An Illuminating Experience

What do you see in the jumble of junk in the images above? 

One of the things the Yankee and I envisioned was a lamp—

patiently awaiting its creation.

As you might have guessed by now, we have amassed quite a collection

 of salvage bits and pieces during our many scouting trips

 through, and dismantling of, old houses, barns, and buildings, and from

our frequent visits to our favorite junk yards. 

The Yankee jokingly quips that our barns are virtual Cline's starter kits.  Truthfully,

 much of the goods have come from there—including the

chippy baluster above.

When the Yankee spotted it,sometime ago, he instantly foresaw
a lamp transformation in its future.

I'm quite fortunate to be married to a man who owns every tool ever invented. 

OK, so that's a slight exaggeration.  But, not much of one—

although the Yankee would say differently.

The drill press, pictured above, was instrumental in drilling the hole

necessary to house the electrical wiring for the lamp's cord and socket.

If the supply of tools around your house is not as abundant

as that of The Brambleberry Cottage, and you lack a drill press, a good quality 

hand drill will do—as long as it is one that will accommodate the extra long

 bit...in this case, 12".  Just be sure to adequately secure the piece to be drilled in a vice,

so it will not shift.

Once you have drilled the base of the piece you're using for your lamp,

you can proceed to the other steps involved in its construction.

This small brass base was another piece picked up at Cline's.  It was

originally chosen to be used as the base of a decorative, miniature birdhouse. 

That was not to be its destiny, however. 

The Yankee found it to be a perfect fit for the chippy baluster...

and the rest is history.

I choose a piece of vintage decorative molding from our

stash as a bit of embellishment for the base.

After cleaning all the components, each piece was given a dose of one of the two main staples for most of our current makeovers—Rust-oleum Oil Rubbed Bronze

spray paint and Deft satin finish lacquer.

I absolutely love the look these two products impart and, consequently, use them often.

In this case, the ORB spray paint was used on the brass base and

the Deft on the molding and baluster.

The same paint was also used on the decorative fitting connecting the baluster

with the electrical socket, the lamp harp, and the finial.  I felt that doing so

would give the lamp a more cohesive appearance.

While I was pulling together all those little details, the Yankee was

cutting the baluster base down to make it more pleasingly proportionate

for the piece we were creating.

I found this gorgeous beaded lamp shade, quite some time ago, at one of our

local thrift stores for only $5.00!  It was still in its factory wrapping and wore its

original price tag from one of my favorite retail stores—

T. J. Maxx Homegoods.   ; )

At the time, I purchased the shade with no specific project in mind,

but I was confident that it would be put to good use..

eventually.

Once all the pieces to the puzzle were in place...

a jumble of junk morphed into a thing of beauty.

Others' trash became our treasure!

This week, I would like to introduce Lynn of Tea Cup Stitches as a new blogger

and new Pink Saturday participant.  I was first introduced to the incredible 

creativity of this lady when I discovered her on eBay a few years ago, as I was starting up my own

eBay business.  She creates such beautiful home decor items. 

Please be sure to visit her and tell her you came by way of Liz @ The Brambleberry Cottage.

Now, let's join Jane with this frugal makeover for Frugalicious Friday @ Finding Fabulous

and Jessica for Favorite Things Friday.

Since we used some funky junk for this little creation, let's visit Donna for Funky Junk's Saturday Nite Special.
I'll also be showing off this pretty pink shade at Beverly's for Pink Saturday.

I'm linking up with Debbie for her brand new Debbiedoos New Linky Party to show off the thrift store shade.

I think this metamorphosis qualifies for Susan's Metamorphosis Monday event and

my lovely DIY is perfect for Roeshel's DIY Show Off.

Digging for Diamonds

There is a common thread connecting each of the items in the mosaic above.  Actually, there are several common threads:  

• They're all past projects for the Yankee and me.  
• I've shared a bit about them in previous posts. 
• Each of them was once a diamond in the rough, discovered while digging around the treasure mine pictured below.

 

When I shared the results of the therapy we administered to the Victorian lady–found here at Cline's–I also gave you a few glimpses of this fun place.

Your comments indicated that you were as excited to catch those few glimpses–of one of my very favorite stomping grounds–as you were to see the project transformation.

So, I thought I would make all you treasure hunters drool a tad bit more.  ; )

In many ways, this place looks pretty much the same way it did when the Yankee and I stumbled upon it almost fifteen years ago...

with the exception of the addition of a number of longbed-trailers filled with the overflow of all sorts of goodies...

and a selection of imported "new" items given a faux-aged finish.

If you enjoy a good hunt, and you love digging for unique treasure, you would be totally thrilled to visit this antique lover's / junker's haven.

The goods are in a constant state of change–almost daily–with buyers moving it out and pickers bringing new treasures in. 

And it's not unusual to bump into the owner, Don Cline, at various local auctions, adding to this already bursting-at-the-seams inventory.

What once was a very large family owned and operated farm–until 1973–is now host to such a mine of unusual, unique objects that movie studios even shop this haunt looking for props.

Barns that once housed 12,000 laying hens are now packed to the rafters with wonderful antique, vintage, and, often, one-of-a-kind treasures.

And if you can't find that special something inside, just take a gander outside, around the barns...

where you're likely to encounter loads of old farm equipment...

and

unique collectibles.

In need of a door?

A barnful awaits you–antique, vintage, and new.

Looking for an old window or two?

Cline's has a few.

How about an antique iron bed...

or two...

or three?

Is rusty, chippy metal your passion? 

Whether vintage or new...

or new made to look vintage...

you can find everything from the whimsical...

to the standard garden-variety at this one-stop junker's paradise.

Diamonds in the rough abound in this jumble of junk, if you are willing to dig them out.

And, you're sure to meet the master of ceremonies of this little show whenever you visit.

By the way, don't let his old-country-boy exterior fool you. 

This guy holds an MBA and was,

for years, 

 a college professor of economics...

before the junkin' bug bit him.  ; )

You'll most often find him lounging in the cool shade of this sixty-year-old Ash tree or tooling around the grounds in his green Kawasaki.

On colder days, he'll be perched in one of his favorite spots–

his old barber's chair, next to the vintage woodstove.

Once you've visited this fun junkin' spot, you'll want to hurry back to see what new finds await you. 

It will be difficult not to spend the entire day rummaging through every little nook and cranny–each and every time you visit–because the inventory changes so frequently...

and there are sooo many tempting treasures yet to be discovered.

Just come prepared ladies...'cause there's no indoor plumbing!

Cline's Country Antiques

11839 Highway 49 N

Mt Pleasant, NC 28124

I think I'll share my magical makeovers mosaic @ Mary's

See if you can spy with your little eye the bounty of blues to share @ Sally's

There's a vintage thing or two I'd like to share @