So, here's my first blog entry. I got the idea for this blog yesterday and now I'm writing my first post, so it obviously isn't something that had a great deal of planning involved. I've never written a blog before and I'm still trying to figure out how to put things where I want them and manipulate the templates that I'm working with. The point is that it may be a bit awkward for a while until I get the hang of it. Be patient. It can only get better.
One thing I wanted to do with this little project is to show (and maybe sell) some of my finds and creations. On the side, I do a little buying and selling of antiques. I've also been known to liberate items from garbage piles, dumpsters etc. I mean, when you see an awesome piece sticking out of a garbage can on the side of the road...well, you pull over and put it in your back seat, right? Well, I do. Consequently, I've acquired some pretty cool stuff that otherwise would have been relegated to the Morgan County Landfill.
I also scour yard sales and estate sales. It amazes me, the stuff I find at these places, especially at estate sales. Certain older neighborhoods around here have a reputation for some awesome estate sales. I love rescuing bits of history and finding proper homes for them. I know it sounds corny and hokey, but I sort of feel like I'm performing a service for the pieces I find. Kind of like preserving history.
I primarily sell my stuff at a local antique store where I rent a booth. I don't make a lot of money at it, but I absolutely love it. But, sometimes I get items that I have other ideas for. Sometimes, I get something that just begs to be repurposed. Oddly enough, my spell check just flagged the word "repurposed". I added it to the dictionary, so that shouldn't happen again. Anyway, the title of the blog is derived from the act of salvaging awesome stuff and giving heart and soul to new creations from old ingredients.
Additionally, on the right side of the screen, I'll link up some things that I'm into. Music, books, blogs, websites...you get the idea. Just some info to help you get to know who I am and what makes me tick.
Anyway, I like creating stuff from what most would consider to be crap. Some of the stuff I make is useful, like this towel rack I made from an old ladder.
That hangs in my bathroom, now. It takes up less space than the the generic metal rack we had before and it's got character that the other one could only dream about.
On the other hand, some of my output is not exactly useful, but I think it's really cool. This light made from barn wood and glass insulators with lights inside them would be merely for decorating with style. Granted, not everyone's style, but my style and maybe yours.
I don't have this one anymore. It went home with a lady who fell in love with it and it made my day to place it with someone who really appreciated it. Again, corny but true.
So, all that being said, I'll show treasures that I've uncovered and some of the contraptions I've concocted. Some of the concoctions may fall flat, but I guess that means I'll have to keep them around the house for a while.
Here's a game board from the Major Bowes Amateur Hour game from the mid 1940's. I didn't have any pieces for it, just the board. So, I put it against a black background and framed it. It's pretty big, about 2 1/2' x 3'. This one is available, if you're interested. See the For Sale link on the right side of the page.
I'm hesitant to refer to my stuff as art because it sounds kind of pretentious. But, for lack of a better word, I did use the term in the sub heading of the page. I'm no Van Gogh or Rembrandt. I just make stuff that I think is cool. You can call it whatever you want.
This is a coat rack I made from an old window and some old spoons. I looked at the window one day and I thought about making a cabinet out of it. I decided that wasn't the way to go and then I thought about the handful of silverware I had stuck in a box somewhere. It didn't take long before I was drilling holes in spoons and attaching brackets to the back of the window. Nothing fancy, but it oozes with character.
Here's an angled view so you can see the bend of the spoons a little better.
I sold it at my antique booth about a month ago. It had been there for about a month and I was headed to the shop and I thought "It it's still there, I'm bringing it home and hanging it in the house." When I got there, Brenda (the lady who runs the antique shop) told me she had just sold it no more than 10 minutes before.
Enough for the first posting. I have other ideas that I'm going to try to incorporate in this blog, but not being a blogger extraordinaire, it may take some trial and error (mostly error) to figure them out. In the meantime, feel free to make comments, preferably nice ones. You can also check the For Sale link to see the pieces that are currently available. If you see something on here that you have questions about, please look me up in the section titled, Connect With Me.
I must warn you. If you choose to follow me on Twitter, you may be exposed to pictures of my kids, music videos, random comments or other miscellaneous fare. But, you'll get a little peek at what I'm up to and maybe some projects that I have in the works. For Pinterest fans, you can expect to see stuff I've made as well as stuff that I run across that I deem to be awesome.
Please join my blog and share this site with your friends!
John
