Junk Bonanza 2011 - a sneak peek

Hey Twin Citians!  Did you know that the 2011 Junk Bonanza is going on as we speak in Shakopee, Minnesota? I didn't, at least not until yesterday when my mom, who saw news coverage of it, reminded me!  So, we made some last second plans, which were set in stone late last night, to attend this morning.

We came...we saw...we left just in time for my boys' naps.  (Which left us with maybe an hour or a little more of actually looking at stuff, after you subtract the time we spent letting them burn energy on the playground.)  But, I did manage to take lots of photos again this year and made my one purchase, which I'll share with you next week! 

In the meantime, here are a few photos to whet your appetites....

I love that this show not only sells really awesome upcycled items, but it also caters to people like me who are looking for interesting found objects to upcycle myself....

...all over the Junk Bonanza are bins and bins of little objects just begging to be used in some cool project...

...vintage and retro and antique, oh my!

Are 'ya drooling yet?  I always have to limit the amount of cash in my pocket at this because it doesn't last long. Next week I'll post some of the cool recycled and upcycled finds as well as my own personal purchase!  Stay tuned!

Twin Cities' "Junk Art" Event Starts This Week!

I've got another great event to share with my fellow recycling and repurposing Twin Cities' residents...Art + Architecture's Junk Market!  There's a charitable gala going on this Wednesday night, October 13th, which requires registration.  For a $5 admission fee, you can visit the market this Thursday the 14th through Saturday the 16th.  Or, attend on Sunday the 17th from noon to 4:00 for FREE. There will be door prizes, music, classes, and of course, SHOPPING!

I'm not sure if I'm going to make it, as parking sounds like a challenge on top of the toddler, baby, and giant stroller I'd have to lug around.  However, if I can swing it on the weekend, leave the little ones home with Daddy, and squeeze into a great spot with my little VW Beetle, I will be sure to share some fun findings with you! 

Welle Designs: Turning Vintage Finds into New Treasures

I am in the process of sharing what I saw at this year's Junk Bonanza in Shakopee, and for today's vendor highlight I would like to share the work of Lauren & Lori Welle of Welle Designs.

I've seen these cool bowls before made from old records, and they had a fun selection of them at a great price.  My mom bought a couple as Christmas gifts.

I've always loved these cool ticket bowls too!! Wouldn't they look great filled with popcorn on movie night?

I just recently shared some message boards made from vintage trays, and they had some as well that had ribbons to hang on the walls (Above). I really like this cute and simple idea of the "message block," shown above in front of the tray.  The little block of wood has chalkboard paint on the front, and a hole drilled in the top to place a piece of chalk!  Love it!

As you can see by the little hand in this picture, Sammy was drawn to this cute record clock with game pieces and a bingo card in the center.  "No touching, Sammy!!"

I really liked this tray on display, covered with bottle caps and a thick, clear resin, which Lori described as "just an experiment."  Sometimes the one-off, experimental items really get a lot of attention.  It reminded me of my last year at the Craftstravaganza when I had a couple junk mail decoupaged TV trays out for display purposes.  They weren't even for sale but people were very interested in them!

If you'd like to see more of Welle Design's work or contact them to purchase, be sure to check out their website!

Simply Vintage by Erin Moxness: "Jerelry, Clothing & Decor with Vintage Flair"

Time to share more of what I saw at this year's Junk Bonanza in Shakopee! For today's vendor highlight I would like to share the work of Erin Moxness of Simply Vintage.  The mini flyer I picked up unfortunately had no web links, except a note to visit their Facebook page, which I was unable to find.  I wanted to share some images of their stuff regardless, but in an effort to give proper credit to the artist, the phone number on the card was 701-388-0134 if you want to find out where she is, if she is, on the internet!

This booth was really fun to look at.  They had all kinds of little charms made from recycled materials.  You could even choose a cord or chain and have them put a necklace together for you right on the spot.

I love the pretty assortment of pendants made from vintage jewelry pieces!

These keychains made from puzzle pieces of the states were such a great idea.  What a fantastic way to repurpose a puzzle, especially if you have missing pieces!

Here are a couple trays of pendants made from sections of vintage yard sticks.  Cool!  This makes me think of our MN state fair, where we always used to get free yard sticks as kids.

These vintage watch pendants were beautiful and fun to look through as well.  These are all metal watch faces....every one unique!

More cute pendants...these ones have letters taken from recycled car nameplates!

Wonderful work, Erin!  And if you see this, please do pass on your web link to me as I'd love to share it!!

XO Handworks: Custom Recycled Pendants, Pins, Magnets & More!

I am still in the process of sharing what I saw at this year's Junk Bonanza in Shakopee, and for today's vendor highlight I would like to share the work of XO Handworks of Osseo, MN.

 I was really drawn in by this great display of jewelry made from recycled maps.  They have buttons, pendants, keychains, you name it.  I love how they displayed the soldered map pendants on a board with the map behind it, so you can find the location you want.  This is such a neat gift idea for someone who wants to show off their home state, country, favorite vacation spot, hometown, or whatever! Be sure to check out their beautiful creations here! They also have some really great items made from Scrabble tiles, bottle caps, and more!

