Jennifer's Junky Life ~

Whimsical Junk :: Closed Until Further Notice...

I've temporarily closed the junk shop. I'm due for my baby on Saturday so it can happen any time now. I plan to have the shop closed for a week or so after she arrives. I don't have a definite time frame - we'll just see how I feel and how my baby is.

I've been continuing with the sorting and purging around here. Although, in the last week or so it's greatly slowed down! I do, however, have a *huge* box of clothes and other vintage items that I hope to start listing sometime this spring.

I dropped off a bunch of boxes at the thrift a couple of weeks ago - and it's funny because I was thrifting in a town about 45 minutes away and saw one of the items I'd dropped at our local thrift. It was a vintage doll case. And I know it's the exact case I'd dropped off because of a mark on it! I hadn't realized that the items we drop are passed on to other thrifts but I suppose that's what they must do with their excess.

I was washing sheets today for the upcoming birth and as I was hanging them on the line, I noticed a pile of animal droppings near the clothesline that looked similar to bear scat. So odd, as we have three dogs! I'm still quite baffled. It could be something else (as I haven't looked it up to try to figure it out on-line) but either way - it was more than our dogs leave behind so I know it wasn't from them. I just find it hard to believe a bear would be that close to the house with the dogs around...

Once Upon a Monday

Today was one of those days... One of those days where I'm 35 weeks pregnant and feeling a little grumpy because I didn't get enough sleep. I don't function well without sleep so this is going to be something having a newborn again! I know the only thing that will get me through the sleep deprivation factor is having a new little being to love and snuggle again.

I had to run errands today so the kids and I ran to the thrift. I didn't find much... A little (Target brand) 18 month size yellow sundress for my baby and some 2T aqua leggings for her, as well. I found three Pyrex mugs for the junk shop. A pair of really cute children's moccasins - trying to decide if I want to hang on to them for years for this little lady or if I should just list them in the shop... And a bunch of vintage plates for us. I've been wanting a few more dinner plates and one of my kids has an affinity for dropping dishes whenever he unloads the dishwasher or gets a plate down for himself so I also found a bunch of the small dessert size plates since our stock of them has greatly dwindled in the past year! (I still need to get a photo of my hutch - the one I said I'd take pictures of last week. I'll try to get that this week along with my thrifty finds.)

We also ran grocery shopping since I didn't get out last week. I'm planning to make pasties this week. (That's pronounced with the short a sound - and they're basically hand pies with meat, potatoes, carrots, onions and rutabaga - for those unfamiliar with them.) I'm hoping to make a huge batch this week so I can freeze them for when the baby comes. They're such a quick and easy supper that way.

I visited with my new midwife at the beginning of last week. She wasn't 100% positive on the position of my baby - which made me feel incredibly apprehensive because it feels to me like she's head down... Admittedly, it made me feel uncertain and nervous that she couldn't tell, too - even though I realize sometimes that can happen when the baby is in a certain position.

Anyway, she wanted me to do an ultrasound to confirm presentation and I was holding off on it but it's making me feel so upset and worried at this point that I finally scheduled it. I need to know for my own peace of mind. (I've never had a breech baby before.) It's scheduled for tomorrow (Tues.). I'm looking forward to knowing either way. If she's breech, then I can decide how aggressive I want to be in getting her to shift into the right position. But I'm really, really hoping I'm all worried and anxious for nothing and she's in the position she's supposed to be in...

For now, I've been continuing with inversions and other exercises from the Spinning Babies website. Here is hoping for the best...! I have a planned outing to the thrift for after the ultrasound. Nothing will be better than a little thrifting therapy after all this!

Photos: New items in the junk shop.

Whimsical Junk :: Shop Update

I did a junk shop update today. Finally added some of the upcycled items I had worked on last summer for the craft show I did.

Vintage Ralph Lauren Polo Mugs - Set of 4.

Upcycled Owl Figurine.

Upcycled Framed Doily Art.

Upcycled Antique Iron Tricycle.

Upcycled Mid Century Napkin Holder.

My house is completely upside down right now. All of my projects from the craft show, of which I was left with many, were all in the laundry room. I had to empty it out this week and now I have boxes and clutter everywhere to try to find a place for.

Mark's going to begin work on it soon, though! I'm so excited and really hoping to have it, maybe not finished, but at least in operation by the time the baby arrives - or at least not long afterward.

