Sweet "Tweet" Retreat

The Yankee and I have decided that one of the best ways to declutter

around the farm...is to get busy with the projects that the clutter

was originally intended for.

So, once again this week, we pulled various items from the barn...

and got to work!

Even though my blogging friend, Tammy @ Tattered & Timeless, took a great

 deal of stuff like this off my hands, there were still a

handful of pieces tucked away in the barn.

The Yankee selected an old oil can and a rusty funnel—from the stored 

stash—for our latest creative project.

I grabbed an assortment of vintage insulators...

and a basket of rusty, crusty bits and bobs—

salvaged from discarded antique trunks.

While the Yankee was welding various rusty, vintage

 tractor parts together and deciding where he wanted to use

the old chicken feeder top,

I was gathering the embellishments to add even more

character and charm to our newest creation.

The piece used at the top was, at one time, an edge bracket to an antique

trunk, while the piece in the middle—with the hole—was part

of the trunk's lock.

Can you guess what the black curved piece used to be?

Here's another view.  Now can you figure it out?

It was the handle of an antique coffee mill—one of several we

had stashed away in the barn.

And, of course, I'm always looking for ways to "pretty up" our projects,

so this vintage aluminum butterfly and old furniture

knob rosette were just the ticket.

Here is the result of our day's effort—

with a bit of decluttering to boot—

a whimsical, sweet retreat...

for some very special

little tweet!

Do you notice anything different in this image? 

After the Yankee had put all the tools away and had gone inside, I found

 this in one of our bins.

And I really want this piece added to the base of our

"found object" birdhouse.

But...

I figured I would let my honey get a good night's sleep first. 

Then tomorrow morning...

 after he has eaten a hearty breakfast, I'll spring the news that he'll

need to drag all the welding equipment back out...

 to finish the project he thought was complete.   ; )

Joining Susan's Outdoor Wednesday, Mary's Share the Love Wednesday,
Leigh's Thrifty Thursday, Gina's Transformation Thursday,
Becky's Under $100.00 Party, Allison's Hookin Up With HOH,

 LaurieAnna's Farmhouse Friday, Debra's Vintage Inspiration Friday,

Cindy's Show and Tell Friday, Courtney's Feathered Nest Friday,

Donna's Saturday Nite Special, Cindy's Oh-la-la Link Party,

Meg's Everything But the Kitchen Sink

Time Travel Thursday #31 - Now It's My Turn

"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 31st Time Travel Thursday linky party at the Brambleberry Cottage.

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

and most creative projects? Great!

A few weeks ago, I showed you the Yankee's first junk jewelry creation.

So this week, I thought I would share mine.

If you remember, the inspiration for his design originated with a vintage

trunk hinge.  As I scoured our numerous boxes of old furniture odds and ends,

looking for my own inspiration, I happened upon

 this fabulous vintage furniture pull. 

I absolutely loved everything about it—its shape, scale, patina...

especially the patina.

It would be my jumping-off point.

Once I found the pull, I moved on to my stash of jewelry bits

and pieces.

This antique watch fob chain had the look I was going for but wasn't anywhere

near long enough.  Hmm...what to do?

After plundering through a few more boxes, I discovered this old

chain belt—well, part of one, anyway.

I had tossed this in a "will do something with this one day" box,

many years ago.  And believe me, it was long before repurposing

junk pieces for jewelry was even popular.

I wanted to add a few girly embellishments to my creation, to soften

the hard lines of the other pieces.

This old mother-of-pearl shoe clip caught my eye—and, of course,

there was only one.

Then I decided a bit of bling was in order, as well.

This 1950s aurora-borealis-rhinestone button and vintage clip-on earring were

 perfect for what I envisioned.

A quick shuffle through another box unearthed this old keychain.  I liked

the heart and key and decided it would be a

sweet addition to my repurposed piece.

Originally, I had thought of using the complete vintage furniture pull. 

But, once I decided to add the jewelry pieces,

I took it apart.

The escutcheon made a perfect background for the shimmery button, and the pull 

went back in my "someday" box.   ; )

AS VIEWED ON A MINIATURE MANNEQUIN

And here's my first junk jewelry creation.

I wanted to create something that would compliment the Yankee's piece,

so the two could be worn together.

I think they play nicely together, don't you?   ; )

Linking to these fun parties:

All Things Related, Gina's Transformation Thursday,

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

Becky's 100 Ideas Under $100.00, Stephanie's Strut Your Stuff Thursday,

Cindy's Show and Tell Friday, Debra's Vintage Inspiration Friday,

Jane's Frugalicious Friday, Jessica's Favorite Things Friday,

Meg's Everything But the Kitchen Sink, Donna's Saturday Nite Special,

Bobbie's Check me out Saturdays, Laura's Saturday is Crafty Day,

and Stephanie Lynn's Sunday Showcase Party.

Time Travel Thursday #29 - Movin' In A New Direction

"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 29th Time Travel Thursday linky party at the Brambleberry Cottage.

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

and most creative projects? Great!

