Thursday, February 26, 2009

Farm Rescue

I'd like to show you one of my favorite pieces that I have in my home. It's an old Fairbanks grain elevator scale that came from my parents' farm. When my dad decided it was time for the leaning, sagging elevator to come down, my mom was savvy enough to see that there were some windows and possibly a few other treasures that could be salvaged. When I spotted this scale mechanism, full of oily, rusty old chains and nails and bolts, the memories of playing in that grain elevator as a child came flooding back! When I mentioned to my dad that I wanted this piece out before the building came down, he gave me what we refer to in our family as the "Buff look" which was his way of saying "Are you nuts? Not gonna happen!" He couldn't quite see the potential in it that I did, nor was he too interested in wrestling it out of it's spot...guess it weighs a few pounds. I was thrilled when he finally conceded (and discovered that the heavy iron scale mechanism could be removed) until I got a good look at how seriously saturated it was with old machine oil! Not one to shy away from getting my hands dirty, I took to it with some Dawn dishsoap and a steel brush and gently removed as much of the "antique" oil as I could. I think I did a pretty good job! You can see the distress marks and even some old carvings in the wood, which really lends to its character. I found the old church arch piece in an antique store and it fits nicely on top. Below the scale, I store my music cd's, which you don't really see until you're close up to it...and a really cute old wheel just for fun!

It's definately one of the most primitive pieces in my home, and I wondered if it would fit with the decor, since my house is a newer construction. I decided that I would find a spot for it regardless and it now sits in my kitchen. And....my dad was pretty impressed with how it looks as well. It pays to trust a junker's vision....thanks Dad!












Hookin' up to FJI's SNS here.

15 comments:

  1. You're amazing. I can't wait to see you.... (3 weeks from today!)
    xoxo

    ReplyDelete
  2. What a gorgeous piece!!! Nice save. Tell Daddy all of us Junk Girls thinks he rocks for saving this for you and going the extra distance to make this yours. Wow!
    Is this whole white cabinet part of the scale mechanism? It seems from your blog post that it is and that just the arch on top is from a church.
    Love the whole deal, girlfriend. How awesome is this. Very one of a kind and soooo unique.
    Great post!
    Gretchen
    http://www.mimitoriasdesigns.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  3. Cassie,
    That piece looks SUPER FABULOUS in your kitchen!...and the arch crowns it perfectly.

    You are a true Junk Visionary!!

    Looks like you have created a vignette of HOPE...Hope that the bluebirds come back to North Dakota SOON!!... I HOPE you are right!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Fabulous job with your display, and your post! I've loved the scale since the first time you showed it to me in your Dad's old building. I give you an A+ !!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Too cool! You are a lucky girl! I love what you've done with it!

    ReplyDelete
  6. That is a super-cool piece, Cassie! And what's even better is the story that goes with it...and that the scale really meant something to your childhood days. Celebrate nostalgia!

    ReplyDelete
  7. That's a great piece and all the more special because it holds a memory for you.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Wow this is awesome! I love it. Your blog is so fun to look at! I love all your great finds.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I'm so excited I found your blog. I would love to make it to junk fest! Hoping for spring. I'm actually going junking in the snow tomorrow. I'm sure you girls know all to well about that. jojo

    ReplyDelete
  10. Love what you have done with all your stuff. What a unique piece. I wish I could go to junk fest. Thanks for stopping by and leaving me a sweet comment.
    Blessings, Regina

    ReplyDelete
  11. Cassie - I saw this on the Junkmarketstyle site too - love it alot! You had a great vision - and, not being one to shy away from using a little "elbow grease" either...I would have saved it - in a heartbeat! And you saved a sweet childhood memory too!

    Thanks for visiting my blog - I'm looking forward to "meeting" lots of new friends in blogland!

    Kathy

    ReplyDelete
  12. Oh my GOSH. This looks like a work of art! I adore all these pieces together. You sure nailed an amazing piece out of all this! Swoon...

    Donna

    ReplyDelete

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...