A Hillbilly's Life

Gotta Love Rednecks!

2012-01-10T14:09:00.005-06:00

So, I'm attempting to catch up on my blogs and notice my dear friend Robelyn over at

Decided to do a post on all her great 'sparkles' she has aquired. And there I am, in the pile! :)

As Leslie over at Retreauxgirl said, "I feel as though being mentioned in your blog with all of these fabulous ladies that i have won some type of award." And I completely agree!!! If you haven't checked out either one of these lovely ladies blog's it is a must! (AND of course all the other ladies Robelyn let you in on!)
I am not as blogger friendly as some of the other ladies. I'm a fair weather blogger! I appologize, but do thank all of you who do swing in every once in a while when I do emerge from my hole!

I do have to share my newest creation with you today. I decided to make these for some of the teachers that work with DH. I made over 15 of these, and after he gave the 6 away the other 9 were sold the same day to others in the school! They are quick and easy to make.

I did have to keep the last one for myself. I am a hat freak and this added the perfect touch! I wish the pictures would have turned out better... but that's what you get with an IPhone and 6am!

Thanks for stoppin' by!

One down...

2011-11-30T13:39:00.000-06:00

Hello All!

I have been trying to work on some Christmas presents that will be a little easier on the wallet, and more meaningful than store bought gifts. I mean, why let all this talent go to waste! :)

So, from my many, many hours on Pinterest I found this great idea for my mother-in-law and momma.

source: patinawhite.typepad.com

And here is my version:

I hope they like them. What do you think?

Thanks for stoppin' by!

Good Grief!

2011-11-02T11:44:00.000-05:00

Did you know I have a blog? Yeah, someone should have reminded me this last month.

Good Grief! Have you had ~~moments~~ months where you wish there were two to five more of you?!? Between youth football, junior high volleyball, a craft show, The Changing Season, and everyday life I think I ate supper twice in two months.

AND if I was a good parent, or blogger I'd take pictures of everything... the only picture I took was this...

When I look at it all I can hear in my head is this...

Did you guess which thing is not like the other things?

Yep, I was in such a hurry to get my jewelry display done before the craft show and football game, I was 'slapping it together' (junker slang) and realized I put one footing on one end of the baby bed springs and the other on the other end. BRILLIANT!

So, here's to basketball season, cheerleading, Thanksgiving and Christmas... I hope to see you soon!

Thanks for stoppin' by,

Jewelry

2011-10-03T11:32:00.000-05:00

I have started a passion for re purposing jewelry. My niece, Lauren, just turned 18. She attended the What Cheer Flea Market with me in August and helped me scour the grounds for vintage jewelry. I decided to take some pieces we found and make her a one of a kind necklace for her birthday.

What do you think?

I hope she likes it. I do. How about you? Should I try some more or stick to what I know?

Thanks for stoppin' by!

Would You Buy It Wednesday

2011-09-22T10:11:00.000-05:00

Well, I finally hit an auction last night. I was having SeRiOuS withdrawals!!! There wasn't much on the smalls side, so I hit the stoneware side of the auction. Now, I am in no way a dealer in stoneware, so I'm a bit nervous at what I purchase. My intent, as every auction is, is to purchase things for resale purposes.

So, here I sit, thinking, "Wow! That seems cheap!" And bid. After all the stoneware is sold, I realize I have bought 10 crocks, all but three are either Red Wing or Western Stoneware. I tally it up, $167.00. I further inspect... (that's what I get for flying by the seat of my pants) and notice only two, the 4 gallon Red Wing, and the unmarked #2 are in perfect shape. The rest have some hairlines, big or small.

As I sit here today, I am scrambling on the Internet trying to find a value for these crocks. Afraid I won't make money but break even on these pieces. (Worst case scenario I will have a collection sitting at home!)

So, my question is, Would YOU Buy It Them?

I have a 12 gallon Red Wing, 10 gallon Red Wing, 10 gallon Western, 4 gallon Red Wing, 3 gallon Red Wing, 3 gallon Western, 2 gallon unmarked, a pottery bowl, 2 pottery deep bowls.

Anyone have any advice where to look or any general advice? (like don't quit my day job!)

Thanks for any input and for stoppin' by!

I'm linked up here:

And that's a wrap!

2011-09-20T13:14:00.000-05:00

Hello All! And how is your week going?

I decided to take a vacation day last Thursday (remember I don't work Friday's) so I could get some much needed work done around the house... ALL BY MYSELF!

I am in the process of purchasing a step back cupboard from the store I consign at, but I need to remove two cupboards in the process. (Yes, you can have too many cupboards.) So I needed to move furniture and rearrange. I admit, I haven't done that in months, possibly a year or two... but I was motivated! I decided some of these items that I collect and gather at auctions doesn't need to be sold. I can keep some things. So, I spent the day working on this in the house.

Gathering old boxes...

And doing this...

(for some reason my iPhone was not in the mood to take good pix)

I then compiled a few suitcases...

and some old frames...

Ah, much better!

Now I needed to move outside... the fall air is here, the leaves are falling and this cupboard was going to fall apart if I let it set in the rain one more storm!

Got my vinyl machine out and added a few personal touches...

And that's a wrap. On my fall decorating that is! Gotta love days off!

Thanks for stoppin' by!

Halloween on the Horizon

2011-09-12T11:58:00.000-05:00

The corn is changing, the leaves are falling... fall is in the air. It's time to start thinking about Halloween! I have always enjoyed Halloween. Each year I try to re purpose items to decorate with, or hit the Dollar Tree. I don't like to spend a lot of money to decorate for the holidays. There are so many things that a coat of paint can do. Like here:

If you've been to the Dollar Tree you've probably seen these pictures. They are in some cheap plastic frames. They are also easily removable.

With a little black spray paint and some frames lying around you can turn them into this.

So cheap and easy!

And how about some old books? Everyone has those. Tear off the covers, wrap in ribbon, lace, whatever you have lying around and ta'da!

This one is my favorite so far. I had an old pottery piece lying around, a little paint, some spanish moss, sticks from my yard, glue gun webs and Dollar Tree crows...

As a busy mom, I don't have much time anymore to sit down and get creative. So all these took about 2 hours, coming up with ideas, gathering supplies, and putting together. AND all but $4.00 of supplies from the Dollar Tree were items just lying around...

So, take an hour, and get creative!!!

Thanks for stoppin' by!

I'm linked up here:

Would You Buy It Wednesday

2011-09-08T10:07:00.000-05:00

Another week has gone by. Why is it when school starts every day goes by in a blur and you meet yourself coming and going?!

Another week has gone by where I didn't hit an auction. I was suppose to work one Tuesday, but due to volleyball, football, and Mike's meetings... I had to turn it down. *sniff*

Thank goodness I have enough junk lying around to still provide an entry to Stephanie's Would You Buy It Wednesday linky party over at Junker Newbie!

I picked this up at one of the estates I bought last year. It's been just sitting there... what should I do with it? Would you buy it? I think it was a 'package deal'. So it didn't cost much.

Let me know what you think...

Thanks for stoppin' by!

I'm linked up here:

Suitcase Redo

2011-08-29T14:56:00.000-05:00

We all love vintage suitcases like this:

But what happens when you get a bunch like this:

Ugly and nicked. Well, you could grab these supplies...

and some scrapbook paper and turn it into this:

It is time consuming (I watched the original Tarzan and Jane whilst decoupagin') but just measure, cut paper and have at it. You do go through a good chunk of Mod Podge, but that's what Hobby Lobby's 40% off one item coupon is for!

So next time, don't pass up the ugly duckling.... make her the beautiful swan!

