Camera Series

In early 2022 I began making cameras from random junk I had laying around the shop. The first two were such a hit I decided to do a series of them and catalogue them for future reference. All (except #2, that one got out the door before I had a chance to number it) are marked with a unique number identifying them in the series. I will add them to this portion of the Salvaged Junk Blog in order of production!

Camera #1 (not titled)

Camera #2 “Say Cheese” (not numbered)

Camera #3 “Oh Shoot” (front and back)

Camera #4 “Photo Stitch”

Camera #5 “Hot Shot”

Camera #6 (“Pixel”-not circulated to the general public)

Junk Guitar – truly HEAVY METAL!

The post you are about to read is one that modern day fairy tales are made of.  Never in my wildest dreams could I have ever imagined something like this could happen for me!  It all stemmed from a single post I put up on instagram. That post then got shared by a local business (our Habitat for Humanity Restore)…then it got noticed by a local interior designer and well the rest is history!  When she contacted me and asked if I would be willing to meet to discuss some possible projects.  I was floored…we met, we talked, we planned and then I sent some sketches and pitched a few ideas for the things we had discussed.  The piece I am sharing with you was so fun to make, so much fun it never ever felt like work.  I made the entire piece mostly from junk I already had in my shop and had to purchase only a few things (like more welding wire!).

The “initial plan” was to plasma cut a guitar from a flat piece of steel and somehow make it  look like “trees” as the location for the project was the Seasons Lodge in Nashville, IN. A very cool little town full of log cabins and surrounded by the wooded rolling hills of southern Indiana. 

After talking with the designer about her ideas..I said “I like your design and I can do it, but can I pitch a different idea?” All the while in the back of my mind was a guitar made from junk! I mean like entirely from junk! The strings, the frets, the neck, the main body all of it…JUNK! I was pretty sure I could construct it from the piles I already had hoarded in “my stash”! I sketched her my idea and she gave me the go ahead to run with it! She took a huge risk and I am forever grateful!

Why the shape of a guitar? Well that’s partly because the hotel sits directly across the street from the Brown County Music Center and Nashville-Brown County is known for its music festivals and good old fashioned bluegrass and country music! I was asked to incorporate as many different interests as possible but was asked to specifically include bike related things (chain, sprockets, etc) as Brown County Indiana has one of the largest mountain bike trail systems and is a huge motorcycle destination particularly in the times of high color during season changes!  It is also a large antique and vintage marketplace so anything I could add that was older than I was would a good thing! The town is also known for its numerous artisans and craftsmen who’s work can be seen with a stroll through town.

I started the entire project by tracing around my own flat top guitar…then I just started adding in the pieces and figuring out where they best fit.  I ended up with about 110 individual pieces not counting the individual chain links, pins and things like that.  I counted those as only one item. How many items can you name?…and YES, there are a few VW parts cleverly worked in!

In the end it weighed approximately 42lbs, was 43” long and wasn’t something someone would want to hold up for very long! Lol

I also had to design the bracket system to hang it on the wall.  I wasn’t going to trust just any hook so I used 1.5” angle iron welded to the guitar back.  I then welded a nut to the angle pieces getting attached to the wall and used Alan head bolts that had to be shaved to get in between the honey comb weave on the sides.  I also had to design a special tool to tighten and loosed the bolts.  The tool is cleverly disguised as part of the guitar and stays put with rare earth magnets so it doesn’t get lost.  If I’ve learned anything in life it is that if a tool doesn’t have a specific place to live it will always be lost when you need it most! On the back of the guitar to fill the “dead space” I welded random bicycle sprockets. On one of them it was stamped “Made in England”…I engraved “Ruined in the USA” of course no one will ever see that part…but knowing it’s there makes me smile.

I always have fun in the shop, but THIS project will always be one of the favorites created in my tiny little shop.  You can watch my thought process on the build and see the “end result” on my YouTube channel just search “heavy metal guitar” on the marcijunebug channel or click on the video below! The guitar can also be seen in person at the Seasons Lodge in Nashville, IN hanging in the bar! Go check it out if you are ever in the area and tell them Marci sent ya!

