Funky Junk Interiors

What creating a few empty hangers did for me (inspiration)

noreply@blogger.com (Funky Junk Interiors) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 03:58:00 +0000

I always hesitate posting topics like this whenever they hit a little too close to home. However I think this may be important for some of you, so I'll risk it and jump off the deep end... :)

It doesn't matter what kind of car you drive or house you live in. What your marital status is, or how many kids you do or don't have. Or even what kind of job you work at. We all have stuff we have to work through to make life tick.

My own 'stuff' at the moment is a little over the top for what is comfortably manageable. And the result of that is generally chaos in some given way. Don't you agree?

There's no need to 'worry about me', I'm just attempting to prove I'm like anyone else.

So here's what happens to me.

Some days I'm running in so many directions I forget which one is most important. So I grasp. I do whatever I can whenever I can and generally fall short because I'm preoccupied with what's next. So everything I tackle is about half baked.

At times I'll take a short hiatus from all things that ail me, but if I do that for too long, the walls can come tumbling down pretty quick. Running away never seems to solve much.

So what's one to do?

What do you think it means when every message delivered in church appears to be pointing directly at you? I either feel incredibly needy or unbelievably lucky. :) Today's message was about working through the bad which can ultimately free you. Which really means, walking towards the pain in order to be pain free.

Hmmm... truer words have never been spoken. I know well what it's like to hit bottom wondering if you'll ever come up for air again. But I also know, every time that's happened, I've always come out even better than before. The trick has been to deal with the issue head on.

Here's another take. Life is built in a series of valleys. Each valley holds a valuable lesson. And with each lesson learned, it enables us to climb a little higher than where we were.

The hard part is being stuck in a difficult valley. But it's all workable. You just have to find the root of the problem, pick a path and work through it.

So today after church and a short chat with my pastor (thank-you!!), I tuned into one valley that was bothering me. Once I got home I visited dusty corners and closets and ended up filling 7 garbage bags thrift store bound. :)

It was just a small move. But know what happened? I started to climb. I could have run for the covers and moped about all things that ailed me but being proactive made things feel more manageable and the one valley just that much more shallow.

Here's one little trick I find myself doing when things are out of control.... try cleaning out one drawer. Seriously. Don't plan it, just do it. Dinner will hold for 5 more minutes. And next time your stress level hits a 10, go look at that drawer and allow it to be a reminder you CAN manage your current valley in the smallest of steps.

Being proactive is really, really hard when your spirit is in a difficult place. But the sooner you start your hike up, the sooner you'll be enjoying the view from on top.

I have lots of valleys and big decisions ahead of me and aim to step out of my comfort zone many times in order to work through them. I'm just glad I'm not doing them alone.

How about you? Care to go for a walk?

Lots more inspiration posts can be found HERE.

Here are a couple of other stories on how I jumped some major hurdles:

All about me: a story of Hope.

Summer Changes.

Sat Night Special link party 118 - with Picture Perfect #1

noreply@blogger.com (Funky Junk Interiors) — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 03:00:00 +0000

Welcome to Saturday Nite Special #118, the multi themed link party!

* Home Decor

* Crafts, / Sewing / Recipes

* Theme of the week

Every Fri 7pm to Sunday 11 pm Pacific.

So... do we have any big time gorgeous Picture Perfect reveals today?

Due to technical difficulties, progress is slow on our two rooms.

My photo studio just got some baseboards which is cool!

And my son's room now has a chalkboard but the wall painting isn't done.

But know what? That's ok. This challenge is all about getting one room completed even if it takes awhile.

So how did you do with your Picture Perfect room?

Link up your own room progress or reveal in this weekend's 3rd themed linkup!

Want another chance to join in? Comment that you'd like to see this run again and if enough respond, we'll run another on Feb 24th!

PP UPDATE:

Due to popular demand, Picture Perfect will be a regular feature on SNS on the last weekend of each month! (until we lose interest) Yahoo! Now git ta work! :)

Upcoming themes for Feb in this order:

revisiting: old ladders

revisiting: old windows

antique tools

Feb 24th - Picture Perfect room reveals

Some related posts you may enjoy:

Master theme linkup list - add yours any time!

SNS Rockstars (you!) on Pinterest

How to link up to a link party

~ SNS blah blah linkup rules ~

1. DIY home projects only pretty please. Items for sale must be in tutorial form on your blog.

2. Please link back to the party (text or button) within your post. See BUTTONS under main blog header.

3. Only projects new to SNS please. The themed linkup is an exception.

4. By linking up here, you're cool with me featuring you on the blog, Pinterest, or FJI Facebook with no additional permission required.

Join us on Facebook this weekend for party highlights!

Cheater baseboards and a special win!

noreply@blogger.com (Funky Junk Interiors) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 05:09:00 +0000

Ya know, there just isn't that much more to do in my photo studio room makeover. I just can't seem to land the time it takes to get it done lately. But here's where I'm at.

I desired some baseboards but didn't really want standard schmandard. So I picked up some simple chunky 1x4's sanded them down...

... and tried them out. Perfect! This area they'll only be attached with one screw so I can change them out for different ones when the need arises.

I didn't do fancy mitres, just straight cuts. I actually prefer this!

Check out that perfect fit under the heat register!

Instead of simple white, I desired some character to the wood, but didn't wish for the pine tone. So I mixed some water and paint and white washed them instead.

Something to look at, but not totally distracting from the subject when photographing. I like it!

Next up are the funky pipe curtain rods and gauzy sheet curtains. This one ought to be fun. :)

Crazy... but now I have a few other projects I'll be firing up to cater to some compensated assignments. Will this room EVER get done?!? I should have known better than to actually PLAN something. :)

Have you done better? I hope you bring your progress and reveals over to this weekend's linkup starting Friday night!

What Picture Perfect is all about is HERE.

All photo studio progress is HERE.

And my son's room progress to date is HERE.

And in other exciting news...

... yours truly won the poinsettia decorating challenge by The Greenhouse Diaries! (announcement HERE) I'm going to take my son (and Tamara if she'll come!) to The Olive Garden for an awesome dinner!!!

The decorating post that won is HERE. Thank-you judge! We are very excited and HUNGRY. :)

And because my posts are always so darn tooting' short and you want MORE (heh), I've redone my About Me page. You can take a peek HERE.

Confessions from a procrastinator

noreply@blogger.com (Funky Junk Interiors) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 08:04:00 +0000

Some of you may have noticed I haven't blogged in a few. There's been a reason for that. I've been busy putting out fires.

Nov 2010

See, a year ago #1 work computer (out of 2) died from a power surge. Insurance started begging me for info so they could get my claim to me so I could replace it. Cool!

But I delayed the process BADLY. I wasn't sure if I wanted to go PC or Mac. All my work stuff is PC based. So I procrastinated. While computer #2 started to go wonky on me...

Nov 2011

And then one day work computer #2 wouldn't allow me to email. I panicked and called insurance to see if we could get things going pronto... :) I took pictures of printouts to email customer proofs. Professional all the way...

Dec 2011

The new computer finally arrived in early December. Fun! Except... I didn't do anything about it. In fact, I avoided it. I'm tech challenged and I knew the learning curve would prove painful. So I procrastinated.