Thanks for stoppin' by!

I'm linked here:

Would You Buy it Wednesday

2011-08-25T14:21:00.000-05:00

It's Thursday.

I think.

1st week back at school for the kids. Mike 1st week of teaching. First week of volleyball practice (every night). First week of tackle football (every night). First week of homework for 5 hours. First week of no supper (not a single night!). LAST week of class for Mike.

My head is spinning.

It's Thursday and I feel like this...

So I almost forgot Stephanie's Would You Buy it Wednesday. But I didn't...

Obviously, I haven't been to an auction. see above So I dug through some old pix of previous items I've bought over the year.

At one auction I stumbled upon this...

Would you have bought it?

I did. I took it home and gave it some love. To make it look like this...

Very glad I bought it. I think I paid $40.00 for it. I sold it in my friends store a few short week's later. I now regret selling it. It was a beautiful piece.

So, what did you buy this week? Would you have bought this?

Thanks for stoppin' by,

I'm linked up here:

Fall Fashion

2011-08-18T15:41:00.000-05:00

Well, fall is approaching...

This is usually my attire for fall...

But thanks to Pinterset and my new purse... I feel like I need outfits like this...

All images I found from Domestically Speaking, Ugh! Pinterset will be the death of me yet.

But I hate to shop! Jeans take me hours to find, you know when you have fat thighs? And boots... oh love them, but again with fat calves... are you seeing a pattern here? The only thing NOT FAT on me is my pocketbook. And boy, do some of these new fashions need one of those... unless I shop at my friend Robelyn's etsy store... Her Saddle Tramp shirts are in my price range and oh so chic...

What about you? Are you ready for fall? Are you a sweatshirt and jeans kinda gal or fashion diva?

Thanks for stoppin' by!

Would You Buy It Wednesday

2011-08-17T13:32:00.000-05:00

I was frettin' what I was going to post for today. I'm trying to take a hiatius from auctions as I have a lot of inventory left from What Cheer and I need to sell to buy at this point.

Enter Glenn.

My friend, Glenn, from Canada said he was heading up to Gold Rush to do that show and would bring me stuff if I wanted him too...

So, I now have more inventory.

One of the things I bought DH wanted more than I did...

This...

A very old small spinning wheel, it needs some love. (Notice the "leg" a jar of vintage ornaments!)

I'm sure with some elbow grease and hammer and nails it ~~would~~ will be purdy.

So, would you buy it?

Let me know, and find other goodies over at Junker Newbie this week!

Thanks for stoppin' by!

I'm linked up here:

I won... I actually won!

2011-08-15T13:38:00.000-05:00

After a bittersweet weekend, you know the kind, school starts this week, Mike starts his new job... summer has come to an end... that kind. I was reluctant to come to work today because I just didn't want to face reality.

I got in, (hadn't touched any emails since Friday) and I got a bright ray of sunshine in my inbox!

"Congratulations you are the winner of the Utility Apron blog give away.

Please respond to this email with your mailing address and we'll get it shipped right out to you.

Thank you for entering.

Margo Arrick
Flea Market Style
Blog Administrator"

WHOO HOO! Do you ever enter blog giveaways and never, ever win anything. To me, that's not the point really, I like to support my fellow bloggers... but winning does make following a bit sweeter, doesn't it?

So,look at what I won...

Isn't it fantastic!!! The retro material,the oh-so-useful pockets... I'm in love!

Now, if you haven't been over to Flea Market Style you haven't been junkin' very long! First, there are some AmAzInG ladies working hard to bring us inspiration and purpose for what we do diggin' in dumpsters, hittin' auctions. They are, in fact, working on another fall magazine for us to drool over.

(Aren't those luggage shelves amazing?)

And the utility apron I won was made by Ki Nassauer's sister, Karla. You can find more apron's in her Etsy store here. I have actually met many of you from Ki's inspiring website, Junk Revolution.

So, if you haven't been to any of the sites I tagged, then I highly suggest you do. You will find so much inspiration, you'll wanna get your paint pants on, grab a tool belt, and start that project you've been staring at for the past month!

Now GO!

Thanks for stoppin' by!

Time to Know Me Thursday

2011-08-11T12:02:00.000-05:00

It's another Thursday, so you know what that means... you find out more useless information about me! :)

This is completely useless, but a great way to show my age and some o-so-sexy pictures of me, so I'll indulge you...

How many of you know when you have met 'THE ONE'? I mean really, is there a moment when you think... "This guy/girl is it, I want to spend the rest of my life with him/her." How many people THINK that, and it doesn't work out? I didn't know I actually had that moment until later, but Mike, my husband, had that moment on that yellow and black bus... every time I see one of these it reminds me of that exact moment...

It looks like a simple gum wrapper... and to most people it is. But to us, it's a significant piece of our history. We were about this age...

See, told you there were some AWESOME pictures of me in this post! I was 13 years old and he was 14, 'going out' was a new novel item in junior high (which is so not the case now). We were at the local pizza joint, my friend (as a joke to me) ask Mike if he would go out with me...

"Kim who?" while playing Pac Man

"Her over there."

He doesn't look up...

"Sure, whatever."

Ah, young love. A couple days later he ACTUALLY meets me, we're sitting in class and he's kicking the back of my chair. I'm too embarrassed to say anything... so I don't...

So to remain 'cool' we continued to 'go out'... then were forced to spent time together on the track bus. (Both the boys and girls junior high track teams rode the bus together to co-ed track meets). Coming home from one of our last track meets we were sitting in the last seat on the bus and Mike whips out a gum wrapper ring I was eventually getting to that. And asks me to marry him someday. He said he knew I was the one. I wore the ring for a few days, until it fell apart then put it in my 'memory box'.

We did break up our sophomore and junior year... but got back together senior year...

a not so embarrassing picture of me... Went to college 150 miles apart for a year, then decided to get married in 1997...

And we've been together ever since...

If anyone told me that day at the pizza parlor I would marry Mike someday I would have laughed... I mean seriously... I was 13! But ever since that night on the bus, I don't know... I guess it is true I did know "This guy/girl is it, I want to spend the rest of my life with him/her.".

Thanks for stoppin' by,

One Fine Blessing

2011-08-10T13:27:00.000-05:00

I love blogging. I may not be the most up and up blogger. But the multitude of amazing people you come across amazes me. I stumbled upon Suzanne here . She is doing an amazing good deed. You can read about it on her sidebar where you see this picture.

She has graciously lined up a way to send Senior Citizen's birthday cards. I was so touched when I read this good deed. The response she has gotten from some of these individual pulls at your heart strings in such a way... it's indescribable. I have signed up to be on the e-mailing list to receive birthdays. Won't you too?

Please take the time to visit Suzanne at Coloradolady. She is another one of those amazing bloggers out there, just like you.

Thanks for stopping by,

Kim

Would You Buy It Wednesday

2011-08-10T10:36:00.000-05:00

I am STILL re cooping from What Cheer. I haven't even opened the trailer to unload yet... had a meeting Monday night and took the kids school shopping (and to see Smurfs) last night until 10:00. So, it was another butt-draggin'-what-am-I-gonna-post morning at our house!

I did unpack the smalls that I bought... take a peak, would you have bought one thing in particular? Passed on another?

I know there is one lady, (who shall remain nameless) that might like picture #2 and another lady (Laurel) that inspired part of #3... so let me know... Would You Buy It?

Thanks for stoppin' by,

I'm linked here:

Whew! I made it!

2011-08-08T13:16:00.000-05:00

What a long weekend! We made it to What Cheer at around 2:00 Thursday got all set up and ready for 3 days of wheelin' and dealin'! 90+ degree temps and rain ALL THREE nights made for a long, but profitable weekend!

