'Twas the week before Christmas.....

I wanted to have lots of things on my list done by now.  I wanted to take pictures.  I wanted to particiapte in all the fun blog parties ...... But I should know better.  This happens every year....I'm a procrastinator.

So, like all hardcore procrasinators, with everything needing to be done, today I chose to write a poem.


'TWAS THE WEEK BEFORE CHRISTMAS

'Twas the week before Christmas, and all through the house,
A junker was stirring, not so much her spouse.

The stockings were hung by the chimney with flair,
In the hopes that a photo would soon take place there.

The kids had done nothing, not even made beds,
Still, visions of Best Buy cards danced in their heads.

And she still with presents to purchase and wrap,
Had waited so long, there was no time to nap.

When out in the kitchen, arose such a chatter,
"How come there're no cookies on mom's great big platter?"

Away to get started, though not flush with cash,
She had some ideas, and of course a junk stash.

The glow of a holiday home decore show, 
Reminded her, she still had quite far to go.

When what to her listening ears should appear,
But, music of jingle bells, joy and reindeer.

With a big cup of eggnog, so foamy and thick,
She started to plan -- she needed to -- quick!

More rapid than eagles, the ideas they came,
And she giggled, and shouted, and called them by name,

Now Angels! Now Santas! Now branches and candles!
On Tables!  On counters!  On doorknobs and handles!

To the top of the porch!  To the top of the wall!
Now decorate! Decorate! Decorate all!

This just might happen, there was no need to cry,
She knew she could do it, she just had to try.

So up from the basement, the stored boxes flew,
With a tub full of lights and some ornaments too.

And then so inspired, she thought of the roof,
"Less is more" she then realized -- "Don't be a goof!"

As she gathered her things and was scrounging around, 
A total of three Christmas trees had been found.

They were dressed all in fir, from each top to each root,
And the tallest one did not even stand to six foot!

A bungle of branches, each tree a sad sack,
But Charlie would tell her, she shouldn't turn back.

The lights how they twinkled! The garland how merry!
The ornaments homey (though a little bit scary!).

No presents beneath, not a tag or a bow,
A gentle reminder there's still far to go.

Candy canes, chocolates -- those poor little teeth!
Poinsettias, and cards, and..oh yeah -- the wreath!

She wanted to cook yummy food for each belly,
Ham, potatoes, and fresh rolls with jelly.

She tried to be joyful, a right jolly elf,
Despite always causing these problems herself.

A close of her eyes and a bow of her head,
Soon gave her to know she had nothing to dread.

She spoke rambling words, but whatever would work,
"If I don't fill their stockings, I'll look like a jerk!"

And she said to herself, "Get'er done, I suppose,"
Groceries, shopping -- that's just how it goes.

She sprang to her van, though the belts tend to whistle,
And away the thing flew, through mud, snow and thistle.

She was heard to exclaim as she drove out of sight,
"Maybe THIS is the year that I do Christmas right!"


Midge

I'll try to post what I can as I move forward this week. 

Call the Doctor, Call the Nurse, Call the Lady with junk in her purse!

Okay, you busted me!  I don't even carry a purse (I need my hands free for scooping up cool junk)!  But I do love junk!  And I always want to know when there's some to be had. And lately I've been finding some cool pieces....

Yep.  It's a tall, skinny pillar-looking vintage wooden cabinet that houses a rolled up stretcher.... 

I believe it was used in an industrial setting in case of an emergency.  I didn't even know such things existed!
But it must be true, the sign wouldn't lie!..... 

And just in case the inevitable happens, don't worry, there's a sign to tell you what to do....  

     I'm afraid it's another case of me falling in love with something I've bought, so now I've just GOT to keep it.  I think by adding some hooks to the side it would make the coolest towel/robe rack for a bathroom.  I don't have a bathroom suited for it, so it looks like I'm going to have to build the guest "powder room" I have tucked secretly away.  It will be the world's smallest bathroom, but I think I can fit this gem in.  

     That project may have to wait just a bit....did you know it's Christmas time?  Well, I DO know, I've just been a little slow getting things done.  I am in process, however, and will be posting on that soon.

Midge  

I think I've fallen for another!

Not just good looking, but practical too!

NO!!  Not him! (Though he definitely IS good-looking, and he appears to be quite practical)

THIS.....

I nabbed this at our local online auction. I thought it would go for a lot (it didn't) -- but I GOT it!

It's an old display case from a creamery.  Check out the cool advertising on it! (don't ask me to tell you what it says, it's got words like nostrils and teats -- ewwwww).....