It will be such a treat to have laundry right off the kitchen after all these years. I love doing laundry but at this stage where I'm 34 weeks, or about 8 months pregnant, it's a big job to try to lug heavy laundry baskets up and down the stairs. I will be appreciating this for a long time to come once it's done.

Last week, I was able to get that mid century modern hutch on Craigslist and I love it! It was a super great deal and it's in the dining area of the kitchen now. I've been wanting one for a long time because I hate dusting, and it shows. It'll be so nice to have all of my dishes behind glass now. I have a few things in there but can't wait to finish filling it. I'll try to get pictures up next week.

Hope you're enjoying your weekend!

Whimsical Junk - Shop Update

I started working on a little shop update this evening. It's been a long time since I've listed anything new. Since last summer, to be exact.

Vintage Toddler Cardigan.

I'm hoping to continue adding things over the coming weeks as I find time. It feels great to freshen up the junk shop a little! I have boxes of stuff around here to list and I know the new garage sale season will be here before you know it and I need to part with some of this stuff before I can justify getting more.

Oh, who am I kidding! I'm really good at justification. But my husband will appreciate it so much more if I start making way for new items instead of adding to the piles around here.

Vintage Baby Sweater.

I took the photos for these new items as it was nearing evening. I didn't have the best light but I've realized lately that if I always wait for the best light I'll never get any pictures taken. I'm not sure how to use my camera in low-light situations real well either - so I have to admit I'm not crazy about the quality of these images but they'll work for now!

Whimsical Junk :: Junk Shop Update!

After being closed for just over month, I've reopened the junk shop.

I'm feeling much better than I did a few weeks ago and nearing the end of my first trimester. I'm at thirteen weeks now. Although I still have days here and there, like yesterday and today, where I'm feeling nauseous in spite of the anti-nausea drugs I'm still taking. But I can't complain! This is nothing compared to what it was. :)

I'm starting to feel like I have a little bit more energy, too, although a nap would feel great if I could get one every day! Here is hoping things continue to improve over the coming weeks.

I'd love to do a shop update this fall -- but I had hoped to get to one this summer and even took a bunch of photos but I never got my summer stuff listed -- so I'm taking this one day at a time. No promises. Just something I'm hoping to get to. I still have a lot of stuff from the craft show from this summer to photograph and list.

It's a gorgeous fall day, after a rainy fall morning. I'm loving this weather even if I haven't spent a whole lot of time outside. I'd love to get the camera out and take some pictures of the fall foliage before it's all gone.

I can't believe how fast our maples are losing their beautiful leaves!

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P.S. Picasa help -- I put an S.O.S. out on Facebook... I've tried multiple things, including a tip from a blog reader (thank you!), and spent a couple of hours this afternoon trying to figure out how to get my photos back into Picasa so I can start posting photos on my blog again, to no avail. (They disappeared a couple of months ago but are still on my computer.) I even uninstalled Picasa, shut down my PC, and reinstalled it.

I'm able to get a folder of photos into Picasa but then they all disappear after I close out of it again. When I reopen Picasa, sometimes all of the folders that I'd attempted to put in show up but then the little bar on the right-hand side starts running with all the photos (like when you're importing them) and those folders all disappear. I can't figure it out and I'm giving up for the time being. I spent some time in Picasa's help section but haven't found a solution. If anyone has any suggestions, I'd really appreciate it!

Project Restyle :: Upcycled Mailbox

I've been wanting to join the Flickr group Project Restyle ever since it was up and running earlier this year and I'm so excited to finally be a part of it. It's hosted by one of my favorite bloggers, Elsie of A Beautiful Mess. As you well know if you've been here for any amount of time, my passion is upcycling and repurposing and I've really enjoyed all of the great things I've seen in the group so far! Check it out when you get a chance.

My first entry is this old mailbox with an artificial rusted patina I found while thrifting on our trip to Minot, ND when Mark was working for an oil company out there this past winter. I think it was around $4.00, if I remember correctly.

I've picked so much stuff up over the years and it's really hard to remember exactly how much everything is off the top of my head. (And I don't feel like looking it up right now in my little notebook where I keep track of things like that.) And, let's be real - I've picked up so much stuff over the past six months, there is no way I'd remember everything exactly!

Before.

After.

I primed it both inside and out, painted it with several coats of spray paint, distressed it, and embellished it with a little vintage card and Mod Podge for use in a studio or home office and it will be listed in the junk shop sometime in the coming weeks along with numerous other upcycled treasures as I find time to photograph them all!

