I'll start...I joined the forum 5 years ago but lurked for the longest time. I have developed many close friendships through this forum...sweet, sweet people. I love wood and glass in my gardens...and BEARS! My WONDERFUL, creative wife Carol and I live in the country with our children. I have gotten GREAT ideas from all of my GardenWeb, Junkin' friends!

If you haven't discovered the Conversations side of the forum, check out the link below. This is where we share our lives, struggles, prayer requests, joys...

Bear Hugs! Kirk

Hi Everyone!

I am Micki, I have been posting for about a year and a half I think. I lurked for a little while before I joined. I have made a few good friendhsips here too...Where are you Sandy? I am a stained glass artist and love to see it in my garden along with all of the garden junk we make here. I can't wait for spring so that all my totems can get back out there. They keep getting knocked over and broken in the shed. I have done so many repairs this winter!

I'm Donna and I have been a member of GJ for many years. Don't get to do as much as I would like but am always checking in. You new members will find that this forum has the nicest, warmest and most helpful people in the world, as well as the most creative! Looking forward to more years meeting great people and making more friends.

Donna in Florida

I have a one year old daughter, who is my miracle baby. The doctors said we'd never have kids, so it was a big shock to us to get pregnant after nine years of marriage--- I can't wait for spring so I can get outside with her and play in the dirt. :D
I need to find the regulations for my city on tree houses. I have the perfect tree in my backyard, and I think she NEEDS a treehouse. I plan to get the lumber for free off of other networking sites, and do the work myself. Wish me luck! I'll post pictures if I ever get started. ;)

I'd like to personally welcome all of our newcomers and tell each of you that we look forward to seeing ALL of your creations! We love pictures and really get excited to see new things!

So.....everyone think SPRING, so we can all get outdoors and create more STUFF!!

PS you are all really sweet people

I am almost ready for the Red Hat Society. I'll be 50 in March. I will be getting married on Valentine's Day for the first time in my life to Bob, a wonderful fellow junker. lol I don't have any children of my own. I live in West Allis which is a suburb of Milwaukee, WI. I have been a member here since 2007. I love going to thrift stores, antique shops, junkyards, rummage sales, flea markets ... well you get the picture! My nickname is Spanish for Happy Full Moon. Being a fuller figure lady, I think it aptly describes me. I also suffer from Fibromyalgia and have to limit my physical abilities or pay the price later.

Welcome to all the newbies who will undoubtedly find a lot of inspiration and friendship here!

I am a newbie... lurked here for a month or so and joined in the late summer. I spent literally hours and hours sifting through every post ever made on this forum, lol....

My name is Naomi, I will be 50 this year, but please do not remind me of that at a later date :)....I have 4 sons ; 28, 23, 17 and 15... two of which are still at home... one grandson and as of last March , I have a step son who is 24.

I have always loved to garden and have had a taste for whimsy but living in Suburbia most of my life, tried to keep it on the tasteful side (in the neighbors opinions). After a few hard years; losing both my parents in a three year span, battling my way back from a terminal illness in between and losing my husband of 20 years to an industrial accident one year after losing my mother.......I married a wonderful man last March.... we bought a home in the country because I just could not stand to live next to 'people' any longer....I needed to feel free to be me and not have to answer questions, discuss how I was or have anyone else judging my home, yard, or life .... I also gave up my job (was a nurse) when I lost my husband to be home with my kids and that too has been a God send.... it has given me the time and space to explore things that , before, I could only dream of and admire in someone elses' life....

We bought a home on ten acres here in King William County VA... we have a 4 acre pasture with a pole barn full of babies... a horse, a cow, a llama, 6 pot bellied pigs, 4 goats, 4 sheep (one is one month old), 6 turkeys, 80 chickens , 23 ducks, a pair of peafowl, 10 pheasant and a pair of emu.... we have had a blast building coops, digging man made wading ponds, and all the things that go with trying to have what everyone needs to feel at home here...we also have 5 dogs, 7 cats, 3 chinchilla, love birds, finches, doves, and button quail indoors...

Last year I had a great veggie garden at the bottom 1/4 acre of the front acreage and will try again this year...only this year I plan to expand and use another 1/4 to raise some feed rations for the livestock... cow peas, milo, barley etc.... just because I can !! lmao.... we have planted some young fruit trees and berries... have two gorgeous strawberry beds and hope that those things will continue to prosper....

This year I have decided to start an ongoing project where I plan to turn our backyard area which is about a half acre into a no grass zone, lol... paths and planting beds, seating areas and of course GJ !! I have seen so many creative things here and I hope to copy them to some extent to add to this new area as it is born...

