Crates on the Vertical

     There's something so appealing about crates on a wall. I think its because of the combination of great junk style along with function! I've been seeing these creative designs on Pinterest and in blogland both, so when I needed a new display piece in my booth I knew it would involve crates! Here's how it began...

    First, I found the middle of the wall and the hubster simply screwed the largest crate (the one on the bottom in the middle) to the closest stud. I didn't lay out the pattern on the floor because I already had somewhat of a plan in my mind, but I do recommend having a design plan ahead of time. Starting with your largest crate, play with your own pattern of crates and drawers!

    This arrangement is made up of seven things - one large fruit crate, two soda pop crates, two desk drawers, an advertising crate and something unexpected - a broken antique child's chair. I've always heard to decorate in odd numbers and it's always worked for me!

    As I made the arrangement I placed the soda crates opposite each other as I did the two matching drawers, which gave the design a bit a symmetry (another decorating tip that applies to junk too.)


    The little chair seat is my favorite part of the arrangement. I found it at a flea market and immediately thought 'shelf.' Isn't that how we junkers think? It also provides a touch of the unexpected!

    I purchased an antique butter table book just for this wall project. I loved the pages after pages of numbers it provided. I just glued the pages to the backs of some of the crates and added some hole-punched edging, another little finishing touch.

    Old wood crates, and old drawers can be found at flea markets, garage sales, junk sales and sometimes by the trash! I'm always on the hunt for these multi-functional pieces, not only to resell but for my own storage purposes at home.

    I got to say, this little change-up in my booth has really drawn customers in to the booth itself. They walk in to look at the display and then they start looking at the great junk for sale in the booth. Bonus!

I'll see YOU on the junkin trail!
Cheryl

Junktastic Finds

    Have you ever come across something SO junktastic that you went weak in the knees or felt your heart skip a beat? It's that rare occurrence that we junkers live for and it's an itch that only occasionally gets scratched. But I'm not talking about auctions or even antique shops where you pay top dollar. I'm talking garage sales and thrift stores or flea markets where you score this junktastic piece for a buck or two.



One of my infamous junk hauls, all found within one week

    Do you see that cute little rusty doll stroller in the front of the pic? My heart skipped when I found it all by itself at a garage sale. It was tagged $15 so tightwad me was going to pass on it, but after I bought a couple of smalls and started walking past it to my car, it called my name - "Cheryl!" and said "buy me!"
I thought, "What a good idea," so I did, and we settled at $13.



Another great weekend of junkin! Can you guess which item I kept for myself?

    The doll stroller eventually went into my booth and sold for $39, though I could've probably priced her higher. In this second junk haul I actually kept about five of those items. Sometimes I find it very hard to part with some of my finds, like that sweet industrial cart which still pulls duty in our junkshop. I also put the antique sewing drawer to work in my bathroom storing my hair curlers.

But it's this little piece that made me go weak in the knees -

    Do you know what it is? Would you grab it as fast as I did if you saw it at a garage sale among a pile of other dusties?? (This photo shows how it looked when I found it, all dirty and dusty.)

This is called tramp art and would have been created near the turn of the last century, on the cheap, out of a cigar box. I don't know the exact process but it is hand carved. And, these folk art pieces are very hard to find on the junkin trail! This example is a small square size, making it even more unique, and besides all that dust, it's in minty condition!

(Paid: $2. Value: $40-$50)

What makes YOUR heart go pitter-patter? I would love to know!

Define It

Me:  Okay, Versed in Vintage, define 'vintage.'
Me:  Seriously, on my very first blog post?
Me:  Yes, if you're so 'versed!'
Me:  That's just a name! (sigh)

And so go the conversations in my head. I might as well join the blogging world right? (And, yes I know I'm only a decade late.)

I would venture to say that the question of what is 'vintage' in the collecting/junking world is second only to the 'to paint or not to paint' question for a piece of vintage furniture. (Talk about starting a conversation/argument!)

The word vintage actually comes from the world of wine. Wines are aged and given descriptions such as 'vintage 1918.' But at some point, if my amazing memory serves me right (sarcasm intended), the word migrated into the world of antiques and collectibles about the time we junkers and re-purpose-ers showed up in the 1990's. Since we weren't exactly working with antique pieces, nor new, we just started calling them 'vintage' and it kind of stuck. Really stuck! Everyone just nodded their heads and were like, "Yeah, I'll buy it."

So in the spirit of not taking ourselves too seriously, I humbly offer up my expert (cough, cough) definition ...

vintage (vin' tege, adj., now inaccurately used as a noun) 1. an item that's not new  2. an item that's not necessarily old (i.e. vintage style)  3. an overused and abused description that could be applied to anything 1970's and older but is seen on 1990's stuff instead  4.  or as one ebay contributor dryly puts it, "used"

Definitions aside, and whatever vintage is, I know I LIKE it! Don't you? See you at the flea markets! Oh, and the thrift stores, um, and those yard sales, yeah, and the junkyard too!