Sunday, June 29, 2014

Fun Finds of the Week #1

As many of you know, I have a booth at an antique mall which gives me a great excuse to hit up all the thrift stores in my area several times a week. There is a constant flow of new things coming in and out of my house, and except for pictures I share on my facebook page, I rarely get to show you my finds here before they make their way to my booth. 
 
Now that I have the internet at home again, I decided to start a new weekly series showcasing these new finds!! 
 
To kick things off, here are some of my favorites!!
 
 
This nautical charts poster has already been claimed by Meg from Furniture-ology, but I plan to admire it until I can find a box big enough to ship it to her. ;) And the Qaurtet bar set is one of my husband's recent finds for his wall in my booth. They are corks, a bottle opener and corkscrew. It's such a cool set!
 
 
I've been collecting globes to eventually set up a vignette in my booth. My mom wants the tan one and Meg wants the one on the right. Guess I'll just have to buy more. ;)

My glass head obsession continues and the official "head count" is now up to five! The guy in the middle is my newest and he has hair, which I've never seen before. For now, the heads are keepers.

 
My brass collection is also growing and I'm loving all the animals. So much detail.

 
I absolutely LOVE this bakelite bowling trophy! I found two actually, but one has already been taken to my booth. This one I plan to hold onto for awhile. 


 
I think Target made these fake succulents in a faux cement planter especially for me. I've been wanting to grow succulents for some time now, but I'm not much of a green thumb. Until I'm ready to venture into growing real ones, these fakes will suffice. And you already know I love anything cement, so the planter sealed the deal for me when I found this at Goodwill. 

 I have found some great ironstone pieces lately!
 
 
Love this lion head dish!

 
I am so excited about this metal green work light!

 Also loving these gold pieces and this Mid Century Modern owl tray.
 


 I have an idea on what to do with these shield plaques. I will share soon if all goes as planned.

 More brass goodies
 

In love with this feather bell!!
 
And these brass deer bookends just rock, plain and simple!
 
 
 
 
What have you come across recently?
 
 
I'm linking to the parties listed HERE and to:
 

Saturday, June 28, 2014

So excited!!!!

In the three years I have been blogging, I have never once composed a blog post at 6:45 p.m. on a Saturday from home....or any day for that matter. For three years I have been editing pictures and scheduling one post per week during my lunch break at work because the only internet access I've had at home is on my iPhone. 
 
From my phone I've been able to list items in my etsy shop, post to social media, pay bills, even file our taxes. But, what I haven't been able to do is blog whenever the mood strikes. Even with the Blogger app, I'm pretty limited on what I can post when I can't use pictures from my good camera.
 
We've been talking about getting internet again for awhile, and a great internet/cable deal we learned about recently finally pushed us to do that. We got everything hooked up today, and now here I am blogging away! YAY!!
 
I am so excited I can blog more than once a week now! And, I can visit and comment on other blogs more often! I already have plans to start sharing thrift store finds every week, more projects, booth updates, having my husband, Nate, guest post on occasion, and maybe even some recipes every now and then. We'll see. If there's anything you would like to see more of, just leave me a comment! I would also like to keep up on my etsy shop a little better since listing on a computer is way easier than on my phone.
 
I've been so used to my once a week schedule that I hope I can get into a more consistent groove! It will require baby steps I suppose.
 
Anyway, I am just excited and had to share with you all! Have a wonderful evening my friends! See you again soon!
 
 
 
 

Saturday, June 14, 2014

Table in Linen

My studio redo progress has been at a standstill for awhile. I emptied out the room to paint and it didn't take long for me to get tired of seeing all the items meant to be stored in my studio piled up all over my living room - mainly pieces of furniture. I threw everything back in the room and over the last several weeks I have been working on those furniture pieces and getting them into my booth. Once it's all cleared out, I can start working in there again! 

The latest piece I just finished is this table I found in Pennsylvania while visiting my in-laws over Thanksgiving. 

It was a simple little table that required a simple paint job in General Finishes milk paint in Linen, but it looks cute and updated nonetheless. 

Table before:


And after: 

 
 So much better, right?!?


 I recently found this eagle pitcher at the thrift store. I thought it would be perfect for Fourth of July decor for my booth. I love it.

