Moss Balls Are My Jam

I recently started incorporating greenery (faux of course because I kill everything) into our home. From wreaths to succulents and now moss balls. Let me be honest, moss balls can be expensive! And of course I wanted the big ones so I knew I was going to have to pay a pretty penny. Or not. My sweet coworker knew I was on the search for the perfect, medium to large size, cost effective moss balls so when she came across a bag for $7.99 at TJMaxx she asked me if I wanted them. Um, of course!!

Now I"m placing them just about everywhere. : )

Tell us where you find your favorite faux greenery!

Best,

Heather

Sparks Flea Market | Junkin Finds

It’s one of my favorite times of year, the spring Sparks Flea Market event! Sparks Flea Market is one of the biggest and best flea markets in our area located in Sparks, Kansas.  With about 450 vendors and 500 booths the finds are endless!

It is a Junkers paradise. Imagine your favorite local flea market and blow it up in size and you have a heaven on earth. Booths range in size, quantity, and type of items. A few years ago I bought an antique buffet for the very low price of only $70 and to this day is one of my favorite pieces of furniture. I stripped it and left the rich colors exposed.

 Industrial pieces are very popular right now and there is an endless amount of corrugated metal letters and cut-outs.

Or maybe vintage car parts is what you’re looking for. You never know what you are going to find but I guarantee you will leave with something fabulous.

You are sure to find a plethora of farm equipment, metal lawn furniture, or maybe a variety of other items!

SWOONING!!

Whatever it is you are looking for, you are sure to find something to take hope with you! We kept on our obvious corrigated metal obsession and picked out an “S” for our last name and a pair of angle wings with pistols.

Rather Be Junkin,

Heather

TYPOGRFX Feature

            I am so thrilled to feature TYPOGRFX on The Rustic Coop! TYPOGRFX is a custom collection of meaningful memories and experiences that can be featured on several different formats. My favorite is the wood & burlap print! Other formats available are metal, wood, canvas, and even blankets!

            Tosha Jackson, the owner of TYPOGRFX, was amazing to work with and incredibly talented.  She has been featured in Country Living Magazine, nominated for the Martha Stewart American Made Awards, and even documented and shared her journey to try out for Shark Tank.

We received our first TYPOGRFX as a Christmas gift in 2013 shortly after we got engaged. Chris and I had been dating for 7 years and were excited to place our favorite memories, wedding date, and words that best described us on display in our home.  It was fun to reminisce memories and use our favorites in our TYPOGRFX. Our custom TYPOGRFX is one of the first things you see when you walk into our home. Now, every time I need a gift for a friend or family member, I order them a gift card to TYPOGRFX for them to create for their home. (Especially those with new little babies!)

            Check out TYPOGRFX today for your own piece of rustic décor and be sure to tell her Heather from The Rustic Coop sent ya!

            http://www.grfxcreative.com/typogrfx/

Rather Be Junkin',

Heather

It's A Gallery Wall Ya'll!

I’ve been working on our home office for a little while now and have finally gotten to wall decor. I’m not sure why, but hanging wall décor has always made me nervous. I’ll be honest, I can be a bit indecisive and putting a hole in my wall makes me a little uneasy. What if I change my mind? Then I put a hole in the wall for no reason. That is probably the reason I’ve taken my time on putting up this gallery wall.

I started collecting items from my junkin’ adventures that would work great with some photos I wanted to hang. I laid out all of the items and started moving them around until I was certain I liked the arrangement.  When I told Chris I was ready to hang I forgot that my junkin’ items weren’t typical wall décor and they didn’t have hooks. Whoops. Hubba hubba to the rescue, we placed hooks on the back and were ready to go!

The drawer, plinth, large metal shelf, and grain belt were all found while junkin’. I received the large frame as a gift and purchased the canvas from Canvas People. (If you haven’t checked out Canvas People yet, you’re missing out!)

I’m so excited with how it turned out and am glad that I didn’t put any unnecessary holes into the wall, either!

Rather Be Junkin'

Heather

Junkin' Tips

Hey Ya’ll!

During my junkin’ adventures I’ve come up with a few tips that make junkin’ easier and safer! Check out the 5 tips below!

Tip #1: Wear tennis shoes or boots. Depending on where you go, especially junkyards, there may be broken glass or metal that could cut your feet.

Tip #2: Take gloves. Some items can be in really bad shape, have sharp edges, or even a nail hanging out, wear gloves to protect your hands just in case.

Tip #3: Bring a camera. There have been times that I haven’t taken pictures of some of my finds. I get home and start thinking about them and wish I would have taken a picture so I could decide if I really want it. Having a photograph can jog your memory and help you decide.

Tip #4: Buy it if you love it. If you see something you really like, buy it. I know this defeats Tip #3, but I’ve been fortunate enough to be able to go back and buy stuff I wasn’t sure of. That isn’t always the case at some places.

Tip #5: Bring a truck. Maybe even a trailer, too. Who knows, you might find a bigger piece than will fit in your car.

Those are my tips! Let me know if you have any additional tips from your junkin’ adventures!

Rather Be Junkin <3

Heather

#RatherBeJunkin

I love Junkin’. I love not knowing what I’m going to find. It’s like a surprise waiting to happen. You truly never know what you’re going to come across. It’s wonderful stumbling across new antique and junk places. Adding more places to my list of places that I have to frequent.

            I have had several people ask me how I got into junkin’. When I graduated from college I suddenly had more time on my hands. When I was about 10 years old I sponge painted my wooden headboard and footboard but other than that I had never refinished a piece of furniture before. So when I came across a beautiful wing back chair I figured how hard could it be? I can’t tell you how many staples I pulled but I do know that reupholstering is still the hardest project I’ve worked on. 

After finishing my chair I started going to garage and estate sales, always going for small wooden pieces. Shortly after I became a vendor for a local repurposing store called The Red Apron. If you haven’t checked it out, you’re most definitely missing out.  A few months Chris and I purchased a home and all of my projects became “our” projects for our new home. Then we got engaged and my design projects took a back seat to wedding planning. Of course, like after graduation, when the wedding was done I was back to having some spare time. This time though, I found a new love. Junkin’.

I have always had a love for the old and rusted but it took on a new meaning. I had begun frequenting my favorite antique places and started to branch out. What places had I not been before? I started out local and began broadening my radius. Every weekend I would find a few new places to check out.

That is how I got into Junkin’. If I had it my way, I would be out junkin’ across the country every day.

Rather Be Junkin' <3
Heather