P.S. That blue in the 'Before' photos hurts my eyes, too. I tried to tone it down a little, without much success.

Waiting for the Sun to Shine

We waited with bated breath all night Friday as we anxiously kept our eye on the weather forecast. It was saying 50% and 60% chance of strong scattered thunder storms for most of the day Saturday, the Arts & Crafts Show Day, but we woke up to cloudy skies and a cleared radar screen!

I didn't pack up on Friday night because the weather looked so dismal, especially through 9 a.m. (the time the show was to start). I figured I'd be setting up late morning, if at all, so I didn't worry about it and even slept in 'til 7, the original time I'd planned to be there to begin set up. I still only got 4 hours of sleep because I was finishing up a few projects late in the night.

Maybe Murphy decided to play a little mischief because of it, so maybe that was a good thing I didn't pack up! If I had taken the time to do it, maybe it would have stormed. I was scrambling and dripping sweat by the time we headed out the door at 8:30. And I couldn't have done it without my family's help. Mark and the kids worked hard to help haul boxes and things out to our cars and during set-up. We were fully set up by a little after 9 -- so we made it.

Nikayda stayed with me all day and in spite of the awful heat, said she had the most fun day ever. She enjoyed her first real taste of (a little) independence as I let her walk the booths several times alone during the day. She also was able to see a lot of her friends, as well. It kind of hit me that I'm entering a new phase of life (she's 9) and is old enough for such a thing. I wouldn't have let her in a large city. But in our tiny town, I felt comfortable enough since we knew many of the people mingling around or hosting a booth.

Mark quickly took this picture (below) right before he left just after set-up.

It's not a perfect booth -- definitely not worthy of a juried show entry or anything but I wish I had another wall behind my table to pull it all together and a white canopy to put over it. (someday!) But it worked for now!

It was *so* hot and humid on Saturday but the sun came out in the afternoon after an anxious morning spent eyeing the grey clouds rolling by. A lot of people came out but it wasn't as busy as it could have been, probably due to the weather. (Below, My sister, Sara's, Circle Boutique booth. She had fairly consistent sales all day. We set up next to each other and put the blue tent behind my wall for shade -- so glad we had it!)

After all that anticipation and weeks and weeks spent working on these projects, I only sold 3 things. The fee for the 1-day booth is only $25 but I only made $24.

Yes, I was a little disappointed by it all. But I think Mark was more disappointed. He thought it was such a waste after all the work and time put into it (including his for building a wall and helping to set up). But I had a blast the entire time I worked on these projects so I'm only mildly disappointed. I don't think it's ever a waste when you spend time making art! I'm also excited because now I have a bunch of upcycled stuff to *finally* put in the junk shop! I plan to take some time over the next week or so to start photographing them and listing them.

I also have a bunch of vintage summer baby and toddler things to get listed that I haven't had time to because of prep for this show -- can't wait to finally get those listed as well!

But first on my list of priorities is to whip this house back into shape. I bought a bunch of old metal cupboards in the past month or so that are sitting here still waiting to be scrubbed up and put to use. I'm so looking forward to finally having more storage around here for my art supplies and things like our sheets and extra blankets! Happy Monday!

(P.S. Looking at these, I realize these pictures are kind of habbasham. I was in a hurry when I was taking them and didn't take much time to be sure they were straight or centered or even in great focus but you get the idea!)

My wedding ring is covered in paint. And so are my son's toenails.

This is shaping up to be a great Arts & Craft Show for our little town this weekend -- I just heard that there are at least 25 vendors registered for it! (Vintage fabric covered hoops. Priced individually to mix & match.)

Two days and counting! I'm sitting here trying to paint while keeping my fingers crossed because the forecast is for 50% chance of strong scattered thunderstorms. Let's hope they're not until Saturday evening, long after the show.

The craft show is from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Come on out and say "hi!" if you're around. We'd love to see you!

Here are a few sneak peeks of some of the stuff I'm working on -- and a little dose of reality with my living room right now (below).

It's a zoo around here as I'm working on putting all of these projects together and straightening out last minute details. But I'm having a blast and not feeling *too* stressed yet! Mostly because I have a lot prepared for it, not counting the little details to get done. I can't wait and I'm trying to stay optimistic for great weather! (Okay. Maybe I'm just in denial. Because I still need to tag everything and box it up as well as figure out final details for the booth like linens and display pieces!) :)

Before: Gold toned vintage plastic frames.

