Favorite scents....part 2

The sequel to my favorite scents....the list could go on and on, but I'll not bore you with any more after these! I maybe should have had this first one posted earlier this spring, but spring wasn't what it should have been this year! Are you ready? I LOVE the smell freshly turned dirt! Must be my country roots, but newly dug fields tell me it's time to get my garden gloves out and scratch the dirt in my flower beds as well.

This favorite is also seasonal and we're right in the thick of it...cut grass! Am I strange? Do you like the smell of cut grass as well? How about alfalfa or freshly mowed ditches, which will come a little later this summer and into fall. Again, must be the country roots...

Now I know you'll understand this one.....COFFEE! I have always loved the smell of coffee, even though I didn't start drinking it until after college.

Now that I've got my grass cut and my flower beds all planted, it's time to put the coffee on and get to work on junk! Don't forget...free coffee at JunkFest! Hope to see you there!

Junk in Bloom...

This old typewriter may have has lost its keys, but not it's cute-ability! This lovely old Smith & Corona has found a new purpose as a planter on my back patio...Doesn't everyone love rusty baskets? This one is no exception. Truth is, it doesn't look too junky any longer filled with pretty flowers!But if you look closely, maybe it does with the old typewriter keys stuck in the dirt...grow baby grow!My recent thrift store purchase is obviously a creamer, but it can look oh, SO PRETTY as a bud vase...in my opinion.

An old ladle is filled with new life...Soon-to-be-flowering are the contents in this old flour sifter...

Indoors, and with no need to display firewood now, my rusty log holder is currently a summer "junk in bloom" right in my own dining room... I have decided from now on whenever I post to this blog I will try to remember to add a "quote for the day" or perhaps fun "words of wisdom" to the end of each post. I am challenging my three junk sisters on this site to do the same...so, here goes:

I read this article that said the typical symptoms of stress are eating too much, drinking too much, impulse buying and driving too fast. Are they kidding?! Those things are MY idea of a PERFECT day!

You've hugged a Farmer...now, how about your Father???

"Petey" Carl Albert Beck
aka "Pete-the-Tramp-Beck"

My Dad was a pack rat...No doubt about it. In the garage, he kept a pup tent from 1965. After 1967,no one ever used it.. but he kept it "just in case". One of his favorite garage sale finds was a ship made out of cut up beer cans. He couldn't believe someone would put all that time and energy into making it..in his eyes, it was well worth the $5.00 he paid! My mother was slightly horrified when he brought it home... but it is still in his office, he wouldn't let her throw it away.

He also loved to "tinker" in the garage.I remember going out there a lot just to see what he was working on.It usually did not involve following any instructions. He was more of a do-it-your-own-way kind of a guy...you know, a lot of duct tape, a little string, maybe some super glue in a pinch.

He came up for Junk-Fest one year and was amazed at the amount of "junk" in my garage...I recall him shouting to my mother "Jeanette, get the camera!!" I don't think he realized the scope of my hobby until then.I don't think I ever convinced him that, eventually, some day....I really will get to it all. (I haven't convinced my husband yet either!!)...but he understood that I had to keep all the broken bits and pieces, all the furniture, all the rusty thing-a-ma-bobs "just in case".

He was thrilled to see all of our JunkFest creations...he thought we were some pretty creative gals! He especially enjoyed watching the ladies run into the Junk-Fest building when we cut the ribbon...He said it was well worth the 36 hour drive up here!

Unfortunately, my Dad passed away a little over a month ago...but I'm sure I'll hear him giggling as the women start running into the JunkFest building this fall....and I bet he's been watching me working in my garage, giving me the thumbs up....but thinking I could just as well use some duct tape and string in my projects :)






Happy Father's Day , Dad... I think about you every day. Lynette

Have you hugged a farmer today?

Well, have you hugged a farmer today? Or, at least thanked one? And I don't mean for the obvious reason, like the fact they FEED THE WORLD...I mean because they have the COOLEST junk ever...seriously, the best. And, if a farmer thinks you could possibly use some of his "junk" to make some creations for Junk Fest, you really DO want to give him a HUG!