I knew this table would look awesome distressed showing that lovely dark finish underneath. 



To finish, I sealed it all with a coat of polycrylic. 


Another table down, two more to go. I'm hoping to tackle them this weekend! Fingers crossed! 



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I'm linking to the parties listed HERE and to:

Monday, June 9, 2014

Chippy Black Desk

I was out shopping a couple weeks ago with some friends. We stopped in at a new antique/vintage store that opened up recently and I spotted an amazing chippy black desk. The tag said it was from the 1920's which made it even more appealing to me for some reason. The price was great and I just had to have it! It had a nice industrial vibe and I thought it would look so great in my booth, so I bought it! 

On Saturday, I had fun working on a styling plan for my booth display. This is what I came up with!! 

 
 It's all so quirky and fun! 

























And just check out all that chippiness!! Who can resist a good chippy piece of furniture like this?!?

 



I spotted this bust of Wagner at a thrift store recently and brought him home and painted him white. I have no idea if he will even sell, but he was just too cool to pass up! 

 



The hands are another thrift store find. They are salt and pepper shakers that I also painted white. 


I love that I didn't have to do a thing to the desk and the chippy look was authentic and time worn! 

I'm linking to the parties listed HERE and to:

Monday, June 2, 2014

The Best Thrift Store Furniture Find Ever!

Several weeks ago I found this REALLY great vintage dresser at the thrift store. It's heavy, solid wood, dovetail drawers...you know, the kind of furniture that you don't stumble upon at thrift stores very often. In fact, I was so excited when I spotted it that my four year old son, Anderson, had to say to me "just calm down, ok?" :) 


Saturday morning, I posted the dresser and my painting plans on Facebook. I got several comments saying I should leave it as is and not cover the beautiful wood. If I was keeping this piece, I would have totally put some glass knobs on it and called it good. But, this piece was for my booth and the reality is I have a very hard time selling unpainted pieces. Also, despite how the dresser looks in the picture, it wasn't perfect. There were dark rings and warping on the top, paint spots on several areas and other imperfections. 

Either way I was going to have to sand the entire piece down and refinish it or paint over the problem areas. At the end of the day, I chose to paint it and I'm ok with that decision. I think it turned out so beautiful. 

And, as an added bonus, the piece sold before it even made it to my booth! 


Because of the dark rings on the top, I had to sand it down and restain it using Minwax Provincial Stain. 

I painted the rest using General Finishes Milk Paint in Seagull Gray!!! Have I mentioned that I am seriously in love with this paint?!? 


The globe, clock, and antique books are all recent thrift/estate sale finds! 



I found these Target Threshold knobs brand new in the package at Goodwill. The white contrasts so nicely with the pale gray!

Anderson insisted they were mint candies. 


I lightly distressed all the edges and sealed it all with two coats of hemp oil.


   


What do you all think? 

I'm linking to the parties listed HERE and to:





Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Life Behind the Blogger

Back in April I was asked by Kris from Junk Chic Cottage and Susan from Must Love Junk to be apart of their Saturday Spotlight Series. I thought I would share the post again here in case you may have missed it because I took advantage of my long four day weekend by doing absolutely nothing...except catch up on the last few seasons of Bones that I have missed. (Hallelujah that Booth and Brennan FINALLY get together!!! Took long enough! Geez!!!) Therefore, I have nothing exciting to share this week. I figured you all might enjoy this post anyway. I'm getting a bit more personal than I normally do, so I hope you enjoy!

I have to admit, I was a little nervous putting this post together. I have blogged for over three years now and have shared very little about myself and my day to day life. I generally share projects I'm working on, furniture and room redos, thrifty finds, and updates of my booth. It's not that I'm particularly private, I just feel my personal life is a little boring. :) I mean that in the best, most blessed and content way possible!! 

I was born in Grand Blanc, Michigan where I lived until I was nine years old. My two younger sisters and I moved with our dad to Murfreesboro, Tennessee where I lived until I graduated high school in 2001.



When I was a senior I met my husband, Nate. We lost contact for awhile but reconnected when I moved back to Michigan after graduation to be near my mom. We got married in 2007 and welcomed our son, Anderson, in 2009!  

