Mother's Day Corner

As you may know from past posts we have a "Holiday Corner", I decorate for our birthdays and different holidays at the far end of our dining room.  I decided that Mother's Day qualifies for dedication for a couple weeks of May!  I went with a kitchen theme for the simple fact that in My family the Kitchen is the heart of the home and Mother, the heart of the family. 

Tin Kitchen given to me from Cynthia from the Antiquarian.

Pink kitchen set found at a thrift store in Spokane WA.

My Grandmother, Florence.

First Tulip of the Season from my husband.

I have always loved this picture...

Currently Glenn's favorite book.

Glenn brought these up from the woods for me.

Some Mother's Day greetings from my dear Friend Hollie.

My favorite, Glenn gathered daffodils in his hat and carefully gave them to me.

My Mom and Grandma.

Celebrate those who gave you life and kept it beautiful and safe.  Celebrate our Mother's.  Love, Jennifer

A Thank You to Funky Junk Hollie

As I said to Hollie the other day when she made the decision to step down from Funky Junk;

 It is with a heavy heart and a flood of memories That I say Goodbye to my business partner of 11 seasons as she turns the page to her next chapter in life.  I just wanted to say to my dear friend...Thank you...From the bottom of my heart.  I enjoyed this adventure with you.  So much laughter will forever ring through the many building we have filled with friends, music, children and of course...junk!  We made memories to last a lifetime.  I learned from you so much joy to be found in little things.  I have watched with such admiration how you raise your boys, with so much creativity and dedication.  You are a wonderful Daughter and business Partner to your mom and the biggest fan and friend to your dear and talented sisters.  I will miss the many things we have shared together, but I will cherish all you have given to Funky Junk and this "Family" we have created together.  I wish you all the happiness in the world on this next chapter of your life.  As I said before, It was a pleasure of a lifetime.  I love you dearly and will see you at the next stop.  -Jennifer

Love. Fun. Junk.

Happiness in my home

The snow is falling heavy.  I have chosen not to leave the house today due to this fact.  I have been on a spiral of emotions this past week with some pretty bad news in our family.  On days like today when I feel like the walls are closing in, I feel it is best to focus on the things that make me happy.  Simple things in my home that bring a smile to my face and remind me of the beauty there is when so much ugly has been filling my brain.  As I was taking my pictures I was already feeling better remebering the stories behind the things I love.  So here I share with you a few photos of my home, my happiness.  Love, Jennifer

My old industrial sorter from my Friend Val.  I love it in my Bathroom.

Picked this old mirror up for 2 dollars from a house they were tearing down across from farmer's market.  I loved it just the way it is...tattered and all.

My hobnail goblets purchased at the last Funky Junk Show from my friend Barbara Schriber.

I love this, it hangs at the north end of our living room. 

Glenn's tent fort makes us all happy!

My grandmothers old pitcher holds bath supplies.

So true.

My grandmother Clara painted this, it is one of my most treasured items in my home.

I believe that glass bottle should be used and displayed, they were in storage for too long.

My treasured "Prince Edward Island" postcard that my friend and business partner Hollie sent me for my birthday.  Someday I will walk these fields and dream of Anne.

Friends on the Junking trail

To me, one of he best parts of this Junking world is the friends we make.  It has become such a wonderful gift to have found people all over the country (and in some cases the world!) who share a common love of old things, cherished treasures and a connection to a past we all yearn for.

I have met so many wonderful friends who to me have become like a big family because to love this lifestyle like we do, I believe we were cut from the same cloth!

This past week I went to stay with my Aunt and Uncle on Flathead lake MT.  What was going to be a couple day stay turned into a 5 day stay due to weather.  I loved it though, hearing old stories from Uncle Herb and Visiting with my dear Aunt Virginia.  At the end of the week Uncle Herb wanted to take us out to eat at his favorite restaurant, The "Homestead Cafe" in Lakeside MT.  He loves this place because the food is great and it is decorated with antiques.  Knowing what an avid junker I am he thought it would be perfect for me to see, plus all the antiques are for sale!  While I was looking around the restaurant I heard my name being called, I turned around to see two familiar faces, Beth and Carrie of keeknbeese!  I had met them at Farm chicks and then had visited them at The Vintage Whites.  It was so fun to be in a little restaurant in the middle of the Flathead valley and see fellow junkers, junking family members!  It made my day, so here is a SHOUT OUT to all my kin out there, I appreciate the relationship we share.  I love that we all meet up at least once or twice a year like kids at camp, enjoying watching our kids grow, seeing our finds and sharing our stories.  I just want you to know, you mean so much to me.  Love, Jennifer

PS  here is a link to Beth and Carrie's Blog Check out Carrie's Minatures on her etsy site too, I LOVE them!and you can see them next at The prarie Sister's show the end of the month.

