A Southern Belle with Northern Roots/Junkflirt

It all started when I picked up a couple mid century over sized drawers, my husband wondered what the heck I was going to do with them, so did I.
 I decided to add feet and make side tables out of them.   So, I told him about the idea, and although he didn't see my vision, he went along.

I then published the project on HOMETALK and they graciously shared the post and it kind of went viral. I mean they were everywhere!





 I was so thrilled when Mary Janes Farm magazine asked to publish them in a special issue!!


And even more surprised when another magazine contacted me to publish them again. I had simply put them on the deck and snapped a photo and had always wanted to have some better staging. Since the pieces had sold, I asked if I could submit those photos, remake the project and then send new photos of the next set. I remade them in colors I like better and frankly sell better.  I have submitted all photos and we will see if they end up in that magazine. ( I will be sure to amend post if they do)


Let's talk how to!  First these drawers are large and deep, so they are great for this project, smaller drawers won't have the size needed or stability for this project.
Gather your needed materials
4 legs for each drawer
4 blind nuts for each drawer
wood for shelves
headless nails
wood glue

Mark off and drill hole for nuts, this will give you a solid mount for the legs, to keep them in place and keep more stability. Screw legs into nuts.


Cut wood to fit for shelves, glue and nail in place. Paint. You can remove drawer
pulls, but I left them on to show the unique nature of the piece.




 Both sets were painted in Annie Sloan chalk paint and sealed with wax.  The first set was Duck Egg Blue and Cream, the second set was Old White and French Linen.









blessings and thanks for visiting

 For Sixteen years I have not seen my mother, This is surreal.
Having a narcissist for a parent is  difficult, confusing and taxing. Here is an excerpt of the newest posts on PigTales.

  In 2000 my grandmother turned 80.
  Our family gathered, we traveled 400 miles to see her and my mom was there along with her husband. I don't remember if she lived there or back in Wyoming at that time. I remember the photos of everyone around grandma, she wore a red sweater, she had lovely white hair and she smiled. That makes me laugh because grandma didn't have a natural smile for photos, a stiff, teeth bearing almost painful grimace. We would all laugh at it because she had a natural lovely smile, but, when the camera came out....it disappeared.
  My aunt orchestrated the in-law and outlaw photo sessions poking fun of those married in, as she was. It made no matter, my aunts and uncles through marriage our as much our blood as anyone could ever be. I really don't remember a lot about the visit other than it was a nice time and it was the last time I saw my mother. 
  No. She is still alive.
As a mother of two the thought of not seeing my child for sixteen years...sixteen! I would be heartbroken, deeply heartbroken.  As a grandma to an angel baby I would give anything that my daughter never would have had to go through that heartache, that I also could have never felt that deep piercing pain. I would move hell and high water to see my child, to hug them, to tell them I loved them. I would slay any dragon for my son and my daughter.
  But that is not so for my mother. She was content to not see me, and so I became safe in not seeing her. We talked from time to time, less frequently as the years faded away. Phone calls were stressful. When you speak with a narcissist, you walk a fine line, you must not offend which means you cannot disagree- with anything. You must praise, repeatedly, every thought they have, you must compliment every act they have achieved and you must NOT expect any accolades for yourself. In fact, when talking to a narcissist you need to just leave yourself behind.  Our calls were nothing more than her complaining about who did what to her, how awful so and so was and a myriad of hypochondriac complaints.
 Endless complaints.
Exhausting complaints.

Read More HERE



blessings and thanks for visiting

It has been forever since I posted much of what has kept me busy.
Blogging has taken a bit of a hiatus. I thought I would just pop in to show you some projects that will be at our show this weekend in Fargo ND.
Maybe I will finally get around to some more posts! You can always follow along on facebook page or on  since I post there almost daily!!



for now, here is a taste of some of mine and my husband's latest work.

a fun spin on some old table tennis paddles


Using The Graphics Fairy for accents on signs and furniture. I will be teaching a workshop on this at this weekend' s Junk Market.



This one is all the Junk Hunks work. A fun man cave shelf!


 

Painting with Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint, this dresser/buffet piece crackled to perfection!




Sometimes you stay as close to natural as possible. We salvage some pretty far gone pieces, that is why we often paint them, however occasionally there is enough of the piece left to keep it more original. Perhaps my next post will be some before and afters!