Nate and I have worked together for the last nine years at Court Street United Methodist Church. It's the oldest church in downtown Flint, Michigan. I work in the office as the Administrative Assistant and he is the head of maintenance. You would think we would be sick of each other after literally being together 24/7, but we genuinely enjoy each other's company and we have a lot of fun together!

And Anderson....where do I even start with this amazing kid? He's handsome, strong-willed, smart and hilarious. He's kind, curious, a ball of energy, and calls me his beautiful princess. We love him beyond words!


I enjoy reading, cooking, thrift and antique shopping, working on projects with my boys, and I love, love, LOVE movies!!!

Now that Anderson is older and can participate in and appreciate things a little better, we've been introducing him to new things like: roller skating, sledding, and going to the movie theater for the first time. This age is so fun! I feel like a big kid again doing all these things I haven't done in years!





I grew up in a family of collectors and decorators. I have watched my mom over the years decorate and paint furniture and my dad is a very talented artist. Unfortunately, I did not inherit his ability to draw, but my own creativity has come out in other ways - decorating my home, doing projects for my booth, painting furniture, etc.

My mom was the one who introduced me to antique stores and estate sales. We often shop together, bounce ideas off each other, and work on things together. I consider her one of my best friends!


Over the last three years of blogging I have enjoyed the friendships I have formed, the discovery and evolution of my style, and the joy of watching our house transform as Nate and I have worked hard together and learned DIY things along the way. He's a pretty great carpenter and it's been fun watching him explore that talent. 

I always love the posts I see other bloggers put together where they share random things about themselves. I thought I would end this post on a fun note with as many random things I can think of about myself. 

1. I am left handed (and so is Anderson). 
2. Nate and I dislike each other's taste in music so we take turns driving - he drives in the morning, I drive on the way home from work, so we each have a chance to listen to what we like. 
3. I listened to nothing but Mumford & Sons in the car for a full year before I finally switched it up to other things (much to Nate's relief). I can't help it. I love them! 
4. My other favorite bands/musicians are The Lumineers, The Civil Wars, Of Monsters and Men, The Lone Bellow, Ray LaMontagne, Ben Harper, Dave Matthews Band, and Jack Johnson to name a few.  
5. I am a homebody. I just love being home with my boys. 
6. I love nature and I love decorating with natural elements, but I am not an outdoorsy girl at all.......outside is where all the bugs are......
7. I hate bugs. 
8. I prefer rainy days over sunny days...maybe it's because it gives me a valid excuse to stay inside. Kidding. I love the sound it makes when it hits the leaves on a tree. So relaxing. 
9. My dream is to one day live in a farmhouse in the woods with a long tree lined driveway. 
10. Most people who don't know me well would call me reserved and quiet, but when I open up to people I'm really a huge goofball. I love to laugh, have fun and be silly. 
11. I'm very sarcastic.
12. I get told a lot that I am an old soul that was born in the wrong era. 
13. Most of my friends are older than me. I don't often have much in common with people my age. Maybe it's that old soul thing. 
14. When Anderson was born, I got to bring him to work with me everyday until he was a year old. It was hard trying to balance work and being a new mom, but I am so grateful for that time with him before we had to send him to daycare. 
15. I don't bake much, but I really enjoy cooking and trying new things and new recipes. 
16. I put Tabasco sauce on pretty much everything. 
17. When we go out to eat somewhere, I almost always order breakfast food if it's on the menu. 
18. Reading is was one of my most favorite hobbies. 
19. Jane Austen is my favorite author. 
20. Pride and Prejudice, Persuasion, Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, The Great Gatsby, The Giver, Bridge to Terabithia, and The Secret Garden are some of my favorite books. 
21. My favorite kind of movies are the ones based on books. 
22. Coffee, Sweet Red Wine and Dark Chocolate are staples in our home....and Tabasco sauce, of course!  
23. My first job, right after high school, was a shirt presser at a dry cleaner. 
24. I was a swimmer all four years of high school. I really miss it! I love the water. 
25. I hope to one day be able to do my blogging/booth/home decor stuff full-time. A girl can dream. :)

Thank you so much for reading and allowing me to share a little more about myself! If there is anything else you are dying to know about me please ask away. I can put together another fun little post with the answers! :)