We are also doing some room by room remodeling inside so I have tried to focus on that this winter to avoid a nervous breakdown as I wait for SPring....

I have started some winter sowing, thanks to GW... and I have a small supply of glassware and bowling balls waiting for Spring.... with every thing else going on, I have a hard time finding the time to go junking and acquire the things I want to but in time, I will figure that into the schedule too, lol....

DH loves all my ideas and will help with any of it but he is not a seasoned junker YET!! He has some long days with the commute to and from work... usually gone from home for 11 hours a day.... and when he is here , he likes to build things for the livestock and tinker in some handy man stuff....but I will convert him, I assure you.

I can not tell you what finding this site has done for me.... I am an insomniac so I spend sleepless nights right here sifting the forums... GJ, seed collecting, winter sowing, trash to treasure, crafts... anything to keep me off the streets, lol.....

Thanks to all of you who have made me feel welcome and to all of you who share your wonderfully inspiring ideas with those of us less creative.... there WILL be a garden lady 'scarecrow' in my garden this year and if I have to do it at midnight , I will have my first totem in the flower garden too..... thanks again and keep those ideas coming....

I enjoy splitting and potting my perenniels every spring and have made a lot of money selling them at market ($1 per pot, people just can't pass up a $1 bargain). It helps to pay for my obsession of bigger planting beds and mulch. I pot up about 500 every spring. It keeps my beds under control and is a fun hobby. Other hobbies include scrapbooking, photography and "curb" shopping. Life doesn't get much better!
Arlene

I have been a junker for years, I recycle everything and anything I think will work. Hubby has finally learned not to throw anything away with out asking me first if I can use it. In fact he now has a *good* eye for repurposing. I have a garden shed full of junk and a storm shelter full of glass and a stack of wooden windows behind the Garden Shed. Can't wait for warmer weather so I can get back to creating.

Like others here I borrow ideas from my fellow junkers. I have a *special* folder that I store all the great ideas in.

I do stained glass, make jewerly, mosiacs, scroll sawing and woodburning, gardening and lots of garden junk. We have over 4 acres land and neighbors are well spaced out and don't care what you have in your yard. Gotta love em!

Kirk got one of my *original* junk birdhouses and I have the other two out in my yard.

DH aka moosehead does woodworking and loves to do birdhouses. He makes them and I take them and decorate them. His birdhouses are to spec. and several have been used by our feathered friends, especially the bluebirds.

We have two adult daughters (my step daughters) both are married and we have a wonderful grandson who will be 1 year old end of May.

I am originally from Michigan and DH was born in Conn., but has lived in a lot of differents states, ending up in Florida when he decommisioned from the Navy. His sister introduced us and the rest is history!!

I love the swaps we do here and dearly love to share my treasures with whoever may need a certain item or color. Just ask.

We also have a small chicken business. We have 30 plus chickens and will be getting about 10 or 20 baby chicks this spring. People are crazy about brown egg (?) so I have only chickens who lay brown eggs. Can't beat farm fresh eggs.

Ok enough about me.

Luna my dear I am thrilled for you. I got engaged on Valentines day, what fun! Pictures please!

A great big welcome to all our newbies and please feel free to ask questions. We all love to share.

I live in Kilgore TX which is between Dallas TX and Shreveport LA.

Shame on me. I do not own a camera.

My DH & I are now both retired & live on the same acreage where we raised our children here in NW Iowa. Love gardening! Love anything "rustic" ... especially using old wood, metal, pottery...love feeding the birds (my DH takes care of that)...we make birdhouses, feeders, & lots of stuff out of recycled barn wood.

Love flower gardens & prairie & pine trees. I have a secret garden out in my pine trees with a log swing where I meditate and feel close to God...I call it my church. And I am continually adding, moving & creating new gardens...love being outdoors!

Another passion of mine is photography which goes hand-in-hand with gardening for me! DH & I have been doing local Farmer's Market Sat. morn. from May - Oct..good weather days only! We enjoy it so much!

As others above have said, I too love this forum! Jeanne S.

I love junk in the garden, particlarly metal and glass.

PS Becky, every kid needs a treehouse! Best of luck building one for your new little one, and congrats!