This week Monday Jan 23 2012

Work computer wouldn't fire up. Gulp... basically put, I was out of business. And you KNOW what security freaks us women are.

I went to install a job that day but felt sick the whole time. Once home, I called Guru. He said it needed a power box. Thinking fast, I yanked an old power box out of work computer #1(soooo out of my league!) and put it into #2. It fired up! BUT... it read HARD DRIVE FAILURE. ACK!!

I ran it to Guru that night. And I literally walked in with spaghetti hanging out of the sides as shown above. Didn't screw anything back in... they bust a gut laughing. Nice to know they appreciate a good italian computer. :)

And then I went home and attempted to install a difficult program with drivers and stuff on my new system. For 7 hours. Made no headway. I emailed Big Time Tech Guy and grabbed 3 hours sleep.

Tuesday

Tuesday... 7am wakeup call = Big Time Tech Guy ready to play. (doh!!) Son got off to school on his own while I watched Big Time Tech Guy work on my computer (online). Most amazing experience ever. To watch and assist someone remotely work on your own computer taking such good care of you?!? Marriage material! :)

Had to cut it short cuz I needed to do another install.

His advice? "Get a new $$ cutter!" (that isn't 20 years old... seriously)

Go to do my job. Then get a brainstorm.. checked out if there was a place nearby that sold cutters. Only 1 minute away! (My GPS is my BFF) So I go plunk $$ (ouch) for a new cutter.

(edited to add: a cutter or 'plotter' is a device that cuts vinyl into graphics for signs and vehicles. It's a Silhouette or Cricut on steroids and helps me make trucks look really pretty. I'll take you on a tour of my sign shop one day when it's clean - you can read more on my line of work HERE)

Wed

Big Time Tech Guy calls and helps me set THAT thing up. Coolest and hardest thing I've ever watched. HOURS. He got both my computers to run my equipment so now I have a backup too! It works! And he deserves a raise. I love him... sorta.

I have the utmost respect for those that can get things like this to work.

Here. I 'sketched' the office because the photo was too horrendous for public viewing. The TV was because my son started to miss me and he attempted to take up residence next to my 3 day head banging event.

Spent all day in school... (watching learning videos at home). I am an educated new 2012 cutter operator thankyouverymuch! Please pray the info the Gurus saved from my HD will work on this new smoking' setup! (picking it up today)

And what a pure blessing I already know how to work this new computer due to getting one just like it about a year previous! Funny how things just fall into place.

My house is an absolute wreak. I look 100 years old from stress and lack of sleep. But at least we are DONE!

But sadly, I most likely will not have my Picture Perfect room done for this weekend.

Wait... will this do? Hey, it's the only clean spot in the house. :)

Why oh why do we procrastinate until urgency transpires? But then again, I ONLY had ONE year. I mean, what was insurance thinking?!?

I needed TWO. :)

(read about PP HERE)

Are YOU ready? Linkup is Friday during SNS!

(your 'to date' progress is also welcome!)

How to decorate a junk style mantel

noreply@blogger.com (Funky Junk Interiors) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 07:15:00 +0000

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As soon as the Christmas mantel decorating came down this weekend, I was feeling the need for a trash to treasure mantel. What can I say... I was craving my rust and wood. :)

How to decorate a fireplace mantel with junk? Easy! Layer, stack, move around like minded clutter until it feels right and there you have it.

However I dug down a little deeper today, so here's the wordy version of how I do it:

Shapes

I look at shapes of things. The window is square so I soften it up with circles and straight lines rising outside the window itself to break out of the box configuration. A surplus comes tumbling out at each end as well.

The light trick

White mini Christmas lights were tucked in behind the works and wound up into the lamp to help brighten things up. Lights are my secret weapon often because of the dark fireplace, otherwise elements can simply disappear. They sure cast a neat glow in the evening.

Like minded elements

Bringing like minded elements together is what makes this work. In fact it was very hard to go wrong. Love those rustic woodsy tones!

Tones

It's actually quiet and subdued. There's lots there, but it doesn't scream lots because the darks and lights are close in colour tone and texture.

Watch for overload

Heavy decorating on a fireplace mantel is one exception I make. I generally have a sparse hand, but if something isn't in the way, I go to town.

But you can overdue it. I have a fanatical eye (that is both a blessing and curse) and one extra thing just makes it look jumbled. It's hard to explain.

Say you have two cups on a table. You decide to add a glass coaster under one cup but realize it ruins the clean lines of the cup. That's how I'd feel if I added one too many elements to something. You'd think it would get lost in the shuffle but it stands out like a sore thumb to me.

But I always try. I get to the point of too much, then take away, rather than having to add. Go big or go home! :)

Here you can sneak a peek at the lights behind the pulley. It glows much brighter in person.

Layers

Working in layers offers more dimension without feeling 'too full'.

I don't have any official training in this. And I don't even know if it's right!

But for my junk filled home, it's perfectly trashy perfect. And free. :)

more mantel decorating
more junk decorating

Sat Nite Special link party 117 - your fav 2011 outdoor project

noreply@blogger.com (Funky Junk Interiors) — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 03:00:00 +0000

Welcome to Saturday Nite Special #117, the multi themed link party!

* Home Decor

* Crafts, / Sewing / Recipes

* Theme of the week

Every Fri 7pm to Sunday 11 pm Pacific.

I really love decorating the yard and view it much like the indoors, just, it's outside. Junk looks good anywhere after all. :)

So let's dream just a little and gather up some of your fav 2011 outdoor ideas! Here's a few of mine.

pallet board walkway

This post is truncated for quicker loading. Click below to read more.

Couldn't have been simpler to create and maintain!

Beethoven's 'forever blooming sunshine' garden

This little garden was planted in honour of Beethoven, my cat that passed on. It did sooo well in it's first year!

and last but not least, my beloved pallet sofa which I miss soooo very much. Come on sunshine! :)

More of my outdoor projects can be seen in the link above.

So, are you missing the outdoors? Let's get inspired and plan now!

Link up your favorite 2011 outdoor project in this weekend's 3rd themed linkup!

Upcoming themes:

Jan 27 - Picture Perfect room reveals

and for the month of Feb, we'll be bringing some big hit themes back to add to such as old ladders, windows etc. Will announce lineup next weekend.

Some related posts you may enjoy:

Master theme linkup list - add yours any time!

SNS Rockstars (you!) on Pinterest

How to link up to a link party

~ SNS blah blah linkup rules ~

1. DIY home projects only pretty please. Items for sale must be in tutorial form on your blog.

2. Please link back to the party (text or button) within your post. See BUTTONS under main blog header.

3. Only projects new to SNS please. The themed linkup is an exception.

4. By linking up here, you're cool with me featuring you on the blog, Pinterest, or FJI Facebook with no additional permission required.

Join us on Facebook this weekend for party highlights!

On being an unintentional TREND decorator

noreply@blogger.com (Funky Junk Interiors) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 19:40:00 +0000

Apartment Therapy had a really interesting post today. (click HERE) They've highlighted as above, a few decorating trends and have asked if you follow trends yourself.

(thank-you reader Susan Birk for letting me know!)