P.S.  I also built a few custom “bearing” related tap handles that are directly below the guitar to highlight their signature beer on tap “Bearings”

Pickle Chips – Support The Project – Get One Today!

What is a Pickle Chip, you may ask. All of the metal bits & pieces and the plexi-glass windows, etc. that I have cut out of our old crusty blue VW bus (a.k.a. Pickle) I have saved in a pile.  I initially thought I would just haul it all of at once to the salvage yard and then buy myself a cup of coffee with the $5-6 I made…but recently I have played around with taking those bits and cutting them into small keychain sized circles, calling them “Pickle Chips” and metal stamping a peace sign and the phrase “see the good” on them.

VW Bus Split Window Art Project - Pickle Chips - Junk In This Truck
Marci Wease is artfully taking the scraps from her vintage VW bus and repurposing them into tokens of good energy that you can purchase to help support the project!

Now, folks can now purchase a piece of Pickle The VW Bus and in doing so, support the project and have some ownership in it.  It keeps all of my scraps pieces from going into the junkyard and turns it all into something very special that can be passed on to others.

With the underlying message being “see the good, be the good”…it IS after all just a pile of rusty old bits from a rusty old bus that no one else wanted to love…until I saw the good…I saw the potential…I SAW myself behind the wheel driving it in my minds eye!

Suspended In Air - Unique VW Bus Art - Junk In This Truck
Pickle the VW bus is being brought back to life and needs your help! Purchase a piece of Pickle to support the project. Pickle Chips are $6.99 with FREE shipping!

100% of the proceeds that come from our Pickle Chips sales will go to bringing Pickle The VW Bus back to life! Keep an eye on the progress on Instagram / Facebook / YouTube – Thank you for supporting and following our project!


Pickle Chips – Support Our VW Bus Project

(4 customer reviews)

$6.99

What is a Pickle Chip, you may ask. All of the metal bits & pieces and the plexi-glass windows, etc. that I have cut out of our old crusty blue VW bus (a.k.a. Pickle) I have saved in a pile.  I initially thought I would just haul it all off at once to the salvage yard and then buy myself a cup of coffee with the $5-6 I made…but recently I have played around with taking those bits and cutting them into small keychain sized circles, calling them “Pickle Chips” and metal stamping the phrase “see the good” on them.

Now, folks can now purchase a piece of Pickle The VW Bus and in doing so, support the project and have some ownership in it.  It keeps all of my scraps pieces from going into the junkyard and turns it all into something very special that can be passed on to others.  Each Piece is issued it’s own Certificate of Authenticity and stamped with a unique identifier.

These ship FREE to anywhere in the world! If you are an international buyer are unable to order through the site please reach out to me through the contact tab on the website with the phrase “pickle chip” somewhere in your message and I will get one out to you!

SKU: 011 Category:

Description

With the underlying message being “see the good, be the good”…it IS after all just a pile of rusty old bits from a rusty old bus that no one else wanted to love…until I saw the good…I saw the potential…I SAW myself behind the wheel driving it in my minds eye! 100% of the proceeds that come from our Pickle Chips sales will go to bringing Pickle The VW Bus back to life! Keep an eye on the progress on Instagram / Facebook / YouTube – Thank you for supporting and following our project!

4 reviews for Pickle Chips – Support Our VW Bus Project

  1. Nick McCarthy (verified owner)

    The pickle chips are super cool. Perfect keychain size and feel really good in the hand. It’s really cool having a piece from Pickle the bus to go on the key for my own bus and bug! It’s a great conversation piece for sure. And the message is great because I “saw the good” in my own old junky Volkswagens as well.

  2. Thomas Dunigan (verified owner)

    Our pickle chips arrived just in time for our own adventure. We found a 1965 11 window rusty bus. I will carry it in my pocket for inspiration.

  3. Lutz Knoke (verified owner)

    Marcy,
    I got my pickle chip today. The keychain is even better than expected. An absolute must for every classic car enthusiast. Together with the dear letter and the certificate a great package. The German motto is perfect.
    I am already looking forward to the finished result “Pickle, the bus” and wish you much success.
    Volkswagen accompany me since childhood (no wonder if you are born in Germany). Nevertheless, my favorite toy is a 1964 Volvo Amazon.

