A 20-year-old with a talent for upcycling and making unique and quirky homeware has shared her business journey.

Lily Wood, 20, from Ipswich, is the owner of Abstract Frog – a business that she relaunched in May of this year having started out at just 17.

It was in her teenage years that Lily decided university wasn’t for her and instead became her own boss, perusing art full time.

She said: “Everyone was sort of pushing me to go to university and I didn’t really know what I would like to study so I was like ‘why don’t I set up my own business creating all the stuff that I like to do?’"

Lily makes artwork, canvases and prints, and more recently has started making homeware such as chopping boards and coasters using recycled items.

Ipswich Star: Lily makes coasters, trinket trays and upcycles items such as cheeseboardsLily makes coasters, trinket trays and upcycles items such as cheeseboards (Image: Danielle Booden)

She will often frequent charity shops to turn unloved items into modern pieces for the home to sell through her online shop.

“I’ll try and find stuff from charity and antique shops that I can use instead of bulk buying things - that’s the unique part of it.

“I like upcycling and learning about the history of an item and then making it into something more modern,” she added.

Ipswich Star: The 20-year-old will often use items that she has found in charity and antique shopsThe 20-year-old will often use items that she has found in charity and antique shops (Image: Danielle Booden)

Lily embraces and incorporates each item's past and tells that story through her work.

She said: "If it’s a really unusual item I’ll ask the person in the shop when did this arrive and do you know anything about it?

"I’ll try and take note of it just so that there’s a story behind it. It adds a bit of character rather than buying something from the Range."

Ipswich Star: Lily upcycles items and reuses scrap materialsLily upcycles items and reuses scrap materials (Image: Danielle Booden)

For other young people thinking about starting their own business, Lily says to keep things simple and organised.

She said: “Get your prices done and your values – what is unique to your business and why should people buy from your shop rather than Amazon. Also give yourself as little to do as possible.”

Lily hopes to build her customer base and aims to take her work to local fairs in the coming weeks. She would also like to collaborate with other artists in the future.

To find Lily’s products on Etsy see here.