After: with a little primer and ivory paint.

My sister, Sara, posted a few of her pictures on Facebook -- she's got a lot of pretty fabrics in her projects (nursing covers, pacifier clips, lovies (small blankets) and bibs)! My sister, Amanda, also sent out a few of her headbands that will also be in Sara's booth. Amanda is also part of Circle Boutique.

I came across this (below) this afternoon while the kids were quietly painting! Seriously. Never a dull moment!

I posted on facebook but not here -- my kids refuse to wear their swimsuits. No matter how many times I tell them to get them on, I find them buck naked outside more times than not. This is the same kid who just yesterday was streaking down the driveway while carrying his beach ball. I only wish I'd thought to snap a picture before I hollered out the door at him to get some clothes on. (P.S. He has shorts on in the photo. They're just mostly hidden.)

I'm off and running! Not sure if I'll get on here again for a few days so I wanted to pop in real quick. I know it's only Thursday -- but have a great weekend whatever your plans may be!

Please excuse my absence... I got lost on Pinterest.

A basic tutorial on using Pinterest.

Have you signed up for Pinterest yet? It's such a cool place to hang out and I can't believe that no one thought of this years ago! It's basically a place to photo bookmark all of your inspiration. Whether it's recipes, crafting, weddings, yoga, home decor, art, music, junk or whatever else you're in to.

Source via Pinterest.

I joined up a week or so ago and it was a little confusing at first but trust me, it's well worth figuring out. And, one quick note, there are still a lot of glitches and hiccups on the site. It freezes up a lot and you get error messages when trying to 'Pin' (save) photos and often have to try again.

I got an invite from a friend -- that seems to be the fastest way to get in. Otherwise, you can go to the site and request access. Once you get in, you can search for anything in the search box or browse through your friends' 'boards' (photos). Then all you have to do is click on 'Repin' in the top left-hand corner of any photo to 'pin' (save) the photo to a 'board' (basically a category that you create for each of your photos on your account, think inspiration board).

Source via Pinterest.

When you hit 'Repin', you then choose a category (that you already created) or make a new one, in the first box. Then you have the option to type in a little description -- or when I don't feel like doing words, I just type in a '.' or a '♥' because you have to put something.

Source via Pinterest.

You can also 'Pin' new photos to your boards from your favorite websites. All you have to do is go to the site, open up the particular post that you want to save a photo from (i.e. a tutorial you want to link to), copy the url for the post. Go to the top right-hand corner of your account on Pinterest and click on 'Add' then 'Add a Pin'. Paste the Url address in the first box. Choose or create your category in the second box. And type in your description in the third box. Then click on the arrows below the photo on the left until you get the photo you want. Then hit 'Pin it'. (You also have the option to check a box at the bottom to share your 'Pin' on Facebook if you'd like.)

Source via Pinterest.

Another cool feature is that you can follow all or some of the boards of other people. So, say you come across someone that has a great board on home decor but they have another one on antique cars but you don't care as much about that one, you can choose to only follow the board on home decor. You can follow or unfollow any boards at any time.

One thing I haven't quite figured out yet is how you find other people on there. Some of my favorite bloggers I've been able to find via other people's lists of people that they're 'following' (listed above their profile photo). But I can't figure out how to search for someone because when you put a name in the search box, it either brings up their work/art or nothing at all from them (yet I've found them by the previously mentioned route).

Source via Pinterest.

I love having all of my inspiration in one spot as opposed to a bunch of separate bookmarks (like they are on Delicious). It's so fantastic to go to one of your boards and see all of the photos that inspire you in one spot. Check it out, I'm sure you'll love it too!

Source via Pinterest.

On a quick personal note, I haven't been able to spray paint as much in the past week due to the crappy weather. But I've been bustling through my house on a purging/organizing streak. (I'm pretty sure that will be the endless anthem around here.) My loft has never been put together completely since I did a big purge last year (hence the lack of photos of it) but I finally have a set of retro metal cupboards that I picked up garage saling last week that I'll be able to put up there so I can finally put stuff away! They're white and in great but somewhat junky shape but once I scrub them down, I'll line the shelves with pretty paper or fabric and use them as is. Some day, maybe I'll get around to painting the exteriors but the storage solution is more important right now.

