Dish Rack Repurpose

Photo from Etsy WTF
I received a great deal of response from my retro orange dish rack post from a couple of days ago. One commenter even asked what she should do with her old dish drainer, and for a second I dreamed of having a "Dear Candy" column in a magazine nor newspaper for those seeking junking advice. ;)

It read:
I need your help, I'm asking because you are a genius and will know the answer. I have an old rack sorta like yours, but really old and rusty. (I love it!) How can I decorate with it? Everywhere I put it, it doesn't look quite right. It just kind of looks like a dish rack misplaced. Show me some ideas...please! :)
-Jill with Barnes Yard

And I said:
Jill, you have a a wonderful blog filled with family, junking and funny quips throughout. I am sure you're quite busy and can appreciate organization. Why not make your rusty dish rack a functional piece and not just decor?

First, spray your rusty piece with a few coats of clear polyurethene. That way it keeps all rust intact so it doesn't leave marks on everything you place inside. My first thought for you was to use it as an organizer on a desk or work space like the photo above. Add file folders, little tea cups as containers to hold paper clips, pens and rubber bands.

Or what about an herb garden?
Photo from Inhabitant
Add cute little potted herbs using vintage forks pushed in the dirt as sign posts telling what herb it is. You could also pot the herbs in teacups, but make sure you have proper drainage.

These are just a couple of ideas I had off the top of my head. I have a busy day ahead of me so I must run! Thanks for the question, Jill, and I hope everyone has a great weekend!

As always, take care and keep on junking!

Friday. My Day.

Filling up my vendor space in Aurora with more inventory this morning. Details of my grand opening to follow...

As always, take care and keep on junking!

Orange You Glad It's Thriftday?

I had a so much fun thrifting while my little ones were in school yesterday. It was like a marathon! Come to think of it, I probably covered 26.2 thrift stores during the morning so does that qualify me as completing a marathon? All that excruciating training may have finally paid off!

Here are a couple of my finds...

Isn't this vintage orange dish drainer fabu? I remember having one just like it when I was a kid in the 70s. Or was ours yellow...or maybe it was tan. Brown maybe?

And then I came across these vintage restaurantware coffee mugs. Made by USA...but made for me. I have slowly collected restaurantware as I find inexpensive pieces. The mugs were in perfect condition, were a full set of six and the price was right on! All reasons deserving of a purchase.


What kind of finds would you like to share for Thriftday? Leave a comment below so we can all visit your blog to see!

Knock. Knock.
Who's there?
Thriftyday.
Thriftday who?

Knock. Knock.
Who's there?
Thriftday.
Thriftday who?

Knock. Knock.
Who's there?
Orange.
Orange who?
Orange you glad I didn't say Thriftday?

As always, take care and keep on junking!

Vintage Stamp Carousel Bouquet

Oh my goodness. My good friend and online junking pal, Kathy Stantz of Sylvia's Vintage Daughter, presented me with a fabulous vintage stamp carousel when we met this past August. It even came with an AIR MAIL stamp hanging from it. Why I was so touched by this gift is the fact she somehow remembered seeing an old post that I had written on JUNKMARKET Style telling anyone who would listen that I wished I had one. (I was actually replying on someone else's great post...my intentions weren't to sound too desperate though.)

Needless to say I was thrilled with my gift and realized that my first impression of Kathy online matched the Kathy that sat next to me. She is one of the most thoughtful people I know and I appreciate her as a friend. So what did I do with it?...


I added glass cigar tubes and a small bouquet of lighted-sprayed Queen Anne's Lace. I love it!






I highly recommend you stop by Kathy's blog if you love vintage style and finds. She is one of the best! Kathy (AKA Shabbychick) is also a contributor on JUNKMARKET Style and you can see her postings here. What a sweetie!

As always, take care and keep on junking!