I've been here off & on for at least a couple of years now. I have found some of the coolest ideas on here, so I never see myself staying away for long! LOL!! I have made one bowling ball that's in the gallery with the blue & green swirls & the red bed bench that holds potted plants. I've also dabbled in the glass totems a little too. I keep hoping to make the glass plate flowers - they're all so amazing on here!! My DH & I are both junkers in one way or another. He just likes to keep stuff around in case he needs it, but I like repurposing it into something decorative & useful & that's why I keep coming back here for more inspiration & I'm NEVER disappointed! Sometimes there's so much, it's overwhelming!!! That's OK, I'll live with it... ;~)

I haven't been around much since last fall as we live in the north-west part of Canada and winters are usually cold so I try not to think tooo much about my garden or I become really antsy for spring. Winter is my time to focus on the interior of our home. This winter has been milder than usual so the snow is melting quickly and now I want it to *happen*. LOL Patience is not one of my virtues.

I love yard saling, garden junk, and looking at (and copying) creations I see here. Yard sales only happen here from about April to September. We don't have very good thrift stores so right now I am really "needing" some shopping for "pre-owned" treasures. Going to the big city soon and hope to discover something wonderful in the thrifts there.

I made glass garden totems even before finding this forum and made about 2 dozen in the first 2 years, sold them all, took a break, and have since made about another 2 dozen but haven't sold them yet. They are all waiting to be put out in my garden when the weather becomes warmer. I also made a bunch of glass garden flowers last year but haven't put them on stems yet. DH got several long pieces of used copper pipe at a YS last fall and will cut it and clean it for my flower stems. We've made hypertufa pots and concrete rhubarb leaf stepping stones and would like to do that again - lots of fun and I need more stepping stones for my new garden.

Last year DH built me a little garden house which I've wanted for decades. It's not quite finished, needs a floor, porch, more trim, and *embellishing* which is the fun part for me. We also enlarged our house yard last year so have a lot of work to do when the weather warms up.

I'm looking forward to catching up with posts and getting more great ideas for things to create! Thanks to all who post their wonderful creations!

I'll post the link to my garden site.

I live in Pensacola, Fl. I'm a realtor, but market has been so slow I've gotten to "play" a lot. I am married with 3 grown children and 6 grandsons, just had our first grandaughter, born August 25, 2009. Right now I keep her, but will quit doing so in March or April. I plan to go back to work in real estate and hope market will pick up.

I am 55 (double nickle). I am a 4 year breast cancer survivor and now get real active in the Breast Cancer walk. My company has a team and last year (our 2nd yr.) we raised $2,500. I started the team and am the captain.

I guess that does it and thanks for all the ideas!

long story short...if you love it, plant it before the county gets ahold of you....
if it's a bed frame, get dirt in it, with vines.
if it's a typewriter..get ivy into that platen...
if it's tire rims or a broken transmission block..
get something planted in it....
then, it's neighbors, be dammed.
let them complain..you have rights.

I could type volumes about the process of complaints and fighting it.
some is worth it..some isn't.

I simply decided to go to the land surveyer's office and have the precise boundaries marked..get a permit for a fence taller than the usual 8 feet and make myself a fortress.
we can't have exotic animals, so alligators are out of the question but I'm giving some thought to making a running pen, along the entire fence lines and trapping possums...
then, when neighbors snoop around, they can have the thrill of their life, when that wicked little bugger hisses at them..serve them right! dam peeping toms...

so, gather it, decorate it, hang it, string lights on it and enjoy the heck out of your garden junk.

I share the same philosophy with you all. I see splendor in useless things and I see beauty in re-cycling and to give new spirit to the castaways.

I see lots of the so-called art in musiums are junk.
I see lot's of your so-called junk are art.

You may remember some of my work I have posted here; I also post a lot in the Cooking Forum. I use food as my canvas. I invite you to visit there and do a search of "dcarch" and explore the creative aspects of food play with me.

This recent post of mine may be of interest to you which I made use of a few throw away items:

http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/cooking/msg0217471011545.html?1

Keep up the good work.

dcarch

I'm Melody, picked up my id mostly from the little sculptures I used to do. DH and I have been married 24 years, and we have three grown daughters and three, soon to be four, grandchildren. At 21, our youngest is still at home, a student at the local state college, and she's the herd manager for our dairy goats. In addition to the dogs (currently 4 adults and 8 puppies), we also raise several heritage breeds of chickens, a couple of rescue horses and a very well loved Shetland Pony.

I enjoy "doing" stuff (bottle trees, totems, yard signs) and generally fooling around in the yard. We live on a farm about a half mile from the nearest neighbor, so no issues with people complaining about my "treasures". (although after we put up the bottle tree they do tend to drive by the house slowly just to see if there's anything new.)

