Junk Projects for the New Year.

Beverage crate window box.
Join me in the Revolution! Junk Revolution Community message boards open any day now. Share your junk pics, ideas, and stories with some of the nicest junkers in the Country. I have missed visiting with folks and can't wait to get to know more of you.

Project pages will launch later this Spring, filled with fresh junk ideas, I never would have thought of that junk projects, and many of my past American Junk Club projects! Until then, I will continue to post projects on my blog and on the Community message boards. This post includes 4 of my projects from 2008. The directions on how to build are located by clicking the links below each photo.


Domino Post-it note holder.


Bendy ruler photo easel. (Photo of me with my best friend, Patty.)


Book frame holder. (Photo is Taylor and Tyson when they were little.)

I wish you peace in 2009,
Ki

Tradition, Family, and Friends.

It was a Holiday filled with beautiful memories.


Weather made travel tricky for the kids, but they made it! Taylor, above, sneaking in a color with Bea. (Bea loved her conversation clips gift!)


Hanukkah brunch with Kerry's family. (If you look closely, you will see our menorah candles didn't want to behave this year.)


Tyson with his grandpa Fritz...97 years young.


Taylor and her boyfriend Ben. His first encounter with 13 below zero.


Grandma Shirley, grandpa Fritz, and the kids. I can't seem to bring myself to stop calling them 'kids', even though they are well into their 20's.


Christmas Eve with our good friends the Stickneys included unlimited food, games, and laughter (Ben acting out Tina Turner in the background.)


The younger generation displayed their skills at water pong. The family version of beer pong.


Christmas morning by the tree and a very late breakfast. Didn't plan our shower schedule very well. Forgot to take into consideration 5 bodies and our inadequate water heater. I was the last one in....Brrrr.


Ben and Kerry showing off their football spirit.

Christmas day dinner at Uncle Scott and Aunt Alta's included the traditional dessert, Lemon Snow with custard. Numerous phone calls to my out of town family. My brother, Kim, and his family joined us for a sleepover on their way to Wisconsin.

Things are winding down. I am exhausted. Lots of laundry and yes, dishes. What a wonderful time we had. There is nothing better than tradition, family, and friends.

I realized when I sat down to write this post...I was behind the camera and never in any photos...Ooops!

Happy New Year to all!
Peace,
Ki

I Love Dirty Dishes.

I used to get really annoyed by dirty dishes. I would constantly nag our kids to pick up after themselves and instruct them never to leave a dirty dish unattended. My, how things have changed!

These days, a sink full of dirty dishes means our kids are home and life is beautiful. I intend to watch the dishes pile up over the next few days and remember how lucky I am to have my family together once again. (I must admit, I still rinse.)

Have a wonderful holiday with your family!

Peace,

Ki

Let there be light.

It was time to tidy up Tyson's old room for his trip home. Ooops...I sold his his lamp at the garage sale. I needed something cheap and quick.

My goal was to build a lamp out of things I could find in my basement. I grabbed a clamp on light, 4 clothes pins, a cotter pin and a lamp shade from my stash. (I am somewhat a collector of mid century modern lampshades. I only buy them when I can find them really cheap.)

I dismantled the clamp on light, removing the tin shade and the clamp. I hung the socket and bulb in the center of the lampshade from the cotter pin as shown. (Any straight object would work.)

I sparked up my clothes pins with a little wood finish and slid them on for feet. The clippy kind work too.


I gotta tell you, it took me 10 minutes to build the lamp and way longer to photograph it. A new lamp shade would work for this project as well. Vertical is best. Be creative with the feet. Alligator clips inserted into wood blocks or crystal nobs....

I learned most everything I know about tools and construction design from my son, Tyson. Hope he is impressed!

My very favorite item just went up on the Junk Revolution online store. Printer block tile charms. They are awesome! I have been previewing the photos for the one of a kind items that will be for sale soon on line. Each item has been hand selected and bears the Good Junk seal of approval. I know you will be saying...where does she find all her junk!

Peace,

Ki

Vintage Light Reflector Idea

Yes, I am still decorating for the Holidays. Actually, I have just started. This year will be simple and sparse, as I sold most of my Christmas decorations at our garage sale in October. I realized this past weekend I inadvertently got rid of all my twinkly lights. Ooops!


By the time my husband got to the store, they were pretty picked over...but they were on sale. Rather than complain about his purchase, I decided to snazz them up with my bagful of vintage light reflectors. As you know, the hole in the reflectors is too large to fit over new light strands.


While watching one of my favorite TV shows, Chuck, last night I monkeyed around with different ways to get them to work together. I tried stickers, double stick tape, circle punch outs, Velcro dots, even corn cushions (for your feet)... this is what I found works. Those little green flexible rubber caps for floral tubes. Who would have thought.


No glue needed, Just push them over the light socket and gently squeeze the cap as you pull on the light reflector. Wow!


I cut small branches of evergreens from my yard, bundled them in 3's, and attached them to a wire wreath form with floral wire. Martha would be proud!


