I'm not the only one who enjoys playing around with old stuff and junk. My hubby gets quite a thrill out of it too. In fact, he has been spending some quality time in the shop making us a new mailbox.
Our last mailbox got hit not once but twice this winter. One time by the snowplow driver and one time by a large piece of machinery being pulled down our road. Enough already.....in my husband's opinion, it was time to build an indestructible one!
I am talking heavy metal, pipe and springs. His creation is perhaps like nothing you have ever seen before. We went scavenging, with permission of course, at two different neighbor's junk piles. We also had one trip to the salvage yard, two trips to the Co-op, and a metal shop. I helped only slightly as we repurposed garage door springs and old chain. The idea is that when this "Funky Junk Mailbox" gets hit by the snowplow.........it is supposed to SPRING back. We did get an OK from the County Road and Bridge Department!
All the parts and pieces were left as found, some old rusty parts, and some new shiny ones as well.
He even created the flag out of metal.
Hubby also created his own numbers out of strap metal and welded them on the side so you can see them as you drive by from town. I always tell him that we need our address numbers out by the road so the ambulance driver can find us!
The inside of the mailbox resembles a smoker or grill. He designed this to keep the mail dry if snow or rain gets in. You might think he got carried away, but he was having soooo much fun welding!
So far this "Funky Junk Mailbox" has certainly been a conversation piece. Friends and neighbors have stopped by to comment. In fact, even the Mailman left us a sweet note stating, "Good Job.....love your new mailbox!"
We'll see how well it holds up to abuse. But, in the meantime, we'll enjoy seeing all the passerbys slow down, stare...and try to figure out just what the heck it is!!!!!!!
Yes we finally get to take some of our great finds to market, The Paris Street Market, that is. We are thrilled to have been chosen to have a booth there on the first Saturday in August. I am working on some great fun things, so I'll give you a little peek!!!
These stools are hardwood, not very old yet really quite heavy and stable, but boring, so here is the before.........
They got a new vibe with red paint and just for fun..........I added the numbers, so here is the after..............
This enamel top kitchen table is from the 1930's-40's. I had given it a coat of khaki earlier and it was OK, but WOW after having a coat of the same red! It makes a great set with the barstools.
I also had two twin vintage headboards. I forgot to take a before picture but they are just too cute in red! I think they would be terrific in a kid's room.
And remember, I still LOVE my White Shabby Chic stuff, so there will be several pieces painted white. Here is a twin headboard that I started with...
Love the distressed white paint on the headboard now. And to compliment the look, a few other white pieces, a shelf, and a coat hanger.
This chair and table got the White Shabby Chic distressing as well. But, sorry, they are already SOLD. You just get to look at them so you can have a little "décor envy."
As the weather continues to improve, I'll be finding more pieces to share with you before we take them to Market! In fact, we are heading to Karli's soon and we'll be working on some pieces there too.
When my Grandpa Carl passed away my sweet in-law's all went together a bought me a gift card to a local greenhouse/nursery. I cried when I opened the card. My grandpa loved to play in the dirt and grow things and take care of the land. I knew immediately that I would use the money to plant something and remember him every time I looked at it.
We planted the seed last weekend and have diligently been watering and tending to it. I knew it would "take" because grandpa was behind it all. Thursday morning I was on my way downstairs to water and I was talking to him saying, "Please help our little grass seeds grow into strong beautiful turf so we're not the ugly yard on the block." When I got out there I saw tiny little green spikes ALL OVER the place.
That evening I spent some time in our backyard enjoying all the beauty that spring brings us. Cool-weather flowers like hyacinth and tulips. Bright, vibrant blooms on forsythia. Flowering trees and budding butterfly bushes. Mother nature never ceases to amaze me.
Thank you grandpa for watching over us (and our dirt plot now filled with baby grass).
And thank you to Porter, who watches over me while I'm exploring our backyard a.k.a. "his forest."
This photo seems more than appropriate for "Throw Back Thursday" (#TBT) on social media so I figured I'd post it here as well. (P.S. are you following us on Facebook and Twitter?)
My mom made that bunny. She also made Uncle Sam, witches and santas. One for every season, you know.
In all seriousness, I hope you all have a wonderful Easter. Remember that the reason for the holiday is not candy and bunnies...it's the fact that we're all saved. What a blessing we've been given with every day of life.
I told you earlier this year about our hopes of building a shed in our backyard. I'm happy to say, the building is up!
In order to get that building up, we've had to do lots and lots of planning.
First we had to decide on the type of shed we wanted. We decided to go with TuffShed based on great recommendations from several friends. We went to visit our local TuffShed retail location and worked with a great salesman, who gave us some discounts and worked with us to customize it exactly as we wanted.
Second we had to figure out just exactly where we wanted the shed and how it should be positioned. This is where Brent and I disagreed (for a little while). But I won and the shed now sits how I envisioned from the beginning.
Next we had to find out where our sprinkler lines where. The last thing I wanted was to put this building down over the top of lines that we may need to move or fix some day. So I started digging around the perimeter I'd outlined above.
Once we determined that our chosen location was "safe," we had the shed built. These guys were quick! The space went from nothing to done (sort of) in just over two hours.
NOW, you may notice that the shed is a different color than our house. No, we didn't chose that as our final palate. We are just trying to save money. So we're planning to paint it once the weather warms up to match the house. (We have leftover over paint from last summer's painting)
We also have plans to move the fence line forward a bit. Once that is done, we'll have a new cement pad and sidewalk laid down leading from the front of the house to the shed in the back.
And this spring, I'm going to plant some perennials on the side of the shed in a small bed for some added color.
Lots left to do, but we're already so happy to have the extra storage space--the freedom to move around in our garage now.
Yesterday evening I catered a reception for my friend Judith. She was having an art show on the second floor of our local hospital, referred to as "the Artrium." I thought it might be fun to share her art with you, as well at letting you enjoy this Spring Party setting.
Judith is as much fun as her art. Here she is greeting her guests.
This show was especially bright and colorful, so the food table needed to be the same. The flower shaped sugar cookies were made by another friend of Judith's, who happens to also be her fitness trainer (ironic, I know). They were adorable and a big hit.
The art for this show was light-hearted, fun, and eclectic, as you can see.......
And then my favorite piece. I love the colors and oh my, that green frame!
You can visit Judith's blog here to see more of her work. And you may remember the posts I did about creating her "Art Shed." See Part 1 and Part 2.
Thanks, Judith, for asking me to be a part of this lovely evening filled with food, fun, and your art.