I gasped AND smiled when I noticed I was in the lineup. (thanks AP!) YOU GUYS know I don't follow other decorating trends but rather strike out on my own. But what category do you land in when suddenly what you do has become the hottest trend?

click above for more

Decorating with reclaimed finds came out of complete necessity in order to be able to afford to furnish my home. I don't remember if it was hot property or not as I wasn't a blog reader at the time. I just remember watching Trading Spaces. And mostly gasping at the outlandish things they applied to walls. I certainly didn't copy the hay episode. :)

I just grew into eclectic because that's all I could afford. And now I'm trendy. Who knew? :)

sawhorse/ladder/pallet desk

Think pallets will go 'out of style'? How about signs all over your home or made into furniture? And do I even care?

I don't remember pallets or signs or even junk being the 'hot' thing when I started using them. But that wouldn't have swayed me regardless. I like what I like and when I get tired of what I like, I'll change it and invent something new.

Trust me when I say, when I need a new decor piece, I simply walk down into the garage and snoop around in the heap of tools. How trendy is that! :)

My full home tour in Apartment Therapy (see it HERE)

Not sure how I feel about being a non intentional trend decorator.

What what else CAN you do when something you do becomes popular?

What's your take?
Do you yourself follow trends or attempt to strike out on your own?

When winter shuts us down

noreply@blogger.com (Funky Junk Interiors) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 07:35:00 +0000

We are still in our major cold snap!

Schools shut down half way through today summoning parents for early pickups. So I put down the dayjob, braved the snow drifts and checked out the very white windy wintery wonderland.

Mass mayhem! A regular type street was closed due to drifting snow. Accidents left. right and center. I ended up driving like a 'grandma.' All I can say is I was VERY grateful to have 2011 tires on my truck. It was a dream to drive - Grandma style. So my son says. Are all 12 year old boys this complimentary?!

Once home, I didn't venture out again. Even to shovel the driveway. It'll drift away eventually, right?

We've actually had some serious fun the past few. Took in a snow hill with the neighbourhood kids, lots of walks, shoveling, making nice big hot dinners, it's been fun! But with the current weather on us, there's nothing leisure about it. It's crazy!

So what do we do when it's madness outdoors?

Some of us freak out...

Christmas decor

Some of us change things out...

And some of us even plank out. :)

Oh go on Teddy! We know you wanna...

More snow pics are HERE.

We have ourselves a chalkboard wall!

noreply@blogger.com (Funky Junk Interiors) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 08:07:00 +0000

Our chalkboard wall is up! We did it! Or should I say Cody did it.

I was having a few issues getting the paint to stick. We used a lightweight sponge roller where the paint was very thick and heavy, so it was going on patchy. I quit when it wasn't working thinking we needed a different primer on the wall.

Then leave it to Cody to figure out HOW to do it. I don't get it myself, but he pushed the roller HARD into the wall and moved it ever so slowly. This gave the paint a chance to bleed through the sponge I suppose. Whatever happened, it worked!

Even through those 'major hunger' growls. :)

I followed up with an el cheapo sponge brush to do the edging so I could throw it away. I did NOT want to have to try and wash this goop out with thinner.

Yes, we used oil based chalkboard paint. I had forgotten about all the homebrews out now and had no idea you could even purchase a latex variety. I just used a new can I had on hand.

before

Nice goin' Code! Whoohoo! It's up!! Isn't the black sharp against the wood floors?

And surprisingly, the room doesn't feel dark, probably due from having two windows.

I can't get over how much more 'grown' up the room feels now.

And ohhhh yeah... it didn't smell pretty. :)

How are your own Picture Perfect rooms coming along?

Any tips from other chalkboard wall painters out there? How did it work for you?

All posts on this bedroom to date can be found HERE.

Read about the Picture Perfect challenge HERE.

A gazillion pretty SNOW pictures! With some junk. :)

noreply@blogger.com (Funky Junk Interiors) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 09:03:00 +0000

We are having some major winter weather in our region, and it. is. AMAZING.

I love a good snow storm. There's also speculation that school may be closed on Tuesday.

So here are a few snow pictures from today, since snow days mean we head outdoors!

Except for the cat. :)

Caption this. :)

Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings. :)

Got snow?

A lesson from a $200 hoodie and why I'm proud to be a thrifter

noreply@blogger.com (Funky Junk Interiors) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 05:52:00 +0000

I'm pretty proud to be a thrifter. So it isn't that often we shop regular retail at the mall. To my knowledge they don't have a thrift store nor any salvage yard on board, so we only tread in that direction when in need of electronics and such.

Today brought us there so my son could spend his Christmas money. Earphones were on the list for his iPod.

I don't know the FIRST thing about earphones so when we were approached with the offer of help, I jumped on it. The sales gent described exactly why the earphones my son desired were far superior to the ones I wish my son desired. It made sense, so I approved the decision.

While we walked towards the main mall doors, my son wanted to check out a clothing store. He desired some nice duds to match the new headgear. :) I smiled because I knew what was coming. It was THAT store again.

THAT store has these pretty amazing (inflated?) prices on most anything in it. Gorgeous clothing, yes. But.. well, you either have the funds or you don't. And we don't.

However, I always oblige my son. I love this store for it's the perfect opportunity to teach him yet again why we tend to thrift.

"MOM, I LOVE this jacket! Can I get it?!? (gasp!) Ohhh... it's $200."

"WHAT!? Nooo...."

"Yeah. That's lots for this jacket, right?"

I came closer for the inspection. It was a lovely hoodie. Dusty brown tone, cool frayed edging and neat black hip hop kinda graphics. But paper thin. It hung bad even on the hanger. And let's face it, it was a lightweight HOODIE. And that's when we were approached with sales help.

Me - "I'm curious. What makes this hoodie $200?"

The sales gal shrugged her shoulders and casually mentioned it was affiliated with a bigger brand. That's it.

I turned to my son, explained (yet again) I'd pay what a 'normal-decent only what we needed' hoodie would cost, but he'd have to pay the difference if he wanted this one. He decided he didn't want to work THAT hard. :)

"We could always try the thrift..."

"NOOOOooooo.....!"

But we didn't even get out the door when he changed his mind. His earphones needed 'something' after all.

So we went. And he fell head over heels in LOVE with this winter jacket in new condition. The price? A whoppin' $30. It was beautiful, very hip hop and perfect for that new look.

SOLD.

I view decorating in much the same way. It would be nice to simply choose whatever we wish and fill our homes with gorgeous designer accessories. But I'm going to be totally honest here. Unless the product is soooo top of the line, most regular retail items don't hold a candle to the thrifted pieces many of us land.

Not being able to 'afford it all' has been and continues to be a huge blessing in our lives. We have the opportunity to be creative and save a ton of funds along the way. And it's a fine opportunity to teach our kids that there may be other options for our heart's desires.

Sometimes only the 'best' may do. But if I need something I feel I can make myself or know of a better way to land it for less while still getting more...

... try and stop me. :)

What makes you proud to be a thrifter?

Sat Nite Special link party 116 - your best 2011 JUNK project

noreply@blogger.com (Funky Junk Interiors) — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 03:00:00 +0000

Welcome to Saturday Nite Special #116, the multi themed link party!

* Home Decor

* Crafts, / Sewing / Recipes

* Theme of the week

Every Fri 7pm to Sunday 11 pm Pacific.

Today we're honoring JUNK. :)

And here are a few of my favorite junk posts from 2011.