A lunch & look

I was invited to my dear friend Michele’s home for a lunch & Look Last week.   What exactly is a lunch a look you may ask?  It is simple, it is what women have loved to do for years, to decorate their homes and have friends over for a nice meal and share all their hard work and creativity.  In the junking world this is tenfold.  We as Junkers love to discover treasure, live with it in our homes decorating with our own style and more over we LOVE to share it with others!  Half of the fun of decorating is hearing other’s reactions, seeing their faces as they ooo and awe over what we have created.   And what we have discovered.   There was plenty of that last Monday when a group of us Junkers and friends gathered around Michele’s beautiful pine table and enjoyed her home and a nice lunch together.  She left her Christmas decorations up for all of us to enjoy.

 Michele has been a shopper at many a show, so it was very fun to go to her home and see in action the items she has found in our booths and stores.  Vendor’s think of this often, we find a piece and save it for a special show hoping someone loves it as much as we do.  Here are some pics of Michele’s wonderful home and our Lunch & Look.

Such a sweet welcome on her pantry door

I would love one of these lighted aluminum trees!

I LOVE This children's vintage toy fridge!

Vintage Santa.

A SCORE from Pink, I love this Santa!

Winter beauty.

A perfect patina on this old cupboard.

Prettiness,

I stared at this all through lunch enjoying all the detail!

Enchilada lunch with an amazing salad and salsas!  The jello salad was orange cream, I had seconds!  Michele took the time to write our place tags with a dry erase marker on keepsake picture frames.  She even made us all books to put our pictures in!  She is so talented!

Michele has recently opened her own business and booth 3 Craft Chicks at the wonderful ROOST on the corner of Main and Division in Spokane WA.  She creates a style of retro and rustic with her own twist added in the amazing paper products she creates.  Check out her blog (Moments with Michele)too for a wonderful journey in her beautiful day to day life.  My only regret was that I did not get any pictures of people,  But it was a splendid day of visiting and sharing a love for home and decorating and friendship,  Thank you Michele for a wonderful day!

Homebound

There is something about just being home that I enjoy.  I have been on the go for so many months that I decided that January was going to be my month to snuggle in...to make stews and breads, to watch old movies I have been urning for, to redecorate, to take long baths and actually read a book.  To work on the office cottage and make sandwiches for lunch.

 I celebrated my 33 birthday this past Monday...at home. My coffee hour girls brought coffee hour to me along with cheesecake and merriment!  All morning we sat around my kitchen table and just visited.    It feels so good to be domestic and to catch up on the things that matter most; such as finding Glenn's missing toy chicken or folding his cloth diapers while listening to Adel and pressing the replay button.   I hope you too are getting a break from the rush, enjoying this new year and loving your home, after all...that is what home is for.  Kindly, Jennifer

Office Cottage: If these walls could talk...

We are back on track.  It was a wonderful holiday season, but sadly I had to put aside work on the office cottage for most of the past couple months.  We put up the insulation, windows and door  (blog post on that to come later) and locked up until earlier this week after Christmas was all packed away.

 The first order of business was to start the interior so I can get moved in soon.   I am not very conventional so the idea of heading to the hardware store for drywall made me…cringe…I needed more.   I did not want just ordinary drywall walls (not to mention how much I despise mud and taping) I needed texture.  I remember walking into so many old farm buildings; chicken coops, woodsheds, canning sheds…and thinking what wonderful work spaces they would make!  I think what I liked the most were the wooden board walls…such soul they had…

I decided I wanted to cover the walls in old boards keeping in mind I am trying to create a building that looks as if it has been here for the past 100 years.  Boards are expensive though, and I was not going to get the style I wanted in new boards anyhow…so I went to my “save until later pile”. 

Last summer I saw an old fence that had been torn down and thrown out.  I asked the owners and they were happy to have me haul it away.   I had no idea what I was going to do with it, but I loved the amount I had salvaged, endless possibilities.

So, I decided this fence would make wonderful walls.  I took them apart with my handy dandy drill and cut the ends off to make them even.  So far I am thrilled with the outcome.  I love that my walls were once something that surrounded a home, kept little ones safe, had conversations held over gardens with neighbors and most of all has been given a new life, another story to live. 

One of 4 piles of salvaged fence.

Thank heaven for tractors!

Luckily the boards were put together with screws, and I can re-use them!

Ready for installing!

Just the look I was going for!

Halfway done!

Just right.

Not sure If I will paint the walls, the color is growing on me.  I had enough boards to cover three walls, so the 4th wall will be old vintage wallpaper...because I think a little pretty is always a nice thing!
Thanks for visiting! more to come...  Love, Jennifer