The Farm Chicks

My Laundry & Mud Room

I'm a big believer in wallpaper in the laundry room. I think it adds a happiness to the room and makes me want to be in there. Good thing, because we go through a lot of laundry each week!

Because I'm short, I needed to keep the counters as low as possible. Rather than build a countertop over the washer and dryer, I opted to simply use the tops of the washer and dryer as counter space. It works great.

The shelf on the left (shown above) doubles as a hanging rack for freshly ironed clothing. I can iron and hang each piece as I go along. When I'm done, I take the clothing off the hanging bar and into the closets where they belong. It also works really well for hanging items I need to air dry. The shelf is really high, so it's not practical to store things on top. I'm on the lookout for just the right decorative piece to place there at some point.

The shelves on the right began with a mistake. When the cabinet installers hung what was supposed to be the only shelf on that wall, they hung it too high, as I'd be unable to reach any laundry products up there. Rather than have the shelf removed, and have wallpaper damage, I had them hang another shelf, just below. I had originally planned on hanging artwork above the lower shelf, but now just use the higher shelf to hold rotating art.

The room doubles as a mudroom, as it's the entryway from the garage.

I made the bench out of an old wooden box I found at the Funky Junk antiques show. I use a standard pillow and pillowcase as the cushion.

Just to the left of the bench is a big closet which holds coats, shoes, hats, gloves, and the ironing board.

And to the left of that is the entryway cabinet, perfect for setting down armloads when we walk in the door.

It's also home to one of my favorite finds ever - this great old key rack I found at Hunt & Gather in Minnesota.

Tomorrow I'll be sharing the closer details of the room and my favorite features.

Wallpaper: Wallflowers, Spokane, WA

Farm Painting: Forget Me Not, Coeur d'Alene, ID

Small Basket near window: Funky Junk Jennifer, via the Funky Junk show, Sandpoint, ID

Towels: Walmart

Washer & Dryer: Bosch

Large Laundry Chute Basket: Silver Suitcase, via Roost, Spokane, WA

Wooden Box: Funky Junk Hollie, via the Funky Junk show, Sandpoint, ID

Cowboy Boots: Forget Me Not, Sandpoint, ID

Entryway Rug: Ikea

Keyrack: Hunt & Gather, Minneapolis, MN

Countertops: Fabricated by Carlson Sheet Metal, Spokane, WA

Beadboard Wall Tile, Tile Trim, and Tile Design: Dirk Elliot Tile, Spokane, WA

Our home was designed by Nancy McKennon.

Our builder was Craig Powell of Powell Custom Homes. (509) 994-2831 (He doesn't have a website).

A note about my sources: I try and identify my sources as often as possible and love promoting other businesses. My policy is that if I love something or have had a good experience with a product or service, I try to promote it, when possible. Sometimes, I'm disappointed with a product or service and won't provide that source. I understand that thousands of readers visit my blog every day and I realize that if I were to say something negative about a product or source, my opinion could have a negative impact on a business, and that's not what I want. If I don't list a source, it's not because I'm stingy, I just choose to keep it positive here. Thank you for understanding.

The Perfect Little Bench

I always find it interesting to watch the trends that come and go in the world of antiques. I remember when trunks were popular. Now they're not. But these old pieces shouldn't be overlooked. In fact, they are so useful for turning into entryway or mudroom benches. (And they have storage space!)

I bought this old trunk/box from my friend, Hollie, at her antiques show.

I simply topped it with a standard pillow covered in my favorite vintage Christmas pillowcase and it was instantly transformed into a little bench.

I can easily change the pillowcase to fit the season.

Have a large trunk? Use two pillows or several toss pillows. It's as easy as that!

I found the trunk here.

My floor tile is from Daltile.

My beadboard wall tile, tile base trim, and tile cap is all from Dirk Elliot Tile.

I purchased my wallpaper from Wallflowers in Spokane. I'm sorry, I can't remember the brand.

Junking

I had an interview of sorts the other day, and was asked about my passion for junking. And you know, it's not something I often stop and really think about. It's just the way I grew up.

I can't explain how much I love when someone calls me to tell me about an old barn they'd like to let me to come and dig through or when I roll up to a farm sale. It makes my heart skip a beat. What will I find?