This is the day I spent at Granny and Grumpa's. This is a home based biz at a nearby farm (in the lower mainland BC Canada) that houses BARNS full of awesome finds. You will love this tour!

This post is truncated for quicker loading.

Please click lower left for more.

Another fab place to visit if near Langley BC Canada is Napier's. Ooooo lah lah this place is stacked to the rafters with anything you can think of.

So what do you do with all this stuff once you get it home?

You create JUNK STORAGE for it, of course. This is my staging stash in my downstairs office.

And last but not least, here's my fav little junk project. This one board toolbox was created to work with the drill handle. Full tutorial is HERE. I owe Julie from Follow Your Heart Woodworking a big thanks for giving me the courage to build it!

Link up your ONE favorite JUNK project in this weekend's 3rd themed linkup!

Upcoming themes:

Jan 20 - your 2011 best OUTDOOR project

Jan 27 - Picture Perfect room reveals

and for the month of Feb, we'll be bringing some fav themes back, so stay tuned!

Some related posts you may enjoy:

Master theme linkup list - add yours any time!

SNS Rockstars (you!) on Pinterest

How to link up to a link party

~ SNS blah blah linkup rules ~

1. DIY home projects only pretty please. Items for sale must be in tutorial form on your blog.

2. Please link back to the party (text or button) within your post. See BUTTONS under main blog header.

3. Only projects new to SNS please. The themed linkup is an exception.

4. By linking up here, you're cool with me featuring you on the blog, Pinterest, or FJI Facebook with no additional permission required.

Join us on Facebook this weekend for party highlights!

Make funky photo edits in Picasa's upgrade

noreply@blogger.com (Funky Junk Interiors) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 06:11:00 +0000

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There's a party at this coffee bar today!

Have you seen what Picasa's 3.9 upgrade can do?

This is a perfectly acceptable shot of my beloved lattes.

And this shot offers you Wild Times at the Coffee Bar.

Nice! Sugar?

Hmm... I'll take grit!

Lovely designer touch to that windowsill. (not likely)

Now which one to choose...

I changed my mind. I think I'll grab me some 'vegas blend'.

Merry Christmas!

Picasa's new upgrade 3.9 is very fun to play with and really easy to use. You can also tweak your photo two different ways, side by side. But you can only choose to keep one. I simply screen shot the one I ultimately didn't hang onto.

Funky photo editing can be loads of fun for the right reasons. I generally don't endorse these looks for home interior shots but for fun things that are just for... fun, its... fun!

But honestly, the real questions are,

#1. "Why have coffee boxes taken over my windowsill?"

and

#2. "Why are there TWO coffee pod machines now in the kitchen?!?"

Hmmm... because there's no one to stop me?

Picasa's free for PC or Mac. Have fun!

Never tried Picasa? A how-to is HERE.

Other tips on what to use Picasa for can be found HERE.

How to make a concrete textured wall - part 1

noreply@blogger.com (Funky Junk Interiors) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 06:59:00 +0000

Just your average prep transpired for 'the boy's room'. The big gut landed everything moving out of the way (into the livingroom). Oh joy. :)

Something you should know about my son is he's all about go go go. When inspiration hits, you have to really motor to keep up!

Being that I couldn't 'keep up' at this very moment, I handed him all the tools and sandpaper, and he got to work.

We didn't have the right fitting sandpaper on hand so he got a lesson how to cut a sheet to the right size and fit it in himself.

I started to do the big fit but caught myself right away. It's the smallest things that can have the biggest impact later if we pay attention. Now he's educated! Good girl, builder maniac mom. :)

Great job with the mudding too. We 'found' a major huge tub left over from the renos. So while it was busy drying on this wall, there was something else that needed attention.

The existing brick mural was slightly textured and needed HEAVY sanding. Not sure I'll do a mural anytime soon with an interior wall because we couldn't get it smooth no matter how hard we tried. So we did something else instead.

This plan had been in the works for awhile but I wasn't sure I wanted to head in that direction. It's a forever decision.

We did it anyway. This textured area will become a concrete like wall. I had Cody apply a very thick primer all over the walls so you couldn't notice the uneven paint from the bricks.

It was brushed on, then mottled up with a soft rag.

The primer is called Texture Surface Finish by Coastal Enterprises and is widely used in the sign industry for texturizing smooth surfaces. (Thanks, D!)

You can watch a video of the TS45 HERE.

Looong way to go. I'd better help. I want my living room back one day soon. :)

Priming done!

"Wait! It's not dry yet!"

And so the staging begins before it's time.

Sound familiar? :)

All posts on this bedroom to date can be found HERE.

HOW to find IT. (your passion)

noreply@blogger.com (Funky Junk Interiors) — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 17:14:00 +0000

Does this sound familiar to you?

Let me tell you a story.

Back a few short years ago, I moved into a wreck of a house that was a head to toe mess. I thought I could fix it but I was oh so very wrong. I was getting buried alive with home repairs and money woes and no skills to do anything about it.

This graduated into learning to work with tools. It was there that I was finally able to tinker on my house half decently. But I still fell short. We're talking toilets about to fall through the floor kinda short.

When a team knocked on my door one day and offered to help me fix my house alongside me, I nearly died. (this story needs to be in a book) A year later with many more skills underfoot, the house was sound, complete, beautiful! But so very empty.

No funds = no furnishings, right? WRONG. I started shopping the curb and making them into what I dreamed up.

This is when Funky Junk fired up. I hesitantly started to share what I was creating, wincing every time I clicked 'publish'.

But the response was actually favourable! Who knew a bunch of junk from the dump would be so well appreciated? I fell in LOVE. So as the blog grew, I put up ads to help pay my way for things I needed for all things blog.

My followers (you) encouraged me further, so I did more. I started to build real things pulled from the air. Literally. No funds, no tools, few skills = nothing, right? Wrong again. A friend encouraged me to use any tool he had so I had no excuse. So I built.

Magazines started knocking on my door even from my point and shoot pictures! So I knew then I needed to up the ante just a tad and go as pro as I possibly could on my limited budget. I saved up my blog funds and purchased my current camera.

And then a book deal came knocking. And a 2nd one... (still waiting)

If you were to ask me today what my passion is?

"Creating unique elements for my home out of reclaimed finds.... alongside photo shoots, building stuff, building blog posts, writing, submitting to magazines, and inspiring others through my trials. And I want to write a book book and publish ebooks."

See where I'm coming from? This is where I am today. But what about tomorrow? Or next year?

No idea. You see, if you had asked me what my passion was at the start of this story, I would have said "Motherhood." Because that's where I was and wasn't prepared for more. But as time went on, I met change face to face and we had a chat. And I knew as long as I somehow moved forward, I would eventually get 'somewhere else as well'.

All I know is, we write our own stories. I don't know what I'll be doing next year let alone tomorrow.

I just simply do what I love to do and allow the story to take place at it's own pace, in it's own way.

If you're anxious about finding your own passion,

my advice to you would be this:

Do whatever it is you love and let your own story develop. Take chances, be brave, try new things constantly. Because the more you learn, the more you can do and your story will evolve.

Believe you have a purpose, give thanks, then take purposeful strides towards what you love. The rest will follow when you are ready and not a moment before. I promise. I could tell you stories that would shake your boots on how accurate this paragraph is.

