Three Reasons I Haven't Been Blogging. . .

Yes, yes, I know I've been absent for weeks.  Were you all wondering if The Junk Man actually DID manage to bury us alive under a pile of junk. . .er merchandise?  LOL

Sorry. . .nothing quite that exciting.  But I do have three really good excuses for the hiatus.   Really. 

Here I go. . .

1)  Boxed In After DC Big Flea

Boxes

More boxes. . .okay, one is a dresser

Shows are always tiring but after getting two truckloads to DC Big Flea in the heat of July it should have been nap time.

But no.  What did The Junk Man do?  He bought boxes. . .truck loads of boxes.    Who can blog when they're boxed in!

2)  Rainy Days in the Basement

You had me at "hello"

When it rains the saws and paint brushes go crazy around here.  

Shutter Mirrors

In the flurry of shutter mirrors, chair shelves, chalkboards,  candlesticks and hookboards I just forgot to blog.  My bad. 



Hookboard Closeup



Last, but definitely not least, the MAJOR reason for Blog Absenteeism. . .

3)  Mobile Kittens

Three little Houdini's that can climb, crawl and chew their way out of any barricade known to man.  Sure, they're cute. . .but ouch. . .they have sharp claws and teeth!

Truck Loading 101

You've seen the photos of The Junk Man's truck piled with stuff.  I hate to admit it, but.he IS an expert at stacking the old truck as high as possible.  (Anyone out there think they can challenge, let's see the pics. . .LOL) 

Today, he gave some pointers to a customer in order to make room for more purchases. . .I call it "Truck Loading 101."

The key is to keep everything tightly packed and balanced.  Then, run rope or bungee cords up, around and over so there is no movement in any direction.  

Hmmm. . .might need a bungee on those shorts, too!

Simple, right?  Well, it's certainly not rocket science.  Yet.you'd be amazed at how many times The Junk Man and I watch people leave a sale or auction and lose half their load in the parking lot!

The tips paid off today. . .the customer is safely down the drive. . .WHEW!

Finally. . .a Chalkboard is Born

You've been waiting. . .and waiting. . .and waiting. 

The poor chalkboard project, like so many other items in the workshop of The Junk Man and Chick, stalled a bit longer than intended.  

"Urgent" orders have a way of changing plans around here. 

But. . .finally, a chalkboard is born.

Earlier posts followed the chalkboard on its journey. . .home on the truck, into the workshop, and through cleanup.  Remember what it looked like before?  Here's a reminder. . .

A little paint, some sanding and. . .VOILA! 

Now that you see the finished product, where would you hang it? 

Maybe in the laundry room to create fancy chore lists?  How about the dining room with the day's menu?  Post your suggestions. . .

A Lid for Every Pot, but. . .



Where Might They Be?



Lids, Lids, Lids!





If there is a lid for every pot, we're missing quite a few pots!

In an effort to get The Junk Man just a teensy bit organized, I decided to sort through the overflowing boxes and consolidate like items. 

Not as easy as it sounds!  I found several boxes of lids. . .some quite beautiful. . .but NO pots. 

I kept looking. . .

and I found. . .MORE LIDS!

Still not ONE tureen or dish to match any lid.  Hmmm. . .what to do with these while I look for the matching pieces?

My answer of late for The Junk Man's collections is to hang them in the bathroom (see PBNitis post), so that's what I did.  I figure it can't hurt and at least I know where they are if their pot shows up (pun intended).

But, I'm running out of bathrooms!  So if anyone has a creative use for decorative lids, let's hear it.  I have a few more boxes.  LOL.

The Birth of a Chalkboard

Remember the item on the back of the truck from yesterday's post?  Here's a closer look.

Even straight off the truck this piece looks great but I really can't wait to see it as a chalkboard!  Just look at the details. . .there's even a tiny shelf for display at the top. 

First, we'll clean and lightly sand the whole piece.  Then, we'll glue the center medalion back into position.A few coats of Don's custom paint followed by chalkboard paint in the middle section and it's ready for sanding.  It's amazing how the details really pop with light distress sanding.

See the final results in a day or two. . .

Hey Dude. . .Where's My Truck?

Yes, I assure you there really IS a truck under that load.   The Junk Man and I went on a three day-buying spree and we had FUN.

We bought so much on Thursday we had to pick up the rest (load two) on Friday morning.  Then, we hit another auction Friday night and purchased load number three from there. 

Today we really went wild. . .we each went to different auctions.  (Yep, we are officially CRAZY!) 

The Junk Man scored the above in load number four. 

