Tuesday, March 2, 2010

More American Picker Wannabe Stuff

I love metal. Rusted metal. Metal with patina. Just metal.

I want to take a welding class but everytime I tell my husband he gets a look of sheer terror on his face so I don't pursue it.

I know he is thinking "so the backyard will be filled with all kinds of rusted metal garbage AND she will kill herself OR she will burn her arm off or something," but he doesn't actually express these thoughts. He just looks at me with big, scared eyes and says, "ummmm.... sure...that s-s-s-sounds like ....ummm.... a g-g-good i-d-d-ea!"

I figure that if one of my ideas reduces my husband to stuttering he is probably not a fan!

So...

Whenever I am off on my American Picker Wannabe stuff I am always looking for metal stuff that I don't have to weld.

My parents live in a retirement area and there are usually really good garage and estate sales there.

One afternoon I was going my parents and I saw someone with a u-haul packing up a bunch of stuff in the driveway.

I stopped to see if there was anything cool left.

There wasn't. Or at first glance I thought there wasn't.

But then I saw some cool metal spikey things leaning against the garage wall. I think they are probably cultivator discs.

I asked about them and the guy said "no-one wants those...you can have them all for five bucks!"

So I brought all six of them home!

I wanted to hang them on the stone wall in our family room above the mantel...like sculpture.
But they are ridiculously heavy and my husband started to s-s-s-tutter so I abandoned that idea.

So they languished in the garage in all their innocent metal sweetness for a while...causing swearing whenever anyone ran into them accidentally...causing more swearing when my husband had to move them around to clean the garage.

And one day when I was taking a bath I had a Eureka! moment.

And I finally thought of hanging them in our bathroom courtyard and they look super cool there. And that is my American Picker Wannabe find...and I sure hope you don't stutter when you leave me a comment.

Oh! And if you don't know what American Picking is all about just click here to read a post on it!

PS I don't live in a castle. My house is about 40 years old with some cool, quirky stuff in the design. The master bathroom is huge with a garden tub and a big picture window right beside it. There is a little "courtyard" area right beyond the window so there is privacy...maybe 6' x 11'.

post signature



46 comments:

Theresa said...

TOO COOL Jenny! A bathroom courtyard, do you live in a castle? Hmmmmmm Have a blessed day!

MrsJenB said...

#1: Awesome find and great place for them! They look really good there, like they were meant for the spot!

#2: A bathroom courtyard? Please elaborate for those of us without bathroom courtyards. Thank you in advance for your time.

Deb said...

I love it.....did you watch last night??? Oh my gosh the guy with all the tunnels...and you imagine...

Linda @ A La Carte said...

Jenny that is the perfect spot for them and they look great. I have seen homes with a courtyard like yours and it is very cool. I would take a bath and enjoy the view if I had one!! No rusty pickin for me this week I'm afraid!

Christy said...

Wow, those look excellent on the red wall. Plus, the stuff you have on your mantle over the fireplace looks pretty as it is!

Keetha Broyles said...

You were right! They look awesome on that wall.

Debbiedoos said...

Jenny, I love cool and quirky! And those are just that, love them!~

mrs. c said...

I am a metal lover as well....my son got to weld in his art class and made some really cool things. I also want to weld and my husband gets a real scared look in his eyes, maybe we can get together and weld and let our husbands be scared together! Have a great day!

Busy Bee Suz said...

Oh, your poor husband. :0

I love them. I love a Eureka! moment too.
I noticed you only hung 5...the rule of design = Odd numbers. You knew that.

Julie Kwiatkowski Schuler said...

I like them, they look like sunshines... deadly, tetanus-inducing sunshines.

Kimberly said...

I love them! I collect suns, and these are great...oh so original too!

Holly said...

I love this stuff and would have scooped them up just like you did! I love what you did with them!!!! It's nice to know that there is someone else out there who buys stuff, stores it,...for awhile...and finally comes up with a place!!! sometimes I'm too quick to let mine go, and then think of where I could have used it later! Not buyers remorse, but tossing remorse!!

Mardell said...

They look perfect against the red wall! Now, are you guys the only one who sees them? Was it hard attaching them to the cement wall?! Eeek!

I love them & what a steal for $5.

Andrea said...

The courtyard wall looks awesome! I learned how to weld in high school. I feel cool when I tell people that random fact about myself! haha!

P.S. Your wreath and cards look awesome!

The Muse said...

excellent find(s)!
and a great move...
they do look better, well fabulous on the courtyard wall :)

Wanda..... said...

I really like the wall, you did good.

Sissie's Shabby Cottage said...

Well la-tee-da girl, a bathroom courtyard!!
Those thingees sure look pretty good out there. I'm all for the crusty, rusty metal stuff.
Maybe you should get your husband to take the welding course....yeah right. You are funny. I can just see you now in your backyard with your fire suit and helmet on!

hugs
Sissie

Anita said...

I like your style. I tend to be a little outside of the box, but my husband is conservative. We've had a few disagreements about home decor. :)

Megan said...

Love it!

