Vintage Flour Bin Turned Laundry Detergent Bin

Remember all the goodies I bought at the Springfield Vintage Junk Market Extravaganza?

Specifically this vintage galvanized flour bin?

When I bought it I had no idea what I would do with it.  I just knew it "spoke to me'' and I'd figure out its use later.  (I have a habit of that and 98% of the time I end up finding a good use for whatever it is.)

Once I got it home I realized it would make a perfect container for holding my homemade laundry detergent (recipe can be found here).  The lid had a snug enough fit that you had to pry your fingernail under it to lift it up and get it open.  I knew that would be aggravating and decided I'd keep my eye out for something I could add as a handle.  I figured months and months would go by like usually is the case for me.

BUT....just a few days later as the kids and I were coming home from getting groceries I spotted a garage sale at what appeared to be an elderly person's home.  I probably gave the kids whiplash I braked so fast and zipped in there, because those are the best sales to stop at!  I have had the best luck at those type of homes.  These older people just don't see their old junk as treasures like I do.

Anyhow, there was hardware galore and among a couple of other things, I bought a tin can full of "stuff" not really knowing what was in there.  I figured if nothing else, the can was worth at least $1.50.

As I was sorting through everything I came across the perfect "handle."

I rifled through some more and came up with two washers and two nuts to fit it.  I eyeballed how the handle would be positioned on the lid, marked it with a pencil, and drilled two holes.

I envisioned the fit to be like this.  Easy peasy.

But in reality it was like this.

Which allowed the handle to droop crookedly like this.

So, I dabbed a little E6000 adhesive on the washer and glued it to the lid, then glued the nut to the washer and voila!

Doesn't it look like it was always meant to be that way?  I love it!

Now it joins my little metal basket that holds the dryer sheets.

This was sort of an unexpected project because I didn't think I'd find something so perfect so soon, but it was a quick one with results that I love.

                                              

Linking up to:

Wow Us Wednesday - Savvy Southern Style
Saturday Nite Special - Funky Junk Interiors
Freedom Fridays - My Turn (For Us)

Happy Memorial Day!

Happy Memorial Day everyone! Thank you to all of our military past and present for your service to our country, especially those that sacrificed their lives.  

We will not forget.

This is my husband during 1 of 3 tours to Iraq with the Marines.  That's his IED sniffing dog, Daisy, that he trained and handled over there.  So thankful for his service, but even more thankful he made it through unharmed.

We're off to enjoy the parade this morning, then grillin' some ribs and fresh corn on the cob, then it'll be time for homemade ice cream!  Having Hubs home for a whole extra day is a real treat for us.  I plan to enjoy it to the fullest.  

See ya back here tomorrow.

                                          

                                

Fun Friday Finds

So...I'm thinking of making this "Fun Friday Finds" a weekly thing, summing up my yard sale and thrift store treasures for the week.  I've seen other blogs have a Thrifty Thursday thing, but I plan to post on Fridays because I do the majority of yard sale shopping on Fridays.  Around here the sales start as early as Thursday, the majority start on Fridays, and the only things left by Saturday are the broken toys and shower curtain rings.  So, it works out best for me to go on Friday mornings if I can.

Anyways, I plan to start posting about my finds each week as long as I have the time.  (Don't hold me to it, in other words.)

Here's my haul from today, most of it will end up in my Etsy shop. 

 The kids and I got a bit of a late start and I had to quit early to pick up some groceries and get back in time for lunch and Bub's nap time, so we only had an hour and a half.  But a local neighborhood was having community sales so we hit a bunch in that short time.

Total spent - $16

I got this great old pinball marble game for $1.50!  You'll see several items that were $1.50 because I got a bunch of stuff from the same sale and he gave me a great price for the whole lot of items, so I did some math and came up with the price per item.

A stack of vintage linens for $1.  It was all bundled together and I couldn't see what was included, I just knew I wanted that red gingham piece.  Turns out there were 3 vintage hand painted tablecloths in there also.

Set of 6 ornate little metal frames made in Italy - $2.

Retro canister set - $1.50 (I think there's an in between size missing, but I couldn't pass them up for that price tag)

Old metal coat hooks - .50

A brand new, still in the package, vintage thermos - $1

Old skates - $1.50

Baseball - .50 (I have a collection of old/dirty baseballs that I like to use in a display during the summer)

Incredibly cute little vintage/retro lamp - .50 (can't decide if I want to keep or sell, it is so stinkin' cute!)