So, here's the deal...Mr. Farmer stopped by the office a few weeks ago and said he had some stuff I may be interested in and I should stop out to his farm... So, do we all agree this long trough looking thing is cool? He also had this iron piece with lots of holes...I've got a couple ideas for it...Here's an old corn planter I can certainly give some new life to, a small little stool, and some iron grates...

The pail (you can't see the wheels in this photo) was a mop bucket. When you see it at Junk Fest it will NOT be sold as a mop bucket!I think these round deals were off an old stove...love 'em...and does anyone know what the other two things are? They are quite heavy and about 5-6 inches long. I have no idea what they are, but I know what they WILL be!

I saved the very best for last...a whole pail full of old doorknobs! I love them...chippy, some ornate, some rusty...love, love, love! Just look at the pink one, HELLO! I have a fab-u-lous idea for these; they'll be made into something very unique!

So, mark your calendar for Saturday, September 12, 2009....JUNK FEST is right around the corner. Holy crap-ola, I have alot of work to do before then! Hey, Junk Sisters, I will get busy after I quit admiring my new stuff. Oh, and thanks again for thinking of me and JUNK FEST, Mr. Farmer!

A little hometown junk...

Normally I don't reveal my junk "sources", but this was too good not to share! On a recent visit to my hometown of Ray, ND, I was lucky enough to venture through the old Chevrolet dealership building. The severely dilapidated building will soon be torn down, and after talking to a few city officials, I was given the green light to search and explore. Funny thing was, every guy I talked to said, "Andrea, there's nothing valuable left; its just a bunch of junk". Don't you just love silly men?It's a large two story building and frankly, it smelled like a skunk on the outside, so we were kinda nervous. I was warned, "Do not go to the second floor as it could collapse under your feet". Well, of course that just made us want to check it out even more! Ha! A nephew and my oldest sister came along for the fun! So, you may be wondering...was it a little scary? Kinda. Dark? Very much so upstairs (but flashlights were in hand)! Critters? Probably. Good junk? Absolutely!

A little help please....

Here's a piece that I put together last summer. I had the old door for several years....it weighs a ton (give or take a few pounds) and was an ugly fleshy-peach color. I found the table legs, still attached to a very ugly formica top, at a base surplus auction a couple of years ago. I thought the legs were unique and worth the trouble of finding someone to remove them and take the table top off of my hands, even though I didn't have a plan for them. When I "married" the door to the table legs I had to decide how to finish the piece to make it more uniform (and get rid of that fleshy color)!

As you can see, I decided on black. Actually, it's black with some distressing and dark staining over top. The legs look both brown and black in the photos, but they are solid black. Just the door/top is two toned brown and black. I love how it looks as is, and I think it would make a great desk, with the addition of glass on the top. Problem is, I don't have room for it as a desk anywhere in my house. I would like to move it upstairs to my bonus room where I sew and my daughter "creates." That room is very light and bright and the dark color just wouldn't work.
Please pardon the dust, it's been in storage for the last year. What would you do with this piece? What are your color suggestions? I'd love to hear your comments or suggestions!

Diamond in the rough!

There are just some things that would scare almost anyone away. Take this mirror for example...thick with mold and crud. Not a breath of life left in this one. Right? Wrong. I tend to look beyond the crud, and thought this old mirror and frame deserved another chance. And even to MY surprise...I found a diamond in the rough. Here's the before.Here's the after. After a few waves with my magic wand. The silver is in poor shape on the back of the mirror, causing it to take on a true vintage personality...which makes me love it even more.Here are a few more treasures I've acquired recently.

Now, I don't know much about waffle makers (and please excuse the fact this is not clean!) but I just think this is the darn cutest little thing!

What thrifty treasures have you found lately? Check out some great stuff at I Love Yardsales with Rhoda of Southern Hospitality.

Linked at Funky Junk Interiors!!
and MET Monday!!