Junking Weekend: August 29 - 31

Well, amid all the traveling and fun last weekend, I still found time to hit some garage sales...go figure! There was one on Friday that I went to with Mom & G'ma, one on Saturday that I went to with Bryan & Mandy, and one on Sunday on my way home through New Glarus. What did I find? All kinds of fun "stuff."

SALE 1...everything was a quarter each...

There was really nothing super out-of-the-ordinary here. There were lots of practical (and inexpensive!) things that can be used around the house. I have fun things planned for the straw dispenser and the flag pole holder. The old lock is in good working order and those scissors have a pretty detail on the handle. 

 

SALE 2...this guy was gearing up for selling during Monroe Cheese Days...

This guy had some great things out but still had piles of boxes that were still full. The black object on the left is actually an old lamp from a horse-drawn carriage. It has become a wonderful candle holder in my living room. With a small tea light candle, it looks amazing! The small black box is a magnetic key holder. The fate of the other objects...still undecided, but they have great potential!

SALE 3...it was day three of their sale and he was ready to bargain...

That crazy tall thing you see is a vintage swedish coffee maker. The guy had bought it for his mother about 30 years ago and she had never used it. This would make a great vase, candy jar, candle holder, etc. The wooden pieces are napkin rings...I'm guessing they are swedish or norwegian in origin. The jar in the back is holding a ton of old hooks from a school. If you look in the second photo below, you can see there is a lot of them and several different kinds...not bad for $1.00! They will, I'm sure, be put to use in multiple projects.

Peaceful Guest Room

One of my favorite rooms in our home is the guest room. It has the best location and best windows in the house. During the day, it is a bright cheerful space. As the sun sets, the western exposure captures the glowing light in a welcoming way that invites you in to rest and relax. The combination of soothing colors and warm wood tones creates a harmony for the eyes and the spirit. A vase of flowers, freshly-picked from along the whispering tree line in our backyard, adds a positive energy to the room. What could make this better? Just you! Come visit soon! :)

Summer Says Good-Bye...

As August keeps its steady march toward September, I, like the leaves that turn colors to usher in the autumn, am experiencing the shift of the seasons in multiple ways. Since I have been involved in education (learning, teaching, or both) most of my life, my internal clock runs with the ebbs and flows of the school year. It means a shift from outdoor and personal activities to indoor and work-related responsibilities. It means putting away the lightweight linen and cotton clothing and beginning to think in layers and warm cuddly sweaters. Open-toed sandals and flip-flops are exchanged for heels and shoes that protect feet from cool northern winds. It means putting away the bright summery decor and bringing out the earthy reds, rusts, golds, and bronzes that eloquently echo the retiring leaves.

As I prepare to say good-bye to a beloved summer, I thought I'd share with you a vignette in our home that was inspired by our summer trip to Hawaii, my passion for airy coastal cottage decor, and the love of family...

The glass pieces represent the freshness of the tropical tradewinds, the clarity of the Hawaiian waters, and the ease of summertime living. Each piece holds a pairing of seashells and white vintage linens from my grandmother. The vintage linens, the grand mirror, the Amish harvest table, the cake stand, the parson's chairs, the candle holders, the angel ornaments hanging from the chandelier, the chandelier itself, the wall color, the baseboard... Each item instantaneously takes me to a moment in my life when some family member openly gave of their time, their effort, their generosity, and their love. As this summer season passes, I am ever so grateful for the love of family and the special ways that we help each other through life and its transitions. Grateful, indeed.

Keep or Remove Music?

Hear that music that plays when you come to the WhisperWood blog? For you non-bloggers, you are listening to what is called a Playlist. If you scroll down the page and look in the left-hand column, you will eventually see the Playlist and what song is currently playing. What happens is that bloggers create a Personal Playlist on a different site (mine was created on Project Playlist.com) where they compile music they like. They add this Playlist to their blog using a Playlist gadget, which automatically plays the selected music when someone is reading their blog. You can change the song simply by clicking on a different row. You can also hit the pause button to stop the music.

Now, I was recently reading another blog (can't remember which one now!) and there was a comment about removing the music from blogs because it is annoying, it takes long to load, and the music is usually bad. So, my question is...is the Playlist feature negative or positive? Should a blogger (namely me) keep the Playlist or drop in the name of reader sanity? Tell me the truth by clicking on "comment" below and leaving a post. My Playlist destiny is in your hands...

JunkMarket

In my previous August posts, I talked about meeting Sue Whitney of JunkMarket. Here is Sue and I when we met at Oronoco Gold Rush Days. Again, please excuse my hair...hot, humid...it was almost like being in Texas again! :)

If you haven't seen JunkMarket's new website, you should! It's fabulous! The editors post things and the members (joining is free) get to post their projects as well. If you want ideas for what to do your "junk", you will get plenty of ideas on the JunkMarket website. There's even a page to see when and where flea market/antique events are across the country. Sue recently posted a CONTEST to see what members can do with old cheese graters, so get your brain cells in motion.

Fun Finds!

Well, between recent visits to antique stores, garage sales, and estate sales this past week, I came across some fun, fun things!

I found this antique scale at my favorite antique store. I'm not sure what it was used for, but it is heavy duty! It still works and I am tempted to get it. For what? Don't know the answer to that one. Sometimes you just have to grab those unique things and they find a use/place in your home over time. It has a fabulous patina, it's industrial, it has wheels, and it functions...all things I love and look for when I'm out junking! I haven't ruled it out yet (if it's still there!).

I found this bag of vintage clothespins for 50 cents. They have a great patina, don't they? They might be put to use, used for some other creative purpose or project, or they might end up as jar filler. Who knows!?

Here are a couple fun books I found. "One-minute Organizer"...who doesn't need that? Seems to be some good tips in there. Should be fun to explore. Now the other book is very interesting. If anyone wants to know how to make plastic out of milk or myriad other MacGyver-type things, just let me know. It gets a bit technical for me when it gets into wires and other things. As I was looking at it, I thought of my youngest brother, who likely has made or would enjoy making the projects. Don't be surprised if you find this book in your stocking this year, Beez!

Now, for the best find of the week! Ya' gotta love estate sales...you never know what you'll find! Further words are not needed! Enjoy...

Hawaiian Rainbow

Here is one of my favorite shots from Hawaii during our trip in June. I was able to capture the rainbow as we were traveling up the mountain on the north side of the Big Island.