Home Decorating and Decor Week 2 - Western Alaska

When I was little, we lived in Alaska for a few years as my dad worked in the area. I don't remember much other than he went hunting lots and killed a black bear which they had made into a rug.

When I was growing up, I had the black bear in my room on the wall for awhile. At other times, it was on the floor in front of the fire place.

Several years ago I was thinking what I would like of my dad's that would remind me of him the most. I thought, the black bear would probably be the one thing that reminded me of my dad the most. Jeeping and camping are what I remember most but of his possessions, the bear was it. I never voiced that feeling but a few months later, we were at a Thanksgiving dinner and my dad brought a box of a few things saying he didn't want to store them and had no place to keep them and wondered if anyone wanted them. Since there was more than one person that wanted the bear rug, he asked us to pick numbers. I had a number in mind and then was going to give another but thought as they say on tests, stick with your first answer so I gave the number I had first. I won the bear.

Where do you put a bear and what else do you decorate a room with at that point? So, I did a western Alaska theme. As we have gone camping and jeeping around the state, we have found the most interesting things in the middle of nowhere. Once we found a coffee pot, another place in the desert we found a mug to go with the pot. Both were that white enamel and quite rusted. I got rid of those as they carried memories with them but some of the new things in the room were found in fun places as well. The frames in the top picture are the end pieces off of dynamite boxes used in mining in a high mining town and all the boxes were in pieces but I pulled out four of the edges and glued them together to use as frames. I thought that was fun. I put pictures of the girls riding horses at a high mountain lake a few summers ago in them.

This horse harness/yoke was found on my uncles ranch many years ago in the black smith shop. There was lots of stuff to be found there and these were there and we thought they would be fun to hang on the wall. I had to use a large L shaped hook as it is very heavy so to cover the hook, I put a cowboy hat over it.

We went to an amusement park a few years ago and did one of the fun western pictures and I found this frame at a second hand store along with the metal candle holder so I used it for our fun picture.

The cattle horns above were also found at a second hand store but I thought it would be cute hanging on the wall so I hung it up. On the right is a hat I actually used to wear and on the left is a pair of clackers like those resin balls from the seventies that you would clack together for hours. These are animal skin and are from Alaska when we lived there. I remember playing with these as a child.

There is an antique school desk with fold up chair that the picture is sitting on and we use if for extra seating when the kids have lots of friends over.

Also, you can see the old chest under the sofa table. The chest was something my mother had which she gave me. It is rather old and dusty so I use it to hold my batting in a large garbage bag. It is functional for that and a cute decoration. The sofa table was in a dumpster at the second hand store when I was dropping off a load to donate. I asked them if I could buy it for a few dollars as it was several colors and quite worn looking. I painted it gloss black and it has served it's purpose.

The deacons bench was the first thing I bought for my "home" when I got engaged. I lived in a rooming house and asked if I could buy that along with a mirror they had. It was $15 for both. The rocker glider was bought at a yard sale of a friend of mine who passed away and matches the room and is comfortable as well. I have frames that say "Alaska" on them from a friend of mine who went there on vacation and brought them back. I also have pottery that a friend made several places in the room. The room is long and has a wood burning stove in the center on one wall so there isn't much I can do with furniture or TV as they have to be on the one wall or there wouldn't be anywhere to sit otherwise. So, it is limited to being moved. I found some fun lamps that match and have bears on them and the one shade you can see, you can see the outline of a bear on it. All were found used.

The nice thing about my home is, even though most of the items are used or clearance, I have updated them or put them together with other items and no one would know that almost my entire house is decorated with used items and most of the time, used and refinished furniture. I am so blessed to have that talent. I started when I was engaged by refinishing a dresser that was in the basement of the home I was renting and it had been used to test paint. Underneath was a beautiful birds eye maple dresser that was hand crafted.

From that moment, I was hooked. It is like uncovering a buried treasure each time you strip and refinish something. Usually, the older pieces are made better and last longer than newly made furniture and are of better wood. I may be helping Princess number 1 with her first projects this weekend. I will try to take before and after pictures. I am horrible to remember before pictures as you can tell by the room posts. I have NO before pictures. lol That is how it usually goes.

Have a great weekend.