It seems like I may have told you this but in our last house we had the metal end of an old pitchfork and an old hayhook hanging on the wall. As well as some old pieces off a plow and chisle. Farm Boy and I dug them up out of the ground on his family farm. I love them!

Megan said...

Oh yea...I almost forgot. Sometimes women make the BEST welders! They sometimes have a steadier hand than a man. ;-)

Kristi Faith said...

I love American Pickers! :0) And my husband stutters a lot whenever I come up with any idea that involves cutting with scissors or anything metal!!

Sue said...

Did you read my mind...I was way stuck on "she has a bathroom courtyard...I hate her" but I feel better now. I think they look like sunbursts...perfect for your neck of the woods!

I also read about the crafty cards. I thought they were cute, no matter who made them:)

Midlife Roadtripper said...

I'm thinking I would like to sit out there - the sun on my face. Your lovely picks catching my gaze. Most fun.

Vicki/Jake said...

OK, where's the sixth one??
Love the red wall Jenny, good match! So, what's the Mcklinky thing for now? If we join, we share a grungy metal find? I have a few but they're probably under the snow somewhere..getting grungier! Still having the giveaway..thru the 22nd..come play!

Mari said...

I love this! It looks just great out there!

Auntie sezzzzzz... said...

They are cooooooooooooooool!

But oh how they must have hurt, when family bumped into them, in the garage. Ouch!!!!!!!!!!

^_^

Brenda said...

These are awesome! They look like sunbursts. I do not think you could have found a better place to hang them. I love it, love it! No wreath yet. I need to finish keep on track in the family room makeover.

Colleen - the AmAzINg Mrs. B said...

Those are cool..my hubbs always asks "How much did they pay you to haul all that off?" hehe..they just don't get it, do they?

Melinda said...

They look like sunshines!

Melinda

Anonymous said...

Very cool spikey things! I could see why someone would swear if poked by one of those!! hehehe!
I'm going treasure hunting this week. will let you know what I find!
patti

Justine said...

Okay, I had no idea what to expect but holy cow, these things are awesome! They look like Southwestern sunbursts!!!

Justine :o )

Patty said...

I agree ~ super cool!

Rustique Gal said...

Jenny, I just love the spiky things on the red wall. Great inspiration! And a good deal to boot. Enjoy...Sherry

Chatty Crone said...

Never ever have I seen or heard of a bathroom courtyard! Interesting. sandie

Tara said...

You must be so FUN to live with! I am sure your husband is never bored! I think your picker find looks pretty awesome there on the wall. Keep on pickin' girl!

Debbie said...

I love metal too. I think you should take the class! How fun that would be.

Maggie said...

I love the idea of a bathroom courtyard! Wow! The spiky thingies look fabulous against that red wall.
~Maggie~

christy rose said...

A bathroom courtyard sounds heavenly. We used to have one in our old house, right outside our master bedroom bathroom too. And it was only a 1300 square foot cape cod house with the master bedroom the size of 6x6 and the courtyard just big enough for a hot tub and couple of chairs and a little landscape made private by the house and a six foot fence. But it was a haven to me. I loved being out there. I love your art on your bathroom courtyard fence wall. That is a perfect place for it. No stuttering here. :)

Sarah said...

Jenny, these are definitely a cool find! I think hanging them on the courtyard wall was a clever idea. No more stumped toes, and now your have art to admire while soaking in that tub. Sounds like a win/win!

Maggey and Jim said...

I love those.. they look great.. and don't let the computer take over your body.. like the BODY SNATCHERS..
MAGGEY

Unknown said...

Those are really great finds. Do you know what they were...I mean, obviously, they are a part of the decor but were they used in medieval times to let's say, "Kill supper"?

They look really nice in your courtyard. I'm loving this American Pickings.

Unknown said...

I love them, they look great in that spot too! They look like suns.

~Andrea~

Personalized Sketches and Sentiments said...

Those are awesome finds! Can I come along on your Amaerican Picker hunts?

And my poor hubby has been "whittling" down in our garage for the past 5.5 yrs that we have owned this one...we still seem to have only room for one car in our two car garage. (sorry hon! I seem to "find" or "hang" on to great treasure finds...aka stuff)

Blessings & Aloha!
(oh, and no,stuttering here. :o)

Wendy Sue said...

Love your find. I have seen items like this (I'm from the midwest) and always thought if they were welded to "stems" they would make perfect huge flowers.

Bathroom courtyard!!! We have been looking at houses in FL and I noticed this feature on some of the homes. (mostly ones built in the 70's or 80's) I had never seen this before. Love it! Want one!

Ames said...

How cool is that! Sometimes all it takes is to just go with it before the other person can step back and say "I'm glad I decided to hang them here." (something my husband would do).
I like 'em Jenny! I can see artistic ability in your Pickin!~Ames

bj said...

Oh, yes...we watch American Pickers all the time. I can't even believe all the stuff they come across.
I wanna learn to use big boy tools like the saws and things but don't wanna weld. Hubby does that. :)
I am really loving those metal disks..they look cool on that wall.

Now your bathroom sounds amazing..
that big w-w-w-window kind of
sounds s-s-s-s-scary, tho...don't want nobody seein' me nekkid.!:)
xo bj