These are on the front of the doors to little cubbies on top of the piece (for all those dairy unmentionables)!

 And for all the stuff you may want to show off, there's plenty of spots for that.... 

 I'm just crazy about it!  So this is one of those items that I've just got to keep for myself.  It does need a new paint job and maybe some feet or a platform to rest on, but I can imagine all the dishes and whatnots resting in there.  Next year I'm going to remodel my whole kitchen and dining room, and this will be my inspiration piece!  --  Yes??....No??...Maybe so??

Midge

P.S.  Aren't you proud of me for resisting the urge to use a bunch of lame dairy cliches like "Holy Cow", "Cream of the Crop", "It's like Buttah", ....

It's over!!!

I Feel.....

Overworked.... 

          Overfed....

And Overflowing....

So then, just as you received Jesus Christ as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.

~~  Colossians 2:6,7

1,2,3...17,18,19...84,85,86...(counting my blessings)...223,224,225...

Midge

Still liking angels -- in a BIG way!

I shared in the past some of my angel projects, so I won't be making this post too lengthy.  But I did want to share with you my latest angel creation.  Did I mention that it's 9' tall?

I bought the saloon style shutter doors at a garage sale and immediately they sang "angel" to me.  So I rounded up a 8' 4x4 from my lumber stash.  Next I needed the head -- this one happens to be the backside of a Chinese checkers board.  The halo is a rusty barrel ring.  And then just for fun and detail I added some miscellaneous doodads. 
     She's currently leaning on the outside of my house.  She's a little scary up close, but looks kind of cool from a distance.  I'm hoping someone will want her to attach to a barn, house, tree, etc.
Peace,
Midge 

I'm linking this up to Gail's Catch-as-Catch-can Linky Party

I'm still here! And I still like free things!

Sorry I haven't posted in awhile.  I didn't forget that I have a blog!  And nothing bad has happened. Sometimes the busyness of life just gets the best of me.  I'm working on some changes (good ones!) for my business.  Oh, yeah...And my daughter Becky got engaged over the weekend....Oh boy!  But I still love  junking, and I still love getting free things.



Well, I did get this for free but it didn't look like this!  This is the after picture.  What a great bench for extra seating.  But that's not all....

When you lift the lid, attached are those plastic protectors for holding unpaid bills, calendars, office supplies, etc.  And in the main body of the bench....

Metal rods for holding hanging folders!  So it's a bench AND a home office.  AND it's portable, because I removed the existing legs and added casters.   

That was just before I added some paint details and decoupaged the front with old newspapers and dictionary entries with words like file, organize, success, accomplish.  You see, I wanted to highlight some of the details of the original blanket chest.  It did need a little attention.  When I got it....  

It looked like this.  Well, not a good picture, but it was stained brown, and WAS pretty beat up.  My friend (a mom of 7) said it was time for it to go!  I tried to encourage her to keep it, but she was determined to get rid of it and told me to take it, or she was dumping it.  What could I do?.....  

But this. Did I mention that the center circle is chalkboard paint?  Peace. 

Midge

"Where do you get your junk?"

      Wow, it has been so long since I've posted that everything's changed and I've got to relearn how!  Included in my excuses for not posting is that I haven't made anything.  And THAT I'll blame on my space issues -- or as the kids would say "it's complicated!".  I am working on that.

      But in the meantime, when some good junk comes along, you've gotta go for it!  And people are always asking me "Where do you get your junk?".  SO.....I thought I'd share some things I just got and explain where they came from.

 Well, this one I am in LOVE with!  It reminds me of a tiny commercial laundry cart.  That holds extra meaning as my parents for close to 40 years owned and operated our local dry cleaners.  This cutie is 25" x 15", 15" high, with some 1"or 2"casters to be added.  I can envision it by the back door filled with shoes, by the fireplace at Christmas with florals or gifts piled high, in a bathroom stacked with fluffy towels, or even as an end table.  
     I found it at an area Habitat Restore while prowling for a new water heater (don't ask!).  There it sat on a shelf -- marked $1.00.  I was beside myself with excitement but had no cash on me.  So I travelled to my bank (which happened to be just a mile away) and quickly returned to find it still safe and sound.  "Isn't it awesome!" I declared to the cashier.  Her "whatever" expression told me she just didn't get it. 

        

Though these two aren't nearly as incredible of a find, they are very typical of the type of stuff you can find setting by the curb on garbage day.  Which means that, yes, they were FREE!  They are pretty good size and once cleaned up and painted white would make for the foundations of some great display pieces.   

Oh, yeah, I think you're getting hint of what's next....