I happen to love the look of paint and wood, the base of the table was oak that had seen better days, it had been previously painted and had really weathered in storage, the top however was tiger wood and worth the refinish effort, the drawer is tiger laminate.

So, that is what keeps me busy, plus a bit of jewelry making and my new hobby of  SOAP MAKING!!  I will post about that too! ( or at least that is my plan- you see how that works out!)
thanks to anyone who has hung with me, glad to see you still here!

blessings and thanks for visiting

A year ago today we knew Larisa would check into the hospital in the morning, It was Sunday and Caleb was scheduled to enter this world Monday morning. It was also grandparents day, We got a card and a bag of chocolates from Larisa and Trace and Caleb.

That next morning, we waited- until we heard- we knew there would be issues, but we just didn't know how severe they would be. So many of you hit your knees in payer, and we thank you deeply. 
God answered our prayers differently than we had hoped, he chose to take Caleb home, to live a life without pain and struggle. Caleb left and we were left with that pain and struggle.
My heart hurt so deeply, my throat had a lump the size of a fist, my eyes were swollen with tears and I was in a fog as we drove home from the hospital that night.
I watched my child hold her child as he left this world. I saw the deepest pain in their eyes and I could barely breathe. 

Some days, I don't cry, most days I still have a few tears. Some days that lump in my throat comes back, the one that hurts from trying to stop the pain in your heart from rising, it gets stuck right there, the tears come, the deep sigh and soon that lump withers. 

I love chocolate, too much in fact, but that bag stayed in my cupboard until November. I just couldn't.....One day, I opened it and had a sweet piece. Part of me felt guilty as though I should have that bag forever, part of me felt free in accepting his passing. Still I wish tomorrow we would be watching him pull himself up and giggle and open his own presents, and eat chocolate.
But, we will celebrate him in a different way. We will celebrate that we knew him if only for a moment. We will celebrate his strength and love in the presence of his Savior. We will celebrate his healing.
I thank God for his strength and for watching him hold up  and , they have been an inspiration to me.

Forest Gump's momma had it right when she said, "life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get." Sometimes you don't get what you want, you can spit it out and be bitter, or you can take what sweetness is there, swallow hard, and carry on.















blessings and thanks for visiting

   For 3 years now we have been vendors of vintage and re-purposed items, part of the reason I have been such a bad blogger lately! Sometimes a show is slow...or gets slow and vendors begin to chat with one another. We find commonalities, humor, venting sessions and God stories.

  I love you to the moon and back.
    A saying that was painted on a piece of child's furniture, when a woman looked at it and came over to us and said-
" I love you to the moon and back, I said that to my grandchild. You just can't believe how much love you have for a grandchild."
 Maybe she thought we were too young for grandchildren. I suppose if in the right light, and the right head tilt, and an appropriate angle to hide my 3 chins, one may not know my next birthday will be 50!!
She went on to tell us a story, how when her grandchild was born she thought she loved him as high as the mountains, but that wasn't high enough. She loved him as deep as the ocean, but that wasn't deep enough.
  She loved him as high as the sky and back.....but that wasn't enough.
 then she said,

He passed away at 8 years old,
         and she thought I love you all the way to heaven and back.
She told us how her daughter had a sibling to that grandchild, and that he died at 2.
By this time my eyes were welling with tears, you see, she didn't know we lost our first and so far only grand baby just 6 months ago.

 She said that they found they had a rare disease when little Caleb passed away.
She didn't know our grand baby was named Caleb.
She didn't know he had a rare disease.
But God knew she and I would be there, together, speaking to one another about how deep the love of a grand child was. Even when you only got to hold him one time after he left this earth and was already in the arms of Jesus.

We talked, and cried, shared our stories, our heartbreak and a couple hugs.

As time goes on the ebb and flow of grief becomes part of who you are, it resides in you. It is always there.
 After Caleb's funeral my daughter and I walked up and down the block, it was September and the air was cool, the sun was warm and the leaves were colorful and crisp. Fall is our favorite time of year. Fall seems more homey, blankets and cocoa, fireplaces and soup, snuggles and sleep. The Fall sun shines differently, it envelops you, saying stay here...where it is warm, winter is approaching.

