She's just another Junk Girl!

Hello JunkFest readers! I'd like to introduce you to my latest WIP (work in progress). She's not quite finished yet, but I couldn't wait to share her with you! While dress forms are certainly not a new concept, the vintage forms with the wire cages seem to be quite popular and highly sought after. They are very hard to come by in our area, so when I saw this one at a tag sale, I literally lunged after her and held on for dear life! Not sure why, as I was the only one at the sale!


Many would have turned and walked away at the mere sight of her, but I knew she had great potential. I'm not sure about her history, but I do believe she's been around the block more than once! Or quite possibly in a cat fight or two? I'm fairly certain one previous owner tried to cover her flaws with spray paint, but aborted the mission halfway through.

After peeling off as much of the paint-hardened fabric that was left on the bodice, I used a spray adhesive and some quilt batting to re-shape her. Much better, don't you think?

I had several options for recovering the body, but I chose decoupaging with old book pages. I hate the thought of destroying or altering classic works, but since I had two copies of "A Romance of Two Worlds" I decided I could part with one.

I have not read this book, but I liked the title and the discoloration of the pages.

In between coats of Mod Podge, I decided to do a little online research about the story. I was quite surprised to find that it wasn't as "romantic" as the title led me to believe! If you've read the book, then you know what I mean...

Anywho, like I said before, she's a work in progress. I've got some more tricks up my sleeve for further adornment before she makes her debut at JunkFest.

Read here about my first dress form purchase, Marguerite. She's doing well, thank you.

I could use your help in naming this one. Perhaps we could all read the book and get a feel for "who she is?" Okay, gotta run...she's pretty, but not quite ready!

Linked to: SNS #28

Where have all the Junk Girls gone...?

source: flickr

Where have all the Junk Girls gone? Long time passing....(sung to the tune of 'Where Have All The Flowers Gone?') Tell me you've heard the song before!

You may wonder where the JunkFest girls have been (again)? We've been busy....crankin' out the goods for this year's sale! The proof's in the picture, and NO, those are NOT pigs in blankets! What are they, you say? Well, you'll just have to swing out to JunkFest '10 for a look-see! Hope to see ya there!

JunkFest & Flea Market Saturday, September 11, 9:00am to 3:00pm....bring your friends, and bring a trailer, 'cause this ain't your grandma's garage sale!

Alpha-what?

Hey everybody...today I'm linking up to Jenny Matlock's Alphabe-Thursday. If you've never read Jenny's blog, now's the time to head over and check her out. Each week she hosts a link party in alphabetic form, and this week she's on the letter "N." Your post can be about anything, or nothing...but must somehow be related to the letter "N." Of course each week the alphabet changes! And since my previous post was about Nests, and Nice Boys (did you read it?) I thought it appropriate to link up to Jenny. Please take the time to go meet Jenny....you'll love her. She can have you laughing hysterically and crying like a baby....all in one post! Frankly, she's a little Nuts. That's why I love her!

Taking flight...

This past weekend, my daughter and I were visiting my parents' farm. It was a beautiful sunny spring day, so we decided to take a walk down a little prairie road that leads to a creek. This is not an unusual occurrence. I spent many childhood hours on that prairie road, either by foot or by bike...occasionally on horseback. Every trip I've taken down it as an adult is full of nostalgia. I'm swept back to another time...a very easy, carefree time, where as a child, I was unaware of life's stresses...I had my parents and my siblings (all 5 of them!) to rely on.
There are always treasures to be found alongside this little road, or near the creek, or even in the adjacent pasture. Sparkly rocks...weathered wood. Sometimes we get lucky enough to catch the crocuses blooming in all their spring glory. On this particular day I came across the tiniest little nest...with remnants of pale blue egg shells in the bottom.
I picked up the nest, which had obviously been abandoned...it's purpose having been served. As I wondered about the baby birds, I couldn't help but think about some other "babies" leaving their nests. High school graduation will soon be here, and my three junk sisters are preparing to send their babies off into this big old world.

I know this happens every year to millions of parents and their children. It's a bittersweet occasion. But these three graduates have turned out to be fine young men with very promising futures. Some of you may know them. If you've ever been to JunkFest, chances are you saw them there. These are our cream-of-the-crop "junk hunks." None of them had to be there....they certainly weren't being paid...unless you call a free lunch "payment." They were there because they believed in what their Mothers were doing. They even brought their friends along to help. They did what was asked of them with smiles on their faces....not a single complaint.

