This was published in Lake Wedowee Life Magazine October Issue 2012.
Let's Go Pickin'
by Candice Helton
Some woman love spending their days shopping at the mall, trying on shoes, modeling the latest fashions. Me, I'm a picker. Call it treasure hunting, dumpster diving, modern archaeology or recycling; nothing excites me more than a good yard sale or thrift store. Seeing a pile of junk gets my mind churning, trying to think of ways to turn junk into works of art.
Last week I was out and about in search of my next DIY project. I tend to go right for the rusted metal and broken down furniture you find in the back of the store or thrown to the side. The things that, once upon a time someone loved and couldn’t live without, that are now tossed in the garbage. The kind of stuff people will pretty much pay you to take off their hands. As I was rummaging, I stumbled across a pile of old fan blades and wondered what kind of life I could give them. There is at least a dozen times on my picking sprees I hear my fiancé’s voice saying, "Great, that’s all we need is more junk piled up in the yard." Call it the voice of reason…that I don’t listen to. I went ahead and got them. At a buck each I couldn’t just leave them behind, they were calling my name!
Days passed and there in the corner of my porch sat the fan blades. Still really unsure of what I wanted to make I went out behind my shed searching for some inspiration. I had a pile of old wood siding, old rusty nuts and bolts, other odds and ends. A pile of old table legs caught my eye. That's when it hit me. Dragonflies! The fan blades already had a similar shape of wings and the table legs resembled their long narrow body. That's it! With my good friend the jig saw I got to work and added a little more shape to the blades and slathered on a few layers of paint. With a little sand paper and elbow grease I sanded away at the freshly painted wings revealing the colors below. Once they were complete I attached them to an aged table leg and added the finishing touches. This particular dragonfly stands over 3 feet tall and is a one of a kind piece that will add a little fun to any garden.
Days passed and there in the corner of my porch sat the fan blades. Still really unsure of what I wanted to make I went out behind my shed searching for some inspiration. I had a pile of old wood siding, old rusty nuts and bolts, other odds and ends. A pile of old table legs caught my eye. That's when it hit me. Dragonflies! The fan blades already had a similar shape of wings and the table legs resembled their long narrow body. That's it! With my good friend the jig saw I got to work and added a little more shape to the blades and slathered on a few layers of paint. With a little sand paper and elbow grease I sanded away at the freshly painted wings revealing the colors below. Once they were complete I attached them to an aged table leg and added the finishing touches. This particular dragonfly stands over 3 feet tall and is a one of a kind piece that will add a little fun to any garden. 
Some projects do not come to you immediately, so if you see something that you just can’t say no to, hang onto it until you are hit with inspiration to make something truly unique. Happy Picking!
Visit Candice on her Facebook page
Facebook.com/JunkRethunk