Calling All Backyard Clotheslines

Telephone Pole Parts Turned Clothesline

I have been anxiously waiting for Spring and the warmer sunny days we will have so that I can take advantage of using my backyard clothesline for drying laundry. Not only does it save on electricity, but I love the fresh smell of air dried laundry.

Laundry is one of those mundane but necessary chores, and I think there is a certain romantic homey feel when there is laundry waving in the breeze on a sunny day.

Since I enjoy making things out of other things, when I happened upon parts and pieces of some old telephone poles I immediately envisioned a rustic clothes line in my backyard,

and TUH DUH...this is the result that has been serving me well.

If you'll notice there are a few of the spindles on top that are missing the glass insulators, and lucky for me I recently scored a bucket full during a treasure junkin' trip so now my mini-telephone pole/clothesline will be complete. I may just look forward to doing laundry, anything to get out in the fresh air and sunshine.

Do you have a creative clothesline, or way to air dry your laundry?

I would love to hear about it....

Happy Spring Finally...sort of...Have a great day!

~Teresa

My New Pressure Canner Is Out Of The Box!

That's right...finally I had some time to use the shiny new pressure canner my hubby and daughter bought me for Christmas this past holiday season.

I have to admit I am no expert on canning, but thanks to my fabulous sister-in-law who is good at it, I am learning, and I see my pantry cupboards will be full of goodies this gardening season.

Last summer I scored big time at a yard sale when I bought ten large apple boxes full of canning jars for a whopping $10.00! Seriously that isn't a typo, I was only going to buy one or two boxes for that amount but she really wanted to get rid of them and asked me to take them all, well of course I couldn't say no and she really did take only ten bucks.

One thing about canning, is it takes time, patience and attention to detail. It ended up being a day well spent, not just learning how to can but a relaxing time of visiting and enjoying the company of my sister-in-law, my mother-in-law, and my niece with her 4 month old twin daughters. It was a good day of priceless family time, and...

Seven hours later, the payoff for all of our hard work....22 pints of canned elk meat headed for the pantry. That means many yummy meals of meat gravy over pasta or mashed taters and canned meat sandwiches for lunch, two very popular things in this family.

Have a favorite recipe from home canned goodies

that your family raves about?  Please share...

Have a great day!

~Teresa

10 Things That Make Me Happy

 

  1. A bright sunny day.
  2. Swishing horse's tails.
  3. My daughter's giggle.
  4. Flea markets.
  5. Singing meadowlarks.
  6. Sand between my toes.
  7. Chocolate cupcakes.
  8. Snoring puppy dogs.
  9. Cilantro on my taste buds.
10. Flower blossoms.

What makes you happy?

~Teresa

Made It In An Etsy Treasury

It's always fun to have an item that is in my Toodlefetties Etsy Shop featured in a treasury. Recently peacenluv72 featured my vintage Boraxo tin, and my Rusty Heart Hanger has been featured in at least three treasuries in the last couple of months,

Stop by and check it out and show them some love.

Filled to the Rim with Tins by peacenluv72
 etsy.me/eZWmB0

Enjoy!
~ Teresa

To Keep Or Not To Keep...Should That Be The Question?

Every once in awhile when I am out and about treasure hunting I come across an item that is really cool, and then I have to decide..."to keep or not to keep"...that is the question.

A perfect example of that is this really cool egg scale. I found it buried in the dirt near an old abandoned house. It is in perfect working condition and has a great rusty patina from years of being out in the elements. As a resale item it has a retail value of around $40, and all in all it is just really cool, it's just the type of gem that should be in my Etsy shop inventory.

SIGH...as much as I would like to keep all of the junk-a-licious treasures I find, there just isn't enough real estate available in my house for every fascinating trinket that comes home with me.

I would love to hear other junkers perspective on how you decide what to keep and what not to keep. If you'd like to chime in please leave me a comment and give me your take on the matter. As for this awesome little find, I'm thinking there is a perfect spot for it near the vintage egg crates on display in my kitchen. Maybe one of these days it'll end up in my Etsy inventory, but for now...I think the answer to my question is "to keep!"

~ Teresa

Realization that I have a lot of really cool junk!

Now that Spring is trying very hard to show it's fresh, lovely face around here, or should I say...it's teasing us here in Central Oregon with an occasional day nice enough to get out and work outside.

Recently I had the opportunity to somewhat take into account all of the junk-a-licious treasures I have around that I sometimes forget about. Like the antique cast iron bath tub that will be blooming furiously with flowers, the rusty steamer trunk that was just too far gone to restore so it was placed in an honorable location in one of the flower beds on the South end of my house and then there are always several unique interesting planters hanging out and around the deck. I very rarely buy any of those fancy new shiny pots you see at garden centers and stores like Home Depot, where would be the personality in that?

Yesterday my husband, who no longer questions my sanity (at least to my face)...willingly hooked a big chain to the very large tractor tire that my horses at one time used as a feeder, and dragged it down the driveway and placed it at the corner of my pasture fence along the road to our house. Can you imagine what the neighbors are thinking? While we don't live right in town we do have various neighbors around us on small acreages similar to ours, and I figure once I have that big old tire filled with dirt, and planted with the riot of gloriously blooming flowers that I can see in my mind they won't mind. I mean if my neighbor next door can have a display of rusty vintage farm implements out by his mailbox, then that gorgeous rubber monster full of flowers will fit right in.

I'm thinking today is a good day to snap a few pictures of some of the junk I have around that is so much a part of my home, not to mention some of the goodies that will be destined for my Etsy shop.

Stay tuned....   ~ Teresa