And for a new car (or something like that) the right price is.....

Sorry if I'm responsible for you not getting a good night's sleep. I'm sure you've been tossing and turning waiting for the answer to my last post.

So...The Grand total was.....$6.00, which makes Alice the winner of the new car, I mean the winner of a special "Alice" blog post next week.

The crazy thing is that was all based on their standard, everyday prices -- no special sales, free stuff or anything funny like that.

Here's the breakdown:


GLASSWARE old system: 10 cents a piece (I would have paid .50), New system: 10 cents per pound, I had 4 pounds so 8 cents for each of my 5 glass pieces

SEPARATELY PRICED ITEMS old and new system, a few items get priced separately and are tagged and set aside -- that was the case with the chair ($1.00) and the log holder ($1.00).

EVERYTHING ELSE old system: 50 cents each, new system: 30 cents each!

Yes, everything else (12 items) cost me just .30 each including that super cool bird cage -- THIRTY CENTS!

For a grand total of just $6.00.

I think I'm going to have to plan trips to the Goodwill back into my rotation.
Midge

P.S. Thanks for playing along.

"Blog People -- COME ON DOWN!! It's time to play the Price is Right!"

I haven't been junk shopping in a LONG time. Mostly because right now I have too much stuff. But yesterday I had a junk itch that I just had to scratch and I'm so glad I did.

For several years, every Friday I would visit my favorite Goodwill outlet, the area warehouse service center where all junk (good and much bad) goes to die. The prices were great, but so was the chaos -- but I loved to go. About a year ago, they changed buildings and the pricing system and it no longer seemed worth my time, so I stopped going. And then that itch yesterday....so I thought I'd give it another try. Good thing I did! Apparently they've changed the system again and it's even better than the "old days".

SO...I'm issusing a little challenge to see who can guess how much I spent at the Goodwill yesterday (before tax)!

Here are all my treasures, in no particular order.



I believe this is a log holder of some sort, made of quite heavy metal. I don't like the finish or details, but that can be dealt with -- love the base.

Your basic cutely shaped lampshade -- a staple for any junker.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Do I really need another suitcase? (maybe, I think my count has fallen below 80). But the price was SO right.

A bag of wooden acorns and pears, ummm, sure. But I knew it's one of those things that if I didn't grab it, I'd think of a use as soon as I got home and would be kicking myself.

Looks like a little Goldilocks chair. Cute as can be. Slight damage on front corner of thatching but other than that in great shape.

Nothing too exciting here, but again, for the price I couldn't pass it up -- it's pretty good size rustic basket.

Yes, a pair of scissors -- but the good kind! It will be put to good use at one of my workshops.

Ahhh, yes. The REAL prize of the day. Totally cool birdcage. Quite large as you could see (could it become the world's biggest cloche?). It's wire and painted white and just a little rusty.

The handle on top IS plastic but wouldn't be for long.

Wooden folk art chicken. It needs a little doctoring in the beak and tail areas.

So weird! I had just been thinking to myself "Wouldn't it be cool if I found a hamster wheel" and soon after, there one was! Why would I want a hamster wheel? Check out Amy's post at her blog, All Things Home, and you'll know why.

I don't know. I saw metal -- I grabbed. They might just be angel wings in the future.

Metal box -- nuff said.

Vintage potty chair. Sweeeet! (I think.)

I'm assuming it's some sort of breakfast tray or laptop desk. Hey, you can't go wrong with white wicker, some things never go out of style.

And lastly, some glassware. I don't think I need to tell you the possibilities here.

So what do you think? Do you want to play along and guess how much I paid for my pile?

I'll leave a few days for replies and then announce the grand total. Whoever comes CLOSEST (you can go over) will be declared the winner! And what does the winner get? Well not much, afterall I'm very cheap (hint, hint), but I will plan something fun on my blog for the winner.

Slight hint: The total amount could be paid with just bills or quarters.

Have fun! And maybe I'll do more junking games in the future. (And maybe someday I'll do a REAL giveaway. Yeah, right, maybe.)

Midge

The "Yeahs", "Yas", "Yays" Have It!

First of all, let me just say that in no way do I consider this as imparting blog advice to anyone -- I'm very green (no pun intended) in the blog department and am in learning mode. But I did want to share a bit of an education I received this morning (thank you Google!).

I happen to approach the world of junking with a very open mind. BUT, when it comes to anything I write, I'm a bit more anal. So just as another disclaimer, know that this post isn't directed towards anything or anyone I have read. Quite the opposite! I'm not even able to pass judgment on this area because I'm never quite sure of the correct usage of words like: yeah, yay, yea, ya, etc. And I'm not looking to pass judgment, but I do want to use these words in my writing and I've always avoided them for fear of using the wrong word. SO...