A while back I used to sell pocket mirrors and buttons made from recycled maps, which were really fun.  I'm still hoping to offer more recycled map items in my shop in the future...once I get some better button making equipment that produces less duds!

Karen Heddens Designs: Beautiful Hand-Felted Work Made From Reclaimed Wool Sweaters

I am in the process of sharing what I saw at this year's Junk Bonanza in Shakopee, and for my first vendor highlight I would like to share the work of Karen Heddens Designs. 

This was the only item I brought home from the Junk Bonanza, although I would have bought the whole dang event if I had the cash and storage space! ;-) I have always been drawn to hand felted items and this bracelet really caught my eye.

Karen takes unwanted, old wool sweaters and hand felts them, and then uses the felt to create a variety of beautiful items, including slippers, handbags, and jewelry like this.  These felted beads are securely attached with wire between two buttons with a bead on top, then attached to a bracelet chain.  I just love the color combination in this particular bracelet, and also like that the chain seems nice and sturdy and the clasp really clips nice and tight.

I can't wait to wear it out on the town!  Okay, with two little kids, it'll probably be a while until I have another night out on the town.  But when I do, I'm wearing this! ;-)

Junk Bonanza 2010

I just returned to my studio after an overwhelmingly inspirational visit to the Junk Bonanza in Shakopee, MN! Described as "the best junk roundup in the Midwest," there is nothing junky about it!  I would describe this even as being like a walk through a really cool, antique flea market where everything has already been "upcycled" into quirky, creative gifts.  These are the people who scour thrift stores, yard sales, flea markets and antique shops for cool treasures and old "junk," apply their creative juices, and give everything a new life.

As a display designer myself, I found it equally as exciting just looking at the beautifully designed booths.  You can tell that every booth and display was designed for people like me, by people like me, who are easily drawn in by neat old treasures and recycled art. Walking through the aisles of creativity was like a constant struggle between the cool stuff pulling me into the next booth, and the desire to run home to my studio and start making things!  Many of the vendors were not only catering to those who want to purchase their items, but also those of us who like making things ourselves, by offering up bins and bins of little found objects just screaming to be made into something.

I went with my very artistic and creative mom, who so graciously offered to come along and help me maneuver the crowds with my two little boys in strollers.  With two little ones, we were only able to stay for a couple hours.  So, I didn't get to see EVERYTHING, but got a bunch of photos.  So many, in fact, that I can barely digest all of them myself, let alone overwhelm you with one post that covers them all.  So, I am going to post some more photos over the next few days from a couple vendors who caught my eye during the event.  Stay tuned for more photos and links to come!

Until tomorrow, here are a few more photos from the morning...

Groupon Offers Half Price Admission to Junk Bonanza!

I apologize for all of my non-Minnesota readers, but for those of you who live in the Twin Cities and love to find cool vintage stuff and repurposed items, be sure to check out today's Groupon for half price admission to the Junk Bonanza!  The event is held this September 16, 17, and 18 at Canterbury Park in Shakopee.

If you are NOT in this area and unable to attend, you might enjoy checking out their online gallery for a little eye candy and inspiration!

I've never been to this but it looks very much up my alley...and perhaps yours as well!  Happy hunting!

Happy New Year!

Hello everyone and happy new year!

I got some good news this week, that me and my Junk Mail Gems have been selected to be a part of this year's Craftstravaganza at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds in St. Paul this spring!


I'm pretty psyched and will be working on stocking up on cool junk mail products from now until April 26th! Well, we'll see how much my new Christmas angel little Sammy will let me get done but I have a few months so I'm not too worried. Having previously worked over 3 years as a display designer for Best Buy, I will be in my element working on designing my booth space. I'll be sure to include photos once I get things rolling!

I'm also in the process of getting Junk Mail Gems into two other online retailers' sites. So, things are growing already in 2008!

Craftstravaganza 2007

Well, this is posting is totally belated, but I did get out to the 2nd annual St. Paul Craftstravaganza on Saturday for a bit...it was super crowded but there was a lot of cool stuff there!! Too bad the fine arts building doesn't have a retractable roof...it was a gorgeous day outside! But, everyone knows that it's not worth the stress to plan an event outdoors and rely on good weather... Anyway, I highly recommend going next year if you didn't make it this year. Here are a few snapshots...



In the Fine Arts building...



These little gnomes & mushroom houses were the cutest!



Live music all day long...

2nd Annual Craftstravaganza!

Okay, so this posting may only be of interest to my fellow Minnesotans, but I wanted to just mention that the 2nd annual St. Paul Craftstravaganza is coming up soon! The Craftstravaganza will be held in the Minnesota State Fairgrounds' fine arts building on Saturday, April 28th from 9:00 am until 4:00 pm. Admission is FREE, which includes 90 offbeat craft vendors' booths to peruse to the beat of live music by local bands throughout the day, and even some hands-on workshops where you can learn and make your own cool stuff!! And did I mention it's FREE?