The craft show is in three weeks and I still have a ton of stuff I want to do for it! -- time to hit crunch mode as soon as I pull the loft together a bit. I'm planning to hit up three estates sales tomorrow -- crossing my fingers that I'll find some more dressers, cupboards or lockers for storage around here. I get to go sans kids (super excited about that!!).

Color My World :: Color Yours

I woke up to a bunch of monkeys running through the house. Or was it chickens...? Maybe it was both. It was hard to tell... But I shipped them outside either way just to be safe.

Two of my nephews stayed the night with Abram and Carter. And Nikayda went to stay over at her cousin's house. They were tearing around playing some kind of animals.

It was somewhere in the high 80°'s yesterday and I heard we're getting more of the same today but then it's going to drop to the 60°'s. (That's more my speed.) It was calm yesterday but today it's a little breezy for spraying. That might not stop me though. But the heat will.

I had my annual physical yesterday, overdue by a year, so I didn't get much spraying done yesterday. I've been 30 for 4 years now and don't have to do blood work but every three years. But since it had already been two, we did that as well. I'm always curious what my cholesterol levels are and all that good stuff.

It's funny, when I was first married, I would have probably passed out if I even attempted to watch as they drew my blood. Now after having babies (and getting blood drawn so many times), it's a piece of cake to watch. Almost.

After my appointment, I ran to the thrift real quick. I found a few treasures. Including a light blue vintage typewriter for a whole $2.00. Even the cashier couldn't believe the price on it! I've been wanting one for awhile.

I also found a midcentury coffee/end table for $3.00 that I'm going to repaint to sell or keep (??). I love it so I'm not sure yet. But then again, I love everything I find to repaint. I try to justify keeping it all but, really, I need to clear out here so this craft show is a great start and then I can start listing more upcycled items in the junk shop. And, hopefully, start hosting monthly occasional sales sometime in the near future. I'm currently looking for a vintage camper to have sales out of... (Will post about that soon!)

I found this awesome little lampshade last week at the thrift! I need to dig around the basement to see if I have a small lamp to match it. I took photos of my other thrift finds from last week but they didn't turn out. I'll try to get around to it soon but I can't promise too much... You know how it goes!

Before I left yesterday, I started the red enamel on an old metal stool of mine that I've wanted to paint for ages. Will have before and after shots when it's finished. I'm so happy with how it looks now! Shiny and bright instead of drab dark green.

This little frame (below) is about 6-7 inches tall. I'm still toying with the idea of using fabric and filling the frame with something pretty... I'll see what happens when I start that phase of these projects.

Before

After

I'm so anxious to start posting more photos. I've got quite a few things finished for the craft show. Including a few accidents that I like (see yellow frames). I just wish I had a good way to photograph them here at home. I might need to dig up an old door from the basement to hang them on as I photograph them. I'm fearless when it comes to hammering holes in my walls to hang up my own decor but not really interested in pounding random holes just to show a finished project. If you know what I mean.

I've attempted to edit photos in Picnik a few times over the past several days so I can do some posts but for some reason after I do my edits and click save they revert back to their original unedited versions. Quite frustrating! But I'm trying again today.

...and it's working now. :)

Oops, I spoke too soon! The photos are coming out with grey sections, like they're chopped off... (below) So I'm back to using Picasa. I prefer the clarity I can get with Picnik (via Picasa) and I dream of owning Photoshop. (See the diff. between the yellow frame below and the first image of it above (the 'after' photo) which was done in Picasa.)

The 'accident' part... I know I mentioned this the other day, but some of the paint was starting to wrinkle on my things. I had that happen only once before (last summer). I haven't been able to figure out what causes it yet. (If anyone has any ideas, I'd love your thoughts!) Anyway, it happened on a bunch of things recently. Mark was thinking maybe I was spraying too thick...but I had the same level of spray/coverage on everything I did when it happened and only certain items did that. Then I was wondering if it was this particular spray paint's reaction (Montana Cans') to the Krylon Fusion because it seems like that was what I had used as a primer of sorts for some of these things. The other thought was the temperature outside because it had dropped so much during the time I was painting. But, really, I'm at a loss here.

I started sanding them down and they started looking nice and distressed, including the sections of wrinkled paint -- it was sanding off to look like crackled paint and I liked it. So I ran with it and that's how they'll stay. The fuschia colored wall hanging will go on my wall as soon as I clear coat it. I rather like it but I don't want this to keep happening because it could ruin the look I'm going for on certain things.

Hope you're enjoying your week! We're sure enjoying the beginning of our summer vacation.