Friday, December 31, 2010

Inspiration for the New Year


Today I'm linking up with Debra over at Vintage Inspiration Friday #18. If you're looking for a little inspiration mojo for 2011, that's where you'll find it!

These are just a few shots from around my home...decorated with some of my vintage favorites...









































































































































May peace, good health, and joy be yours in 2011!




Tuesday, December 28, 2010

They're Done!! Locker Repurpose...




Instead of sending you clicking around to a previous post (HERE if you want to look anyway), I'm going to do a partial repost, with edits...and this time with the finished project! So please bear with me, it's a long post! The lockers have been done for a while but I'm finally getting my poop in a group and getting them posted!



On a "quickie" junk trip last summer to one of our fave shops, my bestest junkin pal Cassie and I happened upon a few garage sales. Well being the Thiftomaniacs that we are OF COURSE WE STOPPED AND SHOPPED. One sweet gentleman, selling off his overflow of tools was unaware of what the day had in store for him!



You see, SweetMelissa had one main goal, and that was to score some old lockers to make Sweet Man-O-Mine a cabinet for all his man-stuffs. Well...Mr. Sweet Gentleman had an awesome set of 5 , count em...5, old lockers!! They weren't exactly for sale though.

That really wasn't going to stop us now, was it!!? So we asked if he would part with his lockers, and with a disbelieving chuckle said: "If you girls think you can load those heavy lockers, they're yours for 20 bucks!"

Silly Man. Silly, silly man.


Doesn't he know we're JUNK GIRLS!?!? We had a dolley in tow, a large trailer, and we were already sweaty. So we proceeded to shimmy and roll...being ever so careful of their fresh new blacktop driveway (mostly because his wife was having a coronary!) We could have gotten them, I'm sure, but a nice middle aged neighbor man stopped by and joined in on the shimmy and roll game we were playing.

Pretty sure he might have inadvertently gotten a look down my shirt as we were juggling the 100's+ pound lockers into the trailer. Uhm, yeah, pretty sure. Now mind you...there's nothing fabulous to see there! But when we offered him something for his kindness and assistance he said, "Oh no! It was MY pleasure" . Oh. My. I guess we'll chalk THAT one up to the occasional cost of good help!

Did you ever wish you could look into and object and see it's history? Do you think "Dave and Karan (with an "a") still like each other?


The lockers have been prepped and painted.

I love the new khaki color and it will go wonderfully with the rest of the PLAN I have for them. Yes, I have something grand in store for these and my inspiration is from something Lynette's son created for last year's JunkFest. Can't wait to get them done and share with you!!!



OK. Now imagine, if you will, that high pitched sci-fi time machine music........got it? Cause we're going to transport a few months ahead, since it took me that long to get back to the lockers after JunkFest projects.



The lockers were cleaned, primed painted, the dividers were removed between the center units, and shelves were added on the two end units.



It actually turned into an "family" project on a warm fall day.









The inside of the lockers was customized for my hubby's storage.




Here's where the real fun began! I had some reclaimed beadboard that was perfect for my intended project. You see, I didn't want to just FLOP the lockers into the room and not give them a WOW factor.


So...I built an encasement for them and covered it with the beadboard. Thought I took pics at that point but can't seem to find them! I tell you what, the air nailer paid for itself and then some at this stage of the game...love it!





Anyway...each section was like a ladder fashioned from 2x2's and 2x4's. Below you can see the base section, which will keep the lockers from cutting the flooring and give them extra stability.


Each section was prepared, covered with beadboard, and poly'd. Then the sections were put together in the room.





Reclaimed trim was also used to finish off the edges. I'm so proud and fortunate to have this wood to use. My Dad had pulled it from a building of my childhood farm and saved it for me. Used to be a church, then a broom factory, grainery, butcher house, and family reunion gathering place, just to mention a few of it's many uses over the years. So many memories there......aaaahhhhh.

The wood has SO many "character" marks in it, from nail holes to mouse chews, which gives it fabulous personality.





Here it is, full to the brim with man stuffs, and topped off with some fab vintage items. I do think I should number the doors yet!


So...cost of this project:
Lockers = $20
2x2's and 2x4's = free, reused from an old closet
Beadboard = free, reclaimed
Carpet to line part of the inside = ? $50
Spray primer and paint = Who wants to keep track of that!?
Low cut shirt and peek at my sweaty boowoo's to get the lockers loaded = priceless. :)

Linked to:
Funky Junk's Sat Nite Special

Monday, December 27, 2010

Put your Feet Up.

As you unwind from your Holiday high, remember to take some time to put your feet up (slippers and jammies required), sip on some of your favorite coffee...

and GIGGLE while you reflect on the joy and laughter shared during the holiday gatherings.

What is your favorite way to spend down time after the holiday? I think I'll get out my breadmaker and enjoy the aroma of fresh bread baking.


As soon as we're done "unwinding", the JunkFest Girls will be back with some junkotabulous posts. See ya soon!

Thursday, December 23, 2010

The Stockings were Hung on the Ladder with Care...



In hopes that St. Nicholas would FIND them there!!

A few years ago I took it upon myself to sew stockings for everyone in my family.

I've been known to take on crazy projects like that right before the holiday. Silly me.



They have special meaning for my family, and that made it all worth while.


There are many different colors, all different in some way.



And monogrammed with the stocking owner's first initial.



They are roomy for lots of goodies, and even have a liner. And name tags, cause some of us have the same first initial.



And what better way to display them? An old white six foot chippy wooden ladder fit the bill just dandy! The stockings hang from cuphooks. All 31 stockings, that is.
The ladder? That came from a sweet gentleman who actually still used it in his shop! I spied it and was quick to point out that it certainly wasn't safe for him anymore!!! Took a bit of convincing...but I'm glad. (that he's safe)(and that I have the ladder!)






And now, can I please please pretty please share my tree (excuse the blurry pic!) and some of my fave decorations this year...?





Every year I get the kids a continuation of a series Hallmark ornament. That's a combined 36 or so years worth of ornaments! I put them on display each year and pack them back up in their boxes after Christmas. This year I put them on the tree...saved me having to find an alternate spot for them and I didn't have to come up with something different for the tree...and they look SO sweet!







I brought in an old crusty rusty broken scale from the barn and stuffed a tree in it. Ain't it purdy!!!







And...when the college kids are home, they like to add special touches to the decor!






Look at that cutie patooty little leather satchel. It has shirt collars in it...and a little Christmas tree!




My sons drew a portrait on my chalkboard pantry door of "Bob" the buck last month during deer season. I decided it was a great start to a holiday scene and story.






I bring this sled in every winter...Love. It. It's an oldie from my hubby's childhood so we don't use it in the snow anymore. This year I added an old ice hole/minnow scoop and some "non-melting" snowballs.






Wishing you and yours a blessed and happy holiday season, filled with joy and laughter!!!
Merry Christmas!!!







Linked to:
Funky Junk's Sat Nite Special
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