Upcycled Junk LOVE Project

LOVE is a process.  It doesn't all come together immediately.  It takes time and contemplation.  It takes effort.  It takes trial and error.  It's not something you can just walk into Hobby Lobby and buy.  I'm talking about both the emotion and this sign.

About two years ago I acquired the LO.  Dead end.  I didn't like how the L and O looked all matchy-matchy.

Then someone gave me a funky fork thing last Saturday that kind of looked like an E.
Time to try LOVE again.

What are the odds of me finding an easy "V"?  It was on top of my rusty adornments decorating pile.  Mix them all together and let them marinade for awhile.  I still don't like how the L and O look together. 

On Tuesday I was putting items in my vintage booth when I saw this flat ROUND gear.  Not too heavy, not too big.  A nice O.

LOVE was coming together.  How to attach them?  LOVE must feel a sense of permanence, of security. I went to my neighborhood HardWare Store.  Mr. Ware (I kid you not) watched my charade describing what I needed.  He suggested these conduit something-or-others.  Perfectly imperfect, such is LOVE.

I realized LOVE is a weighty matter, not to be taken lightly.  So I outfitted it with sturdy hangers.  This LOVE should last a lifetime.  LOVE ultimately is worth all the effort you have to put into it.

Meant For Mint Planter

Did you ever have one of those projects that just seemed to materialize before your eyes with no prior planning?  One that kinda choose you?

I was at Michael's for a different projects when I saw these textured metal letters on sale for 44 cents each.  Problem was...there were only Ns & Ts.  My brain worked quickly to figure if I cut an N through the center and flipped one side it could be a letter M. M,N,T.  Mint.  Cute on a planter. (These days my thought process is either "Cute on a planter" or "Cute as a planter").  Ok, throw them in the cart and worry about it another day.

Fast forward to later the SAME day...I am zipping in to the Rusty Chandelier and a friend wanted me to look at something in her outdoor booth.  While visiting her booth I saw that she was selling...Mint plants.  I kid you not.  I bought a couple and decided I would worry about it another day.

A couple days later when I took the letters out of the sack, I realized they were bigger than I could use on most of the containers that I plant in.  But I had a leftover roasting pan from my Fairy Garden Workshop.  One with nice squarish sides.  I attached the letters (and junk) with nuts and bolts.  Perfect. 

I planted the mint with a border of lovely blue lobelia.  Step back.  Nice.  I love it when an unplanned plan comes together.

Junk Lettered "JOY TO THE WORLD" Sled

The first junk lettered sled "LOVE" (pictured in my sled hoarding post) sold in my booth.  So time to ramp up my junk lettering to an entire phrase.

Just "JOY" was too easy.

 

You have to use the creative side of your brain to see the "WORLD".

 

I wanted everything metal (preferably rusty) and it had to be junk I already had.  Bonus: I had joy creating it.

Confessions Of A Sled Hoarder

I didn't know I was one.  You wouldn't identify me as one if you saw me on the street. I hid my habit in the garden shed.  My friends have no idea.  I had no idea.  Time to drag out all of the sleds I purchased for resale this year.  Yikes.
Eight... no, actually nine of them.  I AM a sled hoarder.

You can tell I like the small ones, probably single person sleds.  And as always, I didn't pay much for any of them. 

This knock-out red one was $10,

and the rest were less than that.

They represent the delights of childhood, runny red noses, speed, winter, a blast from the past.  No wonder people love them for Christmas décor. 

This stenciled sled I did last year.  I really like to use stencils on sleds, because so many of the antique ones originally had cool stencils. 

I think most of mine that I embellish this year will have this kind of a vibe.

It was time to do a junk-themed sled.  This one I actually did a couple of weeks ago.  It is the one that brings the count up to nine.