Here's some pictures of our booth...

I got rid of a lot of things I've held onto for awhile, so that made me very happy... I got to finally meet some blogging friends, so that made me ExTrEmelY happy! Kim from kimmykats and Janelle from The Farmer's Wife stopped by to chat. I love finally meeting the people I follow and chat with on the Internet, the relationship means so much more. Kim's husband works with my BIL for the same company (just different locations) so it is a very small world sometimes!

Here's a glimpse of what was at this year's flea..

a look from across our booth

I loved this booth, she had so many goodies!

I LOVED this chippy bench, she sold one, and this one was calling my name...

Salt and peppers anyone?!

It WAS all good until Sunday, that is. A big storm came through about 1:30 Sunday morning... glad I wasn't one of these vendors...

I guess the tent KINDA protected the items...

Tent ON TOP of camper...

Tents missing, tents bent...

Wonder if that one was even salvageable?

So, all in all a good weekend... how was yours?

Thanks for stoppin' by,

Would You Buy it Wednesday

2011-08-03T13:21:00.000-05:00

Well... it's Wednesday again. I almost forgot Junker Newbie's Would You Buy It Wednesday linky party!

So, I'm ready to walk out the door to work, and think "Crap, I need a Would You Buy It item!" then look around. My living room is actually a living room, no piles or boxes of junk. My dining room table actually has a decoration on it, not the cat, or piles of linens, granitware, frames, you know... like this:

That's what it's looked like for over a month. I'm late for work... I need to contribute to Stephanie... hum... where do I still have PILES of stuff NOT packed for What Cheer?

The Front Porch! (I will NOT show you a picture... I've been talking myself up so far on this post I'd like to stay on that pedestal for awhile longer!)

So.. I picked this up years ago when I got all the other great stuff from this post

I have still hung onto it, why, I'm not sure? What is it? It has small wood pegs at the end so is it part of a headboard? Cupboard?

What would you do with it? Would you buy it?

Give me some feedback, this is one item that will not be in the truck for What Cheer, so I need a reason to keep it!

Thanks for stoppin' by,

I'm linke here:

Treasures for What Cheer

2011-08-02T14:02:00.001-05:00

The truck is packed that there is still some more room left... so why not bring this chair I decaled and painted.

And how about this table...I got the inspiration from here

AND my favorite guy, Glenn, who brings me Canadian goodies dropped these off at my door last night. Hum... since I have 3 I only need to sell two and keep the other one right?

OOHH, What Cheer is going to be so fun!

Thanks for stoppin' by,

I'm linked up here:

The Countdown Begins!

2011-08-01T14:47:00.000-05:00

Whoo Hoo!!! We're on the countdown to What Cheer, Iowa for the Collector's Flea Market!

I cannot wait! We're getting the truck and trailer loaded for 3 days of 300+ vendors and lots of finds!

I can't believe we got everything in the trailer (and now I know there is room for even MORE stuff!!)! I'll be sure to take lots of pictures over the three days to share!

Thanks for stoppin' by!

Time to Know Me Thursday

2011-07-28T15:14:00.000-05:00

WOW! I almost forgot today was Thursday! I have to work tomorrow (I typically don't work Fridays... did I just hear you moan?!?) so that threw my whole schedule off!

So, I'm not sure why I started this Time to Know Me Thursdays... I'm not a very exciting person....

But here it goes...

I'm going to talk about my DH Mike. This week was a very special week for us, and in particular him. He finally got a teaching job. He quit college years ago to move in with me 150 miles away from where he was going to college to support me through my schooling. (Not that he was taking college seriously anyway!) He always planned on going back, but with kids, a mortgage... you know how things go.

So years later he is working in a factory... a factory that sucked. He was going through a major funk and I told him to finish school. I had a job, the kids were in school... why not?

So he enrolled in 2007 to finish his teaching degree. Working full-time, coaching the kids sports, and taking full load night classes was our life for 3 years. Let me tell you it wasn't fun! (I have a WHOLE new respect for single mothers.)

He graduated in May 2010. Male elementary education teacher... you'd think everyone would want a piece of that! :) Application after application, interview after interview... nothing. Never mind the fact that our economy has taken a HUGE dump and education is NOT one of the top priorities, that there were 325,445 teachers fighting for 2,219 jobs at any given point this past year.

So, if you can't get a job, try to get over qualified! ;) He went back this fall to get his special education endorsement. After 4 interviews, 3 of them he was chosen 2nd because he didn't have experience (really a 34 year father of 2 who has done long term subbing has NO EXPERIENCE to teach?!?) The 4th interview finally panned out.

He received the call Tuesday that he received a position in one of the few schools in Iowa who work with the severe and profound disabled. This school is a fantastic school working with fetal alcohol children, severely autistic and Down's syndrome children. Everyone says good things come to those who wait... I unfortunately am extremely impatient, but he's not. So I am so proud to say that these last 4 years have been worth it. He does have more schooling to do to be certified to teach these children but I think all of us will all be rewarded in the end. (My checkbook especially!!! lol)

So congrats to my DH! (pix of us at his college graduation reception at school)

So, thanks for stoppin' by and getting to know me this Thursday!

Would You Buy It Wednesday

2011-07-27T10:39:00.000-05:00

Another auction has come and gone. Another truck, trailblazer,and car have been unloaded at home. (That goodness What Cheer Flea Market is next weekend!)

In my HUMONGOUS stack of goodies I bought this.

Dirty and icky... until I oiled it. Now it looks like this...

It's cool. I give it that. With all the writing on it, the gears. BUT... would you buy it? What would you do with it? I'm not going to keep it, I'm going to sell it at the Flea Market, but if you saw it there what would you do? Pass it up or purchase it?

Let me know!

Thanks for stoppin' by,

I'm linked up here:

Transformation Tuesday

2011-07-26T11:00:00.000-05:00

Mornin'!

Remember this pile of frames from I got at a auction a couple weeks ago? See the one I'm pointing out... here

A coat of white spray paint, a vinyl decal, and some Armor Etch and whala!

A new item for the store. (it's sold already too!)

Gotta love instant gratification!

Thanks for stoppin' by!

Time to Know Me Thursday

2011-07-21T11:59:00.000-05:00

Hi, I'm Kim. I don't know if we've formally met yet.

When I follow a blog I like to know the person behind the colorful background, extensive layout, the real 'bones' of the blog. Many people let us get to know them, but some don't. I'd like you to know me so each Thursday I'll spend some time with you so you can get to know me a little more than you do.
This is me.

20+ years ago that is!

I grew up on a family owned farm in Iowa. 7 miles from town. Where my friends were. And long distance phone lines connected us. Which wasn't a big deal up until I was 10. Then it sucked. A lot.

So these ladies became my friends.

They had their ups and downs. The were great listeners (except when they got sidetracked licking their nostrils...gross) but they weren't real great at giving advice. You could yell at them and take out your frustrations and they wouldn't talk back or argue with you. I remember coming home from college on weekends and STILL heading out to the pasture to talk to them, they still didn't offer advice, but they still listened. Some of the best friends I think I've ever had. :)

So, what did I do for fun? ~~Feed calves,~~ ~~water horse,~~ ~~pick up rock~~ played on my homemade jungle gym. I pretended I was in the Olympics and doing the uneven bars on the grain auger. See here...

Now this isn't exactly like the one at home... the upper bar wasn't as high up. But you see where I'm going with this. As long as dad wasn't unloading grain it was free game.