Is this beautiful or what!?!  Now, sometimes to get something like this you DO have to spend a little bit of money.  I paid $10.00 for it, but I think that's a pretty good deal -- I've seen them go a lot higher.  I bought it through a local online auction.  It's like an actual auction, but all the viewing and bidding is done online through the course of a day.  If I end up as highest bidder I have a week to pick it up -- and luckily for me the headquarters is fairly close to me.

Of course, I could have just ridden it home as it does still have a license on it, but I'm not sure of the roadworthiness of it -- or me!  However, it will look great next spring displayed in a garden area.  Now I'll have to be on the lookout for bike baskets. 

Peace.

Midge

Hoping to Score Some Points with this one!

Amy over at Junkologie is hosting a party -- A Junk Potluck Party! Well, actually, she already hosted one last weekend in Oronoco, Minnesota. But some of us just weren't able to RSVP to such an event. And being the gracious hostess that she is, she provided a way for us to particiapte too -- virtually! Not only that, our party doesn't end until Friday. So I thought that I had PLENTY of time, until I realized that I'm leaving in the morning and will be away from a computer for 4 days. So....it's time for me to party!

This is what I'm bringing to the party (again, virtually of course). Since I'm in a bit of a time crunch, I went to my go-to standby procrastinator's potluck dish -- Taco Salad. And did I mention that this is a JUNK potluck? That means that there's not junk food, but the food IS served up junk style. And for me (again taking the quick and easy route as I head out of town) that meant making a little Scrabble board platform to set my taco salad bowl on. Very easy to "construct" (okay, I didn't even attach together, but don't tell the judges that), I found a simple metal thingy and set a Scrabble board on top. It's not only easy, but fun and informative. You can spell out words on the board itself or on the letter stand. So there you have it!
But....beep....beep....beep......back up a second. Did I say "judges"? Why yes I did! You see this virtual potluck is also a contest, with prizes awarded to the top 3 entries. And word on the street is that these are some super cool ones.
So...what do you think? Who doesn't like a good potluck! And junk?....Even better! To participate, all you have to do is link up your blog or JunkMarketStyle post. Visit Junkologie to check it out.
Junk appetit!
Midge

I'm linking this up to Becky's Under $100 linky party.

I kinda LIKE Mondays.

I so often hear people lamenting how much they "don't like Mondays!" Now, I'm not saying that I'm crazy about Mondays, but there are some things about them that I like. The main one is that around here it's GARBAGE DAY! I'm happy I can set my accumulated trash out to the curb. AND I can check out other people's curbside deposits.
I don't cruise around town every week (I have to get up pretty early to beat out the variety of trucks squealing their brakes), but today I had "that urge". I think I did pretty good....

so this picture isn't the greatest, then again, neither is this dining table. Pretty unimaginative BUT is was free, sturdy, and all the parts were there.

Next up (and hopelessly sideways) is this pile of vintage cabinets doors. 19 in all, and in all variety of sizes.

And finally, as I was returning home on my new and improved "route" I spotted this large white board. A little warped, but I'll be cutting in into pieces for memo boards anyway.

AHHHH. What a great start to another week of junking. And I was feeling so full of myself that I thought it'd be a good day to visit my beloved Goodwill Warehouse. So far, I've spent $0, but this is the time you might want to start guessing my $$ amount if you want to play along.

I'll reveal the total at the end.

The real goal of my trip -- glass and plates. So I grabbed a white plate and 2 vases.

3 Vintage books -- always good to have on hand either straight up or for the pages. 2 Dictionaries (check out the awesome artwork) and 1 hymnal.

5 wooden frames (ignore any artwork, it will be going!) -- good for chalkboards, organizers,etc.

5 miscellaneous metal pieces, including a lidded bundt pan.

2 silver (you know what I mean!) trays -- perfect for chalkboards, 2 small glam purses, and some faux pearl strings.

Misc. pieces with decore potential.

More misc. pieces -- Christmas tree stand, muffin tin (great for organizing hardward), a softball (can never have enough), and a very tiny ball glove (my daughter works with kids who'll love this!).

Thanks for looking.

Peace.

Midge

Oh, yeah. You want to know the grand total for my Goodwill haul?.........$7.00. :)

"Mom always liked you best!"

I'm going to keep this short and sweet, because quite frankly, this post is going to be a little bit painful. Donna is at it again with her Saturday Night Special linky party. And this weekend, she wants us to choose the favorite of our projects -- AAARRRGGGHHH! You may as well have asked which is the favorite of our children! Who could ever pick a favorite!! Afterall, these projects are like extensions of ourselves and we often fall in love with them and don't want to let them go.
So, truth be told, I have several "favorites" but chose just one to spotlight here. And here it is .......