My latest project will involve a six foot mannequin that DH gave me for our anniversary. I haven't decided if I'm going to display her intact or dismantled (There's something to be said for a pair of legs sticking up out of the bushes, not to mention all the fun I can have with her arms), but in all likelihood, I'll end up painting her green.

My grown daughter has just returned to college getting a degree in Holistic Nutrition, so is VERY interested in planting multi-season veggie gardens, all organic, so I have a partner in crime to "play" with in my gardening efforts.

I'm busy collecting anything and everything I can get to plant in! At the dump today, I talked a guy out of tossing a Weber BBQ grill into the pile and give it to me...I'm thinking I'll plant some red hot poker plants in it along with perhaps some red lettuce blends...red to represent fire! Then, this evening a lady was advertising an old rickety wheelbarrow on Freecycle and when I went to pick it up, she also gave me a cedar planter box and a shovel with a broken handle. I'm VERY anxious to start planting in it all.

I have 2 grown children, a hubby of 41 years, 3 grandkids and a lot of creative "junk" in my gardens! I LOVE this forum and all the wonderful people and terrific ideas!

I have all my garden seeds ordered, and am ready to try winter sowing for the first time, thanx to GW's info. I'd love to hear ideas from other Oregonians about what they grow, where they find plants and, most important, where they find blue bottles!

I'm 63 years old, one grown daughter who lives and works in Houston, and my husband is a tow boat pilot, so gone most of the time.

I collect lots of stuff...easier to list what I don't collect than what I do. I don't collect dolls or quilts. I have lots of everything else...including 4 out buildings full. One of them, my husband calls the Rust Palace. He says I don't like anything that doesn't rust or paint won't peel off of. Here is a little glimpse inside the door...but you really can't see much.

Hello, I'm Erin and I live in NW Florida. I started following this forum at least five years ago after my husband and I bought our house. I have always liked taking old things and making them mine, which is one of the reasons I've liked you guys so much. Although I just turned thirty, when i was a teenager and also in my twenties, I still loved to make things "my own." Which to ALL my friends that was a weird thing. They wanted everything new and bright and shiny and clean lines....I wanted rust and aging and curves and bright bold lines. So, even though I've never posted I always followed all your things because I felt on this level we were more kin than my friends.

I have a couple acres on a lake, to which I am slowly landscaping and adding my junk in of course.:) My deck and flower bed to the right of my deck are a sea/nautical theme. Everything in that bed blooms blue or purplish. My rose bed area is pink or Victorian themed and my front flower bed is anything bright...bright pinks, yellows, oranges, greens...

I will not lie, I have swiped quite a few of your ideas, my husband threatens to ban me from reading this forum because I always leave with a new project to start!(i imagine you all know the feeling)

As far as home stuff, I have a husband and a six month old little boy. I had no idea kids were so awesome! I also have a cat named little bit.

You are all so inspiring and fun. I enjoy seeing your projects.

Shirley

I am 46 and have been married to my wonderful DH for almost 23 years. We live in a Civil War town which is mostly Antebellum homes, our's is an 1890's Queen Anne Victorian. We love old homes, I actually love anything old...LOL The only down side to old homes is old LARGE trees, so most of my yard is shaded. I have always enjoyed being outside even when I was little. My mom and grandmother have always gardened, so I guess it's in my blood.

I am a stay at home mom of 3 children (ages 21, 19 and 14) the oldest 2 have moved out on their own. I also have a 2 yeard old granddaughter.

I left my corporate job back in 1996 when my youngest DD was born, I wanted to be able to spend more time with the kids. I started restoring vintage dolls and selling on eBay to make extra income. In the last couple of years I have taught myself how to decorate cakes as well.

My mom and I yard sale almost every weekend, she loves it as much or more than I do. We actually have withdrawals during the winter months...LOL

I am so glad to have found this forum, I just love it here!!!

I was fortunate to meet nonacook a few years ago when she and her husband Bill were spending the summer in Indiana. She's one of the sweetest people you could ever meet.

I love to refinish or repurpose old furniture pieces, make wooden childrens toys, putter in my greenhouse, and create beauty in the gardens around our home. I also paint, quilt, read and sew a little bit. I'm still working full time for the federal government, although I retired from the Navy reserve in 2006, so I have a lot more free time now. We also take care of our 3 yo DGS full time for DD3# who is in the Army stationed at Ft. Bliss.

I stopped posting here for a couple years when I got sick in late '07, but I have been cancer free now for 30 months, and feel great. I'm a shameless curb shopper, not afraid to haggle at garage sales or thrift stores and have even been known to ask someone if they wanted to sell something to me that was sitting in their yard. Sometimes they say YES!