Unfortunately now I live in town. I wish my children had the opportunity to make a rock house in the rock pile, play in the hay mow, or create an Olympic event by the grain bin. They still head out to Gramma and Grampa's house but are devastated there is no cable. As my son said, "There is nothing to do at their house... what am I suppose to do, read a book?" Yep. If they only knew.

So, thanks for stopping by and taking time to know me this Thursday.

Would You Buy It Wednesday

2011-07-20T09:30:00.005-05:00

Yeah it's Wednesday again! Not only is it 1/2 way through this week, it's Would You Buy It Wednesday over at Junker Newbie http://junkernewbie.blogspot.com/ I'm so glad Stephanie brainstormed this weekly linky... it gives me a reason to hit the auctions!

At last Wednesday's auction this item came up for bid.

I had no idea what it was, but those are sometimes the best items. At $5.00 I walked away with it (and MANY more items!).

As I was walking away, I overheard one lady ask another lady what it was and she said it was a vintage magazine rack. Huh... could it be? I've done some looking online and haven't come across one, yet.

What do you think?

Would you buy it?

Would you use it as a magazine rack or as something else?

Thanks for stoppin' by!

I'm linked here today:

Cheap Chair Change Up (tutorial)

2011-07-18T13:20:00.002-05:00

Whew! It's a hot one here! 100+ degree heat index for the next 5 days... so I'm glad I got these chairs done LAST week or my paint would never have dried!

So, I'm a hoarder. I have NOT been featured on one of the above mentioned shows (yet). BUT I do know I need to downsize, but I can't throw anything away. I decided to start in with my STACK of chairs.

Here is one I picked out for this project.

YUCK! I removed the seat and primed it. I LoVe, lOvE this spray paint! I can only find it at Menards but it covers beautifully and has a great selection of colors.

Then I went inside to start reupholstering the seat. I took the old seat off and starting pulling off the NASTY vinyl cracked one.

Then put new batting on. I had to purchase new batting as I'd used all my re purposed pieces for other projects. But with 40% off coupon at Hobby Lobby I think I spent $12.00 on a big bag (and did I mention I have a STACK of chairs!)

I stapled the batting on and then set my new seat on the material. (You don't have to staple the batting on separately, I just got a new staple gun and had to play around with it!)

Our JoAnn's Fabrics just opened a new store and clearanced out all their old store inventory. I got all my material 75% off... so a yard of fabric (which could do 2-3 chairs) only cost me $2.25ish...

When reupholstering, start at the center of all sides. As you see in the picture, I started on two sides, then move to the other two sides. After doing the center on all sides, staple close to the end or corner (but not too close because you need to work the fabric at the end of your upholstering job to finish it off) and then meet in the middle from your first staple and the end you just did. Repeat. Dhis on all for sides then do the corners (see below). Make sense?!

Corners can be tricky (especially if you use thicker batting to make a plush seat!). Play with it and try to make it smooth.

Trim off the excess material and reattach to your chair and you're done! Super quick and easy! And look at the transformation...

Ahhh... much better. And for:

Chair: free
Primer: $3.34 (used 1/2 a can)
Paint:$3.34 (used 1 can)
Batting: $12.00 (used 1/8 of it)
Material: $2.25/yd (used 1/4yd))

Can't beat that!

I'm linked here:

Thanks for stoppin' by,
Kim

Would you buy it Wednesday

2011-07-13T09:23:00.000-05:00

Last week I hit another auction. I LoVe auction season and dread the snow because that will mean the end of the season. Luckly, we have 4 months left of good 'ole biddin' weather!

So, in accordance with Stephanie at Junker Newbie I'm asking you... did I make a good purchase? Would you buy this junk?

Here a few of my finds.

3 picnic baskets= $2.00

BIG box of tatting= $4.00 for all.

Frames= $2.00 for all.

Cute child picture in old frame= $5.00

3 old freezer baskets= $6.00 for all 3

5 rag rugs= $17.50 for all

Big box of batting, material,and lace= $2.00 for all.

What did you find this week?

Thanks for stopping by,
Kim

I'm linked up here:

How was your weekend?

2011-07-05T13:44:00.000-05:00

Ah, nothing like an extended holiday weekend to get you out of the rhythm of everyday life. It was a good thing.

How good?

Campfire breakfast good.

Family fun good.

Campfire view good.

Camping sleeping, not so good....

But when you're a hillbilly, you're a hillbilly.

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Has It Really Been This Long?

2011-06-29T14:11:00.002-05:00

I was sitting at my niece's birthday party the other day (shortly after my oldest niece graduated) and was astounded at how old my family is. My daughter turned 12 on the 23rd and my son 10 on the 10th. Where has the time gone? I have been lurking behind my computer screen for months, and felt like I have nothing documented to show that time. So where are my accomplishments for the last days, months, years documented? Hummm....

So, here I am... hopefully the 3rd time is the charm. If I'm not back for you, I'll be back for me. So when I'm having one of those "what the heck did I do this summer?!?" moments, I can look here and say "Oh, yeah!" or the day my daughter graduates, I will have this blog to reiminice with...
SO, with that, I am letting you know to visit again. I've been visiting you... and I will try to be more vocal around here, 'cause trust me, I think I have plenty to say... :)

I've been busy... another Changing Season sale!

2010-09-22T11:12:00.007-05:00

I figured out why I'm never on here... It's not that I'm lazy, I'm, in fact, WAY too busy!

Now The Changing Season is open two weekends a month, and we practically sell out every sale. So, between my 'real' job, football, girl scouts, and all the committees I'm on... I'm going to bed with glitter every night!

Here are some pix of some of the pieces I've done, along with furniture, and a mix of new things Carrie has added to her store.

See... It's not that I don't like you all...

Go Iowa State!!!

2010-09-02T11:18:00.005-05:00

o.k...

It's that time of year again. The leaves are changing, the air is crisp... it's football season!!!

I LoVe football. Really LOVE football. I don't know if it's growing up in the Midwest or what, but it's the best thing to watch, next to the DIY network. DH played in high school and college and now my son has his first experience at tackle football in 4th grade... and he's good (no proud mama here!)

I am a die-hard Cyclone. As an alumni, I am so proud to be one...

As they say in Iowa (especially around Iowa City), it must be in the water. So as the Cyclones kick off a very tough season this year, I am going to stay proud to be one...

Good luck to my Cyclones tonight and the rest of the season.

And she's done!

2010-08-30T10:25:00.011-05:00

Hello All!

Have you ever decided to redo a piece of furniture with excitement and anticipation... especially when you've gotten a new 'toy' to play with?!?

Introducing Agnus...

She's a beauty, and with a $15.00 rebate at Menards, she's going to be worth the investment...

So,what did she want to tackle first?

How about this...

Yeah, a good cleaning (maybe) could get her by... but what if Agnus could make her look even better? Yes, it was time to give Agnus a chance to debut!

After a few (I won't tell how many) hours with Agnus and cabinet enamel paint we realized that regardless of what the label says on the paint can... thinning the paint is needed. We didn't attempt it this time, but for future reference if we'd like to shave 5 hours off our spraying time with Agnus... it's something to consider.

On the positive side of it, I have learned all of Agnus sweet spots! And at what angle my arm gets tired the quickest!

Now... to give Agnus her props...

I think she did a good job! How about you?

NEVER will I make mom of the year!

2010-08-18T08:51:00.011-05:00

Tell me, don't you HATE it when important days creep up on you and you're kicking yourself you weren't prepared even though you KNEW it was going to be here before you know it?!?

*sniffle*

Yep, my life seems like that!

*cough*

Today is the kids first day of school... Reyna in 6th grade, Wiley in 4th... so for over 6 years I've been taking first day of school pictures...