I found this old toy truck at a farm sale a few weeks ago. The place had been picked over but I couldn't help but wonder about what may be sitting in their enormous barn across the field. So I asked if I could take a peek. "There's nothing in there but junk", they said. Well, that sounded perfect to me.

When I enter a barn, I stop at the entrance and do a 360 degree scan. Then I look up, which is something my dad always taught me, because wonderful things are often stored in the rafters.

On this day, while looking along the wallboards, I saw this filthy old toy truck.

I have a thing for these trucks. I think it's because my parents always used them as vessels in our gypsy wagon. They'd use them for holding various things like onions or buttons... basically anything that could hold something was used and old toy trucks were easily found in the landfills my parents would dig through.

Anyway, back to the barn.

When I emerged from the barn, I showed the truck to the owner who said he had been looking for that toy for 50 years! It had been set down one day and he could never remember where he put it. And after he told me about his memories of that truck when he was a child, he told me he'd be happy to sell it.

So now it's mine. This junky old truck that needs to be cleaned up. It may go into my collection, or who knows, maybe I'll sell it someday.

Someday, I'll have to tell you about the shirt I found at a yard sale for .10 cents and later sold for $860. dollars.

It's true!

Adding it to the Collection

Look what I found while out antiquing the other day! A perfect addition to my collection of paintings. I love old originals.

Do you collect paintings?

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What do you collect?

 

The Perfect Fit

I stopped by the Vintage Rabbit today. I like to do that whenever I'm passing by. And, I've been looking for things for the new house.

I was also hoping to spot some

And look at that! Signs of spring in the Silver Suitcase booth:

Wait! What is that I see? That big *huge* basket under the table? Let me take it out to get a better look:

An old horse blanket basket? Will it possibly fit in the laundry room, in that space that I've been having the hardest time finding the perfect basket for?

Hooray! Yes! And the good news? You held horse blankets. So, you're used to animals and animal smelling things. Perfect, because now you'll be holding things coming down the laundry chute from my little animals upstairs. And hopefully, there won't be any worms.

Welcome home, basket. You're the perfect fit.

Notes:

The Vintage Rabbit is owned by Jan who is a vendor at The Farm Chicks Show.

I found my basket in the Silver Suitcase booth. The girls from Silver Suitcase are vendors at The Farm Chicks Show as well.

The Vintage Rabbit is located in Spokane at 2317 N. Monroe.

Barbed Wire

One of my favorite "great finds stories" of all time was from Elaine Tolson. One day, while out thrifting, she stumbled upon a box of old barbed wire, which for me, is a beautiful piece of our Western American history, and one that speaks volumes about the hard work that went into shaping our countryside - dating back to Abraham Lincoln and the Homestead Act.

So naturally, when I heard about her find, I had to see it for myself.

A meticulously labeled collection, identifying each piece, including the year, like this one from 1899.

Farmcollector.com describes the history of barbed wire as the original tool used by farmers in the west to protect their crops from roaming buffalo and cattle.

And its rustic beauty is not lost on me. I can't help but get lost in the miles and miles of barbed wire that twists and turns its way across the back roads of the west. Our home.

It's also a reminder that sometimes, we forget about what we see. The things we pass day after day. And it makes me wonder what am I missing? What have I overlooked?

And it makes me want to take the long-cut home. Because I don't want to miss a thing.

The Special Recipe

The other day when I was dropping one of Bongo's friends back off at his house, his dad met me at the car.  He was carrying a stack of old cookbooks, and a special recipe in an envelope.  "I've been saving these for you", he said.  "They belonged to my mom and I knew you'd love them".

He was so right.  And, a recipe so special it has its own envelope?  You know it has to be good.

But most of all, It's incredibly touching to me for anyone to share their special family recipes.  And I love putting them to good use.  I think that sharing recipes is lovely and heartfelt and I can't wait to share this one with you soon!

It Takes a Vision

I know you'll understand me here.  Sometimes, it takes a vision to see the possibilities in junky things. And when I told Colin that I wanted to find a beautiful old farm sink for our new house, I know he must have gulped and sighed on the inside before giving me his smile of approval.  The smile that says, "I think you're crazy, but as long as you're happy, I'm happy".