Fall is that time when Summer goes to sleep, and the deep chill of winter looms ahead.

Grief is like that, memories of Summer and fear of winter.



 My daughter drew this photo of  King Theoden from The Lord of the Rings. He was grieving the death of his child
in the movie he says, "No parent should have to bury their child."
She left the drawing unfinished
               because grief is unfinished.

For some reason the last month has been more difficult for me, I guess that is to be expected, better times and worse times. In the worse times, God sent a grandma that knew exactly what it felt like to loose a grandchild and to have a child of your own grieving so deeply. Someone to help express what cannot be expressed fully.

  God gives us Fall, warm, golden, and comforting, God gives us winter- slow and dark when we are tempted to stay inside, isolated and protected, God gives us Spring after winter to show us how much he renews all things, even all that has gone cold.... all that has passed away.
When Fall comes again, it will be one year after Caleb came to us and left us. It will be bittersweet. The air will be cold and the sun will be warm and the earth will be bursting with beauty as it prepares for a long sleep. We will be tempted to stay there, but we cannot.

 Caleb- I  miss you as deep as the ocean and I love you to heaven and back.


My daughters blog Dear Caleb
https://dearcalebblog.wordpress.com/





blessings and thanks for visiting

Caleb Daniel was born on September 14, 2015, and we loved him.
A little less than 10 hours later, he went away.





Caleb was loved from the moment he was conceived, this is what a friend said to me. She was right. We all knew from the first ultrasound that something was wrong, that there would be challenges. It became a roller coaster of misdiagnosis, partial diagnosis, and best and hopeful prognosis.  Soon we knew Skeletal Dysplasia was our reality. We learned that this broad term referred to Dwarfism and that it entailed over 300 disorders associated with it. It became apparent Caleb was going to be on the very rare side.
 Our family was not angry, we were sad. We did not know what the future would hold but we went on... Waiting and hoping to meet him.
Looking back, every sign was there that sweet Caleb would probably not stay here long, but it didn't matter, it did not consume us.
It was well with our soul.

When he came we knew immediately things were not going to go as we had hoped.
It was a beautiful day, and the saddest day of our existence.

Caleb was surrounded by those who loved him when he finally came into the room. Knowing his time was short, I watched my daughter hold her first born child until he passed away.
My heart ached to a depth unknown.
One can cry so deeply that it feels as though every ounce of your energy has left your body.
 A tired I have never experienced set in; That same tiredness comes still, even with only a few tears.

Those tears come from a deep, deep well.

And yet, it is well with my soul.

Your heart can bleed and ache
. Your eyes can swell.
 Your body can hurt.
Your mind can question and you may want to scream and smash away every emotion.
You can know today we should be tired from a fussy baby, and we should be fighting with a stroller that won't fold up and go into the car!
You can gasp and loose your breathe when you find the bibs and bumbo you tucked away.
You can cry and cry and cry when you know there is a closed door to a beautiful nursery with an empty crib and a Pooh bear in a rocker.
You can die inside......
And it can still be well with your soul.
 Because not for a moment did God not KNOW that Caleb would touch our lives so deeply. That he would be missed so much and that He would take him home so soon.
God knew that he would be our rock.
God knew that he would provide a peace that cannot be understood.
God knew that we would mourn and tire so deeply. He knew we would be here for each other, that he had surrounded us with friends that loved us.
He knew that Caleb would be free from physical burdens and whole in his arms.

But first he let us love him. He let us feel the depth of pain he felt when his son died on the cross.
He let us know that all life is precious, that all life is fleeting, that we should love, and hug one another and be there for each other.
He let us know that life is so very hard and in that storm, in that despair, in the deepest place of loss, it can be well with our soul.

Forever Caleb's grandma



October is Infant Loss Awareness and Dwarfism Awareness month.