I twisted my lights into the branches and plugged it in.


This would also make a wonderful hurricane candle ring centerpiece.


Need to spruce up a bottle of wine for the hosts of your next Holiday party?


Junk never looked so good! Cheers.

My kids will be home in a couple days and I realized I sold the lamp from Tyson's room at the garage sale as well. That is my next project...

Check out the Junk Revolution online store for your last minute shopping!

Peace,
Ki

Bea's Gift.

Hair styles haven't really changed much over the years...the same cuts seem to just recycle. Most hair trends seem to be driven by our fascination with popular young starlets and the old-new styles they dare to don. I catch myself doing it..."Bea, I want to look just like that!" as I point to the 24 year old beauty in the well read magazine. What has changed is the 'tools of the trade'.


I have had a tub filled with vintage rollers, pins, and permanent wave clips for as long as I can remember. I keep planning to do something with them and now I have! 3 ideas in under 1 hour.


Idea #1. Snazzy key chain.


I strung assorted hair accessories on vintage hairpins, added glass beads and curled a loop in the ends of the pins with a needle nose pliers so they could slip on a key ring.


Idea #2. Conversation Clips.


Bea, my stylist, likes to hang family photos and cards on the mirror in her work station. My junking soul-mate, Cammie, reminded me that the pressure clips are perfect display hanger thingies. Be sure to use the spring clip kind. (The photo is my daughter, Taylor.)


Knowing They would be used on a mirror, I designed little hooks for them to hang from. I used rhinestone brads from Michaels, a small washer, and glue dots. (I snipped the brad wings shorter so they didn't show from behind the washer.) I left enough space to slip the wire of the rollers in between the washer and the brad. The glue dots work well to hang since they are clear and mirrors show every little backstage flaw. Brushed silver pushpins work great if hanging from a bulletin board.




Idea #3. Book mark.

Now I need to decide which project to give her....I think 3 would be overkill. Hmmm.

I have been trusting my hair to Bea for a really, really long time. Long enough that when I tell her I want to look just like that photo in the magazine, she simply smiles and says "Sure, no problem." We both know better.

Check out the new items in the store! And slow down and enjoy the Holidays with friends and family.

Peace,
Ki

Home for the Holidays.

There is no place like home! Kerry and I feel blessed that both our kids are able to make it home for the Holidays.

Ever since our garage sale this past fall, our house has been in a bit of disarray. Taylor's old room became my photo studio, (it has that great white wall) and Tyson's bedroom turned into the photo prep room, strewn with work tables, supplies, a pressing iron, props and online store product.

I want them to feel welcome and I guess they are gonna need a place to sleep. I needed to return their spaces to working bedrooms! (Maybe I should say, nonworking bedrooms.)


I do love to paint! I painted Taylor's room bright turq a few years back for a makeover article for JunkMarket Style Magazine. It was looking a little dinged up and weary, and I must admit, I was tired of the color. So for $35. (1 gallon of paint & 5 hours of work) I gave the room a whole new look!


I stuck in the blue color family as I wanted to be sure it worked with the really cool existing weathered shutters that have a hint of blue in the patina. Sherwin Williams color # SW6218 Tradewind was my choice. I was worried it was going to be too light as I applied it, but it dried slightly darker and I love it!


Love using my Tomboy Tools Impact driver. It is lightweight and easy to use!




We couldn't give this piece of furniture away at the JunkMarket as an outdated brown dresser. I removed the 2 center drawers and painted the dresser white. I ordered glass shelves cut to fit the drawer runners and used Armour Etch from Michaels to frost the glass. (I attached legs to the extra drawers to transform them into storage chests.)


The extras include a lime green TV lamp filled with Christmas balls, a vintage restaurant platter as a catchall for keys and jewelry and these festive wooden deer I dressed with ribbon, bells, and balls.


One of my favorite purchases, a jazzed up music stool.


A chippy white frame for a photo near and dear to my heart.


A tinsel tree sits on top of Taylor's old desk.


An iron rest acts as a coaster for a pretty glass soon to be filled with fresh flowers.

Redesigned standard-ugly bi-fold doors with vintage hardware added.

We built this wall in 3 pieces plus the barn door and attached directly to the sheet rock. It makes a great headboard and a fabulous photo studio!


I never tire of laundry basket tables. I purchased the glass from Pier 1 and put glue dots on the rim of the basket to keep it from sliding. A lamp from Home Depot gets a trendy makeover with a vintage shade.

Notice the phone #. Taylor will love it!

I broke the glass on this keeps-on-ticking clock when I tried to rehang it. Oops!


I was lacking artwork. This will do.


An old hospital tray imitates a nightstand. Hope she doesn't think she'll be getting breakfast in bed....

I suppose I'd better get rockin' on decorating the rest of the house, oh yeah, and Tyson's bedroom!

Wanna know what I am making for my hair stylist, Bea, for Christmas? I'll show you later this week!

Peace,

Ki