Reimagined Salvage



Downtown Community Co-op, Upstairs Gallery, May-July 2026


"Do what you can, with what you have, where you are."




I'm a green-eyed grandmother with a loft full of antiques and yard sale finds collected over the decades. The intricacies of these old, handmade objects crafted by those who came before us is so impressive...from the inner workings of an analog wristwatch and the architecture of a radio tube to the simple beauty of a silver spoon handle.

Thinking about shape and form and forgotten function, I remake these mundane materials into something fanciful, and they become One Of A Kind, curious, storied goods, occasionally functional once again. It’s about memory, connections, and imagination. I hope you find something in this show to bring sunlight and a smile into your life.

I feel incredibly lucky to be here, living peacefully on Lummi Island overlooking the saltwater of Bellingham Bay. I am a “possibilitarian” descended from machinists, seamstresses, gardeners, rapscallions, and at least one horse thief.



SCROLL DOWN TO SEE EACH ITEM

PURCHASE WITH VENMO: Use this QR code with phone number ending in 5358, then the item will be marked as sold. Include your name and the name of the item, plus your contact information.

PICK UP YOUR PURCHASE: June 22 or July 31 between 3-5:30pm, at the Upstairs Gallery

OR BY ARRANGEMENT: citizensalvage@gmail.com





Threshold guardian -- umbra #1 -- $110



Vintage lace as a cape and kitchen frothers as wings and earring holders. Turned oak table leg. Ancient Moroccan sterling silver pendant and antique French cat brooch--both are removable and wearable.

15" X 12"



Threshold guardian -- umbra #2 -- $110



Silverplate halo and face. Headdress of linen millinery flowers, gilded feathers, and starfish. Vintage frothers as wings. Turned oak table leg with Victorian brass backplate. Sterling medallion on a watch fob representing Friendship, Purity, Love, Equality (Knights of Pythias), removable and wearable.

15" X 12"



Threshold guardian -- SAGE #3 -- SOLD



Victorian brass door knob and escutcheon, vintage flat iron stand, frothers (could be used as earring hangers), rolled heritage dictionary pages spelling out "freedom"

12" X 8"



THRESHOLD GUARDIAN -- SAGE #2 -- SOLD



Victorian brass door knob and escutcheon, antique sterling serving spoons, vintage flat-iron stand, Swiss music box playing When Irish Eyes Are Smiling, rolled heritage dictionary pages spelling out "clarity"

12" X 8"



THRESHOLD GUARDIAN- - OUR LADY OF THE "GRATER" GOOD -- $30



Vintage grater and figurine

5" diameter



SEA DWELLERS -- THORNY SWITCHBACK -- $140



Well-used canoe paddle made by Caviness Woodworking in Mississippi, vintage telephone switchboard operator's headset and cord, sun bleached rope, two spatulas, tiny damper spoons from a piano, native American Plum thorns as teeth, and an antique adjustable hole drill tool as a tail fin. Piloted by sonar.

5 ft x 18"



SEA DWELLERS -- BELLY OF THE WHALE -- SOLD



Vintage rowing oar, eyeglass handles, clock case, fireplace rake, bronze oar lock, articulated abalone mermaid body with ceramic head, silkworm cocoons, other found objects.

5 feet x 18"



ANIMALIA -- BASKING BY STARLIGHT -- SOLD



Beached boat flotsam, tiny starfish, brass fish, seal figurine, barnacle, shell, and other found objects

8" x 5"



SEA DWELLERS--PADDLEFISH #1 and #2--$45/each



Vintage and well-used canoe paddle from Folbot of Charleston, obsolete stereoscope viewer used by cartographers, tin, and egg beater

24" x 12"



ANIMALIA -- PARADE -- SOLD



Salvaged grinder gears and brass buttons as a halo, wooden dolphins with drawer pulls as crowns, greeting card holder as background, brass fish and hermit crab as companions

12" x 10"



ANIMALIA -- COMPASS ROSE -- SOLD



Puffin figurine made of Mount St Helen ashes, yin/yang medallion around its neck, various brass and copper found objects, copper souvenir plate with four points of the compass.

15" x 8"



ANIMALIA -- BLUE KAVA -- SOLD



Blue leather giraffe mounting. Hanging medallion of horsehair, blue glass beads, vintage apron ribbon, brass bullion thread. Silverplate platter. Antique rainbow rhinestone necklace.

24" x 12"



ANIMALIA -- BRUSHY SEAHORSES -- $25/each



Vintage brushes, kitchen utensil handles, buttons, lamp parts, brass lion’s paw, latches, and a hidden coin purse

12" x 5"



ANIMALIA -- EMERGENCE -- $60



Salvaged wooden giraffe, silverplate platter, eagle trophy, various copper and brass found objects.