And so, I set out on my search.  And phew!  It was a lot more difficult than I imagined.  Salvage yards, tips from friends, a trip to Floyd and Margaret's, and emails from you.  And I have to admit, I started out really picky.  I wanted a perfect sink. No damage.  And that, I learned, was just too much to ask for because a sink that's been around since the 1930's isn't going to be perfect.  Not. Ever.

And when I was about to throw in my towel, a friend called to tell me she found me a sink and that she had already purchased it off of Craigslist.  Turns out, in Spokane, 122 other people (for reals!) wanted my sink too and she had to act fast.

The cost of my sink was $200 and it will cost an additional $250 to have it re-enameled.  It's about 4 feet long and includes a nice high back, one basin, and drainboard.  And I love it.

And the best part?  Colin loves it too.  Thank goodness.  I guess he has the vision too!

The next time you see our sink, it will be pretty as a picture and holding court as the centerpiece in our farmhouse kitchen.

Sink Considerations:

It was really important for me to find this sink before my kitchen plan was finalized.  Since it's such a unique size and includes the high back, it can't just be added into the plan easily.  It would definitely need to be designed around.

I knew that even if I found a sink with no blemishes, it would probably have dull spots, which I wouldn't like.  Because I knew that re-enameling would be almost certain, I made sure to find an expert in our area who could do the project for me before I considered anything that was blemished.  (I'll be working with Mr. Tub in Spokane).

I spoke with the expert (Mr. Tub) and found out a ballpark cost for the work and I budgeted for that. A big consideration for me is that beautiful sinks like this are extremely hard to find and reproductions can run anywhere from $2000-$4000.  So for me, the total cost of $450 was well worth it.

I love single basin sinks.  I chose a single basin for our current home as well and it works really great for handwashing large items.

Jolly Ol' St. Nick

 

I love collections that add happiness to our home.  I think that's I love collecting Santa Claus objects so much.  I was so super duper excited when I found this cookie jar at the Vintage Noelle sale.  Doesn't he just make you happy?

Clean & Pretty

I love love love a clean house, and think it's so much nicer to clean with pretty things.  I found a bunch of these happy little cleaning cloths at the farm sale this summer, all with their original tags from the sixties.  And now, everything is fresh and clean again.

Farm Country Sale

There was an estate sale in the heart of farm country this weekend.  The sale was run by one of my favorite estate sale companies, Monarch.  I really appreciate the descriptions they give in their advertisements because I know they're always accurate.  They described this sale as a "digger", which means there will be a TON of things to "dig" for.  My neighbor Michelle loves their sales as much as me, so we decided to go together.  We also met up with her friend and business partner, Faith, and her daughter.  We ran into the Junebug girls there too.

The house, barn, outbuilding, chicken coop, and tents were jammed full.  Everything was for sale.  The advertisement described thousands of yards of fabric, which was perfect for me, especially because we're working on a shoot at the end of the month and can always use a good assortment.  (Plus, I've never met a fabric I didn't like).  After a few hours, our trucks were jammed full.  We stopped for lunch on the way home and I couldn't resist snapping a picture of the trucks with their loads.

Better With Letters

I have a serious weakness for old letters.  And I have a lot of them.  Mostly from old signs or advertising.  But I've always wanted a set of old plaster letters - the type that poke into a bulletin board.

I was so excited to find an old set at an estate sale while junking with the boys last weekend.  And, it was only five dollars!  It's still in it's original box, which I love! 

I'm scrubbing, cleaning and painting inside my house this weekend, but will make sure to set aside some time to put these letters to use.  And I'll make sure to show you when I'm done.  Everything's better with letters!

P.S.  Don't forget to enter our GIVEAWAY!

Vintage Rosary Bracelets

I really love vintage rosary bracelets.  I came across my first one at an estate sale and have found many more at flea markets over the years.  I like to layer several together at one time and enjoy the way they jingle jangle together on my wrist.

 

Book Love

Today's a busy busy day, but I wanted to share the book love I'm having for my latest little find. Don't you just love it?  I can't wait to get a minute and look through all of the fun contents!