Found Object Art

This is a very common sight around the workshop of The Brambleberry Cottage—

both inside and out.

Though I attempt to keep some semblance of order—organizing our multitudes of

baskets and bins of rusty metal, chippy-paint boards, balusters and spindles, and other

assorted salvage—it does have a tendency to get out of hand

at times...especially when we are in the midst of several

projects, as is currently the case.

And the clutter begins to mount even higher when a project or two gets

stalled because some key component

seems to be missing. 

That's exactly what happened with the variety of junk you see in the first image...

that is, until we found the old, beat-up tin full of

 vintage porcelain insulators.

Once the insulators were in our possession, the creative mind of the Yankee

started whirling, and a certain prized piece of wood

 of mine became a key to one of his latest designs. 

I had found this wonderful old porch post at the flea market last year

and had stored it away in the barn for a future project.  Its layers of paint had

begun to crackle and chip away, revealing the most fantastic

weathered patina.

I was rather reluctant to relinquish my hold on this treasure...

until the Yankee convinced me that his

project was worthy of its use.

  

As soon as I consented to letting him have my pretty wood post, he went to work

welding together several salvaged parts from antique

 cast iron wood stoves.

A good scrub with a wire brush—to eliminate the loose flakes of rust—and a

few coats of our favorite spray sealant gave the rusty components

a nice rich patina.

While the Yankee was constructing his creations, I searched through a number of

bins in the barn to scout out the perfect pieces

of metal for the bases.

They had to be just the right dimensions and thickness to compliment

 the Yankee's pieces.

And this is what I came up with.  Aren't they "grate"?!   ; )

So my vintage porch post, coupled with a few rusty grater parts, some

old insulators, an old gear or two, and several antique stove parts

 became...

"found object" art.

As hard as it was to give up, I think the Yankee put my

wood post to good use!   ; )

Joining:

 SJ's Creative Bloggers' Party & Hop, Susan's Metamorphosis Monday,

Carrie's Amaze Me Monday, Just Something I Whipped Up,

Nita's Mod Mix Monday, Linda's Nifty Thrifty Tuesday,

Kristin's Tuesday's Treasures, Tammy's Anything Goes,

Mary's Share the Love Wednesday, Suzanne's Vintage Thingie Thursday,

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, Meg's Everything But the Kitchen Sink

Angie's Knick of Time Tuesday

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.

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.