See that really cool piece on the back?  We're not sure if it was part of a cupboard or maybe a bed.  But. . .it's going to become a killer chalk board for July's DC Big Flea.

We'll be hauling my goodies tomorrow. . .in loads five and six.  Whew!

Gearing Up for DC Big Flea

I can't believe the next DC Big Flea is four weeks away!  Where did the summer go?  At lease The Junk Man is ready.  He already has a pile of smalls finished.  Among the favorites are shutter shelves, frames, shutter mirrors, candlesticks, and of course. . .hook boards.

There's also a few new chalk boards and a "memo" chair in the works.  Hopefully I can share those soon!

One Thing The Junk Man Can't Get at Auction. . .

What's one thing The Junk Man can't get at auction?

Kittens! 

(Although he claims to have picked up a dog and several women. . .LOL)

After a LONG night, two tiny kittens and one gigantic one made it.  YEAH!   

We've named them Skunk (guess which), Tick (the runt. . .still worried about this one),  and Labrador (could have sworn we were birthing a puppy!) 

Just one. . .er three. . .more things to add to the chaos  for Junk Man & Chick.

Happy Belated Father's Day

Hope all the Dads out there had a great Father's Day! 

I found this mug while going through box lots this weekend.  

I know the men in my family would love it but I couldn't decide who should have it.  So, rather than pick someone and create a nasty fight, I'm sharing here instead.  Enjoy!

Hair of the Dog

Guess what The Junk Man came home with tonight? 

You got it. . .MORE PBN! 

I guess The Junk Man's thinks Hair of the Dog will cure me.  HA!  Is he wrong!  I simply added the three new additions to the bathroom wall. 

There's room for about three more pics. . .shall I dare him?

Is There a Cure for PBN-itis?

I don't know quite how it happened. . .but I have a severe case of PBNitis.  For those of you not familiar, PBN stands for Paint by Number. 

I know, I know. . .I'm supposed to be SELLING The Junk Man's Stuff, not collecting it.  But instead of listing these pics on eBay or Etsy, I hung them up. . .all over the bathroom wall! 

I'm sure I'll get around to listing them. . .one of these days.  But for now, I love that the big, ugly bathroom wall has a dash of panache!

I wasn't a completely naughty Chick. . .I did list two pics that weren't framed on eBay :)

Just Another Maryland Monday

The week didn't start out as planned. . .

but then it rarely does.  A customer called and needed some "good junk quick."  No problem.  Junk Man to the rescue.

So, The Junk Man and I hit the road for Maryland.  I think the whole town knew when we arrived as the old truck was packed to inspiring heights.  Our customer watched with a giggle as the towering load squeezed under a railroad bridge and maneuvered the narrow streets to her door.  "I wish I had a video of that," she said.  (Hmm. . .maybe we should work on that!)

Another happy customer and a mini vaca for The Junk Man & Chick. . .all good.

No, The Junk Man did not bring a cow home from auction. . .although we could probably use one to mow the grass!  In fact, he abstained from auctions for the whole weekend (trust me. . .that's a record) to organize. . .and re-organize the overflowing piles of stuff.  Now he has "auction fever" so I should have some good finds to share this week.

Funky Friday: At the Seashore???

As promised. . .it's Funky Friday!  There was NO QUESTION what was the "funkiest" of all the loot on The Junk Man's truck last night. I rolled my eyes (not the first time) when I saw these three Shell Chicks. 

But then I looked a little closer. . .what's that? 

OMG. . .it's Shell Poodles.  Now that's a new one!  And I admit. . .I had to laugh. . .a lot. 

If you know someone who would love this trio. . .or who needs a laugh, they are available on Etsy.

Another Thursday, Another Auction

Can it be Thurday. . .AGAIN?  The junk from last Thursday's auction is still sitting in a pile. . .untouched.  So much for washing, sorting and tagging every item as soon as it's purchased!  You'd think with such an overabundance of stuff the Junk Man would stay home or at least practice a little buying restraint.  Wrong.  He managed to pile the old truck up to the rack yet again.  True, there's some good stuff.  But there's some really whacky stuff too.  And this Chick has to find a home for ALL of it.  Sooo. . .stay tuned tomorrow for "Funky Friday."

Etsy. . .Page 2

Whew!  Finally. . .the first post in "A Junk Man's Chick."  This Chick's been busy finding new outlets for Don's junk.  I've tackled eBay, started Facebook, and am now ready for the second page (25th item) in the Etsy Shop.  Not bad for a few week's work!  Now I can have some fun telling you about my adventures as "A Junk Man's Chick."  So, fasten your seatbelts. . .