Today after church I'm taking the family to Indiana for apple pickin', pumpkin kicking, and for donuts that melt in your mouth. Up yours Osama bin Laden.
Manly Vintage Farm Vacation Checklist
Checklist
1. Two wives
2. Seven Children
3. Couple cases of beer
4. Ammo for the 38. Special
5. ...........ahhh, I can't think of anything else. oh, duh, fireworks!
6. yep, we're good. Let's go!
We're off to Indiana y'all; we will return with trunks full of vintage goodies, cheap Indiana cigarettes, and a heck of a lot less bullets.
Categories: Moment of Manly Zen, Uncategorized.
The Franklin Family Farm
The second annual Gagne/Franklin trip to the farm is fast approaching, I had thought I shared some pictures before, but it turns out just one, in this post.
I can't wait for all the small town antique shops, shooting bottles with the .38 Special, watching the kids catch lightning bugs, and building massive bonfires. Well here are some more photos, I was obsessing over learning Photoshop vintage effect at the time.
Oh, and a quick recap about the farm: been in Jayson’s family since 1863, nothing on the property dates later than the 1960s (except the foosball table), literally filled to the brim with antiques circa 1860s-1930s, two barns, one chicken coop, back country awesomeness.
Categories: Uncategorized.
Primitive Finds
Whenever I notice items labeled "primitive" I chuckle, because often it just means busted, and more costly than a tad newer, working, vintage/antique pieces. The primitives’ category also consists of plenty of decor, which (you couldn't tell from our existing overcrowded living space) I'm more and more leaning towards the direction of wholly useless.
Primitive furniture on the other hand I've become smitten and awash with love. So am I saying I want a house minimally decorated with each room centered on a gnarly, rustic, my-entire-brood-couldn't-destroy-it, piece of wooden awesomeness? Yes. Yes I am, that and rows and rows of Globe-Wernicke bookcases. (My wife will never let this happen)
These objects are very pricey if you're a sucker and purchase from a dealer (I'm not and I won't) and rare to come by in these parts (Chi-town). Also and a BIG also, I'm split on the issue of spending money on distressed pieces of furnishings all together!
Isn't some of the fun watching your furniture going from new (always a little used in my case) to charmingly beat up? Particularly the family man that I am, when my kids are on their own and I sit those final years on deaths door, wouldn't furniture covered with 20+ yrs of damage I told my wiener kids never to do my stuff just warm my old saggy gray heart?
So what is the point of the blog post? I think a to-do list is in order.
- Keep going to sales/junk stores/alleyways, maybe, just maybe.
- Take a trip down south with a van?
- Seriously consider begin investing in space (purchase of my own Chicago bungalow is in the works) and tools to make my own damn furniture.
- Does anyone know of a blog about this kind of stuff?
Oh and duh, the whole reason I started this post was because I found this chair last week, worst-blogger-ever. $15 yo.
Categories: Inspiration Folder.
Photoshop vintage effect
This past summer Jayson and I took our familys to Jayson's family farm for a couple days of marksmanship, beers, no cellphone reception, and complete total relaxation. I took many pictures of the farm, which came into his family in 1863 during the height of the American Civil War. I always thought it would be quite cool to add some age into the pictures to match the history of the location.
Here is my first try. It's no Civil War era pic but maybe 1960's.

Before

After
Categories: Uncategorized.













