Time Travel Thursday #10 - Fun Funky Vintage Junk Décor

"We all have our time machines. Some take us back, they're called memories.

Some take us forward, they're called dreams."

~Jeremy Irons~

Welcome to the 10th Time Travel Thursday linky party at The Brambleberry Cottage!

Are you ready to share your fondest memories, grandest dreams,

and most creative projects?
Great, let's do it!

You know how much the Yankee and I love our junkin' jaunts.

After all, one can never have enough junk!  Am I right?  'Cause you just never know

 when you might need it.   ; )

For instance, a few weeks ago, the Yankee needed some for yet another one of his

totally unique creations.

So...

out to the barn he went.

And when he returned to the workshop, he was loaded down with an old

railroad lantern, some cool vintage insulators, a couple of rusty, crusty gears,

some tractor parts, and an old pulley. 

Then he plunder through one our boxes of lamp parts and came up with several

vintage brass pieces that had the most perfect patina.

Like a mad scientist, he feverishly worked to assemble his

assortment of gadgets.

The resulting contraption was undeniably futuristic!

Once he added the necessary components to make his creation functional—

an electrical cord, a harp, and a lampshade that was nowhere near as cool

as the last one—the creation came to rest

on the old table near our front door.

I suppose it can rest there awhile—until we can find it a new home.

For though I appreciate the artistic talent that went into this piece, somehow, 

it really doesn't quite fit the look I'm going for

in my tiny cottage farmhouse.   ; )

I'll be linking this funky junk creation to:

Dianes' 2nd Time Around party, Gina's Transformation Thursday,

Suzanne's Vintage Thingie Thursday, Leigh's Thrifty Thursday,

Becky's 100 Ideas Under $100.00, and Cheri's Spotlight Yourself.

Tips and Tricks Tuesday #10 - The Burlap Debate

BE SURE TO CHECK OUT THE DETAILS FOR ALL THREE NEW LINKY PARTIES HERE AT THE COTTAGE!

Welcome to the tenth Tips & Tricks Tuesday linky party here at the Brambleberry Cottage.

Let's take a peek at a couple of the great links from last week.

Andrea @ Willow Wisp Cottage shared her tips for "prettying up" and organizing a laundry room.  

I'd say that's the perfect way to transform the mundane to the marvelous!

It's that time of year again!  And those of us who choose to steer clear of the ghoulish decor of the season can still enjoy the fun festivities of fall with handmade treasures from Barbara Jean @ Treasures from the Heart.

And now it's time for another Brambleberry Cottage tip.

We all know the popularity of decorating and crafting with burlap today.  But, are you aware of the heated debate over whether this inexpensive decorating wonder is washable or not?

Some say, "Go for it!"  But most say, "No way!"

Not one to go by mere hearsay, I thought I would put it to the test.

When I purchased my burlap, it had a rather unpleasant, strong chemical odor.  Since the project I want to use it for involves my dining table, I knew I had to give washing a try.

I filled the washer with warm water, added my detergent–ECOS, a 100% natural brand–and baking soda and let the machine agitate on the gentle cycle for a minute or two.

Then I stopped the machine and added the whole three-yard piece of burlap and turned the washer back on.

Exactly as had been predicted by the numerous articles I had read, the burlap frayed and left quite a bit of lint in my washer.

As you can see from this close-up, the burlap itself was covered in lint, as well.  My first thought was that I had just ruined a perfectly good piece of burlap and had created quite a mess for myself in the process.

Nope, that's not pet fur you see on top of my washer.  That's the frayed ends I cut off–on the left–and the lint I pulled off the piece by hand.

I forgot to snap a shot of the inside of the washer, but take my word for it, it was not a pretty picture.

I'm not one to give up easily, so I decided to throw th piece in the dryer on medium heat and see how much more of a mess I could make whether I could salvage anything.

While the burlap was drying, I was using the Shop Vac to vacuum out my washer.  UGH!!!

I had read that drying it in a dryer would cause a lot of wrinkles.  Yep.  That part was accurate, too.

This is what it looked like when I took it out of the dryer and hung it up to get a better look.

This angle gives you the perspective of the wrinkles when it was on a flat surface.

And yes, the lint filter of my dryer was loaded!

Though the articles I read indicated that it was next to impossible to get the wrinkles out I figured I had nothing–but my piece of burlap–to loose by trying.

This is what it looks like now, after ironing it with my iron set for steam ironing on the highest possible setting.

Is it as perfectly smooth as when it was first purchased?  No.  Does it smell like chemicals–as it did when I first purchased it?  No.  Is it softer and more pliable?  Yes.

So, is burlap washable?  Well, mine was.  Is it worth the mess?  Only you can decide that one.

I would not have been happy with that horrible chemical odor in my home.  And while I didn't care for the mess that was generated to wash it, I'm glad I did.