Thinking outside the box

Country & primitive decorating lends itself to thinking outside the box. That fits very well into our life, since George & I tend to walk a little different path than most folks.

Maybe we're wired different, I don't know. I do know that we tend to do things our own way. (Some may think we do it the HARD way, and they may be right!). And, the old ways appeal to us.

For better or worse, we passed those traits on to Jessica & Kevin. When they get together, they spend their time dreaming & conspiring & planning all things country & farm related. Probably not a real common thing for early 20 somethings in this day and age!

Jessica's husband Brian was quite amused when on a trip to Washington DC, we didn't have much time left. We left the decision up to Kevin - do we go to the Capitol Museum, or the Botanical Gardens? Guess which one he chose.........

Besides, we could see the Capitol from the Botanical Gardens.

Jessica proved she loved country and could think outside the box when she was a teenager. We ran across an old Hoosier cupboard similar to this one. It was dirty and cheap, and she had to have it. We had no where to store it, so what did she do? She painted it, then put it in her bedroom. It became her dresser! I doubt too many Hoosier's sit in a teenage girls bedroom...full of clothes.

And Kevin? His living and dining rooms are decorated with lots of feed sacks. One is framed, similar to the one above we have for sale in the store.

But most are just hung on the walls, like this one in the store. It really looks cool, and country. When Kevin and his cousin were discussing something or other, and Kevin gave an opinion, his cousin said, "Oh Kevin, what do you know, you have feed sacks on your wall". Hee hee.

Look at the farm scenes to the right of the feed sack. It's becoming very popular to hang canvas prints without frames. Thinking outside the box.

Speaking of boxes:

Old wood boxes are great hung on the wall. Just make sure your nail is in a stud.

Or how about hanging this tray from an old trunk on the wall? It could hang as shown, or turned the other way. Instant shadow box.

Wood trunks or tool boxes make great coffee tables. Or storage in a mud room. Or any other room.

These stars and hearts are cut from a rusty metal taken off my father-in-laws barn. Let me tell you, he thought we were crazy when we wanted to keep the metal and barn wood. He stopped in the shop one day and looked at things we had made from some of it. He just shook his head.



It may be hard to see in this pic, but George built this display shelf, using 2 old shutters for the ends.

I'm sure most people would think this rusty locker door should be scrapped. But I think it has potential. How about a backdrop in a flower bed?

  

I have to admit that even George shook his head at this next "treasure"..........

I said, "this is cool, what is it?"

He said, "um, I think it's a sewer pipe."

Oh.

"No one's going to want that Barb."

"Well, we'll see."

He shook his head. Don't worry, I did wash it.

Wouldn't it look cool in a flower bed?

Wouldn't it?

Am I the only that thinks so?

Remember - we're thinking outside the box.

Waaaaaaaay outside the box!