Wanette Sims does not have the “heart” to throw things away.

Instead, she finds a place for all the things she finds on her and her husband Bruce’s property—and sometimes gives the things new life with a coat of paint.

There is a lot to find because the property has been in her husband’s family line for generations and has seen an old homestead, bed and breakfast and an 1800s “landfill.”

The result is a yard full of interesting, colorful odds and ends that make the Sims’ home stand out to those passing by on Yellow Leaf Road in Clanton.

“I’m a pack rat,” Wanette Sims said. “I just don’t have the heart to throw anything away.”

Sims, originally from Virginia, moved to Clanton with her husband of 18 years after an illness in the family several years ago.

The site of their home has been in the Sims family since 1907, she said, when ancestors purchased the property from the railroad company.

Old structures can still be found on the property, and Sims searches through them for treasures to add to her collection.

Eventually, she decided that instead of merely placing the antiques around the yard, she would also give them a coat of paint.

Passers-by will see tires painted various colors that serve as flower pots, colorful hubcaps hanging from trees, a pink mailbox placed on the front of an old hay baler, bottles, antique tools, wash tubs and much more.

Sims said she once decided to try to sell some of her artwork. She placed “For Sale” signs around the yard, but so many people stopped in that she rethought the decision.

“People asked so many questions, I just took the signs down,” she said.