And to prove my point?

Today my thoughts are on my friend Marian from Miss Mustard Seed as she treks to New York for an exciting opportunity. A couple short years ago Marian had 75 followers. She took chances, followed her heart and was open to new opportunities. She now has a massive blog due to her hard work, is writing for publications AND a real book book, and is off to New York! Wow! Congrats, friend!

Never say never. :)

Now go on and write that story!

All segments to A Week of Change are HERE.

Thank-you for allowing me to share your letter and who you are, Ronna.
Your question finished this series off perfectly.

If this post struck a chord with you, I invite you to use a share button below to help another.

I want everyone HAPPY! :)

A boy's big bedroom plans - we've started!

noreply@blogger.com (Funky Junk Interiors) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 07:37:00 +0000

Guess who's joining us for the Picture Perfect room makeover challenge....

Yup! I finally enticed my son to jump in, get a cool room as a result and learn a few new DIY skills he's never done before! Mom is very proud. :)

Let me take you through a little trip down memory lane on this one.

"the playroom"

Once upon a time, this lucky boy had two small rooms to himself upstairs.

One was his bedroom and the other was a playroom.

The rooms were too small to house it all in one.

"the bedroom"

Both rooms were finished pretty nicely but I noticed one thing.

They weren't being used.

I also didn't enjoy being in them because the space was 'tight'. Closet like tight.

So we kicked out the wall. :)

And then the big stall debate transpired. He was stuck on an ALL BLACK room. I didn't need a depressed boy so we let it go.

And then I cooked up an idea to incorporate his black and my passion for industrial.

Our inspiration

But I needed a little help. While I can fully visualize something to completion, my son needed encouraging on what he could have. When I saw this photo today I nearly squealed... it was so close to what we had talked about ages ago. Perfect...

This photo is crazy busy but I've labelled what we'll be applying. But with more industrial flair. And yeah, he's wild about the idea!

What we're goin' for

Industrial subway coolness with really no theme, just neat stuff.

The before and our plans

Wants and Needs

The closet bi fold will be removed (and thrown out thank goodness!) and we'll create something new in place of it that can open wiiiide so he gets abit more privacy in his 'changing area'. With that many hooks on the wall, I expect to see NO clothes on that floor! (haha.. sure)

We hope to land something cool for the mirror frame. He likes cleaner bling (NO RUST.. BOO) so maybe a galvanized pipe frame or something.

Wants and Needs:

TV

We desperately need another TV area in our house and the front room is too small for a big screen. So he's going to save his nickels and dimes for a flat screen that I will also help with when the time is right for the lounge area.

I've never endorsed a TV in bedrooms but because we need the space, this will be handled as a regular family room with time limits and HIGH parental passwords. But I'm not worried. He'd rather hang with me and if I'm not in here, he won't want to be either so that's cool.

Wall

This wall will be painted out in black chalkboard paint (fun!) with a long industrial type desk to fit the wall. The (eventual) TV will be mounted on the wall so it won't take up desk space. Funky lights will hang overhead.

Wants and Needs

Let's sit and watch a movie. :) This will also be a nice reading area. The desk height may be designed to work with these cushy chairs scooched up to it.

He's been begging for an area carpet for his birthday of all things so we'll be looking for something.

He likes the idea of a graffiti wall (spelled wrong in the photo!) so we may make this wall appear concrete like.

And where we store half his junk. Sigh... here we go again. :)

How's the big plan coming along for your Picture Perfect rooms?

(read about the Picture Perfect challenge HERE)

All posts on this bedroom to date can be found HERE.

Sat Nite Special link party 115 - featuring the best of 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Funky Junk Interiors) — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 03:00:00 +0000

Welcome to Saturday Nite Special #115, the multi themed link party!

* Home Decor

* Crafts, / Sewing / Recipes

* Theme of the week

Every Fri 7pm to Sunday 11 pm Pacific.

This weekend's theme - your 1 best project for each category

Home Decor

I'd have to say the pallet sofa would rank first in HD. It's something that ended up being totally useful, sound, something I totally looked forward to sitting on every day and pretty funky to look at. And being that it even won a contest may confirm my decision somewhat. :) (drill hasn't arrived yet!)

Craft

I don't really 'craft' that much, but when I created my twig garland, I was pretty impressed with me for having that kind of attention span! :) Very easy to make, although a tad time consuming.

Sewing

Oh paleese... I haven't sewn for real in years so sewing on this branch button will have to be it! Ha!

Cooking

What does it say about you when your best recipe of the year is a yogurt popsicle?!?

Kept me off ice-cream for a whole year so let's pretend I'm just an outstanding chef, shall we?

Voting enabled this SNS

I attempted to activate the voting feature this round but messed it up. The links now show up again but the voting isn't effective for 2 days. LOL Ah well. I'd rather not break it more at this point. Enjoy the voteless party!

How to link up this weekend

Share your ONE FAVORITE PROJECT in each of the 2011 BEST categories.

(no multiple bests in one post please)

The first two Home Decor and Sewing/Crafting/Recipe categories remain the same as usual.

Upcoming themes:

Jan 13 - your 2011 best JUNK project

Jan 20 - your 2011 best OUTDOOR project

Jan 27 - Picture Perfect room reveals

Some related posts you may enjoy:

Master theme linkup list - add yours any time!

SNS Rockstars (you!) on Pinterest

How to link up to a link party

~ SNS blah blah linkup rules ~

1. DIY home projects only pretty please. Items for sale must be in tutorial form on your blog.

2. Please link back to the party (text or button) within your post. See BUTTONS under main blog header.

3. Only projects new to SNS please. The themed linkup is an exception.

4. By linking up here, you're cool with me featuring you with no additional permission required. Cuz I wanna make you a star. :)

Join us on Facebook this weekend for party highlights!

A Week of Change - Part 4: Offer something. And here's mine...

noreply@blogger.com (Funky Junk Interiors) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 10:13:00 +0000

Welcome to A Week of Change.

This is a short series on encouraging you make those New Year resolutions a reality!

The intro and all parts to A Week of Change can be viewed HERE

Intro

Part 1 - A New Focus

Part 2 - A picture perfect room

Part 3 - try something new

Part 4 - offer something - this entry

I haven't been sleeping very well lately.

Last night I was awake forever until I finally drifted off. I woke up again from the sound of pounding rain, and immediately my mind started racing again. I tossed and turned and finally drifted off again only to have some crazy dream about my computer going kaput. I actually got up in a panic to see if it happened... are we a leeeetle bit computer reliant here?!? :)

So what's going on you ask? Lots. I promised to keep you in the loop about things as they transpired so I'm holding that promise.

Ready?

That's a book contract. I know.

I KNOW!!!

Now just know, I have not signed the contract. We are talking. I'd love it to be the right one, so I'm doing my homework.

And I'm actually totally cool with telling you this at this point, because it's all part of the journey. These types of decisions can affect you for a very long time so you have to make sure they're a good fit for you and your given circumstances.

Now, remember the new ebook?

When you write a book book, there's a time period where you're busy writing and waiting and not earning. Hence, the next scary thing I'm going to share with you.

I'm setting up to earn now, so I'm ABLE to write and not worry about the city turning my computer off on me. :) I'm the sole provider for my home and while I have a day job, the writing would take time away from that. So I'm planning a $ backup.