By now, you know that our favorite projects around the cottage

 involve repurposing.  And until recently, the end products were 

almost always for home decorating.

So...

what does an earring have to do with home décor, you might ask? 

The answer...nothing!

For months now...

 the Yankee and I have been doing some major purging

around here and, in so doing, have come across things that were "put away for

future projects"—a very long time ago.

As I started pulling some of these rediscovered items together, 

a theme began to emerge...

repurposed salvage jewelry!

I've had the vintage, brass link-chain necklace above for about fifteen years. 

With such wonderful features—like faceted chains of various types,

 a lobster clasp, and great patina—I'd kept it safely tucked away

 for a very special project.

And the single, silver and turquoise earring—in the first image—had been stored

for at least that many years, as well.

When I posed the idea of pulling my vintage jewelry bits and pieces

together, to create repurposed jewelry—along with some of our

other vintage salvage pieces, like the antique trunk hinge, above—

the Yankee thought it was a great idea.

And being the creative man that he is, he decided to go to work

 on a design all by himself.

So...

with the vintage chain necklace, the single earring, and the hinge in hand, he began

scouring my other boxes of stored treasures

to complete his vision.

Another vintage link chain—separated to create several pieces of varied lengths—

a ball chain from an old lamp pull, a vintage prong-set,

black rhinestone bracelet...

and a few jump rings salvaged from an old belt...

provided him with everything he needed...

AS VIEWED ON A MINIATURE MANNEQUIN

for his very first jewelry creation.

I think he did a fabulous job—especially since he has never made

a single piece of jewelry in his entire life!

After seeing how terrific this piece turned out, we've decided our creativity

may be movin' in a new direction.

Then there would be no need for several barns to store

all the bits and pieces necessary for our projects.

Then again...

the way we hold on to things, it may still take

a barn or two!!!   ; ) 

Linking to these fun parties: 

 Allison's Hookin Up with HoH, Cheri's Party Time,

Diane's 2nd Time Around Tuesday, Gina's Transformation Thursday,

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

Stephanie's Strut Your Stuff Thursday, Debra's Vintage Inspiration Friday,

Jane's Marketplace Monday, Bobbie's Check me out Saturdays,

and Susan's Metamorphosis Monday.

Time Travel Thursday #13 - Repurposing a Vintage Find

"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 13th Time Travel Thursday linky party at the Brambleberry Cottage.

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

and most creative projects? Great!



Here's some of my latest vintage treasure procured
from local barn sales.  The Yankee liked everything except the antique yarn winder—
the tall slender wooden piece in the right-hand corner. 

I couldn't explain to him why I liked it; I just did!

Sometimes Oftentimes, I buy something with no particular plan
in mind at the time of purchase.  If something appeals to me, I can always
figure out a way to use it.   ; )

The Yankee wanted to just throw it in the fire pit in the back field. 
His line of reasoning—it was missing five of its arms!  Can you imagine that reasoning
coming from a man who himself uses bits and pieces of junk
to make things?! 

I quickly gave it a thorough cleaning, let it air dry, and gave it a good
paste wax job—so I could immediately put it to use.

By the way, have you noticed how often my projects involve
those three steps?

In order to keep the one arm in the postion I wanted it in, an additional peg

had to be added to the front.  Of course, there just happened to be one...

among our jumbles of junk.

I thought, for now, it would make a unique towel rack in the tiny guest bath.

At least that will keep it off the burn pile...

until I think of something better!

Joining Susan's Metamorphosis Monday.

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.

Time Travel Thursday #2 - All Geared Up

"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 2nd Time Travel Thursday linky party at The Brambleberry Cottage!

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

and most creative projects? Great!

As you've probably noticed by now, the Yankee and I have quite a

storehouse of salvage odds and ends. 

Some would call us packrats—

I prefer salvage connoisseurs.  

Hey, why not?!   ; ) 

We're always on the lookout for things that interest us,

even when we haven't a clue what we'll end up doing with the objects we find.

Case in point...

these cogs, farm implement parts, and an old glass insulator that caught the Yankee's eye 

during a visit to our favorite salvage yard.

 

The pieces required a thorough cleaning, and the fabulous rusty patina

was sealed in with one of our favorite products—Deft.  A few of the pieces also

had to be tack welded together to prevent shifting. 

The Yankee knew exactly what he wanted to make with all those vintage thingies. 

But, there were a few new thingies he needed from

the hardware store to complete his vision.

Though we always make sure parts like these are new, we attempt to use as many

vintage components for our creations as possible.

I even surrendered one of my oldest lamp harps and a

finial for the Yankee's project.

But one more thing was needed to complete this work of art.

Know what this is?  Nope! 

It's not just a vintage brass bucket.

Why, it's a lampshade, of course!

How's that for some savvy salvage reuse?

Now I think we're all geared up to show off the Yankee's masterpiece @

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

Gina's Transformation Thursday, Jessica's Favorite Things Friday,

Jane's Frugalicious Friday Finds, Linda's Nifty Thrifty Tuesdays,

Roeshel's DIY Showoff and Robin's Upcycled Awesome.