    • Junk In This Truck

      I’m so glad you were pleased with it! I truly appreciate your support and kind words!

  4. Andy Wallace (verified owner)

    Hi Marcy,
    “Colin”my 1972 Bay window, is the proud owner of a pickle chip 120.
    I have an up and down relationship with him but every time I pick up his key and read “See the good” it make’s me smile and off we go on another adventure! They are a great item! and I’m going to order another. Keep up the good work.

Only logged in customers who have purchased this product may leave a review.

One Man’s Junk Could Be Your Masterpiece

I’m a junk artist.  I take junk and make it “art”.  I grew up with parents and an entire family (grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins all on both sides of the family) that firmly believed in recycling and reusing! Modern day folks would likely refer to us as hoarders!  We saved everything because you never knew when you might need that single extra small screw from the center of the electrical outlet face plate that you paid a whole 88 cents for! The times are too numerous to mention where mom or dad would need something only to have the other one say “hang on a second I think I have something that might work”.  Seriously, they were geniuses at this…I mean pure genius in many cases.  Driving a car with vise grips as a shift lever comes to mind, hey it worked.  So I guess it wasn’t a far “fall from the ole apple tree” for me to love junk.  I mean I really, really LOVE junk.  If no one wants it, I do!  Especially if it is “free.”

Weekend trips to the salvage yard are a part of my “normal” routine! They know me by name there and chuckle as my son comes in with his little blue wagon in tow.  A real picker in the making.  I am not too proud to pick up something off the side of the road or knock on a door to ask to purchase a piece of junk from someones yard.  I HAVE NO PRIDE.  Haha Some of my best pieces have been assembled with “free” junk picked from the side of the road. 

The thrill of grabbing something from the side of the road never gets old.  I jump out, grab it and immediately start thinking of what I could use it for.  Thus far the universe has never failed to provide me with a perfect project for the pieces of junk I have saved.  As a DNA analyst for many years I feel I am giving a new genetic code to some of these pieces.  Flipping their initial function on it’s head and providing them new life and a second chance for someone to love and cherish them as art.  The word art is found in HEART and without it we just have an H and an E and there isn’t much we can built with that.  Each piece I make no matter how simple or small…I can say I make it with my whole heart.

Salvaged Scone StyleCopper Wall Flower Vase - Junk In This Truck

There are pieces I have sold where I have cried as the person paid for it.  Cried because they appreciated something I made so much  that they were  willing to pay the “I don’t want to sell it” price.  Cried because a part of me was leaving.  Cried because I, as the artist, knew “that one” was special.  That one had true life and someone was going to love it like a true masterpiece. Find the pure joy in saving old junk…when you save that first piece you’ll be hooked! You can thank me later!

Build With Passion, But Don’t Underestimate The Determination To Never Quit.

Artists often get side tracked on projects.  They start something and then once they can kind of “see” the finished product in their mind, they are done with it and move on to the next thing.  I can’t tell you the times I have started something I was really excited about only to abandon it half way through the process. 

One of my dearest friends and “comrades in art” was my Jr. High School art teacher. She and I used to have long, deep conversations about this very topic.  About how psychologically there was something very “off” about us.  We each had piles of unfinished “art” in our homes and it would drive our respective partners bonkers that we had no desire to finish said projects, but absolutely would not hear any talk about discarding them! No WAY was I throwing that project in the trash!  Was there a high probability that I was going to finish any of this art…ever? Nope…We would talk about if or if not it was that we could see the finished product so there was no reason to finish it.  Or if or if not it was that the art was headed in a direction contrary to where we wanted it to go and fear of failing we just abandoned the process all together…I’m still not sure of the actual answer, but we spent countless hours laughing at ourselves over this fault.

You see, I think the passion is what gets you started on a project…the follow through, however, is something completely different.  As a parent I began to see things differently…I saw how my  son would work on something with a bull headedness that I had just never witnessed.  You see to him his idea HAD to work because he had nothing in his past to tell him it wouldn’t.  He would tirelessly stack blocks in a way that gravity wouldn’t allow, but he would just keep doing it over and over and it would fail over and over…yet, he was determined.  Passion had nothing to do with it.   Even with all his recent failures at the process he simply refused to quit.