Here's what I've learned:

Yeah -- another way of saying "yes" as in "YEAH, Baby!!! I'll go on a junking adventure with you to that scary salvage yard run by that old crazy guy!"

Yea -- also another way of saying "yes" especially in voting situations as in "Who loves Junk? Yeas: everyone Nays: 0"

Yah -- also a form of "yes", but the kind with tone as in "Yah. Yah. Yah. I know I've got a lot of junk. What???? Are you jealous or something?"

Yay! -- it's rhymes with hay and means "Hooray!", "Woo Hoo!", "Awesome!", or "SuperDuper!" as in "You finished your replica of the Eiffel tower made from t.p. rolls and chicken wire! Yay!"

Ya -- another word for "you", "you guys", "yuns" (learned that from my brief time in Pittsburgh), and "y'all" as in "What are ya gonna do with all that JUNK?"

I don't know if I'm the only one who struggles with this, but maybe some of you found it helpful. I know I, for one, am now going to be generously sprinkling the "yeahs" and the "yays" with full confidence.

NOW, as for -ly, to/too, and your/you're -- don't get me started. THAT conversion could get pretty ugly.

Midge

Start a Revolution -- an Industrial One!

So not only am I feeling industrious -- I'm feeling INDUSTRIAL! So much so that it's time for me to start a revolution. We all know that America already had an industrial revolution back in ...., right after ....., around the time of...., well maybe we don't all know. But it certainly was a long time ago. So we're long overdue for another one. This one is going to be more of the home decor variety. And, yes, you caught me, I can't really start it because it's already been going on -- just not exactly where I live. But I'm definitely on board. And I'm going to do my part to let my corner of the world know that METAL ROCKS!

I'm starting things off with this dining table.

I saw a listing on Craigslist's free section for 3 55-gallon barrels. I picked up the barrels and a new customer to boot! However, one of the barrels was a little defective, so I started with that one.

I knew it would be a table base and had to determine if I wanted it standard or bar height. Since the good ones already were bar height, the decision was easy -- this would be my standard height table. It just needed a little help from my cut off wheel.

The 36" round piece of glass I had on hand from someone who had given it to me. The glass really should be a bit bigger, so I am on the lookout for a replacement.

I haven't made any decisions on seating yet, but in my stash I found 2 rusty bar stool bottoms that might be put to work.

I also found this chain with hooks. The yellow color and rust perfectly match the table (and the next piece you'll see). I'm not sure exactly what I'll do with it yet, but probably suspend it over the table with something hanging from it.

The table all by itself would look out of place, even in a hip industrial loft type setting. But pair it up with this next piece and it takes on a life of its own.

This tank cage I've had for a few years. I bought it at an auction for $5.00. I always planned to use it as a bench, kind of foot locker style. But once I saw the yellow of those barrels, I started thinking about it and knew it would be perfect standing up as a cabinet. I knew I definitely wanted it to have cool industrial casters so I added them (I should have taken a closeup -- they are very cool).

I decided a wine cabinet would be the way to go since wine is very hip right now. But it could really house whatever. (Personally, since I'm pretty much a teetotaller, it would probably be filled with Diet Pepsi but I'm not sure if that is quite as cool. )

The glass was basically free since I bought a pile of glass shelves at an auction for $1.00 (for the pile) a few years ago. The shelves are held up by bolts. There are a few metal bands on the sides and back of the box. There were a few holes and I just put the bolts through and tightened them with nuts and the glass rests right on them.

The section for the wine bottles uses pieces of rebar that I cut down to size just a little wider than the cabinet. The ends rest inside the "diamonds". I was going to cut notches to keep them from shifting, but found I didn't have to. The ridges on the rebar keep them in place naturally.

This last piece is probably my favorite. And I think that's because it's something I acutally could use in my own house. (Don't you hate when you're secretly hoping not to sell things!) It's still very industrial and contemporary, but it could also work in many settings.

It started with this frame that I bought -- I don't even remember when, but I'm sure only paid $5.00 or less.

I decided to use more of the glass again. But I had to figure out how. Finally decided to cut it to size that would mount underneath. To keep it up, I did the bolt through the hole trick again. They barely show, but even if they did it would work because I used rusty bolts.

So let the Revolution begin! (or should I say continue) I'm excited! All those metal thing-a-ma-thigs I've been squirreling away for just the right time can finally come out of hiding. I'll keep you posted.

Midge

I'm linking this up to TRANSFORMATION THURSDAYS over at the Shabby Chic Cottage.

I'm also linking it to SATURDAY NITE SPECIAL #16 over at Funky Junk Interiors.

Be sure to go over to both of those great blogs and check out all the cool projects. Peace.