Company's coming...pull out your best junk!

We had a wonderful weekend with a visit from some close friends from out of town. Diane, my "bestest" girl friend from high school and her hubby, Steve and their youngest, Megan. We invited them over for supper...included was my hubby's famous grilled pork loin with the yummy meat rub. You know, only the best for lifelong friends! I decided to set the table and make it fun with some of my new favorite junk. Since Diane is a Home Economics major, (a/k/a Martha Stewart), I knew she'd appreciate it! Yes, it was a special evening with special friends...

First I grabbed my new burlap-like table runner (new fav thing) for the tablecloth and my new vintage ironstone dishes. Man, I love them and the price was right on the money! They are called Independence Ironstone...creamish white. Let's face it, they will go with any theme, any season!

I used some old slightly yellowed music sheets as placemats...

Next I tied some old metal cow tags to the wine glasses. They could be reproductions, I'm just not sure. All I know is they are very cool and I love them to death! More importantly, I wanted to make sure everyone could identify their own wine glass throughout the evening! May the wine flow freely! Hello -adorable!The centerpiece is pretty simple...the bottom container is an old light fixture topped with a flower frog filled with water and fresh flowers from my garden. Oh, and of course a white candle tucked inside.

I recently purchased this moss roll, which is fake but looks incredibly realistic! Thanks Lori @ www.roundbarnpottingcompany.com! (Oh, and that's where I got the table runner too!) I will be using this baby in a TON of different ways! So fun! I then "anchored" it all with a black chippy grate and a few more votives to set the mood. Old doorknobs worked well to display names for the seating arrangement.

I had to include a photo of our honored guests for the evening... Gosh, we sure wish you guys lived here!

Our 100th post...DEDICATED TO OUR WONDERFUL JUNK FEST HELPERS!

We junk girls would like to dedicate this, our 100th post (!), to our fantastic Junk Fest helpers! We cannot say enough about how important these people are to us, our family and friends! And, they are a huge reason we've been able to pull off our annual sales! We still can't believe they dedicate their time and energy to help!

You truly mean the world to each one of us!

Here's the crew from the 2007 sale:Wow, the crew GREW in 2008! * OUR CASHIERS *

These girls really work their butts off!

Here are two of them...Nikki (Missy's niece) and Joni (Cassie's sister)...Our other two cashiers are Jo Ann (friend) and Lori (Andrea's sister-in-law)...

*OUR "DO ANYTHING WE ASK" HELPERS*

Peggy (Cassie's mother-in-law) doing what she does best, displaying and rearranging the merchandise!
Sydney, (Cassie's daughter)...

Pictured here is Val, (friend of Lynette) Andrea (center) with her ever-faithful helping sisters and niece

Barb, Jacki, Mallory and Janis* THE GOT JUNK? MEN *

Here's Chris (Missy's nephew) and Devan (Missy's son) carrying a big purchase to a customers' vehicle... We couldn't move the big stuff as smoothly without the help of the guys...

Here are Todd, (Missy's husband), Sean (friend of Missy) and Brad (Andrea's hubby)...Pictured below are Casey (Lynette's son), Devan (Missy's son), Todd, (Missy's hubby) and Cory (Cassie's husband) ready and waiting to carry out merchandise... ALL of these great folks have helped us control the crowds... and assist our loyal customers...

So, we gladly take our hats off to you, our fabulous helpers!

We thank each and every one of you from the bottom of our junk lovin' hearts!

Thank you ThanK U THANKS tHaNkS thanK yOU

THANK YOU so MUCH!

The Junk-Fest countdown has begun!

Sit back, (okay, not the four of us!) close your eyes, (again, not us) and count to ten...well, alright, in this case count to THREE...Junk Fest will be here before you/we know it! Holy buckets, we've got LOTS of projects to finish up..!

***

Thought for the day:

One of life's mysteries is how a 2-pound box of

chocolates can make a woman gain 5 lbs...

A little junk around town

While out for my walks this summer, I've run across some mighty fine looking junk in our town. Thought I'd share some of it with all you bloggers. These first few pictures are from my good friend, Alisons' yard...

Here's a cute little guy! This looks familiar! I sold this chair fountain creation at Junk Fest a couple years ago! It looks perfect in one of Alison's many garden areas...

I simply ADORE this. It's an old laundry basket filled with beautiful flowers on her back patio. Nice job, Alison!This is on Denise's front walk way...I've admired it all summer and asked if I could snap a photo...what a cute touch the umbrella and hat are, don't you think?And who doesn't love a rusty urn? It's in just the right spot in this gal's front yard!And last, but not least, while out visiting my sister in Southwestern North Dakota, I snapped a few shots of her beautiful yard. Perhaps her helping at Junk Fest has rubbed off a bit, cause low and behold, I noticed some cool junk tucked in here and there among her many perennials! Her hubby's old family mailbox isn't filled with mail any longer...Sigh. This is the rusty urn she bought at Junk Fest two years ago. It was actually part of an old stove. It's nice in her front yard, but it would look WAY better in mine (hint, hint sista)! Is it just me, or does junk seem to be everywhere?

Crumbs on the counter, tools in the shop.

Yes, there are still crumbs on my counter. I first confessed here. But how sweet will it be when I sweep them into this vintage crumb tray?

Now on to the real reason I'm posting. Or more like...the real reason I haven't been! It's countdown time! The JunkGirls are crunching to create a wonderful array of goods for JunkFest 2009. We've hunted and gathered and now it's time to take those "treasures" we've found and restore their beauty! Or perhaps give them a funky touch too. :-) But in order to do that we need TOOLS!! Lots and lots of tools. Here are a few of my faves:

This is a gift from Sweet Man-O-Mine. It's a cordless circular saw!

And this little driver will be handy to get into those spots my larger drill won't fit in to. I haven't tried it yet because its...

WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE TOOLS????

Here's a better view of the sneak peek I showed you here. So sorry I teased you with partial pictures. heehee

JunkFest reminder...

Rusted Illumination

I happen to be a big fan of candles. I usually have a candle or two burning every day, especially in the winter. Jar candles get my vote for safety reasons, and there are literally hundreds of scents to choose from. This post however, has nothing to do with jar candles! Sometimes we want to set the mood, strike a little ambiance, or simply show off when we have company! I did a little digging in my rusty collection of iron junk, found some favorites and cleaned them up with a little soap and water...and a good coat of protective finish. Felt protectors are in order, since these have sharp edges that can leave scratches. Why, just look at that table....hate to see that get scratched up!!

They might not look so special in the above photo, but when you add candles of the same color and dim the lights....romance here I come! Can I say that here?

Add a rusty looking finial, fleur de lis, or pineapple, and you've got yourself a great table centerpiece.

"Better to light a candle, than to curse the darkness." Chinese proverb

I'm linking up to SNS over at Funky Junk Interiors..