SEEDS FOR THOUGHT

I do love summer for it's constant changing colors, and free flower's.  Most of what I plant goes a little wild (just the way I like it).  It provides me with flower's I'm not afraid to collect.  If any of you plant these buttercups and lambs ears,  you know exactly what I'm talking about!

If you want your herbs to keep going, you must cut them back, so that provides me with lots of options.

And if you don't want the plants to go to seed everywhere you must remove the spent flowers.  I think the seed heads are beautiful in a very architectural kind of way.  These are the seeds from my columbines.  Once they are totally dry you won't want to bump the table!  I take the bouquet when I'm done loving it and turn it upside down in a brown grocery bag and shake.  You just collected all the seeds, and now you can package them in little packages and share with your friends.  You may even want to save the stems for the fall when the flowers are pretty much done.

Poppy seeds are my favorite.  When I was a little girl my next door neighbor planted lots of poppies and showed us how each little head is like a salt shaker.  These will get emptied and saved for adding to other dried floral arrangements.   I am anxiously awaiting my white hydrangea's turning a light papery green so I can harvest my winter bouquets!

To be interested in the changing seasons is a happier state of mind than to be hopelessly in love with spring.   GEORGE SANTAYANA

Enjoy your day!

FAST APPROACHING......JULY!

LAKE TRASH & TRAVEL......

AN ALL AMERICAN SUMMER

junk evolution and Carpenter Gothic will take you back a

few years, to a place where you traveled by car in a less

hurried style. You stopped along the way to collect

souvenirs, and you shot black and white pictures. Or

maybe your family cottage served as your summer get

away with comfortable, time worn furniture, painted in

breezy summer colors.

Stop by and get your dose of creative juices flowing, even

if you can’t get away this summer you can

give your home a few creative touches

that will take you far from home.

Our outreach project for this month

will be a raffle for the retro TV pet

bed with proceeds going to

Pet Refuge.

Come Celebrate the kick off of a new month on July 2.

Come visit us on First

Friday and enjoy some

refreshments from 5-9 at

528 E. Colfax Avenue

South Bend, In

if you can’t make it on

First Friday our hours are

Wednesday thru Friday

10-6 and Saturday from  11-3

We Made the Wall!

You may remember this photo from a previous post....

Dave & Lisa Blodget came back and painted our store and some of our furnishings right on the wall!  How cool is that?  If you are coming in from the East this is on the side of our building.

And as a special treat to our fellow bloggers  URBAN TWIST jewelry is 25% off this week.  Just tell Linda you read it on the blog!


Here's a green tip for the week:  With all the rain we've had of late, we have to mow more often.  If you mow often, let your clippings lie.  They add nitrogen to your soil (so you don't have to add it later).  If you do pick up the clippings,  put them around your garden plants,  to use as mulch.  It helps retain moisture, keeps down the weeds, and you won't have to water as much.  At the end of the season you can dig it in to your garden to make the soil richer.  They also make a great layer to a compost pile.

Don't forget Dad!

Father's day is fast approaching, and if your father and (or) husband are as hard to please as mine, you may want to think outside the box  for something, maybe a bit unusual.

Or inside the box......

Just don't forget those special guys.

They are after all, the ones that taught us to ride a bike, and catch lightning bugs, bait a hook, set up camp, catch a frog, drive a car, and if you are lucky enough to have my dad I got to slide down the fire pole with him once!  What are some of your favorite memories?

Security is mostly a superstition.  It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it.  Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure.  Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.       -HELEN  KELLER

Monumental moments

This doesn't have anything to do with the shop or decorating...it has to do with life.  My life.  My joy!  My son Weston graduated today, my third and youngest.  I'm happy and sad all mixed up together.  Just had to share this moment.  Can't wait to see what the next chapter of his life brings, but I hope he finds something that brings him as much joy as I have working with all of you at Junk evolution. :)

Mad for Plaid

Just a reminder that Father's day is coming soon, and if you have one of those dad's that has everything, then march right in to junk evolution.  I'm sure you'll find something unique that he doesn't have!

Yes, we do love the vintage plaid's and have lots of idea's for new uses for these items.  And don't think that they are only good for one season.  Think outside of the box and use them for the holidays as well. (see below)

You may remember these from Christmas last year.  I decorated my exterior with the plaid.  

          Stop by to see what we've done with them for summer!
Oh, and Happy Anniversary Ed!  This song is for you!  xoxoxoxox Mrs. S

It's a Jungle in Here!

The big opening for the month of June started out with lots of plants from the Unity Garden's.  We hosted a fund raiser for them to raise money for supplies.  This organization grows food for people that may not have access to a yard, and they feed lots of hungry people.  For more information go here http://unitygardensinc.org/South_Bend_Gardens.html

It's not to late to donate.  We still have lots of free seeds to give away too!

One of our theme's for the month is SAFARI SO GOOD!

and some of our customer's thought it looked so inviting they just had to try it out!

This little darling is modeling a pillow case dress.  They fit sizes 2T-6years.

And the thought for the day:  Wheresoever you go, go with all your heart.-CONFUCIUS

Junk evolution Updates

http://www.wndu.com/localnews/headlines/95608899.html

We made the news thanks to the Unity Gardens!  This is the last day for the plant sale from 8-3.  They have some beautiful plants and shrubs.  Plant something today and help feed the hungry.  They are also passing out lots of free seeds!

Come Celebrate Dad

This First Friday we are celebrating Father's with theme's like Mad for Plaid, and Safari so good.  We have a whole lotta new junk to display.  So stop in for some refreshments and fun on Friday night from 5-9 and save some room in your garden for some plants.  The Unity Garden's group will be having a fund raiser by selling some plants and shrubs.  They maintain 35 garden's to help feed hungry people.  They are amazing people, not only feeding people for a day but teaching them how to grow their own food.

The old Table Cloth Trick

What I absolutely love about outdoor furniture is that it's so lightweight  and versatile (I can move it all by myself).  This room is a few steps down from my kitchen and is really a dining area, but in the winter I try to make it cozy and bring the outdoors in (my plants and wicker furniture and the pond fish!).  The draperies are a nice warm fabric that helps keep the winter winds out and our heating bills low.   

I've always wanted to have summer draperies and winter draperies but where do you store all that extra stuff?
My Aunt Barb (I love this woman!) sent me a whole load of antique linens.  I kept sorting through them and knew just what to do.  I know they are not all the same length but I just clipped them up on the curtain hooks and walla, easy, breezy summer time.  They keep the hot sun out and let the cool breeze blow right in.
I've moved my gazebo table in and it's a whole new look, crisp and light.

Over the kitchen sink-3 unmatched pillow cases.

My front porch got the wicker.  I just change the upholstery fabric with the season.

and the Gazebo got the ivy terrace (a free trash pick years ago).  My mom made the covers for the set with a reversible rusty color on the back.  So I can change up the look I want.

Now in the evenings we actually use this space.  We also have an outdoor table on the patio that gets used most nights in the summer months.

Love those lazy, hazy days of summer!