Old wooden box - $1.50

Vintage bread box - $1.50 (I think most of it's discoloration is just dirt.  It needs a good cleaning.)

I thought this vintage microscope lab set was just cute and fun - $1.50

Wooden organizing tray - .50 (destined for my crafting area)

Battery operated jeep for Bubs - .50 (he LOVES it!)

Shoes for Bubs - .50

I forgot to include this stuff in the picture, it was from a sale we stopped at on Thursday on the way home from an errand.

A tin of misc. rusty hardware, 2 packages of casters, and a bag of miniature pulleys - $5 (if you're looking at price tags and mentally adding it up, I didn't add wrong, it totaled $6 but I offered $5 and she took it).

I have no idea as of yet what I'll do with the pulleys, but seriously, how cute are they?!?

In that bin of rusty hardware was the perfect piece I needed for a little project.   I was so excited. 

 I'll be sharing that soon.

I hope you have a great Memorial Day weekend!

P.S.  Don't forget to check out my first giveaway!

                                         

Linking up to:

Saturday Nite Special - Funky Junk Interiors
Old Time Party #2 - Old Time Farmhouse

Springfield Flea Market & Vintage Junk Extravaganza

Sorry this has taken me a few days to get posted, but being a wife and a mommy comes first so I've been working on it as I have time.  This week has been a little busier than usual, too, because I've had a few Etsy sales so I've been spending more time than usual doing packing and shipping.  Exciting!

But....I just had to share a little about the Springfield Flea Market & Vintage Junk Market Extravaganza!  I had SO much fun!  9 hours of Junker/Picker heaven!  We hit a good majority of the booths in those 9 hours, but no way did we see them all.  You really need a good 2 days for this. 

My friend and I both love junkin,' so months ago I told her we should plan a trip to the Springfield show since we're only an hour and a half away.  She knew of 2 more friends that would love to go and we made a day of it.

That's me on the far left, my junkin' friend, her sis-in-law, and on the far right is Rachel from The Olde Farmhouse on Windmill Hill.  If you haven't visited her blog before you must stop by soon.  She does some really great projects and recently did a gorgeous master bedroom makeover.

There were thousands of booths and SO much eye candy to admire, but I think I had the most fun digging through bins and bowls of rusty crusty junk.

We found the Junk Market tent and there sure was some cute stuff there.  I love their Junk Beautiful books and I even came face to face with Sue Whitney, but while I was working up the courage to ask for a picture with her she scooted off to the Folk barn for a vintage Bingo game they had planned.  Lesson learned - never hesitate, just go for it.  : )

I snapped a few pictures of beautiful things I would have loved to bring home with me, but if I had any hope of continuing to have a happy marriage they had to stay put.  Hubs made it very clear that we have a big move coming up in a year and I should not be "dragging home any big junk."  : )

This wooden seed box with metal trays was to die for.

I loved all the little compartments on this and the mix of wood and industrial looking metal.

My favorite piece of the whole day was another combination of wood and metal, vintage and industrial.  I didn't take a picture because the guy who made it was standing right there and I didn't think he'd want me taking pictures of his creation.  But it was SO awesome.  The bottom had drawers and cabinets that were made by the Hoosier company and it was about 6 feet long.  Then they had run metal pipes up and over it and had two industrial cage lights hanging from the pipe.  Hard to explain, but very cool.  I would have loved to have it as a kitchen island.

This old elevator door was so cool and would have made the neatest headboard, dontcha think?

I found the Folk barn (done by Folk magazine).  It was full of lots of neat things.

Including this old truck.  I love old trucks so I couldn't resist snapping a picture while I sat on one of their hay bales resting my poor aching feet a bit.

I came across this piece at the very end of the day and LOVED it!  Y'all know I love red to begin with, and I love me some old soda crates, and I love when things are repurposed in a unique way and in this case the old crates were made into drawers.  It combined all of my loves and I was wishing upon a star I could "drag" it home with me.

Maybe some day I can attempt to make something similar.

I didn't get any more pictures than that for two reasons: 1) I was too busy having fun, & 2) my camera was in my backpack and the further the day went the more my arms got sunburned and it hurt to take it off and on and have the straps scrape over my sunburn.  But I did suffer through the pain a few times just for you.  Don't you feel special now?  : )

So, here are all my treasures from the day.

A little wooden drawer - $5.  I bought this with the intention of putting wide mouthed canning jars in each divider and using it as a utensil holder in the kitchen.  Turns out it was a bit too big and chunky for that, but I'm sure I'll find another use for it's cuteness.  