1. When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
   When sorrows like sea billows roll;
   Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,
   It is well, it is well with my soul.
   • Refrain:
     It is well with my soul,
     It is well, it is well with my soul.
2. Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
   Let this blest assurance control,
   That Christ hath regarded my helpless estate,
   And hath shed His own blood for my soul.
3. My sin—oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!—
   My sin, not in part but the whole,
   Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
   Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!
4. For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live:
   If Jordan above me shall roll,
   No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life
   Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.
5. But, Lord, ’tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait,
   The sky, not the grave, is our goal;
   Oh, trump of the angel! Oh, voice of the Lord!
   Blessed hope, blessed rest of my soul!
6. And Lord, haste the day when the faith shall be sight,
   The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
   The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
   Even so, it is well with my soul.

                                Horatio G. Spafford, 1873














blessings and thanks for visiting

 Our guest room has been in constant transformation since we became empty nesters. It had been done in lovely white- but was soon taken over with wedding materials and crafts for my daughters wedding. Soon after that I began , my business of repurposing and vintage selling. Needless to say, the poor room slowly and then completely lost all identity. To say it was a hoarder's paradise would not be a stretch. At times I had to remove something just to take a step inside!

Occasionally it was filled with pretty finished things, along with mountains of junk, and projects, at times it was a sensory overload and I had to shut the door out of fright! We would load the trailer for a show, making a dent only to begin to fill it up again...and again....and again.

In a few days we will have company from Mississippi, and a couple weeks from now we will have our first grandbaby! This meant...it was time to get a handle on this room and this business. After hours and hours of finishing, sorting, chucking and complaining, the room is now a guest room again! I have to say I am both relieved and sad that my constant supply of stuff to do on hand is gone.


As a junker/collector/seller, you get to pick and keep your favorite pieces!
Like the beautiful dresser we found on Facebook for ....$20.  or this gorgeous bed frame that used to be in the Gardner Hotel in downtown Fargo, found at a garage sale, hiding in the corner with matching mirror for ......$20  I KNOW!!!



I gathered some of my favorite collections like old books

Old photos







and vintage cameras


And created a flashback in time.



I don't know how I am going to deal with my projects and overflow, we have to stuffed storage units, a full trailer ready for the next show and NO garage on site. I guess I will have to be very sure of each and every piece I gather and work at a different pace.












For now, we are ready for our next show in October and so we are taking a small break for our guests and new baby. Many of you have followed me for a long time, some of you have become friends, even though we have never met. I spend most of my time on facebook page and now, but I am also hoping to get back to blogging. For those of you that are my friends I ask for your prayers for baby. He has some health issues and he will have struggles in his life, we are praying for no immediate serious medical surgeries and would love to have you join us in prayer. You may also follow aton facebook.
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What's It Wednesday
What We Accomplished Wednesday
Wow us Wednesdays
Open House Wednesdays
Adorned From Above
Cottage Style Party
Bissful Whites Wednesday
Share your Style

Time Travel Thursdays
Share Your Cup Thursdays
Vintage Thingy Thursday
Home and Garden Thursday
Home Sweet Home
Treasure Hunt Thursday


Vintage Inspiration Friday
Miss Mustard Seed
Show and Tell Friday
Feathered Nest Friday
Shabbilicious 
Home Sweet Home


Funky Junk


Nifty Thrifty Sundays
Sunday Showcase








blessings and thanks for visiting

gorgeous just the way she was!

And what a prize!!







I decided since this piece was for me, to leave the top as is, I lightly sanded but did not fill in worm holes or imperfections, I just used Minwax stain over the top and a couple coats of polycrylic on the top and painted with some white laytex on the bottom. We did use 1/4 " board to even out the drawer areas, cut to size and stapled in. After some distressing it was the perfect piece,  Really, in the trash?


Excuse the dog butt, but see that coffee table?

Tossed because of broken glass, which I for one am not a fan of anyway, 1/4" slat boards turned it into another fabulous curbside save!

What's It Wednesday
What We Accomplished Wednesday
Wow us Wednesdays
Open House Wednesdays
Adorned From Above
Cottage Style Party
Bissful Whites Wednesday
Share your Style

Time Travel Thursdays
Share Your Cup Thursdays
Vintage Thingy Thursday
Home and Garden Thursday
Home Sweet Home
Treasure Hunt Thursday


Vintage Inspiration Friday
Miss Mustard Seed
Show and Tell Friday
Feathered Nest Friday
Shabbilicious 
Home Sweet Home


Funky Junk


Nifty Thrifty Sundays
Sunday Showcase
blessings and thanks for visiting