NOTHIN' GOING ON HERE, HEY? :)

And this is what spoke to me. I get asked questions daily on how I make these and if I would provide design files, info and such.

(just a fun draft.. maybe)

I guess you've noticed I sort of have a thing about old signs by now, right?

I've been a pro signmaker by trade for approx 20 years now. And while my thing has been working with vinyl lettering, my passion with signs really took off when I discovered the magic of using the decals as paint stencils. Now I can't stop! :)

I've shared a few bits and pieces on how I've made some signs, but this round, all my top secrets for design, application and distressing will be revealed.

I've never touched on how to design signs yet so this section will be all new. Design is such a big deal. There's a reason some signs 'just look right' while others don't. So this book will show a novice the tips pros use to achieve the right scale for a given surface as well as how to work with the lettering beyond what a computer will punch out.

They just 'look' better when they're designed right. And whether you wish to just hang them in your home or earn an income from selling them, these tips will have you improving your design AND execution, showing them off in a much more professional way, no matter WHAT you put them on.

And I promise to keep it super DIY friendly as well. :)

And you guys have BEGGED me for vinyl kits. And I may still. But I have some other tricks up my sleeve that could save you lots of money.

Aside from the book, I'm going to be providing downloadable sign file kits that you can either print, or take to a local signmaker to have them output as decals to any size you desire!

Kits that fit stairways, flat doors, tops of furniture and on the list goes. I have loads of fun plans to get you signing up all those boring flat surfaces in a jiffy. :)

Teaching you how to layer colours will be included as well. This distressed look wasn't done with a sander. I found a much better way by accident and I'll be going into it much more thoroughly than I have to date.

I have some other cool surprises up my sleeve for this book I'll be sharing with you too, so stay tuned!

Hey, I even listened to my own advice and purchased howtomakeoldsigns.com (not yet live). Fun!! :)

(Bought it through Site 5 yet again and used that chat window feature... I LOVE those guys! If you need a domain and don't really know how to go about it, the live chat window people will walk you right through your transaction. LOVE!! Buy your site through my link here and they'll even toss me an itty bitty commission and will offer you the same thing. Thanks if you do!)

The book will be slated for sale as soon as I finish it so stay tuned! I'll also be adding some new things too not yet on the blog.

Signs not your cup of tea? No worries... I plan to write more ebooks, especially if the book book deal doesn't go through. There will eventually be a topic for most everyone available at some point. My idea well won't run dry anytime soon. :)

Well, this was a brave edition... and will conclude our Week of Change series. I think I've given you enough homework to last 2 years...

Oh right! I nearly forgot. The whole entire point of this instalment?

Offer something.

How did I do so far? :)

No matter what you decide to do with your new year, attempt to offer something of value. Working from home could include selling locally or online as a writer, photographer, crafter, decorator, blogger, farmer, teacher... the sky's the limit!

Just think about what you LOVE to do, and make it work. Chance are, if you love doing it, you'll get good at it and someone else will want a piece of that. So, make an offer!

(I have to hit publish now don't I.... ahhh! I'm running to bed!)

What do you plan to offer in due time?

A Week of Change - Part 3: try something new

noreply@blogger.com (Funky Junk Interiors) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 04:00:00 +0000

Welcome to A Week of Change.

This is a short series on encouraging you make those New Year resolutions a reality!

The intro and all parts to A Week of Change can be viewed HERE

Intro

Part 1 - A New Focus

Part 2 - A picture perfect room
Part 3 - try something new - this entry

Are you a staller?

I stall on projects where I don't know how to do something. And it gets me in trouble. In no time I feel overwhelmed with all I have to learn and that's when I generally walk away from the whole works.

Honestly? That's so lame. If a new task doesn't require great physical strength or massive amounts of money, there's no reason not to try it!

Learning new things is also necessary as part of your growth. It will also keep you inspired and create building blocks that will ultimately lead you to new places.

New can be scary too. Welcome to an entrepreneur's world. Nearly every day I try something new and that in itself offers fuel and motivation to a given project or goal.

I get asked LOTS how I get so much done or if I ever sleep. Honestly, I think for the most part the motivation comes from trying new things. Been there done that is rather like a rainy day in a dark room. I start yawning, my mind wanders and I dream about doing something new. Something new is like a windy day on the beach with 50 more beaches to discover! (can you tell I like the beach?)

So here's what's going to keep me inspired over the next little while...

What I'm learning

Photoshop

Oh gosh help me... I need to tackle this monster. I got a crash coarse on one task I wanted to learn but now see the need to know more for other things I have planned. This is a big one but ya gotta start somewhere.

Baseboards

I've never put up a baseboard in my life, but I have a unique plan I haven't seen done before. So I picked up some chunky 1 x 4's and we'll see if my wild ways work out. More soon!

Pipe window treatments

I know! Cool! I've never worked with pipes before but I want these guys hanging up curtains in the studio. I just learned how to cut pipes to size by hand this week so a tute is coming on that soon! Exciting! (well, for me it is anyway)

Ebook editing

I have lots and lots and lots of words I have to turn into a pretty book. I've never designed an ebook before. I've done jabs at other things, so I imagine this will be similar. Not sure yet! All I know is I'll be learning my document program inside out. Another reason I need photoshop... I'd love to make my own designer elements in the book too. I don't aspire for much do I? :)

This is only part of my list. As you can see, the more one accomplishes, the more they have to be willing to learn.

Your turn

Your career goal

No doubt you're stalling on that new career jump because you'll have to do lots of things you've never done before. I totally get it. So I guess if you're working on not redoing 2011, you need some new skills for 2012, right? Right!

Your Picture Perfect room goal

Playing the decorating game with us? Awesome! But I know. Same issue. Most rooms are generally left undone because there's an element in there you don't know how to do. YET.

Hey, if I can force myself to 'sew a slipcover' (ugh!!!!!!!!), you can do x. See, I either have to learn how to do this, or buy one that doesn't fit right or looks... normal. Or just buy a new ($600ish) chair. But us DIYers don't go that route do we? And who knows... if my sewing machine is out, I may be inspired to work on other overdue projects as well.

All I can really do here is encourage you to go out on a limb and try something new. Beg, ask, inquire, google for help. Buy the things you can't make if you must, but why not try first? New skills will take you further than you are today, and lead to to do even more.

Plus building new skills makes most excellent blog material you can teach your followers, right? :) I've always said, live life to the fullest and you'll never run out of things to blog about.

What new thing will you need to learn soon with your 2012 goals? We'd love to hear!

A Week of Change - Part 2: A picture perfect room

noreply@blogger.com (Funky Junk Interiors) — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 04:02:00 +0000

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Welcome to A Week of Change.

This is a short series on encouraging you make those New Year resolutions a reality!

The intro and all parts to A Week of Change can be viewed HERE

Intro

Part 1 - A New Focus

Part 2 - A picture perfect room - this entry

I have to say, you've wowed me. Every one of you that has decided to move forward with a plan needs a standing ovation! You're on your way. Congrats!