15" x 8"



ANIMALIA -- FESTOONED -- $115



Brass camel box top, sterling bracelet, brass diecuts and curtain finials, silver serving tray with handles and embossed with a floral design from WB Weidlich Bros , brass and rhinestone ornamentation, rolled and tied pages from vintage African wildlife book.

15" diameter



SHIP OF STATE -- SOLD



Boat flotsam washed up on Lummi Island. Vintage Statue of Liberty, monopoly houses, lighthouse representation on the point, and brass unicorn as a masthead. Typewriter keys and brass letter stencils spell out "Ship of State." A comment on our political difficulties and hopes.



UNLOCKED -- raRA AVIS -- $65



The parrot is a symbol of change and of connection to the spiritual world. This bird perches on a vintage skeleton key. Art Deco chandelier piece with double swans as a head, domed jade stones as eyes, vintage passthrough and keyplate, brass keys as flight feathers.

Unlock the cage.

20" x 18"



UNLOCKED -- UNHINGED -- $40



Vintage gate hinge, skeleton keys

15" x 10"



UNLOCKED -- THIRD EYE -- $65



Victorian brass escutcheon and latch, skeleton keys. The latch in the position of the third eye rotates to reveal a keyhole.

15" x 12"



UNLOCKED -- JABBERWOCK -- $45



Wrought iron drawer pulls, skeleton keys, brass Victorian escutcheon, elk fur, Pilcher detachable buttons as eyes

10" x 8"



FRAMED INSECTARY -- THE SUNSET MOTH -- $60



The multihued Chrysiridia rhipheus from Madagascar, unlike most other moths, is active by day. Its life stages include egg, larva, cocoon, and adult. Note that butterflies metamorphose inside a chrysalis but that moths metamorphose inside a cocoon. A miniature silver hand refers to the tiny corner torn from the left forewing. Parts included are a cuckoo clock pinecone, tomatillo skeleton, and jumbo enameled button.

12" x 15"



FRAMED INSECTARY -- THE ROYAL -- $45



This individual Charaxes numenes (the Rajah or Emperor butterfly) is shown with both top and bottom views under a magnifying lens, and atop a delicate Victorian embroidered butterfly, backed by a heritage dictionary page. A salvaged Royal Monaco auto emblem is attached.

8: x 10"



FRAMED INSECTARY -- the MONARCH -- SOLD



A preserved example of Danaus plexippus (the Monarch butterfly) lays atop archaic diagrams for navigation. The Monarch species is renowned for its navigational skills, traveling several thousand miles over a handful of generations. The tiny black dot in the middle of the hindwing indicates that this is a male Monarch. The host plant for the species is the milkweed (see lower right). Chrysler Imperial and Mercury Monarch automobile emblems are incorporated.

12" x 15"



ANIMALIA -- BELLA LUNA -- $75



This racehorse cameo suggests a memento of the winner’s circle. Breyer horse coated in SilverGleem, curtain finial, trumpet mouthpiece, and a variety of found objects in brass and copper.

15" x 8"



ANIMALIA -- ELEPHANT TIMEOUT -- SOLD



Vintage clock trivet and working 5-minute timer. Figurines of mother, father, and juvenile elephant with crossed trunks. A reminder of the time remaining for viable elephant populations in the wild.

14" x 10"



ANIMALIA -- FAVORITE -- SOLD



Breyer horse, cast iron mine marker for the Favorite mine, curtain finial, trophy eagles, trumpet mouthpiece, brass ornamentation. In horse racing, the favorite is the horse with the lowest-paying odds, yet the favorite wins roughly one-third of all races.



GILDED DINOS -- $10



Gilded toy dinosaurs to hang in a child's room or on a Christmas tree



dirigibles -- THE antelope escapes -- SOLD



Vintage plumber's float, ornate necklet, brass antelope and shoe, clock key. The imbabala must elude lions, leopards, eagles, crocodiles, and snakes.

18" x 10"



dirigibles -- steam -- $75



Vintage brass and copper smudge pot, carved wooden bear, diecast Southern Railroad locomotive Tender No. 31 with authentic Indian Head pennies as wheels. Polar bears rarely attack from trains.

20" x 12"



dirigibles -- PRIDE OF GRASS VALLEY -- [sold]



Vintage jewelry box, medallion from Foresters of America (Court No. 8), plumber's float, Surrealist label, intricate elephant head pipe at the crown, various found objects.



dirigibles -- SKY FISHER -- [sold]



Vintage plumber's float, sea otter figurine, Body by Fisher automobile emblem, amber chandelier crystals, other found objects



dirigibles -- owl'S VACATION -- [sold]



Salvaged Tootsie Toys airplane body with bird wings, plumber's float, owl figurines, intricate peacock pipe at the crown, and other found objects



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