-Hi there, how you doing?

-I'm OK.

I've got a few pictures to show you of your cabinet

-and what we did with it after you dropped it off.

-Yeah.

We chose a designer called Zoe Murphy who lives down in Margate,

so your cabinet went on a little holiday down to Margate.

And I've got some pictures here to show you.

-That is what happened to your cabinet.

-Oh, wow.

Does it look like the same thing?

She stripped everything back

and then lacquered it all over to give it a really luxurious

finish, and then put these lovely flowers onto the top of it.

-What do you think?

-Brilliant.

She had a budget of £500.

-We've actually sold your cabinet, and it sold for £600 in the end.

-Wow.

So it was something that was going to the tip and it sold for 600.

And the good news about that is I've got £100 here to give to you for the cabinet.

-So thank you so much.

-Thank you.

I like that reaction. Any ideas what you might spend that on?

I haven't got a clue at the moment.

-Probably pay for some of these things the kids are doing.

-Really?

-Are they on summer holidays?

-Dancing, Scouts.

It's never just down to me, it's always spending it on the kids.

I've got three children, I know exactly where you're coming from.

Inclusive of work and materials, as well as a specialist polisher,

glazier and locksmith, Zoe charged a grand total of £500.

The cabinet sold for £600, making a sweet profit of £100 for Amanda.

Lovely.

It's like it's been given a new lease of life.

Well, I'm not that artistic, really, but it gives you good ideas

with things you can try and do with old bits of furniture.

We've got a profitable pair, but Sarah wants a full house.

In Walthamstow, the woodworking wonder-couple have,

well, worked wonders.

Before, these mouldy old logs were

destined to become charcoal and ashes.

Now, they're luxury handcrafted utensils.

Max and Abigail delved deep into the wood to tease out

three eating spoons, two chopping boards

and three pairs of coffee scoops, cooking spoons and spatulas.

They used centuries-old methods to create 11 completely

unique items and ladled them with love.

They're perfect for any cook who values

the quality of their tools as much as their ingredients.

Max and Abigail were lumbered with wet old logs,

and it was a hard-fought battle.

There was a definite panic stage, wasn't there?

Yeah, it was kind of like, you know, at one point it was, sort of,

"Actually, are we going to be able to get anything at all?"

But luckily we were able to get some stuff.

We've got quite considered, elegant designs, I think.

I'm slightly nervous of what Sarah's going to say,

just because maybe she's...

She dropped off six massive logs and I guess maybe there's an expectation

that you're going to be able to get a vast amount of stuff.

-We're excited to see what she says.

-Yeah.

But will Sarah be stirred by what's been made?

-Hiya.

-Hello.

-Are you excited?

-I'm really excited.

-Wow! Was this erm...?

-This is the carnage, yeah.

Oh, my word!

Wow.

That's fantastic.

Wow. That is made from that wood?

Pretty much for every kind of spoon that we made

we probably had five or six that didn't work.

You got to a certain point in the process and there would be

kind of just a patch of rot or it would just snap or split.

So basically what you're saying is it was a total nightmare to work with.

Once we got stuff that we could work with

you kind of get back into the sort of process, which we really love.

We talked about making bowls and that kind of thing,

-so we had a go...

-Oh, wow.

And it was... You know, the kind of...

Again the wood itself, it was just kind of...

You got to a stage where you just kind of had to stop working.

So you can kind of see here how pitted it is.

I think that is beautiful.

But I can understand why, your integrity is admirable.

Hmm, I think your soup would end up on your lap with that bowl.

A real shame, but despite setbacks

Max and Abigail have worked a mini miracle with those utensils.

It's really difficult to imagine that this came out of the wood,

and also just how light it is.

It's quite a kind of lightweight

wood and it's quite a delicate design,

but they're more than kind of capable of standing up to...

-Being used.

-Yeah. Absolutely.

So, it's all good in the 'hood.

But how did they get on with that £250 budget?

We used every penny of that £250 in terms of processing

and just kind of like, man hours and labour and stuff.

So do you think it's touch and go whether we make a profit?

I think it's going to be a little bit tight.

It is not always going to be

that there is a huge profit in these things.

That wood I know is very difficult to work with,

and to have made anything out of that that is actually usable

and have this kind of finesse,

I think is a real achievement.

So thank you so much for taking on the challenge.

What she dropped off turned out to be quite a challenge.

-More so than we expected, as well.

-Yeah.

I'm pleased, and I'm glad that Sarah's pleased as well.

-Yeah, I think she really likes them. Secretly wants them.

-Yeah.

At the dump, Gary's wood blocks were about to be chucked.

The original plan was to do something with it,

and then it dropped to

maybe put it on the wood burner and now it's just...

-Get rid.

-Get rid, it's in the way.

Max and Abigail created luxury kitchenware.

And it's all been bought

by Ali and Nikki from online hardware store Such & Such,

who specialise in selling handmade products.

-Oh, we'd love to take all of them if we may.

-Yeah.

-They're beautiful.

Well, we can box them up and they'll be ready to go.

Now, there's a happy ending.

Now Sarah's in Stockport, to visit Gary and give him some good news -

with any luck.

-Hiya.

-Hiya, all right?

-Hi. Sarah.

-Nice to meet you.

-Yeah, how are you doing?

-Yeah, not bad.

Come on down, let me show you what we've done with your tree stumps.

They're a pair of amazing makers called Max and Abigail,

and they are, like, modern-day foragers and woodworkers.

-So they were a great fit...

-Yeah.

-..for your logs.

So I've got a couple of pictures to show you...

-Any ideas what we made out of them?

-Not a clue.

They made

beautiful handmade spoons, chopping boards...

-What do you think?

-Yeah. Really good.

I didn't expect them to be anything like that.

It's really impressive what they've done,

I just thought they'd go for landfill or something like that,

so to see 'em like that is really good.

-We gave them a budget of £250 to do that.

-Yeah.

And after that they have been sold,

-and we sold your pieces for £300, so I've got 50 quid here for you.

-Yeah.

That's... Thanks.

-How does that feel?

-Yeah. Good.

-Well, money for nothing.

-Yep...

Bang on, that's exactly what it is.

Max and Abigail charged £250 in total,

and the 11 utensils were sold for £300

meaning Gary is now 50 quid richer.

With the money I'll probably get something for the garden.

There's always something I can add to it.

We spend a lot of time out here, so that's probably what we'll do.

Sarah saved three items, singing their swansong at the dump.

The played-out toy cars

became quirky novelty lighting.

The sodden wooden blocks

became luxury kitchen tools for discerning cooks.

And the lacklustre cocktail cabinet

got more than just its glamour back -

it became a hot little Mexican number. Fantastico!

Well, that really was an eclectic mix of stuff that we saved,

but in the end all three bits looked amazing and turned a profit.

And it just goes to show - with a little bit of imagination

you really can make money from all sorts of rubbish.