Now I won't be walking through every step of your new goal with you because they're all different from one another. However I highly encourage you to find that mentor and continue on your path. I'll be asking for updates so I want some good reports! :)

If you want to read some other material that will encourage you, you can read:

31 Days Blog to Biz HERE

Miss Mustard Seed's Running a Creative Business HERE

See, we have other work to do in between your new career. You still need new blogging material right? Or maybe you don't want a career but you want help with your house. Boy have I got a doozy for you... read on!

There's nothing that fatigues me more than walking into an undone room.

I tend to DIY choosing a path of the least resistance. Whatever is easiest and quickest has won the race. However that's left so many unfinished projects in each and every room around here.

At Christmas my frustration hit a high note. I had great decor here and there but didn't feel the room was worthy of a full room shot because it wasn't done!

By golly I want ONE magazine worthy room. Know what I mean? ONE room I can call complete. The one room where if I clean it up, it looks ready for a photo shoot in it's entirety.

I posted my whoa is me plea of the above on Facebook and the masses went CRAZY. Everyone appeared to feel the same way. And you asked to be challenged.

Well, the challenge is ON.

Sheesh. Look how close the photo studio is to getting done! I actually really need it so I'm not touching another item until this room is picture perfect!

So, do you have a room that desperately needs completion?

This is more than a one shot deal. This is serious business this round! :)

Join the Picture Perfect challenge!

1. Pick your room, take a before shot, then start!

2. Feel free to blog about your progress anytime you wish. In fact, I encourage it. Let's get some up and running support from your own followers so you can bring this one to completion.

Watch for ongoing support on FJI Facebook and keep us in the loop so we can come over and support you!

4. The last weekend of the month, the 3rd themed linkup during SNS will be for your Picture Perfect room updates or reveals. Everyone will be done at different times, so both are welcome!

If there's ongoing interest, I'll run another month end linkup the following month. And another if you so desire! Your updates and linkups will be the gauge. But don't delay... we may only do one!

Tip: if you apply a label to your picture perfect room posts your viewers can view your entire progress in one long scroll. Include that label link in all your posts!

First bragfest linkup - Fri Jan 27

So.. are you in?

A Week of Change - Part 1: A New Focus

noreply@blogger.com (Funky Junk Interiors) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 05:12:00 +0000

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Welcome to A Week of Change.

This is a short series on encouraging you make those New Year resolutions a reality!

The intro and all parts to A Week of Change can be viewed HERE

Part 1 - A New Focus

Every one of you wants to accomplish something. You know that something... the one you fear going after because you may (gasp!) fail. Think about what that is right now before you read on.

.
.
. waiting....
.
.

Oh stop it! Yes, it is achievable! And I'll show you how easy it really is. :)

My new focus

My new focus is to bring an income to Funky Junk headquarters. So I've been busy listing ways to do that. Surprisingly, the list actually grew pretty large! But one thing stood out above and beyond the rest because:

it was something I actually could find the time to do with my kind of schedule
I liked doing it
it teaches those that wish to learn it for themselves

Can you guess what it is?

Writing.

So over the holidays, I did something about it. Rather than endlessly browse online for hours as a means of avoiding exactly what I was fearing, I opened up my word processor and forced myself to get words down. And write. Something new.

Writing isn't new to me. I have several ebooks started but they weren't speaking to me. And I think that was the error of my ways right there. I needed to choose something that I knew enough about and consider the competition. For this topic, I didn't really note any quite the way I'm delivering it.

So write I did. I wrote and wrote and wrote. Once the words started, I could barely stop. I'm now on the last chapter! How did that happen after MONTHS of procrastinating?!?

I got a push.

Now know, I wasn't able to jump start this on my own. Some heavy encouragement from a friend stepping on my procrastinating toes did me in and got me to think. I got mad at myself for stalling so long, went home and got to work.

Us creative types can be finicky. We know what we want and we know what it takes, but we aren't 'moved'. Or so we say. You may need that extra push or perhaps even a fresh direction. Find a mentor if you need it, then when you're fuelled up, strike while the iron is hot! Worked for me anyway.

I'll tell you what I'm writing about soon and why the timing was critical now. But the important thing at the moment is, I set a goal, went for it AND surpassed my own expectations! And it wasn't hard. Doh!

Your turn

So my friends, allow me to be the one that steps on your own procrastinating toes.

Think of what you want to do. Then go about making it happen. Go ask for help. Sign up for a class. Make a phone call. Pray. Do whatever it is YOU need to get yourself motivated. Then, do it. Try! Fall. Then get up again and do it all over until you succeed. There are no fails here, deal?

It will not be easy. This new dive into the unknown is not for the fearless. But I know you have it in you to do it. Take that giant first step off the cliff and you'll be amazed how short that fall truly is once you're there.

So... now you're debating if this is the right challenge for you... Go ahead and procrastinate for another whole year if you want to redo 2011 all over again. (how bleak did that sound!) But I'll bet that little bit of fear is just the ticket to get you rolling in the right direction. Fear makes the unknown a little exciting, wouldn't you agree?!?

Still not sure what you want? Ask yourself this.

{ What would you want to do if you knew you would succeed? }

Want a different kind of year? Do different kind of work.

So.. what are YOU going to do?

We'd love to hear your scary goals in comments if you care to share!

See you tomorrow for Part 2! If you dare... :)

A Week of Change - a new series helping you achieve a new you for 2012!

noreply@blogger.com (Funky Junk Interiors) — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 08:11:00 +0000

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Happy New Year friends!

Wow, 2012! Christmas is now wrapped up and it's my bet you're itching for some fresh new positive change. Well, maybe I can help.

If you saw my new Facebook status, you'll know I've started the year off with a pretty assertive message. And I was blown away with the response. Seems like a few of you are ready to do much of the same.

So with a fresh start before us, what better time to introduce a fresh new mini series?

I'm going to challenge you every day this week.

But I'm going to do more than just talk. I'm going to show you what I've done with these same challenges that are helping me go where I only dared to dream a short time ago.

There are no magic potions or good luck spells with this series. This is all about rolling up your sleeves and getting proactive with new positive change as an end result.

You see, the folks that achieve the most are the ones that work the hardest. Ever notice luck really has very little to do with success? Success is an accumulation of active decisions stacked one on top of the other until one reaches their destination.

Forget the New Year's resolutions, wishy washy wishes and broken promises sure to follow. Let's just GET TO WORK.

Worth playing for? If you want 2012 to be 'the year', join in!

To end this, a few thank-yous are in order.

Thank YOU readers, for continuing to visit my little corner of the world. You give me the motivation to keep moving forward in a positive direction, which hopefully helps to inspire you in return. This blogging thing is a very powerful movement and has the potential to make so many dreams come true. I hope we can continue to work on this together! I truly appreciate you!

There are also a few of you that have encouraged me when the chips were down, thrown a new opportunity my way or are relentless when commenting. You always seem to be there! It's impossible to name everyone (and I hate that I can't!) however a few honourable mentions are:

Bonita - Encouraging Words for Writers

Ann - Nutbird

Elsie

Marianne - Songbird

Kolein - Kitchen Table Productions

Marian - Miss Mustard Seed

Deb - Hummadeedledee

Michael - Inspired By Charm

Melissa - The Inspired Room

Nester - Nesting Place

FOLK magazine

I'd also like to thank my top referrers to date that continue to drive traffic my way each and every day. Thank-you so very much for your mentions or having me on your blogroll. You are awesome!