The other box has vintage Pyrex test tubes - $4.  I've seen some really cute things done with these so I intend to keep a few for myself and list the rest in my shop.

Old baseball - $3.  Someday I'd like to do my son's room in a vintage baseball theme and this would be perfect for that.  

After dinner mint tin - $2.  It was just one of those things that I don't know why I liked it but it appealed to me and the price was right.  

Old keys and rusty crusty hardware (I have more, I just didn't add it all to the picture) - $8.

Feed sack - $4.  I like that it's Ohio themed because I like for my decor to have memories and meaning and someday this will hold memories of our time in Ohio after we've moved away.

Minnow Bucket - $6.  I saw tons of these but most were priced in the $15-$25 range, so I snatched this one up for only $6.

Galvanized flour bin - $4.  I'm thinking this would make an incredibly cute container for my homemade laundry detergent.

Canning rack - $4.  Again, most of these I saw were priced $15-$20, so I was happy with $4.  I plan to put it on the porch with some little potted plants.

Metal paper bin - $4

Bingo cards - $2  I saw these used in different displays throughout the day and thought they were so cute.  Right after I paid $1 each I found them for .25 each in another booth.  Oh well, you win some, you lose some.

Old thermometer type thing - $4 (I see a reoccurring theme here with the $4 price tag.  I guess it was because most of these things were marked $5 and I offered $4.)

I say "old thermometer type thing" because that was what I thought of it as when I bought it.  I had no idea of it's value or even what it really was, I just knew I liked it.  Turns out it's an antique French Baume Hydrometer, used for measuring the density of liquids compared to water.  I'm still not sure of it's value as I can't seem to find anything that's identical to it.  We found similar ones, but with American/English writing on them, whereas this one has what I'm assuming is French.  If anyone has any info on it I'd love to hear about it.

Admission - $7

Price of food for the day - $23.

Total spent on treasures - $50.

A day spent with friends and junk - priceless.

P.S.  I'm hosting my first giveaway!  Join in the fun {here}.

                                           

Linking up to:

Saturday Nite Special - Funky Junk Interiors

New Sheets - Check

Another item checked off my "To Do" list for the master bedroom - new sheets.  A couple of weeks ago I shared the progress so far and mentioned that the sheets on the bed were leftovers from the previous bedding and that I was on the hunt for new/better ones.  

I knew that I wanted something with just a bit of pattern to it.  The original sheets that coordinated with this set had a polka dot pattern on them and I liked it really well, I just didn't like the $75 price tag.  So, I ordered another set that I thought would match nicely.  And they did, but it just wasn't the right look.  A bit too fancy.  Hubby's opinion was that there was enough pattern going on already and that the sheets needed to be plain.  So, I bought plain sheets and tested them out.  Bleck!  Boring!  No way.  They went back immediately.

Then I found this set at Walmart.  It's by Better Homes and Gardens and it's called Red Sedona Quatrefoil.  I couldn't find it on their website though.  I had to do a Google image search to find a picture.

Source

I loved the polka dots, and there's another subtle pattern in a tan that's not quite as visible that I liked as well.  I didn't particularly care for the big stripe of red though.  I think the set already has enough red going on without adding a ton more.  

So, I just folded the red part under.  That way, it gives another soft layer of pattern without grabbing your attention and forcing your eye directly to a distracting red stripe.

Before, with the tan sheets, I had the throw pillows directly up against the pillow shams.  I didn't love it that way, too much pattern right on top of each other, but neither did I want all the boring tan showing up so much either.

Before

Before

Now that I have improved sheets that I like, I was able to separate the bold patterns of the pillows and I like the outcome much better.

I'm happy that I was able to achieve the look I wanted for $27 rather than $75!

Up next is to get the curtains done.  I have the fabric bought, but I can't make them until I get some wood pieces.  I have a vision in mind and I need some pallet wood to make it happen.  I'm trying to convince Hubby of this want NEED and have asked him to bring me home a trashed pallet from work.

  It may take some more convincing.  I'll probably have to present it in a more masculine way of thinking.  Something like this, "It would be much better for you to bring me a pallet in your truck than for me to scratch up the Camry trying to heft one off the side of the road into my trunk."  

10 years of marriage gives me an advantage into his left brain way of thinking.

Never fear, I'll win in the end.  : )

P.S.  I'm hosting my first giveaway!  Be sure to join in the fun {here}.

                                            

Linking up to:

Saturday Nite Special #134 - Funky Junk Interiors
Wow Us Wednesdays #67 - Savvy Southern Style