"Hinge-on" to a Really Simple Idea...

So I'm still sorting out in the garage...yikes! I came across my rather large collection of rusty, crusty wonderful hinges. I realized how much I really love them just on their own and wanted to come up something I could do to really feature the ones that were really "speaking to me"...you get that right??? So anyway...here's what I came up with. It's so simple that I'm quite sure I'm not the first to think of it, but it was new to me so I decided to share it...

Just add a picture with a magnet and "ta da"!

I opted for a plain old magnet because I like the look with the picture...but get out your Gorilla Super Glue and go nuts with your button and vintage "bling" collections if you'd prefer...

Positioned this way it can lean against something and really show off it's layers of chippy goodness...

Great little junky touch to tuck in here and there and all over the place...

(This is a favorite picture of my sweet sister and brother in law...photo by Kurth Photography)

Positioned this way, it can stand alone...

All "Dressed" Up...

I decided to link (at the last minute :)) to Junkologie's at home Junk Potluck Link Party!

Here's what I started with...some spools from my hubby's welding (painted black), an old wheel, a glass door knob, a tin lid and a Lazy Susan "spinny thing"...pretty sure that's what the sign at Home Dept said :)

 My Handy Hubby helped me put it all together and did a little welding...

And I finished it up with a little twine...

Added "a few" of the assorted dressings I keep handy in my fridge.  I know a little ridiculous, but I like a "variety"...

This will work slick for the Birthday BBQ I'm hosting tomorrow for my daughter.  Salad Bar anyone???

And great for flowers too.

Thanks for stopping by for a look!

PS...I haven't much time to really dig into Blog Land...but I've been peeking around here and there and I am so inspired!  Thank you so much for your kind words and encouragement it means the world to me!  Have a blessed weekend!

Chat soon, 

PS...this little idea won me a great big Gorilla Glue prize.  Check it out HERE :)

Sentimental Junk...

So you already know I'm new to blogging and I'm not even sure I know how to "link up" but when I saw the theme for Funky Junk Donnna's SNS was "Favorite Project EVER", I couldn't resist sharing this one with you.  This isn't my favorite because it's super original or "crazy cool".  It's my favorite for sentimental reasons...you could say it was my first glimpse into repurposing and creating something wonderful from something otherwise discarded.

My husband and I were married in 2000 and for our honeymoon we decided on a road trip to Door County, WI.  We took the "scenic" route, stopping at shops and antique stores along the way.  We stumbled upon a "Junk Shop" and bought these old windows.  We left them "As Is" and my handy hubby built the cupboard around them.  We were going for a very simple style.

We added these old door plates for the "pretty" factor...and these rusty rose drawer pulls were something I had stashed away for someday...

I use it to store my special dishes and assorted hardware, of course :)

The little house on top has a story too...wanna hear it? 

OK...if you insist...

It had been my dream to buy an old white farm house with a front porch.  When Tyler and I met he already owned a nice "piece of land" and a "bachelor pad" house that it just made sense to fix up.  So he...oh so sweetly...made me this little house to tide me over until I could someday have the real thing. 

And of course it has a "Companion" piece...

We purchased this window on our first anniversay trip to Duluth, MN.  We'll be celebrating 10 years in October.  This time we're heading to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.  Do you suppose they will have windows for us there??

Thanks for visiting!

Laurel

Daring to Share...

Well, I've been planning all year to get a group of my friends together to head to Oronoco today for the mega Flea Market and Junkologie Blog Party.  Well, my "big plans" didn't pan out...

So last night I was outside taking a few pictures and I turned around and that (up there ^) is what I saw.  Yikes...I can't believe my hubby was parking in that spot just a few months back.  So anyway, I guess I have plenty of junk to play with for a while...and I plan to do a lot of "playing" this weekend.  I will however miss seeing with my junk friends in Oronoco.  Have fun everyone and I look forward to hanging with you at aajms in October!

So please tell me I'm not alone is my crazy junk stashed garage!!!  Where and how do you store your "goodies"?  I need some inspiration for the task ahead!!!

