Leftovers!

Oh I'm so excited!  Company's coming next weekend and I'm getting ready for them with leftovers!  You  might think that's not very nice of me, but I can explain.

Obviously I wouldn't feed my in-laws anything that's hiding in the fridge,  I'm preparing for my awesome guests with leftover JUNK, not food : ) 

I don't know about you, but I have a few items I really don't need anymore, but just can't seem to part with.  Take my wood dish drainer for instance.  The little devil was my constant companion for years and years at the kitchen sink.  When my very first dishwasher was recently installed I just couldn't part with the silly thing.

I couldn't bear to throw away the little straw purse I outgrew either.  Wouldn't you know it?  The drainer made a nice little shelf and the purse was the perfect size for my bird's nest plant I haven't killed yet!

Then there was this hunk of metal that I couldn't wait to get off the old washing machine, but couldn't bear to send to the junk yard.

(Sorry.  Just can't get enough of seeing what a difference a little tlc made in the life of Ms. Washer)

Anyway, I tried putting the pulley wheel in one of my gardens...

Blech.  It didn't really do anything for me.

The logical choice was to scrub and clear coat and bring it inside.

So I did.  I call it "Roses & Rust"

 And I like it!  (Even though in this picture it fairly resembles "Roses on a Waffle")

I also threw a few things together to beautify an empty corner.  The leftovers here include one of the bed springs and that beaded viny thingy I tried to shape into a wreath, but it wouldn't cooperate, so I gave up and hung it on the shelf pegs.

Okay then!  I have ONE CORNER in my entire house ready for company!
 
So tell me, what do you do with your leftovers??

I think I'll send this over to

and see if I can't meet some new bloggy friends!

I think Donna might like that rusty waffle too:

Does this say "I Love Rust"?

When I was home with Cole Tuesday, I got a good start on a little something for the rusty old junk lover in me.

I've had the specifications for this project in my head for awhile...  Something for the wall, vines, relatively flat/close to the wall, lath type backboard and colors to blend with browns and greens.

The second shelf from the Grandkid's picture project was begging to be used for something.  I found about a half-dozen rusty old tractor seats out here that have been calling my name too.  Surely this combo could turn into something cool.

I wasn't difficult to wire the seat to the balsa wood, but finding something appropriate to cover the center of the tractor seat had me hunting for hours!

A rusty old cog fit the bill just fine.

What rusty creation would be complete without a little barbed wire?

As usual, the dead florist in me spent hours and hours and hours trying to arrange the vine and position the splashes of color to complete the project, but it was will worth the effort because I ended up with something that fit the specifications and says "I love rust"! 

I'm hoping someone special will like this little creation, because it was made to HER specifications and would look rather nice in her house next to that picture of the boys and their refurbished Allis.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!

(Can you believe I'm early?)

p.s.  I'm so happy with how this turned out, I'm heading right over to Donna's Funky Junk Saturday Night Special to add it to all the other awesome projects.    I think you should get over there and check everything out too.  Just click on her star over on the right and get on over there already!

AFTER you post a comment to make me smile, that is : )