Aren't freebies the best kind of junk? . . .And I found two!
One is a three-step painters ladder--complete with shelf. . . .
The other is a chippy, weathered cypress plank from an old plantation barn.
I am more excited about these two finds than anything else I bought
at the thrift stores. . . .although thrifting was fine, too. . . .
Let me explain. . . .
For years I've looked for a bathtub tray so that I could reach my soap and toiletries easier.
Until now, I had to put soap, towel, and other goodies on a chair beside the tub.
This tub is so deep (but I love it) that I couldn't reach anything at floor level.
I wanted John to build a simple tray. . . .Nothing elaborate. . . .but he thought it
should be special wood, a special pattern and hours of time in the workshop. . . .
I never got one. . . .Other priorities came first. . . .I understood but it didn't help my dilemma.
Then one day as I cruised through Pinterest, I ran across a prim solution. The pin showed an old gray board directly from the barn placed across the tub. . .We have barns. . . .We have boards. . . .
but most are painted red or without paint at all. . . .I filed the idea in my mind for later.
but most are painted red or without paint at all. . . .I filed the idea in my mind for later.
I did a lot of junkin' this past weekend. . . .but my first and best find was along the road. . . .
I spotted the little ladder in a trash pile. . . .My heart began racing. . . .I pushed down on the gas pedal so I'd get to it before anyone else saw it. . . .Not a big problem since no one else was on the road. . . .But I was also running the risk that the owner might come back and realize his mistake and take it away. . . . I could tell it had just the right amount of chippy and gray for my bath. . . .I might not have to drag that chair to the tub anymore. . . .It was just the right height for towels, soap, whatever. . . .Boo would love it, too. . . .He loves climbing ladders, as you know.
In what seemed like hours--but was only seconds--I was reaching for the ladder. . . .fully expecting it to fall apart when I picked it up. . . .No. . . .Nothing broken. . . .Nothing to repair. . . .Could I be so lucky. . . .I kept glancing at the house. . . .No one appeared. . . .It WAS in a pile of trash. . . .OK. . . .They had their chance. . . .It was mine.
I'd like to think some painter trashed it because it had become a little wobbly. . . .
or he wanted a metal one. . . .or a taller one. . . .or he retired. . . .
I thought of all kinds of reasons why he'd thrown this gem away.
I'd hate to think a female threw it out!
Although, it's exactly something my Mom would have done.
She and I never saw eye to eye as to what was valuable. . . .(smile). . . .
Once back at the farm, I was showing John my prize when he said something about it looking a lot like the boards he'd brought home from the old Simmons Plantation--not far from our farm.
He helped demolish one of the barns there a year or so ago (?)
and brought home some of the wood and tin. . . .I thought he had used all of it on a project.
He hadn't? Where was it?
He pointed me in the direction he last saw the left-overs and wished me luck.
I ended up in the big barn after checking out all the other buildings.
Have you ever had the fun of poking around in a big old barn?
It's a thrill. . . .The smell of the wood. . . .the nooks and crannies . . .the lofts and the bins. . . .the anticipation of the hunt.
It's like junkin' in your own back yard!
Have you ever had the fun of poking around in a big old barn?
It's a thrill. . . .The smell of the wood. . . .the nooks and crannies . . .the lofts and the bins. . . .the anticipation of the hunt.
It's like junkin' in your own back yard!
I didn't know what I'd do with the boards if I found them. . . .yet, the moment I spotted THIS chippy white board, the idea from Pinterest came back to mind. . . .hmmmmmm. . . . .
The right width. . . .The right length. . . .The right thickness. . . .The right amount of
peeling paint. . . .The right color. . . .What a winning pair my two finds would be together!
They both ended up at the tub. . . .John wanted to build a tray (that 'special' one) with the chippy wood. . . .I finally convinced him I didn't want a tray. . . .The board was all I needed. . . .It was perfect in it's imperfection. . . .He did nail a couple of pieces of wood on the underneath side to keep the board from shifting. . . .He said--and he was right--Boo would be the first to play on it and probably would knock everything to the floor. . . .I agreed. . . .but that was the only concession.
I love the imperfect, time-worn look that the 'washboard' and the ladder have brought to the bath. . . They are more than freebies. . . .I prefer to see them as gifts. . . .from some unknown painter 'friend'. . . .and from a part of Delta history. . . .I see no more appropriate place for them to end up. . . .They are both totally at home in our farmhouse bath.
I have a few other finds I want to show you. . . .but it will have to be another day. . . .Our weather has turned really nice. . .
Time to get out in the yard and see what I can do there.
Gardening anyone?
Time to get out in the yard and see what I can do there.
Gardening anyone?
. . .from my farmhouse to yours. . .
I'm sharing this post with these parties: * Simple and Sweet Fridays * Be Inspired at Common Ground * Home Sweet Home * Feathered Nest Friday
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