I found the junk forum after googling roses and getting the GW site. I still love roses and have over 80 of them, but junk is the stuff that speaks to my heart. I have a collection of nautical junk in my office, including scrimshaw, carved nuts called tagua, an artificial "beach" in a bottle composed of Pensacola sand and seashells from all over the world, and various and sundry analysts tools that I used back in my younger days in the Navy. I have film canisters, loups, patches, 10-point dividers, a complete Leroy lettering set with ink and nibs, stereoscopes, rubber stamps, locks, compasses, aerial sliderules, and of course my command coin collection. I even have a Navy Barbie and a Navy GI Joe. On one wall I have all my 'I Love Me' plaques and certificates, on the other walls I have framed pages taken from old magazines that advertised the military services. I have pictures of all three of my daughters in their uniforms and one of my father when he first joined the Army Air Corps in 1940.

At home you could only describe my decor as 'eclectic' because I have a mish-mosh of new, nearly new, not so new, kinda old, downright ratty, and genuine antiques. I collect vintage tablecloths from the 30's, 40's and 50's, rusty metal things I like, pretty glass things for no particular reason at all, and somehow I have accumulated 9 sets of dishes, most of them vintage.

The Garden Junk forum is the most lively, interactive and interesting of all the forums on the GW. I never fail to come away from it without that unbearable urge to go to the thrift store! Cheryl

I am Rusty.
In more ways than one.

But no, my hair is not now, nor has it ever been, any shade of red.

I've been mostly lurking on this forum for a number of years now.
I have posted very seldom, and only very briefly.

I've been "collecting" for totems, plate flowers, mosaics, you name it, ever since I first discovered this forum.
But I have yet to actually use any of the 'stuff' to make something.
When our Marine Grandson came back here to live and go to college to get his degree, all my 'stuff' was moved from my craft room to the garage, in no particular order.
And now I have no place to 'create'.
I know there are all kinds of dishes, etc, out there, I just can't get to them.
The upside is, when I finally do, it will be like Christmas!
But I'd gladly give up a lot more than just some space to help that grandson!
Grandkids are the light of my life!

Some day. . . . (sigh)

Rusty

Until now, I'd only read a few references you'd made here and there about your lives. You and your family are amazing in your dedication to duty and service.

I recently became unemployed due to General Motors (worked for a company associated with GM) and my husband has moved to MI to continue working for GM. Now I am back and forth between MI and TN since we are not giving up our home here that we plan on retiring at. So this year has been a struggle on knowing which direction to follow. I have extra time on my hands and I find recycling junk very interesting.

I live in southwest TN and love it here. Although the weather has been far too hot to enjoy. I know it has been like this everywhere. So now that the weather is cooling off I should have more time outside to start and finish things I am in the middle of, due to getting involved with junk. :)

I googled glass totems and found this site. My mother n law had made a couple and I fell in love. I have since made some and really got into making plate flowers. I also have copied many of the things posted here and hope to try them all in time.

I plan on selling some garden junk items at the yearly OctoberFest in my local area next month. Just getting started and not really wanting to get rid of anything I have made yet. So not sure what all I will be selling.

My birthday is coming up soon and I will be 57. Too young to retire and too old to look for another job. I want to be able to travel back and forth to MI to see my hubby so I need something flexible. So I am thinking of getting into re-purposing junk.

Hubby will be home for the weekend and I might go to MI next week. I haven't been able to show him the mess I made of the barn with all of our junk we had and the stuff I have been buying at TS,GW and antique places. I have an area to work once it isn't 100 degrees and love it. I would love to go see Shabby Joes display at an art fair in Marshall, MI not far from my hubby.

Well, this is it for me. I am excited and have things to finish before DH gets home late tonight. Thank you all for the ideas here and the support you give each other. Suzq

My name is Marylee and I live in Ohio and I am 74 years old. I have two grown sons, two grown daughters, four grown grandchildren and one great grandson.

I have loved doing crafty things for years. I do a little of a lot of things..Painting, crocheting, knitting, embroidery, cross stitch, macrame (when it was the thing). I plant a lot of flowers, mostly perennials and I am ready for spring. I also do a lot of work on my house..painting, papering, crown molding, flooring, etc. I want to learn to quilt. I have decorated two bowling balls for my yard and want to do another as a lady bug (I think they are so cute) I want to make some totems, too.

Puggranny, I want to wish you good luck with your knee surgery. I had knee replacement last May and got along just fine. It is wonderful just to be able to walk through my house or through a store without hurting.

I will close now. Thank you for listening. Marylee

Welcome! Welcome!