*ahchoo*

Well, besides the TERRIBLE cold I have (punishment perhaps) I spent all nightlast night at an auction, until 11:30 to be exact. So I didn't get prepared for my kids first day. No pedi and mani for Reyna... no good night-did-you-pack-everything kisses goodnight.

*sigh*

Thank goodness Mike is the new stay at home dad... but it's just not the same... I'm MOM I should do all that!

So, at 5:45 when I'm up and at 'em for work I realize I need to find my camera for Mike to take pictures...

I looked here...

and here...

Do you think with 3 months of advanced notice I'd be a little more prepared?!? Nope... In my 2 auctions in 3 days whirlwind of cold fighting I have COMPLETELY misplaced my camera...

*sniffle*

So this is what I have, Mike's crappy phone pix...

I guess it's better than nothing... but the worse (and most embarrassing thing about it is we have no vehicles that provide room to take the kids to school in) Did I mention AUCTION UNTIL 11:30PM!?!?

SO, doing it up in hillbilly fashion, Mike loaded them up in the small available room in the back of the truck (not the load pictured) and off to school they went... (Oh what people in town must say about us!)

Happy 1st day of school everyone, and here's to getting alittle more organized NEXT year!!!

*AHCHOO!*

What? Summer is almost over?!?!

2010-08-04T11:40:00.005-05:00

Can you believe it’s AUGUST? Where has the summer gone? I mean really? Wasn’t I supposed to have beers by the fire? Camping trips? Swimming with the kids? Bean bag games with neighbors?

I guess not… instead I’ve been busy working on projects for my friend’s store, The Changing Season (http://thechangingseason.com/). I’m one of her only consignors (yeah for me!). She has opened an occasional store that’s open one weekend a month and business has been GREAT!

HOWEVER… that leaves me little time for beers by the fire, camping, swimming, (you get the picture).

Just so you don’t think I’m two timing you, I’ll show you some pix of the store. If I was a decent blogger I’d show you a quarter of what I’ve done and how I’ve done it. But I’m not decent, good, or even close.

Move over Mike and Frank, there's a new picker in town!

2010-06-14T11:36:00.011-05:00

Well... it's been an exhausting couple of months! My friend Carrie has opened a new seasonal decor store in town, and I'm one of a couple consignors with her. I'm enjoying having an outlet for my finds, especially when I get to sell my pickins'!

I knew of this old hog building outside of town that a couple got along with the purchase of their new acreage... I told the owners, if they ever wanted to get rid of the stuff in there to give me a call.

*Ring Ring*

"Hey Kim, it's Adam, outside of town here, do you remember?" *heart skips a beat*

"Yep, I do."

"Hey, did you want to come out and look through that building" *doing a MAJOR happy dance*

Calmly... "Sure, whenever would work for you, of course."

"How about next weekend."

"Great! See you then!"

AND LOOK!!!!

wait, there is more!

He couldn't believe I wanted all this stuff... he was even more shocked when I offered him money for it all! DH and I wouldn't have felt right if we didn't offer him something for these pieces... when we knew a couple gallons of poly and some scrubbing would bring us $$$$!!!

He took the money... and so far I've made 175% of my money back after selling the big counter (wish I took an after pix, it was beautiful!!!) and the old 'rustic secretary' a.k.a. the glass doored cupboard. It was used in barns to hold medicine and medical records for farm animals.

Adam DID call American Pickers... but I got there first! LOL!!

The only down side to the story is now we are called "The Clampetts" around town. People joke I should have been sitting on top of the truck in my rocking chair to make it official!

Whoa... look at the size of that thing!

2010-05-19T08:31:00.005-05:00

O.k.

I must share my uncle's great find. You're thinking some really great cupboard buried in the back of an old shed, or maybe a piece of sparkly bling in the dirt, or maybe a pair of old wheels off a wagon from years ago.

Yeah, I wish.

HOWEVER... this thing is almost as good. Well, at least it tastes much better than the treasures described above....

On a trip back to Iowa he discovered this...

yeah... look at the size of that thing! My aunt is holding up a 2-liter pop bottle for comparison.

You'd need a whole sack of flour and a full pound of butter for that morel!!!

YUMMY! Wish I was back in Colorado with him to share it... cause you know he can't, or at least shouldn't eat that all himself!

One Year Anniversary...

2010-05-12T08:06:00.010-05:00

WOW!!! It’s been just over a year since we started the bathroom remodel project! I can’t believe I haven’t shared it with you. Most of my good friends on here knew I started it some time ago; I believe I even posted a picture of my tub, then HELLO! I disappeared!

So, Let’s get to some pix, ‘cause who cares the steps that I took to tear it out, everyone can/loves doing demo (especially on a room you HATE!!!)

Shower corner before. Yep this retro, yet, festive Christmas-like paneling was covering the walls. Most of it was painted, and painted and did I mention painted? But some of it was left in its 1970’s beautiful state.

EEWWW… Here’s underneath the shower floor. Great support system as you can see, humm, do I blame me stepping through the floor on my weight or the support system. Yeah, definitely the support system. Dig the groovy tar backed linoleum?

Yeah, here’s the closet, bathroom in its massive glory! I’d take you on the tour, but this is it! In 1902 when they built my house they didn’t factor in bathrooms, so somewhere along the line someone decided to take the only closet in my upstairs and convert it into a bathroom. Yeah, that’s a WHOLE other subject!!

We (yes, my DH started helping with the demo when he knew I was serious) gutted the whole room, ceilings and ALL!!

NOW, look what we accomplished, all by doing it ourselves, well, except for some plumbing manifold installation from a plumber.

We did the electrical, most of the plumbing, installed all the fixtures, tiled, everything… and it only cost $3700 for the total remodel! The tub was our biggest cost at $1700. (I highly recommend acrylic tubs on 2nd floors!) Who knew a claw foot tub could fit in a 7x7 square foot closet! Just a little elbow grease, the DIY network, and a few smarts and anyone can do this... you might kill your significant other in the process, but it will be worth it... I promise!

Granted, it took us 7 months to fully complete, only because we took the ‘Hey, we have another bathroom…” “How many ball games this season?” “Don’t forget I’ve got classes every night this week…” “Saturday classes?” approach!

Let's try this again...

2010-04-27T10:56:00.006-05:00

O.k. Let's see if the video works this time... *Sigh* Must have been a case of the Mondays...

Reveal at the bank!

2010-04-26T08:04:00.008-05:00

My father/mother in law bought the old county bank in Clarksville a few weeks ago. (Built in 1882 they are the 4th owners!) Our hope as a family is to restore it to as close to the original state as we can. (then open an antique store!!)

As we demolish the apartment the previous owners put in the bank we are discovering so many amazing pieces of history.

This video is of my husband and father-in-law pulling the old oil cloth wallpaper off the wall to discover this mural. (We discovered the wallpaper by accident.) We're guessing it hasn't seen the light of day since the early 1900's as no one in town remembers this painting. The date on it is 1889.

We have found more great pieces of history I will have to share with everyone later. This was the most amazing thing to watch. My mother in law, sisters in law, and previous town librarian were all in tears as we unveiled this amazing piece of history!

Under $5.00 porch tea light

2010-04-22T10:00:00.012-05:00

I swung by Target the other day and found these (didn't take a before pix) cute lantern tea lights for $1.00 in their dollar section at the front of the store.

Hum.... now what to do...

I have it!

Grab a can of Rust-Oleum Frosted Glass spray paint(around $4.00 at Home Depot) and a cute vinyl decal (could be from your Cricut, just a suggestion)

or a couple cute vinyl stickers...

and spray a light coating... it goes on clear but dries frosted so wait a couple seconds and see if you need more (it dries quickly)

and viola, cute porch tea lights!