Casey

Colin

Devan

I wish these young men the best in their future endeavors. I know they'll go far. And my hat goes off to the parents that gave them their wings and encouraged them to fly.

Meant to be.

Anyone that's been to JunkFest knows. If you didn't get in the door when the ribbon was cut you might have missed it. Missed what? Well, purt near everything! Within a few hours the scenery changes by quite a bit, as happy shoppers gleefully envision their new prize in their home or garden.


But...there are a few things...a few lost little pieces that don't get adopted on JunkFest Day. So sad. Such is what happened to these two lonely souls. The simple cloche made sweet with a broken marble doorknob on top, and the empty (but not without grand potential) gold frame. Can you see them?


Never fear. I am not disappointed you see, as selling items at JunkFest is often bittersweet for us. Because as true junkers....WE also love all those items too!!! So the lost is found...the cloche and frame have found their place.


Fumbling through a songbook for odds and ends "placemats" I swept across a song entitled "Gentle Annie". It immediately brought visions of my Grandmother Anna (Annie to most) to mind...the sweetest, most gentle, soft hearted woman I ever knew. I smiled inside and knew this sheet was not be be used as a surface protector. Flipping a few pages farther, the most astonishing thing came before my eyes. A song entitled "They All Love Jack"! My Grandfather's name was John (Jack by all his friends) and he was truly a well liked and very much a fun loving man!!


Finding those two songs in the same book felt like they were meant to be together...just like my Grandparents, who had been married for 63 years, 3 months, and 18 days, and when they passed, did so within months of each other.


A copy of their wedding photo in sepia tone blended nicely with the aged sheet music. Who said frames needed to be filled with paintings, when they can simply be filled with things we love.


The cloche also found it's place near the large frame. Sitting upon a metal do-dad, and again sheet music as a "placemat". I played with a few ideas for what to put in the cloche, starting with my Grandmother's garden gloves and Grandfather's hanky. They were a good match to the Grandparent "theme" I had going on but didn't seem quite right in the cloche.


Then I tried a sweet little tree my sister brought me from Brazil. It also looked good in the cloche but maybe wasn't exactly the fit for this time around.


Then I remembered I had recently picked up a happy little bluebird at a convenience store of all places. With spring in the air and the mix of colors atop the sheet music...this was the perfect fill for the cloche for this display.


I love how my area turned out, it brings a smile to me as I pass by. Maybe our junk shoppers will see the junk in a different way this year, knowing the possibilities are endless when incorporating "junk" into a display in your own home. Will these two items be back on the block at JunkFest 2010? We'll just have to see.

Linking to SNS #52 Check it out!!

We want YOU!

JunkFest 2010 is fast approaching, and this year's Flea Market promises to be better than ever! Want to be part of the action? Vendor spaces are still available, but they're selling fast!


Come and spend the day with us on Saturday, September 11, 2010 in Carrington, North Dakota. You'll find food, music, and fun at the best 6-hour sale this side of Foster County! From antiques & collectibles, rusty junk, hand-crafted wares, and soup to nuts, we welcome all inquiries. For vendor information, email Lynette at caylor@daktel.com.

Hope to see you there!

A Stylin' Centerpiece

Today's Link: Centerpieces! Check out Donna over at

Funky Junk Interiors SNS

for more great centerpiece ideas!Here are a few odd junk pieces put together for a stylin' centerpiece...or at least a fun and funky one!

I bought a meat grinder for $2 at a rummage sale but was really only interested in the different inserts...I knew they'd be fun holding a candle.But the more I looked at them, I thought the light would be neat peeking through the holes. Then I looked around and found a canning jar holder and a disc spacer. My centerpiece was coming together!

Added flowers and a little embellishing is a must-have.

The extra candle I had didn't go to waste. An added number and base (a zink lid from a mason jar) added a little more fun...this centerpiece is all ready for spring!

