Day3: A JUNKIN" adventure!

OK, Y'all. I MAY just be getting the hang of this blogging thing! I do appreciate all of the "WELCOME" from folks, near and far. Soon I hope to figure out how to post photos, just to make things a bit more interesting!

This morning, after an early a.m. workout at the gym, I headed home to freshen up a bit, and then to meet a couple of other moms of my daughter's friends for coffee. After a chat, two of us headed out for a favorite "sport" of mine, "JUNKIN"!" Actually, I think that it would best be described as a search for items to "adaptively reuse!" With a good eye and a creative mind, it is such fun to try to figure out many uses for odd combinations of items.
Our first stop was REVIVAL, which is an antique/junque furniture emporium. There, the owners scour auctions and tag sales, up and down the east coast, to buy things that others would put on the junk heap. They re-purpose those items to create new things that are both decorative and functional. Many items have been painted, or have new hardware added. All are reasonably priced and have been given new life.

My friend and I saw some pretty interesting things, including old lampshade frames, probably from the 30's or 40's that could be transformed into really cool chandeliers. There were wonderful reproduction hooks, that would be darling, used in pairs to hold a drapery rod or even to become towel racks. We left empty handed, but inspired!

Our second stop was the Habitat Re-Use Store. I have to tell you, that I have found WONDERFUL things here! You do need to stop by fairly often though, to find the best things. Otherwise, it is hit or miss. In the past, I found new light fixtures for an absolute song! Some of them were from "deconstruction" projects, where Habitat volunteers come in and take all of the usable parts out of a house, before it is demolished to build new McMansions. Barefoot is the proud recipient of one such find. It is an wrought iron, eight arm chandelier, that I repainted in an antique brushed metallic finish, and added shades to the candle bulbs. Gorgeous! The fixture was $30.00! Looks like about $500.00! Another favorite find was a set of old bi-fold closet doors, that we hinged together and painted to create a wonderful screen for a corner in out family room. It is a great way to hide "stuff" that needs to be there but I do not want to look at on a regular basis.

My haul today was not much, cost wise, but it will work well, I hope. I bought a long piece of molding that can be cut and mitered(by my clever hubby!) to create am inexpensive frame for a painting that I did to hang on our screened porch. When I say inexpensive, I really mean it! $2.14 for an 8 foot piece of molding! That was a deal! But my friend found an even better deal! She was searching for a pedestal sink for a powder room. There was a lovely one from American Standard for $15.00! She would still have to purchase the pedestal, because the bases there were too contemporary for the more traditional sink style. No purchase, until she checked out the pedestals at plumbing supply stores. Still, a good deal, if she decides that it will work!
Whenever I go junking, I feel as if I should be humming, "A hunting we will go. . ." ;-) By the way, I am ALWAYS interested in hearing of good places to find unique items that can be adaptively reused, so, please share sources!

Ok! Time to ready myself to watch Washington Week In Review on PBS. With the Dems just finishing up their convention in Denver, and the Repubs making a "surprise" VP announcement just before their big week in Minn., there will be much to learn from the tv talking heads! Lots of new fodder for the new season of SNL! And of course, lots of good material for future blogs!