(Forgot to remove my son's cap gun from my porch display BEFORE I took the pix!)

I'm linked up with...

Glitter Glamor, Birdy Style

2010-03-18T10:41:00.007-05:00

Bright sunshiny "Hello!"

I've seen lots of people use the Dollar Tree birds, (of course I can't find a pix of the one I used!!!) and I didn't want to completely copy their ideas, so I came up with my own version of the Dollar Tree bird.

I grabbed Glitter, my new best friend, it makes everything seem to pop, and I guess after a LONG Iowa winter, I like to see things bright and sparkly!

AND the rest my supplies (sorry, no pix of the process, I was sticky and glittery)

see the rocks...

And with a little spray adhesive, glitter, rocks from the yard, spanish moss, and two married pieces of junk, I have "Spring!"

I'm linked up with Becky at Beyond The Picket Fence!

Happy St. Patty's Day!

2010-03-17T13:13:00.003-05:00

Lucky the Leprechaun visited my kids in the middle of the night.

I hope they had a good day! And you too!

Friday Craftin' Day!!!

2010-03-16T10:03:00.004-05:00

I love my Fridays! I don't have to work, I've decided the housework can wait until Saturday when the family is home to help. This past Friday spring hit in Iowa, but I haven't quite thawed out yet. I have, however, been thinking about spring and Easter, summer campfires and backyard parties with friends...

So I came up with a few goodies to get the mood...

Hope you find your Spring Fever!!!

I've been bit!!!

2010-03-08T14:18:00.009-06:00

Oh dear, it looks like I've got the rash, the fever, and the itches...

Blog jumping all day isn't good for you, you know.

There are so many ideas, so many smart women, so many creative people...

Now I've been bit by the jewerly bug.

I've seen these glass tile necklaces all round, and felt like I needed to try my hand at it.

They are so addicting! I made the Wonder Woman one for my SIL for her birthday, the couple is Mike and I on my mom's porch... and I loved the washer necklace idea. Unfortunately I can't give any one person props because you can find both these ideas everywhere in blogland!

Hobby Lobby has become my new best friend, they have 50% off sales ALL THE TIME on jewelry!!! It's going to be another sickness.

I need some bug spray, some lock down, and some of this....

or it's going to be ugly!

So, I'm off to my second home, ya know, they have charms half off this week!

What a sight!

2010-03-01T14:11:00.003-06:00

Looking forward to a nice weekend, my husband left his student teaching placement in his styling 1986 Oldsmobile Delta 98... as he turns the corner he could barely turn... power steering went out. SO, car to the fix it shop, I called my mom to see if we could borrow a car for the week.

As we were heading out to her house, we came across a couple bald eagles. I ran home to get my camera, hoping they would still be in the field. Yepers! So, here are some pix I took... I thought they were beautiful and wanted to share!

Oh Happy Day

2010-02-23T09:47:00.008-06:00

*sigh*

Yesterday was Monday. I hate Mondays... I hate Mondays even more when the high is only 8 degrees. After a long, and I stress, lllllooooonnnnnnnggggg day at work, I headed home to a grumpy family. (Seasonal affective disorder is in full swing at my house topped with Iowa Test of Basic Skills)

SO, I start making supper, think to myself "Self, I wonder if anyone got the mail yet, maybe there is a new magazine to make you smile". So I pulled on my boots, trampled out to the mailbox, snow up to my kneecaps, and found the mailbox empty.

*sigh* (again)

Pulled my boots off, shook the snow off my jeans and asked the fam if anyone got the mail (fingers crossed). "Yep, Reyna got it, it's on the back of the couch!" Awesome, I might be in luck yet.

Humm... a box...

interesting... oh wait, look at the tag...

it's from someone who knows me by my junkin name. Hum... *heart racing* did someone make my Monday even better than Hearst Publishing could?!?!?

Yes, yes, YES someone did. Robelyn dear sweet Robelyn has made my day! A couple months ago I tore my old box springs apart and sent her a box of junk with the material off the box springs. And look what she did with it!

Isn't it absolutely, positively, most definitely the most gorgeous think you have ever seen! (My husband didn't show my enthusiasm so I had to call my mom!) She even used some of the junk pieces I sent her. The springs on the side are what held the big springs to the box spring frame.

I could never put into words how special this purse is. Not only because a friend made it with her own two hands, but it holds pieces of things that were mine. It's so personalized in so many different ways. I am truly thankful to Robelyn for her thoughtfulness and kindness. We are a special breed of people, we truly are.

So,

Thank you! Thank you!
THANK YOU! Robelyn...

I have officially been...

I got my craft on!

2010-02-03T13:21:00.005-06:00

Well... work is slow... or I procrastinate, either way I have been spending a serious amount of time checking out other blogs out here in cyberspace (who says it was during work hours?!?). There are so many talented, resourceful men and women out there! I love jumping from blog to blog finding all these great ideas that I wish I had more time to do!

So... Friday's are my days off. I stopped by Hobby Lobby to get some supplies after work on Thursday (like I don't have enough stuff at home) and decided I would take a 'Mom' day and just play with some of the ideas I saw, and came up with myself.

Here's a look at my dining room table, I have a craft room in the basement, but I'm not going to show you a pix of that, there is a reason why I'm working from the dining room table.

After trying some StazOn on glass that didn't Stay On, I moved onto necklaces for my daughter and her friends (didn't get pix of them). But I did decide to make myself a new keychain. And a couple more...

I should have scheduled more 'Mom' time, oh wait, I did, I cleaned the whole house, painted the hallway and stairwell, and did 5 loads of laundry... maybe I should have scheduled more "ME" time instead! Hope you all find 'me' time sometime this week!

"Junkle" Bells All Year Round

2010-01-29T13:44:00.007-06:00

My friend Jill over at Jill Ruth & Co is having a Junkle Bells All Year Round. Each month bloggers are invited to make a 'junk' ornament to share!

Today is my day off, and after running errands, painting the stairwell, I've decided to whip something up for her, and all of you! This only took me a couple minutes... but my goal for this year is to make a 'game' junk tree. Driving home I thought of these.

All you need is this...

Using a 1/16 drill bit, predrill holes into the blocks, checks, or dominoes and just put screw eyes in and add a bit of ribbon, ta-da! You're 1 month closer to Christmas!

Please check back at Jill's website monthly for more links with great ideas!

Peace

2010-01-27T10:26:00.005-06:00

Well- winter in Iowa has been in full force. I believe this is the first day in a good week we've seen sunshine. I've been so busy and so full of winter blues I decided I needed to take time for myself.... Like I use too...

I've been wanting to go behind my Grandparents house to take pictures ever since I got my new camera. The flood took their home, then Grandpa started going downhill... and time flew by. In high school I would spend many days after school 'de-stressing' on the railroad bridge... or walking through the woods... or walking on the sandbars... so I felt it was appropriate to take one of our beautiful frost covered days walking the trail I use to take over 15 years ago.

The house sits on the Conservation Board's land, and they have decided to tear down the house that my 93 year old grandfather spent most of his life in now that he has passed away, before they do, I wanted some pictures... wiping a tear, I stepped into peacefully quiet house, and re-lived my memories of him, and the house.

So, I am here today, to share some peaceful pictures of my memories, of winter in Iowa, of a shack of a house that will be gone, of an much needed day I spend a couple weeks ago...

For the love of Dog...