A bedspring tablescape...and a little wine too

When it was my turn to cook recently for the culinary club, recipes were gathered and many variations attempted before the big night. The two other couples cooking, along with my husband and I, decided on a dinner party featuring wine pairings with each course. The minute my ears heard, "wine pairing" my mind was quickly drifting off to tablescape possibilities! Thought I'd share what I came up with! Antique mirrors...bunches of extremely real-looking grapes (from Wal-Mart!), wine glasses filled with corks...and some spilling over......and a rusty old bed spring, of course! Candle votives fit snugly in the springs while wine bottles nestled in nicely too... ...the rest of the table held wine glasses...lots of 'em!

Overhead view...here's a glass "spilling" over!

And what goes great with wine? Dessert of course! The evening ended with Warm Chocolate Melting Cake and ice cream - it was yummy! Sorry I don't have a photo (it was eaten in the blink of an eye!), but here's the recipe:

WARM CHOCOLATE MELTING CAKE

3/4 c. butter

6 oz. of semi-sweet baker's chocolate

4 eggs - AT ROOM TEMPERATURE

3/4 c. sugar

1/4 c. flour

Melt the chocolate with the butter in the micowave. Mix together. Add in the 4 eggs (very important: room temperature), sugar and flour. Mix on high until well blended. Pour into lightly greased ramekin dishes. This recipe will fill six ramekins. Bake at 390 degrees for EXACTLY 14 minutes. After a couple of minutes of cooling, the middle of the cake will fall. This is normal! Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve warm with ice cream. Enjoy!

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Beyond the Picket Fence

Tute Time! Project Project!

After participating in SYTYCD, I found myself a tad burned out on posting. I hadn't realized what deadlines for posts would do to my "spare" time. In fact, I soon found that I no longer HAD spare time because if we weren't taking photos and writing posts for the contest...we were linking to linky parties and trying our best to keep the blog fresh. It gave me a new respect to those of you who keep your blogs changing often to keep us entertained and inspired!! And for those of you who take little breaks from time to time...WE UNDERSTAND!! Blogging is for inspiration, but not a necessity of life!! Okay, maybe most of us NEED a blog fix once in a while, but...you know what I mean!

Back to the contest...I really hope you've all been keeping up with it and voting! There's some serious talent and dedication to be found there! Now, mind you...JunkFest is no longer in the running for the contest, and that's okay, but there was one week's challenge I was SO looking forward to...

PAINT.

So I'm going to share my version of the challenge with you anyway!!

The screen door I'm about to bring you has some serious core value. I got it from a sweet lady who now lives on a farm my Mom used to work at when I was very very young! How cool is that!!! It had seen it's better day, but with enough effort, we can revive the old and withered...most of the time. ;) Right?! Kind of like fashioning a console table out of a wood cheese box... (some of you know what I mean!)

Way back when, I showed a preview of this door HERE. It took me a good long while to dig in and get it home ready. And it wasn't pretty. I started by removing all the old screen which resulted in losing most of the trimwork, then a good scrubbing or two. Light sanding followed, but not rough enough to lose the black finish.



Next I added some trim and spindles (some new, some borrowed from other doors).




Then to warm up the black, I rubbed a coat of my favorite stain over the entire door, then polyurethane. (this is NOT a product endorsement.)



Things were looking good. I cut some masonite panels for the bottom, which you'll see soon. Then added screen to the top.

Problem.

The door's new purpose was to HIDE the garbage, and the screen didn't cut it.




Plan B.

"B" for Burlap!!

Love it. Much better, don't ya think?




Now on to the tutorial portion of this post. (I'm a bit windy, aren't I?) The masonite panels to fill the bottom openings served more than one purpose.

1. Keep the dog OUT of the garbage.

2. Look fabulous.

I started by giving them a coat of black paint, then with stencils borrowed from all my junk sistas, I began to fill them up with the sweet spellings of my fave tasty beverages.

First I drew out the "plan" by outlining the stencils with pencil. This way I could be sure the spaces of the panels were filled and balanced.




Once content with the layout I came back with the stencils and stippled on a soft rusty tan paint.




I light sanding to add some age...and WaaLaa!!



Then to balance out the kitchen, since there are two storage areas, I had another old black door that I simply added a masonite panel treated with chalkboard paint.


It's a FINE place for aspiring artists to do their magic!!

Linked to: SNS #28