Now, when I build or make something when I get discouraged with it I try to step away from it and set it aside only for a short time and then come back to it refreshed with a new appreciation for that initial passion.  Not every project gets completed, but I do try to approach them from the beginning thinking “ok, if this fails, or if I get bored with it what then?”.  I think looking at the project differently from the beginning has helped me stay on task and focus more on the actual final product being in my hand.  The passion is the initial creativity spark the determination is the wood that fuels the spark into a raging fire.  It is the determination, the not giving up…the persistence that brings the passion to life.

Don’t quit…you can pause for a moment and reset, but don’t you ever quit.

Embrace Your Inner “Weirdo”; Why I Must Create

When I was a kid I loved creating.  I learned early on that anything and everything had the potential to be what I wanted it to be.  A chunk of log that I found cut from the cabin my parents were in the process of building and a few 16 penny nails became a stilted house for my hot wheels.  Branches and sticks gathered and woven into walls would provided a “structure”for my brother and I to use as a drive through restaurant for our little Honda 50 motorcycles.  We would trade off who worked the drive through and who rode the mini bike trough the drive through and placed their order.  We “lived” life as kids…no video games, internet or TV and parents that encouraged and even sometimes participated in our crazy ideas. 

We simply used imagination and invention to occupy our time and I can’t ever recall being bored.  I would design duffle bags with crudely drawn pencil sketches for my mother (the world’s most amazing seamstress) to make.  The sketch would be complete with specific color choices for each part of the bag, how long the straps needed to be and pockets…lots and lots of pockets.

I grew up thinking I lived a perfectly “normal” life.  It wasn’t until I was in high school that I realized I wasn’t like all my other classmates or kids my age.  I was different in so many ways the least of all being that I drove a 1962 VW beetle that my dad and I had restored.  I honestly thought it was the best thing ever.  I was so proud of that little $50 auction car and while all the other 16 year olds were bragging about their NEW car, I would click the seatbelt in my little bug and smile because I installed those seatbelts and those seats I was sitting on…well I had repaired them with my own hands.

I guess I said all of that to say this…I’ve been creating with whatever I had my entire life.  It IS at the very core of who I am.  I am a creator, maker, a “think-outside-the-boxer”.  I am weird and different and often folks don’t “get” me but I’ve embraced my “weirdness” and have learned to wear it like a beacon so that all the other weirdos out there can quickly recognize one of their own!  Today if I had a choice between weird and normal I’d choose weird every time! Because “normal” is boring! 

Here’s to staying weird and creating good things from the “junk” pile!  Now GO, make something!

MessyMom.com – Online Feature

I am so excited to show you the feature that was put together by Natalie at MessyMoms.com! Each month, she shares an Inspiring Mom on her blog and to be chosen as one by her is an honor!

In the article, she talks a little bit about my history and love for art, how the two of us met, my family and my work. I encourage you to visit her website and check out all of her wonderful posts! 

Click here to check out the article + interview!

Messy Mom Blog Feature - Junk In This Truck

The Artist – Marci Wease

Salvaged - Junk In This Truck - Marci Wease - Metal Artist
Junk In This Truck - Marci Wease - Metal Artist

Hello beautiful people! My name is Marci Wease and I’m the artist behind Junk In This Truck.

I just recently resigned from my “real” job, as a forensic DNA analyst (been there almost 20 years!) and now, I’m in full “create” mode! 

I’m taking a huge leap of faith and putting all of my belief into my talents, my passion and my art. It’s scary/exciting, but I hope that by sharing my journey, I can inspire others to put more energy into the things that make you happy and generate joy.

I will be constantly adding new art to my Shop, so be sure to keep an eye out for new reveals!

I am also excited to roll out my newest item, PICKLE CHIPS! Now, you can purchase a piece of Pickle The VW Bus and support the project! 

Projects like these fill my heart with happiness, as I am determined to spread more good in this crazy/wild world! Repurposing “junk” into art and functional designs is my way of rescuing, restoring and rebuilding from what I have.

As an artist, a wife, a mom and a human being, I am expressing my mission: to take less, make more and inspire. Thank you all for following along and supporting my art!