2010-01-11T13:44:00.009-06:00

O.k...looking though my Christmas pictures, I seem to think my in-law's dog is an important part of the family... each year I take a picture of her. Not my dog, just theirs... This slobbery, huge furry thing is a big part of our family. She knows it too as she was truly hoping to be invited in Christmas... The weather wasn't to nice for her this year...

After heading OUTSIDE to take pictures of her, I thought I'd get warm INSIDE and take some more...

"Do I get to come in?" *scratches at door*

"Hey you, will you let me in... please oh please oh please!"

If she wasn't so wet and dirty, we would have let her come inside for her annual "sit in the chair". Not an inside dog (OBVIOUSLY!) She is only allowed to come in and sit in her chair at Christmas... I say her chair, because she will run the grandkids over on occasion and sprint past them to jump into this chair. And no one can stop the 160 pound dog!

Ah- for the love of the Dog. You can see why we all love her, can't you?!?

In Memory...

2009-12-28T10:05:00.004-06:00

Of an amazing man. My Grandfather. He could lift the back end of a tractor off the ground with one arm, skin a deer in seconds, grow the biggest tomatoes, and tickle your ribs until you peed your pants! Rest in Peace.

Chester "Buster" Forry
(Died December 25, 2009)

Chester Emmert “Buster” Forry, age 93, of Clarksville, Iowa, was born at home on a farm south west of Clarksville on November 28, 1916, to Frank and Charlotte (Doty) Forry with twin brother, Lester “Bob” Emmerson, the youngest of seven brothers and sisters. He received his education at Jackson #1 Country School near his home.
He married Glendora Smith on April 9, 1939, at the Forry Farm, rural Clarksville. A double wedding was held with brother Bob and Gracie. Buster and Glendora had two daughters and three sons: Judy Drenth, Dixie Thurm, Bill, Dan and Jim. They were divorced in 1970.

He then married Harriet (VanDeest) Bohlen on November 2, 1975, at the Immanuel United Church of Christ in Clarksville. They established their home southeast of Clarksville at the Butler County Conservation Headquarters. They were members at Immanuel since 1967. In June of 2008 they moved to town after their home was flooded.

Buster enjoyed hunting (deer until December of 2008), farming, trapping and fishing, but most of all he enjoyed working for Heery Woods State Park for 32 years. He made many of the trails and first campgrounds in Heery Woods. He received a plaque for his many years of service and support to the Parks Program given in 2006 by the Butler County Conservation Board. He was awarded “Wildlife Conservation Lifetime Achievement Award” on March 12, 2005, by Butler County Chapter #64 Pheasants Forever. In 1988 he began serving as a Butler County Reserve Deputy for several years. He was a cancer survivor since 1955, had participated in Relay for Life every year and was one of the oldest cancer survivors in Butler County.

Buster passed away on Christmas Day, December 25, 2009, at the Community Nursing Home in Clarksville, of natural causes. He was preceded in death by a grandson, Scott Thurm; his parents; four sisters, Mary (in infancy) and Martha Ciavarelli Purcell, Wava Voss and Lela Biekert Chandler, two brothers, Nathan and Bob; and two sons-in-law, Lawrence Drenth and Gerald Thurm.

Buster is survived by his wife, Harriet, Clarksville; two daughters, Judy Drenth, Decorah, IA, and Dixie Thurm, Denver, IA; three sons, Bill (Becky) Forry, Castle Rock, CO, Dan (Bonnie) Forry, Clarksville, Jim (Jenny) Forry, Grundy Center, IA; and step-children, Randall (Trish) Bohlen, Parkersburg, IA, Sharon (Jim) Leerhoff, Clarksville, and Scott (Jackie) Bohlen, Durant, IA; 20 grandchildren; 20 great-grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews.

YES! I am still alive!!!

2009-12-16T14:24:00.011-06:00

wOw! What a month! I mean seriously, I have met myself coming and going since before Thanksgiving, and word has it, Christmas is in 9 days!

Let's see, I've been busy with this...

and this...

oh- and how about this...

and that's just my home life!

Then there is work... adopted a family in honor of our boss a great Veteran with three small kids, so I was out shopping for them. Then as HR, I got to purchase 43 different gifts at different price ranges for all our employees. Add Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Volleyball and basketball practice and you have this...

So, this is my tree... I wasn't going to put one up, but figured I should, it is Christmas... or is it Easter... or maybe Halloween... oh who cares... it can fly with any season!

Hope you all have a great Holiday Season! I am off to my internal office Christmas party, then maybe, just maybe, between my next Christmas concert, wrestling meet, basketball scrimmage, and floor Christmas party, and 13 year anniversary celebration... I will see you again!

The Junk Fairy

2009-11-04T11:34:00.006-06:00

Look!

The junk fairy was at my house last night! O.k.... that's not my house, nevertheless I was visited!

Lying in bed last night around 9:30 (getting up early to work out, work, parent teacher conferences, running Wiley to wrestling, supper, laundry) I heard knocking, scraping, shuffling outside.

The dog is her kennel, the kids are sleeping, Mike is in the next room who could it be? Robbers, ghosts, my imagination?

I asked Mike to check, he found nothing... nada... zilch... sleepier than I thought

Got up this morning, worked out, grabbed my big thermos of steamy good caffiene and headed out the door...

*gasp* what's this...

ooh... and this...

It was the JUNK FAIRY!!!

I snapped a couple quick pix of the treasures and headed off to work... didn't even get to go digging.

I have discovered my Junk Fairy was my mother. She attended the auction that I missed last night, and this was all stuff they were going to throw into the dumpster...

yes- my fairy junk mother loves me!

Is it too soon...

2009-11-03T14:40:00.006-06:00

Is it too soon to be looking forward to Spring?

Fall is in full force (27 degrees this morning on my way to work)Yeah, I said fall... the leaves are off my trees... all thirteen truckloads are down at the city compost pile... thanks to some great teamwork by my children and their friends... (for $20.00 of course!)

HOWEVER... I miss the green trees, the flowers, the smell of living things... all things that don't occur in the midwest in fall. Nope, everything here is pretty much shriveled up and dying. (talk about that in another post)

So, I have decided to share some of my niece's talents behind the camera. One afternoon last spring she decided to have my daughter (the one with the umbrella)and two other nieces dress up in some of my mother-in-law's cedar chest treasures. I absolutely LoVe these pictures. They mix vintage with nature.

Enjoy! They brightened my mood on this dark dreary fall day... hope they do the same for you...

I done good!

2009-10-29T11:43:00.004-05:00

Well- last weekend I had my first craft booth at the high school where I grew up. My mom has been doing it for years, so I thought I'd see if my junking tastes would fit in with the crowd.

Whew! What a day! My head was SO big I was afraid I wasn't going to get back out of the building!!! I had people lined up and backed up in my booth! Many great comments and a couple invites to other shows... yep, I done good!

Here's some pix of my booth! Thanks for stopping by and have a GRRReat day!

2009-10-27T09:53:00.003-05:00

It's a BOO Party!

The air is cool, the season is fall,
Soon Halloween will come to all.
Ghosts and goblins, spooks galore...
Tricky witches at your door.
The spooks are after things to do,
In fact, a spook brought this "BOO" to you.
The excitement comes when friends like you,
Copy this note and make it two.
We'll all have smiles on our faces,
When we see who Boo'd who's places.

I was boo'd by Robelyn at http://www.redneckchic.blogspot.com/. And I'm passing on the BOO to these four:

1. Sue at http://chiccottagejunk.blogspot.com/

2. Jill at http://jillruth.blogspot.com/

3. Janelle at http://www.thefarmerswifeiniowa.blogspot.com/

4. and Ann at http://magpiecottage.blogspot.com/

This BOO party was started by Toni at the Tattered Cottage.

