The World Of Junkin’, Crafting, And Antiquing

Junkin’, crafting, and antiquing….one of the most enjoyable pastimes around.  Okay, maybe it’s one of the most enjoyable pastimes for me, but I guess I should realize it may not be for all.  It takes a special individual to appreciate the life of junkin’, they have to be able to look at something old, used, or discarded, then bring it back to life; skill people, it really takes skill.

I began junkin’ about 8 years ago, visiting thrift stores, salvage yards, yard sales, barn sales, antique malls and have even been known to pick up free or garbage items on the side of the road.  A junker sees the usefulness in those items and will work to transform it into something fabulous!  Aside from junkin’ antiquing is my other favorite pastime – I could spend hours upon hours in an antique mall, and I happily have.  There is something to be said about being able to save a bit of history from the landfill, to image it in its prime, and to know that nothing will ever be made like it any longer.  

Without a doubt I was born in the wrong era.  Give me anything old, used, antique or vintage and I am a happy farm girl.  Forget happy, I am ecstatic!  Now imagine an event that has hundreds of booths filled with antiques or items crafted out of discarded pieces, do you think I could possible be any happier?  Let me answer that for you,  absolutely not!

The Farm Chicks Show is an event that happens once a year in Spokane, WA and draws people in from all over the Pacific Northwest.  Each booth is a-mazing, and no two booths are alike.  The creativity that goes into designing a booth is brilliant, and as an individual walks the event they can see the passion and love the booth owner has for this life.

As I walked through the expo hall my creative juices flowed, I mean, they flooded out of my mind.  There was nothing specific in which I was looking for, but for each piece I purchased I knew instantly what I would do with it.

These antique chicken feeders will not be used for our flock, but instead will be turned into an herb planter for our patio table.

This metal star will have various pieces of fabric and vintage lace tied to it to match the room it will be hung in, giving it character and a splash of color while keeping the integrity of the shape.

This antique aluminum sheet will be turned into a sign for the barn, ‘House Of Goats, Rabbits, and Turkey’.

I have an odd love for burlap potato and coffee bags.  Why?  Goodness, I don’t know!  They have so many uses, and some have amazing color and design to them, in a sense they are their own work of art.  This bag came from a dear friend of mine who just so happened to have a booth at the show, Livin Lovin Farmin aka Vintage Farmstead.  I excitedly purchased the antlers because they were a full rack, which is quite difficult to find, especially with a $10 price point!  They will be mounted and hung close to the deer potato sack in the dining room.  Oh,  did I forgot to mention that the potato sack is going to be crafted into something fun and darling? 

Aside from the plethora of crafted items there were amazing antique and vintage pieces, and a few made the trip home with us.  Egg cups are hard to find, and I squealed with delight when I can home with 2 sets!

I spent 40 minutes searching (while happily chatting with the ladies around me) through this bin of doilies, embroidered tea towels, handkerchiefs, and aprons.  Yep, that sign does reads $2 a piece!

However, my most favorite item from the show was this metal crate.  This crate has history and I truly believe that it was waiting for me to come by and claim it.  I seriously mean that.  The vendor had just moved it to the isle which I was walking and it instantly caught my eye.  First of all, it’s a crate.  I LOVE antique crates and find so many uses for them, so seeing it made me stop, but what made me buy it was that it belong to the Pinkerton’s National Detective Agency.

You see, my darling farm guy has a very dear friend named R. Pinkerton, who is a distant relative to Allan J. Pinkerton, the founded of Pinkerton, United States Secret Service established in 1850.   In 1853 the agency worked with law enforcement and hunted criminals across the the country, but in 1855 they specialized in protecting railroad shipments for several mid-western railways.  In 1861 A. Pinkerton discovered and assisted in preventing the assassination attempt against Abraham Lincoln.  Then in 1870 the agency began their pursuit of Jesse James, the Dalton Brothers and Butch Cassidy’s crew.  The Pinkerton Agency is still in existence today and is a global agency based out of Ann Arbor, Michigan.  So you see, this piece has quite of bit of history, and is treasured because of a dear friend.  If R. Pinkerton is nice to me, maybe one day I will give it to him….maybe.

The Farm Chicks Show was fabulous and one we will be attending yearly; you leave with great items, creative ideas, and the enjoyment of meeting people who value the same things as you.  How can one not plan on making this a yearly event?!  I hope you will follow us on our journey as we continue to go junkin’, craft, and antiquing, our finds are amazing, and we do our best to research each piece allowing us to share its history with you all!

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