Gone Junkin'

Tawnya and I--plus our other halves--were back home earlier this weekend and she mentioned seeing old window frames at the grandparents' Yellow House several years ago. Tawnya explained that she wants a decorative one but that they're going for several hundred dollars a piece in the Lawrence/KC area. Since we had some extra time, we all piled up (6 adults + 1 dog in the little Ford truck) and went over to the house so she could pick one out.

Well, it turned into a junkin' expedition! Before we even got into the house, Tawnya & Adam picked up the old red aluminum chair that had been left behind on the patio...then we went down to the basement and the fun really began.

I found an old Art Deco chair (with original paint!) that was purchased by either my grandparents OR my great-grandparents at a furniture store in Linn, KS--it still had the original information on the bottom of the seat! Next, I found a cool metal basket for Mitzy's toys--turns out, it's just a basket from an old deep freeze but I love it :-) Then I found a window pane that had the original stickers on it...we asked Dad why they had brand new windows that were never installed and he didn't have a clue! I'm not much for the country look, so I'm hoping to modernize it somehow...maybe mirrors in the panes rather than glass??? I also picked up Grandpa's old coat & umbrella stand--it needs a little love but it has so many great memories associated with it that I couldn't let it go.

And my most exciting find from the Yellow House--an old vintage desk fan colored in the retro turquoise! I've always LOVED the old style but reproduction ones cost an arm & a leg...Granted I don't trust the electrical components and we'll never actually use it but it will be a great decorative accent.

Finally, we loaded up our stuff & went back to Mom & Dad's...where Justin and I loaded up 2 of their aluminum chairs! I remember hating them as a child because everyone else had "normal" lawn chairs and our stuff was "different"--with an updated paint job, the chairs will look new again and we didn't have to pay $100+ per chair from Crate & Barrel!

Eventually we got back to Manhattan and unloaded our stuff...just in time for me to find a snowman sticking out of our neighbor's trash can! They just moved so I figured it was free for the taking. As I got closer, I realized it was the kind you stick in your landscaping and even better--it was decked out in K-State ribbon! How perfect for our household!!!