Our Latest Adventure

Last week the Junk Fest girls ventured across the border to take in the Art & Architecture/Junk Market Style's kickoff charitable gala event in Minneapolis. As you may know, the JF girls are members of JunkMarketStyle, which is a site where like-minded junkers share their projects and photos of all things junk related! This site is spear-headed by one of the true junk pioneers of our time, Sue Whitney. It is through Junk Market Style that we've acquainted ourselves with, corrensponded with, and even junked with some of the nicest people you'd ever want to meet!

What could be better than pairing creative junkers with incredible art, artchitectural elements and fabulous found items? Nothing!

Here we are (Lynette, Cassie, Missy, Andrea) at the gala, thoroughly surrounded by "junk" and loving every minute of it!

There was SO MUCH to take in that I couldn't possibly begin to show you all here! Below are just some of the things that made me ooh & ahhh....

Gorgeous chippy, white architectural pieces totally make me swoon!

Fun and funky tablescapes...

Didn't get a good shot of the bajillion (honest) clocks there, but here's a sampling of their related parts! Just as incredible, if you ask me!

Being the sweet-heart that she is (not to mention best-ever lamp shade re-cycler!) Missy offers to share her beverage with a thirsty shopper. This is why we call her Sweet Melissa.

The event was held at Minneapolis' Art & Architecure 2nd floor loft. Here's a shot of A & A as you walk in the door.

Yes, still enjoying ourselves! Look at those smiles.....how could you not have a good time in this beautifully historic building?!

We managed to gather as many as we could for an evening meal and share some great stories. This was our chance to visit with some of the JMS members who came from afar, and reconnect with the MN locals.

Laurel, JMS's "Chipping Charm" poses with Sweet Melissa.

All the way from Ohio by car, was Kathy of Sylvia's Vintage Daughter, and her partner in crime Terry. These two were also vendors at the event and brought the 750+ clocks!

Here we have Janis of junkdreams fame, all-time best junk supporter Caroline, and Amy of WhisperWood Cottage and junkologie. Janis traveled from Canada, and Amy came from Duluth.

Of course, no trip to the Twin Cities would be complete without a three hour stop at Hunt & Gather!

Andrea and Lynette peruse the rusty metal goods outside the store...

While I perch on chippy white bench we had ABSOLUTELY NO ROOM FOR!!

And now you see why! I think that luggage took up entirely too much room.

Well, there may not have been room for the bench, but we did manage to fit a few other treasures in! Swing out to JunkFest to see the goods!!

Do You Recycle?

What's the craziest thing on YOUR recycle list?

Linked to:
Alphabe-Thursday

Edited to join:

Save The Date!

The JunkFest Girls have been talkin' trash again! The power tools and paintbrushes have been dusted off from winter's lull, and plans are under way for the 6th Annual Autumn JunkFest and Flea Market.


From vintage to unique to quirky, the JunkFest Girls will be busy this summer restoring elegance to roadside finds... and you'll surely have tons of fun finding treasures for your home and garden at this one day a year, one of a kind sale! Antiques will be given a modern twist and modern items will be given a warm patina.

The Flea Market offers everything from Soup to Nuts! Seriously....SOUP, as well as other yummy treats will be offered, and for sure you'll find a NUT or two around the crowd (just look for the girls in the aprons! HA!)

Reminder:

Saturday, September 11, 2010
9:00am-3:00pm
Foster County Fairgrounds
Carrington, ND, USA
Admission $5 *children free

There are several surprises in store for this year's event.....STAY TUNED FOR UPDATES!

For more info on the event please contact any or all of us by clicking on our profiles and selecting "e-mail".

A Whoop! Whoop!, and a Fish Tale

HooooRaahh!!!! Ohmygoodness! Count em, would ya?! Over 400 followers...WOW! So glad you've all come to see us. :-) Hope you visit often, hang around, and share lots and lots of comments...cause we just LOVE to hear from you!!


And on to the fish tale. Once upon a time...well, actually not long ago...Youngest Son (not a baby anymore!) begged sweetly requested to have his very own fishtank as a birthday gift. Well, there was a tad bit of hesitation on this one. I had been down Fish Lane before, starting with a 28 gallon, then on to a 45, then on to a 77 monster tank. After a few years I came to the realization it was ridiculous to have an aquarium larger than the couch! But being the suckers overly caring parents that we are...we were soon at the store scoping out tanks, and came home with a 28 gallon bowfront. HOWEVER, I absolutely refused to spend the outrageous price for a coordinating stand. Nope. Not gonna do it. I. Had. A. Plan.

Do you see it? It's hiding in there...look closely.


This beautiful treadle sewing machine had served it's time on the porch of a cute little quilt shop and the owner (thanks Trish) decided it was time to pass it on to new hands. It's been waiting for a while for its new purpose, and now was the time. Hubby, child, and I jumped into this project a while back, meaning...we had to TRUDGE through some very deep snow to get to the storage building. To get an idea, this door is almost 3 feet off the ground!!


Youngest Son was told he had to earn his keep on this one. Yes the tank was a gift, but there was some work to do to prepare for it. Just look at him WORK!


And the stand? Disassemble here, repair there, sand, scrub, stain, poly. TaaDaa! She's a dandy. *Note, the drawers were left behind...they had been inhabited by some furry little critters and were beyond repair. Perhaps some burlap flaps will be added later...


DISCLAIMER-- No Child Was Actually Working In These Photos. (they were totally staged...had ya going didn't I?!)

The Junk Girls will be out and about for the next few days, but we'll have some fabulous stories to tell you later about our adventure! Read all about the AA JMS event HERE.

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!