Howdy ~~~
" Priceless! ! !"
Thanks for all your posts !
GodBless
SusieSunshine

*** I think each one of us Love Our
Garden Junk ~~~~ & we Love SEEING Other's Garden Junk
So...............I vote
"PRICELESS ~ our Garden Junk & Love and Appreciation of Other's Garden Junk... " PRICELESS" ! ! !"

Like the knobs!! Susie's right!! our junk is priceless! Not because we can't stand to let go of it (Secret Santa!) but because it gives us a lift! I walk out & see all my bunnies & things that people have given me or made for me & I feel warm & connected to all those great people!! That is priceless!! Jan

Pretty interesting, Robert. And glad you posted, I've wondered where you were and what you were creating now.
Tho sounds like the weather might be keeping from you from doing much.

hugs, Karen

Well hello there Robert,

It is so nice to hear from you again. I also have wondered where you have been and what you were up to. I love the knobs. I agree with Susie. You can't put a price on our junk because it is priceless. What the people here make is uncomparable to anything else because it is made with so much love. We may be able to part with it (Secret Santa) but only to someone we know will love it as much as we do. We all look forward to your next creation. Yours are always so amazing.

~Micki~

HI Robert...

Hi Robert,
I've noticed that the mainstream is adopting junker ideas for some time now. And its priceless until you have so much that you need to sell some, lol.
kathy

Great to hear from you Robert!! Isn't it amazing how much our junk is worth? Funny how mainstream takes so long to catch on to things we junkers have known for years! Going green, etc. We've been doing that forever! Love the faucet knobs...I have several of those just waiting for a project!

Robert, you've been missed!!!! When people come to visit our home they think I spend tons of time and money shopping. But in reality I spend time repurposing, but little money. I have one-of-a-kind creations that appear to the average consumer to have cost a lot. And Marlene is right! "We've been doing this forever". "Necessity is (indeed) the Mother of invention". I recently made triangle banner flags to spell out a child's name and the mommy said they cost $40.00 retail. I have always called it "LIVING LARGER, FOR LESS". Yes our "Junk" is priceless. Yet just knowing that if we needed to create and sell, we have the ingenuity to do so.

Good to see you back, Robert! I was thinking the same thing the other day looking through my Country Door catalog. Here are a few things that made me wonder the same thing...

Here is a metal garden gate that sells for $99.99. I have seen people fish similar items out of the trash and use them for trellises.

http://www.countrydoor.com/Home-Accents/Accents/Garden-Gate-1.pro

Or this metal "tractor" planter reminds me of so many small wagons that people have in their gardens. This sells for $109.95.

http://www.countrydoor.com/Home-Accents/Accents/Tractor-Planter.pro

Or this wire basket that is used as a planter selling for $34.99 (on sale).

http://www.countrydoor.com/Home-Accents/Baskets/Set-Of-2-Farmers-Basket-Planters.pro

And that place is relatively inexpensive!

I decided that I would try and sell my junk. What I have found doing a few festivals is that people don't want to pay the price for fine garden art. That is, most people. I have sold a few mosaiced bowling balls for $149 and my concrete leaf cast birdbaths bring in anywhere from $59 to $200. But, here is the thing, you have to sell enough to make it worth while, like pay the booth rent and make some money too... I am finding that for me it's not really worth all the work hauling all this heavy stuff around, setting up and tearing down... it really is alot of work. Those of you who do it know what I mean. I see people at some the those festivals with one item that is small and doesn't cost much, but their stuff sells. I'm sure it has to do with the economy too. Folks are hanging on to what little they have.... ok, now I'm rambling..

My junk is priceless. But then again I'm rather possessive! :-)

emtnest, I wondered how it could possibly work, lugging concrete leafs around. I read GARDEN GALLERY by Little & Lewis, and they make such items out in the Seattle area.
What I have been trying to get my brother to do is to sell some of his original birdhouses. He has an unlimited supply of "Katrina" wood, since he lives just outside NOLa.
Every time I run across a catalog with photos of hi-dolla
bird houses--and I mean something close to a grand--I send him the pics. If I had his talents and supply of materials, I think I'd be at least advertising them on eBay or at local art fairs. This year I will go to the Mobile Festival of Flowers specifically to BUY one of the birdy mansions this man from the midwest created out of old river driftwood.

Not exactly JUNK, but it came out of the debris pile...does that count?

And at my house, we are currently having a disagreement about this set of heavy cypress louvered doors. I have them propping up the old metal garage door on a cement block garage that has no roof structure. I rather liked the cracked weathered white paint, with a cherub on a pedastal in between the two. But a few days ago I looked outdoors and saw DH scraping them down and painting them. He wanted them to look shiny new; I said what person in their right mind would put brand new doors in such a place?
They are supposed to look aged. He tries to make the yard look NEAT, and I want it to have character. Sigh....

Okay, here is a photo of the birdhouses from the Festival of Flowers last year. Made out of river driftwood.
{{gwi:132458}}

Moccasin- Some of the demolished areas of N.O. had lead paint on the older homes. I have a friend who use to fix up homes there. Driftwood would be different because the paint is usually soaked off. Tell your brother to be careful. Susie

If I was selling my house, I'd probably squabble more over my rusty garden stuff than the appliances in the kitchen! GJers understand the word priceless means just that. Sometimes free is priceless! Can't put a price on it. No way. :-)

Good to see ya Robt, hope you've got some projects ready to go come spring, I can't wait to see them! ~tenderlee

Moccasin, those birdhouses are just incredible. I hope you can get one this year. Thanks for sharing the photo of them with us.
Your DH needs a few lessons about how the yard should look.
LOL. I have a SIL like that, my yard horrifies him with all the "stuff".

hugs, Karen

Hopefully Robert will set me straight ... but I got the impression he was making an observation on what other people charge for pieces similar to what we make or are made from pieces that we fish out of the garbage or find at thrift stores/rummmage sales. Like the old faucet handles. That's why I posted samples of things I found in a catalog.

Now we have seen some outstanding mosaic pieces by people around here. But check out the link below to an artist on Etsy. She will do a personalized address number plaque for a total of $125! That's $105 for the piece and $20 for shipping. Yowza! Not to say this woman's work isn't nice ... I think it looks great ... but imagine what folks around here could make like this for less than $20!

Here is a link that might be useful: Mosaic Address Numbers

Hi all, I find this thread interesting..I am new to this forum and I love it..
On this subject of value..in your totems and dish flowers I seen pieces of value. I have seen Wexford glass pieces, and a fenton glass vase, forest green bubble glass cup, and a few glass birds one fenton and princess house..so yes your totems are worth something...
I love all your talents...linda