Please keep the fun going by following these instructions:

1. You have 24 hours to work your spell.
2. Copy and post the Halloween Boo Poem with the instructions for playing.
3. Pick 4 blogs you enjoying visiting and tell why you enjoy visiting them, with a link to their blog and remember to link back to me.
4. Go to the original BOO party post at the Tattered Cottage and add your MckLinky.
5. Let's see how fast and far this spreads between now and Halloween.

The silver lining...

2009-10-01T08:51:00.000-05:00

Well- today is a very crappy day! (view from outside my office) One of those days where you would pay anything to just stay in bed. The sun started to finally peek out from behind the large rain clouds around 8:15 this morning. It was so dark so late that my kids chewed Mike a new butt this morning for getting them up so early! (they were actually running behind!)

So with the weather report... my tub is delayed and my drywall compound isn't dry, so my husband gets a 'free day' today. AND we're a day farther from my new bathroom! HOWEVER... we did lay out the tile last night to figure out a pattern... I see the silver lining to all this.

It's close... so very close...

2009-09-30T13:39:00.000-05:00

Whoo Hoo!! Look at my tub!!!!!

O.k. I'm a little excited (I sleep with this pix every night!) my tub is on it's way. This bathroom remodel has been time consuming and drawn out! I dream of my beautiful bathroom where I can relax in a tub for the first time in 8 years!

I ordered the tub last week and they sent me this pix of what I should be receiving at my house tomorrow! Granted, we're not 100% ready for the tub yet, but with an extra week or two we should be on the home stretch!

So far I haven't killed my husband and buried him in the backyard... only because I need his help to carry up the tub! I will most defintely post pix of the bathroom when it's ALL DONE!!!

Camping

2009-08-19T11:32:00.000-05:00

Last weekend we dusted off the old pop-up camper for our 'one weekend a summer' camping trip.

This time we took it to Mike's old family farm, right along the river. It was a great family weekend... no plumbing, no electricity... just us and nature!

After a few mishaps with the camper... we had to sleep in the back of the truck, about as primitive camping as we could have got.

However- my niece and I took some great pix of the farm... and all the cousins...

It was a great relaxing weekend!

Pictures

2009-08-06T11:40:00.000-05:00

I haven't gotten to really play with my camera lately... but I did play with the pix of my nephew.

On the large frame, I found scrapbook stickers that say, "Always remember to wonder" and the small pix I put "Cherish" on it...

Now if I'd just make time for myself and get camera happy again!

I'm horrible!!!

2009-08-06T11:21:00.000-05:00

A MONTH ago I said I was going to try to get back on here and be diligent... I'm HORRIBLE... a procrastinator... that's it.

I really have no excuse, work is still slow, DH is still at home taking care of the family and house... he gets to work on projects while surf the internet at work looking for ideas....

The one thing we are both procrastinating on is the bathroom. I was gung-ho to tear it out... and have created more headache in the process. In fact, two more rooms to demo now. That's the bad part of remodeling an old house. I've cracked open the big bag of jelly beans and they are EVERYWHERE!

Where do we start after tear out? Call the plumber, right? I'm scared too... because the plumbing, like everything else is original... and scary! (that's how we got to remodel the other two rooms... corroded copper plumbing). I hate to think of the dollar amount he's going to tell me it takes to make it 'right'...

We have another bathroom... maybe we could just use that one forever?

A long intermission

2009-07-06T13:31:00.000-05:00

Well- I'm going to try to be back again... baseball has ended for the year, no more Cub Scouts for a couple months... my husband is stay-at-home college dad... so my life should just revolve around work and junkin!

Spend some hard earned money on a nice Nokia camera so I could take pix of the farm, my grandparents flooded house... haven't gotten a chance to do either- but did get to take some pix of my nephew and Mike a couple weeks ago... always wanted to be an aspiring photographer since my newspaper days in high school!!!

Happy Easter!

2009-04-13T14:16:00.001-05:00

Easter weekend was another busy weekend. Full of family, food and fun. I have a secret dream, besides opening my own junk store, I would love to decorate cakes professionally!
That being said, I am an avid fan of Duff Goldman and Ace of Cakes, or any Food Network Challenge that revolves around cakes. They all use fondant on their show, so I figure how hard can it be? How pretty would my cake look? I decided to spend Friday all day, literally, to find out!
Couldn't find all the necessary supplies to make it from scratch, so I headed up to my local bulk food store and purchased dry fondant to use. Decided to make a butter cake with raspberry filling... made it double layer and carved it into an egg. Rolled out the fondant, tried picking it up with the rolling pin, stuck to the counter, tried it again, stuck to the counter... AH HA! I'm going to beat it the next time... I rolled it out on a cookie sheet... and ta da! Draped it onto the cake, then it started cracking... grrr, not as easy as Duff makes it. So here is my first attempt at a fondant cake!
The bunny cake is an attempt with the kids... I discovered my cake decorator was broken, so we had to hand frost it all... didn't turn out too bad with a 7 year old and 9 year old's help... although they couldn't help but to eat some of the jelly beans before it was served.
So it was a great Easter... we'll see what next year's cakes turn out like!

Is it Spring yet?!?

2009-04-06T11:58:00.000-05:00

Friday was a beautiful day... but the forecast wasn't looking so good for the rest of the weekend... I decided to add a little spring to my porch before the snow fell again... in about 15 minutes, and after digging though my garden shed, garage and basement, this is what I came up with. Good thing I decided to do it on Friday.

Saturday was one of the largest farm machinery auctions in the area... they always have some flat racks of goodies, after heehawing around I decided to go... grabbed my coveralls, gloves, boots and hat, I headed out. Got a few goodies I will have to post later... when it started to snow and sleet, I called it a day. 36 degrees outside. Not my idea of auction weather.

Sunday continued to snow... got about 3-4 inches of huge fluffy flakes... am really hoping this is the end of winter here in Iowa... but you can never be too sure!

A day to play!

2009-03-26T11:51:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was the first day that I actually didn't have anything to do after work! Kids got their homework done, I picked them up McDonald's and a game for the Xbox... it was all good!
While Mike was at class I decided to give the house a little spring decorating! I can't do anything outside (besides it's too depressing!) So it was easier to take my junk and bring spring in!
I think my favorite piece is my window! My sister and I have a decal business in my house and I have wanted to print some off to decorate with... accomplished it with this mirror. It's so much cheaper to make them yourself than have to buy them!
Hope this gives some inspiration to the others like me still stuck with the prospect of snow... spring can still come inside!

Win the Necklace!!

2009-03-25T14:28:00.000-05:00

BTW- speaking of my friends at the Junk Revolution, if you are into creating things out of cast aways... please check out the site! We are a great group of people who have ideas galore! http://junkrevolution.com/community/

Busy this weekend!

2009-03-25T14:18:00.000-05:00

I finally got some nice sunshine and warm days to get outside and get some projects done. Thanks to all my friends over at Junk Revolution for the inspiration. I've been stockpiling junk for years and am now finding that a little paint can make anything look great! Bring on spring!

The winter blues

2009-02-04T15:48:00.000-06:00

It's the beginning of February and no end in sight for winter to be over. Although the temperature is suppose to be tipping the 40 degree mark by Friday. Yeah! That's shorts and t-shirt weather in Iowa during winter!
I've been itching for an auction... I need new junk, or stuff, to play with. My garage door is snowed shut, and so is my shed, so I can't go play out there. My basement is so cold I can't go and play in my craft room and I hate to drag all my stuff upstairs to the dining room table, that is what my craft room is for!
Looking forward to the next 6 weeks flying by... here's to the countdown!