Interview with a junker: The free junk is where I profit. Yes, I do all the welding myself. It never shuts off; my brain is constantly inventing.
People ask me where I get all my junk. Well, all over the place, really. Do you buy all your stuff? I do buy some stuff, but the free junk is where it’s at. I’d say 85% of the stuff I take in is free. I love the stuff nobody else wants! Where do you […]
The video my fans love to hate
Farmer drank the tears of binzebo lovers everywhere for a week after we cleaned up the remains of the farrowing house at my family farm, including the thousand-bushel grain bin behind it. We had just finished tearing the farrowing house down, and were anxious to finish cleaning up the mess. He had fun rolling the […]
How to make gifts your neighbors will hide from their spouses
From the heART: Hand-Made Gift giving (from 12/2/2019) In many things, it takes a village. Childcare, a cup of sugar when the larder is empty, the loan of a hay tedder or other equipment, a place to hunt with the kids, or just encouragement…we all need help from time to time. We like to let […]
How to Make this functional DIY Children’s Bench from Scrap Barn Wood
Scrap wood is always up in my workspace, needing a home or a purpose. Do you get that too? I make large furniture pieces using salvaged barn timbers, and there’s always scrap pieces lying around taking up space. When I’m doing a cleanup of the shop, I like to use the scrap on small projects. […]
Seeya in the 72-year-old funny papers under the linoleum!
How would you feel about finding a 77-year-old newspaper under the flooring in your apartment? It took my breath away. I hadn’t even intended to remove that piece of linoleum for awhile, because it was protecting the hardwood in the landing, which takes a daily beating and gets a lot of stuff drug across it. […]
Double Duty: How to make money twice from one hunk of junk.
“Do you do anything else with the fuel cans that we could use during other parts of the year?” I get this question a lot when I’m selling my Jacks in the fall. And being sort of a people-pleaser, I am trying to oblige. When I was brain-dumping ideas of what to do with vintage […]
Is money keeping you from being creative?
I asked my followers what keeps them from being creative. I want to break through the barriers that keep you from tasting that delicious creative juice. It really can be the nectar of life. One of the first answers I got was “money,” which is a totally valid point. Lack of funds prevents us from […]
First tour of the big apartment rehab project
I finally got electric ran to the apartment over the studio! It’s the cutest little space, and I can’t wait till we get it all fixed up and I can crash up there for a few hours when I’m on a creating spree. The girls will LOVE having a real homey space to hang out […]
Get the streaky antiquey look by mixing stain and paint!
DIY’ers have been putting vinyl designs on old windows for years. It’s kinda boring now, right? Here’s how to get a look that’s not the same ol’ same ol’. I got a huge response on social media leading up to Christmas in regards to several projects that I helped my clients with. These projects were […]
Do weird things: Turning our pool into a Greenhouse
There’s not exactly a blueprint for this type of thing…we are converting our in-ground pool into a greenhouse. While there are pinterest posts with tips, no two pools or pool owners and their needs are the same, so we’re flying by the seat of our pants, which is TOTALLY up my alley and NOT up […]
Bring on the good junk
I did something I have never done before: I brought scrap home from the scrap yard and made it into something pretty. I know, you’re supposed to come home with an EMPTY trailer. But it’s OK to break the rules every now and then, right? It IS, especially when it could be profitable. The scrap […]
In rust we trust: old grain bin, new gazebo
It’s all the rage these days. Repurpose an old grain bin into a gazebo, outdoor kitchen, bar, family hangout, whatever you want to call it. First, a bit of a history lesson. I know, I’m totally boring. I love knowing the history behind ALL the junk. It’s part of my personality…one of my top five […]
The Pheasant
How do you recycle a stuffed pheasant? My bestie’s dad, Bob, was a magnificent shot with a shotgun despite only having one arm. I shot many a clay bird with him as a teenager, and it never failed to amaze me that he never missed. Through happenstance this past fall, I ended up with a […]
Be Wild. Create.
Why do I create? I love making junk into useful and/or beautiful products. I also love teaching others how to find their inner creative. Recycling lights me up; it makes me feel I’m carrying on my family’s heritage of frugality, ingenuity and straight up pioneer spirit. This all generates passion in me by giving people […]
Farmin’ Junk
Letting go. Creativity takes courage. In late November 2017, I finished my last harvest as a row crop farmer. I had already opened my store in town, and was working double time to keep it open while doing my field work. Our auction was scheduled for December 9th, and we just had soybeans remaining in […]
