junk is good...

Just a quick post to show off a few of the reasons I have been MIA... I've been working on all of my junking finds in preparation for our annual barn sale.. everything in these pictures were found in the garage and rehabbed by me. some items will be lised on Etsy, so if you are interested let me know!! Now off to work on more items.. the sale is next week, so time is a wasting!!

Almost!!

Well, school is almost out here ( one day left ) and that means the beginning of summer vacation and time to work on my projects, more junking and garage sales, and lazy afternoons at the lake!

I have been very busy and my junking so far this year has been AMAZING!! I have so much to share, I'll be blogging a lot this summer!! I have a few pics of the garden and what I have added so far. I have to admit I haven't done much yet this season, but I'm working on it...

I found this cute chest by the side of the road, a TON of terracotta pots ( this is just a few of them ) and the door and wreath are also junk / garage sale finds.. not bad, eh?

I grabbed a couple of croquet mallots and balls out of the garbage, and just stuck them in the garden for now, but something creative will happen with them later..

And I love this teal birdhouse someone threw in the garbage.. perfect!! I just drove it home and stuck it in the ground.. it couldn't have been easier!!

Stay tuned this week, I will be adding more vintage finds to my etsy store as well as featuring a giveaway!!!

What can $25.00 get ya???

What can a great garage sale and $25.00 get ya?? ALL of THIS!! Garage sale season is beginning here in Northern Michigan and I started off with hitting the bargain motherload!! I almost feel a little guilt taking all of this stuff it was so cheap!! I didn't even have the energy to take pictures of it all, but here is a little peek to get you inspired to get out and start bargain shopping those garage sales!!

The TV cabinet I purchased for $10.00 at the local Habitat for Humanity ReStore, then painted it pistachio green and just re-sold it this weekend...

In this load were three vintage quilts, three quilt toppers and this yellow chenille bedspread.. I also grabbed a bag of 12 vintage aprons!!

An antique scale and red enamel pot...

2 old locker baskets and 5 old green ball mason jars

This adorable kids chair and two bundles of spindles..

This stool is now in my kitchen, I was going to paint it, but like the way it is looking now, so the paint job may wait a while..

Lilacs!!!

I am so excited my lilacs are finally growing!! It has been a long, cold spring here in Northern Michigan and I thought they'd never bloom!! I has inspired me for sure... I have been a busy bee this morning and thought I'd share some pics!

I worked on a corner of my kitchen this morning.. adding some of my "junk" I found in the trash last week!! I still need to paint the kitchen walls, but haven't yet commited to a color. It is creeping up on the one year anniversary of moving in and I am a little gun shy about the kitchen color. I am thinking of a very pale green, tan, or even yellow. I can't decide since the pine in the kitchen has a yellow undertone, I don't want it to clash too much and I DEFINATELY haven't commited to painting the wainscoating yet...

This shelf I found junking. I love the color, even though it is really chipped up, I think I like it just how it is. The birds nest was on the ground in my yard, so that was free, the enamelware bowl was my dad's cereal bowl when he was a little boy and the milk jar I bought at the grocery store... it's the brand of buttermilk that I buy and I love the bottles, so I never return them for the deposit. They make great vases!!

I framed this pic of my 6 year old. Walgreens had a free 8x10 print for mother's day, so I had this pic printed. During the summer we head over to the beach on Lake Michigan and search for Petoskey stones. This pic was taken with my cell phone at sundown and I just love how it turned out!!

I hung a couple of my vintage aprons from this old piece of picket fencing I found on Junk day... I have to dig out more of my aprons, as well as finished some I have half sewn... but when this is finished I think it will be cute. The girls love to wear an apron when helping in the kitchen.. I have a stack of the old picket fencing and I will be using it in many more areas of my house, so I am sure you will be seeing a lot more of it!!

Above my picket fence, I hung a pic that I bought when I lived in Las Vegas.. I was drawn in by the frame and the $11.00 price tag, but I also liked the picture. It was painted by a local artist and he had a stack of them in one of my favorite antique stores. I bought it because of the farm. Growing up in southern California, then living in Las Vegas, I always wanted to live in the country and this pic was a little taste of country that I loved. Now I have these barns and fields right in my own backyard!!

Another day..

Well, today is another day to try and get some needed projects done. Sure these inspiration pics are supposed to get me motivated, so stay tuned to see if this helps!!

I'm going to put on my apron and get some work done..

I'm going to work on my junk bench and try to get it to resemble something like this one..

I am going to the hardware to get some chalkboard paint to finish up some projects on my list

I am going to try and get some laundry done, although not in a laundry room as nice as this one..

and if I'm VERY lucky, I can paint a stool I have waiting for a re-do... I want it something like this!! We'll see what today brings!!

Junk Inspiration!!

Ahhhh... gettink ready for another day of junking. The fun will be over early Saturday morning when those big garbage trucks come to pick up all of that beautiful junk and then we will have to wait for other local towns to have their own junk day... Since I haven't made it out yet today, I thought I'd give you some inspiration for your junk and if you haven't perfected the art of junking, here are some resources on where to start!! The pic above as well as some of these wonderful ideas are from Junk Camp Ki Nassauer's wonderful junking blog. There is a wonderful interview ( 2 of them , actually ) on the blog, Restyled Home so check it out here.
Love this cookie cutter turned night light!!

And who wouldn't want to eat pickles out of this cute Junk????

I HIGHLY recommend this book and often refer to it for inspiration!! It is available on Amazon. Ki along with Sue Whitney have elevated the art of turning junk into one of a kind items!! The magazine Junk market style also highlights these ladies works. Check out the blog here. Here is some pics from Junkmarket style..

I'm a sucker for a picket fence!!

Junk in a bathroom is ALWAYS good...

And finally... this is my next piece of junk I picked this week... It's a rusty old planter, used at our local cemetary for plantings, but now it is old and rusted and I think it may be a great toilet paper holder for all of those extra rolls... or I just may find some other use for it... we'll see!!

Gotta Love Junkin!!

Gotta love Spring clean up!!! Once a year our town has spring clean up day where everyone can put all of their "junk" by the road that the garbage man usually won't pick up, and lemme tell ya... it's a junkers dream!!! I just drove through town and found this bench in a LARGE pile of junk and it sent my heart a pitter patter!!! I can see this painted with new cushions, maybe vintage fabrics and viola!!! A new piece of junk for my.... I don't know where I'll put it, but I NEEDED it!! lol... Thought I'd share some past junk I've accumulated, too.

Last year I got these ols Wheelbarrows and thought they'd look good in the garden planted with flowers on them...

I have a PILE of old doors windows and screens waiting for projects..

This is a porch swing I picked up last year that has no home in my new house, and I never repainted it.. so this year it may go back into the junk pile!!

More junk updates to follow.... I ALWAYS need junk to refurbish and my to do list is never too long!!