This iron wheel was waiting for me at a farm auction a few years ago, and I spent the day waiting for it! But when the end of the day came and they started buttoning things up without mentioning it, I got a little nervous and spoke up (I think they thought it was junk -- can you imagine). With no one interested, I got it for $1.00 -- that beautiful, chippy, rusty iron wheel. And I knew from the start that it would make an awesome mirror. Initially I was bummed that there was a flat spot, but lately realized that would make it perfect for setting on a shelf or mantel.

So where is this beauty now? Probably adorning some cottage on Lake Michigan. A feature article in our local paper included a picture of it and I was promptly called by someone wanting to know if it was for sale. Yes -- sniff, sniff -- it is. It was time for that one to head out into the world.

Midge

I'm linking this up to http://funkyjunkinteriors.blogspot.com/2010/08/sns-44-brings-you-your-most-favorite.html

It's something, anyway.

Well, I'm still struggling with being a consistent, hardcore blogger. But I did get a project completed and thought that was a good excuse to post. I had to buy a new camera a few months ago and I'm still not too smooth with retrieving photos, etc. SO, here's my one shot of my recently completed project.

It is made from an old headboard that sat around my shop for awhile because there was no footboard and it was quite big and clunky to haul up to my loft. After, seeing a corner bench someone else had made I thought "Well, yeah, it's cool but I'm not going to break up a set. I'd have to wait til I had ONLY a headboard". It took me a while to put that all together. Duh. But glad I eventually did.

In my mind it was WAY cooler. I was trying to go for something "classy" (not my typical route). I had no fabric that seemed to work, so I went to the store and BOUGHT some (ouch that hurt to say -- on many levels). What an ordeal! I was there forever (and I think made some new friends along the way, or should I say met people who will be on the lookout for me in the future!). I finally made a decision I thought I was happy with, but now I'm not so sure.
It just seems a bit boring. Maybe it just needs to grow on me.

Oh, well. Enough of my babbling. There's more junk that needs some love! But this time -- more whimsy!

Midge

Just reread all that. Wow! That really had a whiny tone all the way thru. Sorry about that -- not sure what my deal was. Cheers!

I'm linking this up to Lezlee's linky party over at Prior Lives Party .

A Quickie -- and some diamonds!

Just a quickie post for now because it's been too long since I've posted. And I've been negligent in my blog visiting and commenting. Sorry -- I'm trying to get back on track.

So where have I been? Well, nowhere special. I've just been preoccupied with my sale I had last weekend. It went pretty well, EXCEPT (and here's where the diamonds enter the scene) --

I started the day with the shattering of a giant (3'x7') pane of glass, all over my head and all over the parking lot (don't worry, it was tempered). Sometime after, someone pulled up and shouted out their window "So what are you going to make out of THAT?!" At which we first laughed, and then we both looked at each other with that "you're right!" kinda look. Afterall, it really did look like a pile of sparkling diamonds lying there in the parking lot, and who wouldn't want a junk project made from diamonds?

So the diamonds, I mean thousands of pieces of glass, have been saved and are waiting for their next life. I've got some ideas.....but I'd certainly welcome more.
Midge

Monday was Ladies' Day!

Monday was Ladies' Day at Michigan's Fowlerville Fair. It's a small town fair about 1.5 hours from my house. I was invited to be a part of it and boy, am I glad. They put on a great Ladies' Day!
The day's hostess was Cindy, the local Homemaker of the Year who was in charge of announcing the new homemaking queen and handing over the crown (don't worry about Cindy, now she's on to her next gig as Michigan Homemaker of the Year. Who knew?).
There were a lot of people there.....

They probably hoped to enjoy that and some door prizes and the free lunch! Or...

maybe they came with the kids to see this guy.....

Or maybe they just wanted to see some of the animals....

But I hope some of them were anxious to see my presentation....

This is where it went down (of course there were a FEW more people at the time, I still haven't mastered the art of snapping photos and talking at the same time). Just a nice setting for events like that.....

I talked about things like this....

And this.....

And shared secrets about things like this....

They "oooh"ed about stuff like this....

And they "ahhhh"ed over things like this....

And nodded their heads over things like this.....

And giggled over things like this....

And they "hmmm"ed over things like this....

And of course, no presentation would be complete without my "Don't be afraid of tools" demonstration.

Overall, I'd say the audience wasn't just great....attentive....engaging....and fun....I'd say they were a bunch of.....

So have you been to any fairs yet this summer?

Midge