Thrifty Decor Chick

My Sweet Savannah

Miss Mustard Seed

Apartment Therapy

Nesting Place

Jennifer Rizzo

Poppies At Play

Pinterest

And thanks to my friend that offers a boot in the right direction whenever I seem to need it. Everyone needs a mentor like this.

Imagination Corporation

So... sick of the status quo and want to move forward?

See you tomorrow for Part 1! If you dare... :)

All parts to A Week of Change can be viewed HERE

Sat Nite Special link party 114 - featuring your Christmas stories

noreply@blogger.com (Funky Junk Interiors) — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 03:00:00 +0000

Welcome to Saturday Nite Special #114, the multi themed link party!

* Home Decor

* Crafts, / Sewing / Recipes

* Theme of the week

Every Fri 7pm to Sunday 11 pm Pacific.

This weekend's theme - your Christmas stories

We had a really nice Christmas.

A few from my family met up at my sister's on Christmas eve afternoon,

This post has been truncated to allow for quicker loading.

Please click below / left for more.

then some head to our church for the amazing evening service. As usual, the service was power packed with the most amazing music. I did another photo shoot and was quite pleased with the outcome despite such low light. Thank-you manual settings!

Then we head back to our place for a nice leisurely visit in front of the fireplace.

The food was absolutely abundant! Every square inch of the countertops were stuffed with everything imaginable. We've been picking at the leftovers all week. :) We visited with those we haven't seen in far too long and made some new friends along the way as well. It was a really nice evening.

On Christmas morning, we head to our friend's for an amazing Christmas turkey lunch. I love watching others' traditions. Do them enough times and they sort of become your own as well. As kids we didn't have those cracker package things, but at this home they do and it's always fun to see what colour paper crown you land with. :)

The next day, we laid pretty low. Naps, too much eating, drinking coffee as fluently as breathing air, watching movies, reading magazines... whatever!

And then we started to get a little more productive but not by much. Doctor visits, picking up passport papers to fill out, going to the movies, getting the truck checked out, signing up for cadets, learning new computer software, hitting Starbucks... a real mixed bag of work and pleasure.

I really haven't felt like blogging this week. Three drafts and not even one of them got posted. Nothing spoke to me except living life and working out some big decisions I'll share with you soon.

In a nutshell, we enjoyed our season very much. Thank-you so much for your generous friendship and support for everything you see on this blog. I honestly have NO idea what I'd do without such a passionate group. You are just the best!

Here's to a wonderful New Year and may many new dreams come true for you!

Feel free to share your own Christmas story in this weekend's 3rd themed linkup!

Next week

your 2011 'favorites' - bring your fav DIY, your fav recipe, AND your fav craft/sewing project!

Some related posts you may enjoy:

Master theme linkup list - add yours any time!

SNS Rockstars (you!) on Pinterest

How to link up to a link party

~ SNS blah blah linkup rules ~

1. DIY home projects only pretty please. Items for sale must be in tutorial form on your blog.

2. Please link back to the party (text or button) within your post. See BUTTONS under main blog header.

3. Only projects new to SNS please. The themed linkup is an exception.

4. By linking up here, you're cool with me featuring you with no additional permission required. Cuz I wanna make you a star. :)

Join us on Facebook this weekend for party highlights!

What my new little friend taught me

noreply@blogger.com (Funky Junk Interiors) — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 10:11:00 +0000

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This story happened a short while ago. I wasn't sure I was going to publish it. But I now feel if it can reach even one family struggling to maintain status quo on the home front, I'll have done my job here. And it just seemed like the right time of year to post it. Here we go...

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Today started like any other normal day. I head out for work driving through the pretty countryside.

As I drove on, something pulled my eye towards a ditch. I slowed down when I noticed a little black head and ears popping up beyond the top of the grass. I glanced at the time full knowing this wasn't going to work well in my schedule but pulled over anyway. If that was a stray cat needing a home, I take full responsibility to stop and see if it will ultimately belong to me. :)

No go. The cat knew exactly where home was. Awesome! Onto work I go and chalk it up to save the world another day.

But that wasn't to be.

As I drove on, I noted someone walking in between the highway and a side road. I mentally took note at how odd it was to purposely walk through VERY long grass rather than flat gravel. That image stayed with me for a moment as I drove on, puzzled.

Thank goodness for overgrown grass. Due to over thinking it, I realized what I just saw. That was a child in the middle of nowhere. And kids that age wouldn't generally have a cel phone to call if they missed the bus or what have you. That child must be stranded...

I grimaced as I looked at the time once more, made the U turn and head back.

I pulled over to the side of the road, and started talking. After a little chit chat, I soon found out this girl was the same age as my son (12) and this was about much more than missing the bus. This girl left home on her own accord with full backpack, on route to another parent's location in a town a VERY long ways away.

After lots of inquiring on what was what, I kindly told her what I needed to do. She didn't know either of her parent's phone numbers so a call to the police was in order.

So we sat on the grass together, called 911 and proceeded to wait. I wrapped a blanket she had brought along, tightly around her shivering shoulders while we talked a bit more about her situation.

Once the authorities arrived, they were very relieved. It appears many were looking for her. I'm just very glad it was someone safe that found her...

I also was pretty stern about them drilling for more info before leaving her where she ran from. I can only hope for the best and requested an update. (I've heard nothing.)

It was only when I started driving again that the full impact of what transpired hit me full force. Grateful tears immediately sprung to my eyes.

You often hear those 'cute' stories of kids wanting to run away from home. My son 'ran away from home' a few years ago and got as far as the front porch, blankets all around him eating snacks out of his luggage. He even thought to bring his library books along for the ride. :)

But today was seriously real. Did she want to or need to run away? I don't know.

All I do know is, my new little friend taught me to listen to my own son with a much more understanding heart. To never overlook what's going on in the minds of our kids. Why are they hurting? How do we play a part in that? And what can we do about it? Are we really listening or too busy talking?

Thank-you friend. May you be safe, warm, well loved and above all, become happier. You will be in my prayers.

Would you keep her in yours tonight too?

Enjoying the after Christmas lull....

noreply@blogger.com (Funky Junk Interiors) — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 00:08:00 +0000

Hello! Please come in, but you'll have to excuse the happy mess. We're still in our pj's too!

Kaboom!

We're taking in some fireplace/game playing/movie action while eating a little too much. Last night was The Waterhorse in front of a roaring fire. Perfection.

We're visiting family, friends and meeting newbies to the fray.

(photo by Zoe Brown Photography.... more on this photo whiz soon!)

We took in the amazing Yarrow Alliance Christmas eve program in which I did a photoshoot.

My brother commented, "Do you hear this kind of music every Sunday?!?"

Why, yes we do. This service is famous for a reason.

We're eating way too many freshly flown in Hawaiian Macadamia nuts from my sis' recent trip.

We're enjoying homemade banana pancakes with Canadian made Rogers syrup...

... and these very addictive Tassimo made lattes in which I have no self control over.

The Tassimo is from 'Santa'. :)

(love love love love LOVE)

We're also busy keeping those no longer with us close to our hearts.

And appreciating the simplistic Christmas beauty still up.

And we've only just begun. :)

May your upcoming week be lazy, food and family filled as well. :)

What are you up to?

What did Santa bring you?

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