Memory Lane...

I've always had a passion for decorating and collecting...my love of "junk" and repurposing didn't bloom until after I was married.  My husband was frugal and let's just say I "was not"...but once he introduced me to garage sales and flea markets I was hooked, shopping and collecting to my hearts content for prices we could both agree on!  I came across Junkmarket Style, bought all 3 books and lurked around the site for a while and before I finally started posting.  Now a whole new world has opened up...hope you don't mind a trip down Memory Lane with me...

These garden table leg sconces were my very first post...

Still love these shipping crate flower boxes my handy hubby welded a base for.

This chippy basket fixture received a spot in the "Best of 2009" member posts...I was honored...

Dripping with crystals and keys...ahhhh...

These springy wine bottle charms even earned a trip with me to the Art Architecture/Junkmarket Style show in May 2009

My latest junky update was my front porch all decked out with my Country Junk Sale finds.

Thanks for taking this trip with me...speaking of remembering...I like to "remember" what my flowers used to look like when I took the pictures for this recent funky flower post :)

40 Years of Wedded Bliss...

My 3 sisters and I were pleased to plan an Open House for my parents to honor their 40th wedding anniversary this past weekend.  We were working on a fairly tight budget so we had to get creative with the decor.  I'd say our theme was "Simply Special".  Love you Mom and Dad!

40 years ago my parents had a church reception, serving cake, coffee, punch and good ol' peanuts and pillow mints.  So guess what we served???  You got it :)

To add interest to the tables, instead of linens we had 11X17 and 8X10 photo copies made from their wedding photos and spread them out "hap-hazzardly" around...

My mom's favorite flower has always been Alstroemeria...and as kids she told us we could remember the name by thinking "I'll Still Marry Ya"...so it seemed fitting that they should be our flower for the day.

And of course there were a few pictures here...

And there...

This is a picture of me and my 3 sisters...my fellow party planners.  (Left to Right...Sarah, Anna, myself and Becky)

See that amazing view behind us?  Our party was on the 35th floor of a high rise downtown Minneapolis.  Sadly, we didn't spend too much time out there...it was about "a million degrees" that day.  Even more sad, I didn't get a single picture of the "happy couple"!  We all too busy socializing I guess...lots of old friends and family came to celebrate.

My Happy Place...

So here I am, BLOGGING!  I still can't believe it...I'm the girl who sends birthday cards, late if EVER...with peotic inscriptions like "Happy Birthday!  Love you, Laurel"  But alas, I realize this is the way to communicate and keep in touch in this "Junking World" that I love so much.   Sooo, I procastinated and made excuses for a while...but then I had an epiphany...maybe it's not about what I say and more about what I do...which is decorate with, collect and sell rusty, crusty beautiful junk!  So here goes...I thought I'd start by showing you my "Happy Place".  It's the place where I start my day...not everyday, but I'd like to.  Peace, quiet (sometimes), coffee and the "Good Book"...

Here's what I see from my cozy spot...

Some of my favorite junk goodies...

Gotta start with this mirror...far less than perfect...one of my favorite finds.  I got this lovely at Drawers of Davlee in Monticello.  It was "love at first sight"...for sure!

This lamp base was a whole dollar at the flea market...I just happened to have a faucet handle that set in the top perfectly to hold a candle.  The disk spacers were the result of a trade from fellow JunkMarket Style Contributer Gretchen...if I knew how to tag her I would post a link to her blog HERE...http://mimitoriasdesigns.blogspot.com/.  Did I do it? :)

This little crusty heater was from the Mustard Moon in Carver.  I added the clock face with a magnet I made out of an old Christmas tree candle clip.

Love the little shabby rose-bud button detail...

Of course some tarnished silver...a junkers delight...

I originally bought this handpainted wood tray for resale because it wasn't "quite my style" but then I dropped it and it got all bumped and bruised and now it's "just my style" ;)

Last but not least...the view from my favorite little spot...it makes me very happy...