My New Book
I finally got my new book in the mail!
“The Find,” by Stan Williams. I was super excited when I heard about the new book. I order it right away and have been impatiently waiting ever since. I have had it for about a day and have already read half of it. Ha.
The book discusses thrift and vintage finds, and gives tales and examples of inspiration. So far, I definitely recommend!
Kitchen Lights
We found the cutest vintage lights for the kitchen! I had been scouring ebay for a set of school house lights- the hanging kind. I found a few, but was always outbid and they went to high in price for me to stick with it. The other day Tony was in our local hardware store and spotted a set of milk glass lights, although not hanging, but still super cute. The lights even came out of a local library in a recent remodel! So, here is a peak at how they go so well with our newly remodeled kitchen!
Aren’t they much better than the old burnt up stip lights? Also, we did a hole lot of yard work this weekend… so stay tuned to see how the yard is coming along! 😉
Another Garage Sale Day
Saturday was another small neighboring town’s garage sale day. I made a quick pass through town in between graduation parties and picking up the puppies from the vet (aw). I think I made out pretty well for a few dollars! Check out the finds:
For a couple of dollars each I got these adorable red vintage Pyrex dishes. I love any red cookware, especially Pyrex. They are so versatile, most of all the ones with the lids! The other metal dish is an Italian hot pan. I thought it was not only pretty but would also come in handy for fajita night!
I know the picture is a bit fuzzy, but I just loved this vintage wooden shoe mold. I couldn’t resist its funkiness.
Mid Century Coffee Table
I have a gorgeous Mid Century Modern Coffee Table to add to the shop! The table is low and long, and gorgeous wood. The triangle pattern in the center is neat and the legs are that great MCM shape. The table is in great vintage condition but for one small mark in the top. It is refinish-able and would be perfect! Let me know if you are interested! 🙂
***SOLD***
Chair Love Sale
This week I thought I would feature a chair that is going in the shop! This robins egg blue shell chair is marked “Krueger Metal Products Green Bay, Wisconsin” on the bottom. Isn’t it just so cute?
Lawn Chair Project
It hasn’t stopped raining here for days, so please excuse the dark, dreary photos. But, I had to share the other garage sale day find with you. Lawn chairs! They were a steal, and they will be fixed up with some paint and cushions, so don’t be alarmed! Right now I think they kind of look like they belong next to some plastic flamingos in, well, not my yard. But, they will.
Really that shade of blue is bright and fun, and has started to grow on me. But, I think it would look out of place in our back yard. I’m not sure what color I am thinking, however. I know we always lean towards black. We are blah. But, black might bring them up to date and they could be dressed up and brightened with some bold patterned cushions. Yes? No? Ideas? Always something to work on, but I love it! 🙂
Also, I wanted to let you all know that I am going to start selling off some of our projects. I love to keep busy and remake fun things, but our house is getting full. So, I am going to keep doing what I love, but start selling the things I make or remake. Right now I have a coffee table in the works, so stay tuned. I will post befores and afters of the items I plan to sell. For now they will be listed on Craigslist, or you can contact me through the blog. But, we are thinking that in the future I might rent a booth at one of our local antique shops. Check back, and let me know if you are interested in anything, or are looking for something in particular! 🙂
Garage Sale Day Find
Garage sale day in our little town was Saturday! This day has to be one of my favorite spring days. Scouring someone else’s junk for that perfect treasure is a great way to kick off the season. I even got Tony in on the fun. We didn’t find much to bring home with us, but a few treasures makes the day worth it. We brought home a few vintage glass marbles and a couple large dice for the collection. But here is our bargain beauty:
This is an antique set of mailboxes from a post office in Champagne Illinois. I came back twice to check it out, and at the end of the day he said it was too heavy for him to carry back home, so he gave me a sweet deal! It took two men to load it into my truck and we took the drawers out to get it into the house, but since it is on wheels it is easily movable in the house. I love it right here in the kitchen. The drawers were the perfect addition to the “landing strip” area. Tony was thrilled to have his own drawer for his pocket junk. I love its mismatched drawers, and the vintage numbers and letters above the handles. I know, I know. Some of you probably think this guy is tacky (my mom didn’t like it!), but we think its great. And, the drawers are big enough to function in the house! Here it is in the landing strip area:
I’m not sure if the school desk should stay now or not. But, for now, this is what the area looks like. Suggestions?
Also- we did pick up one other thing at the garage sales, but that project will have to wait… 🙂
Typewriter Table Detailed
Sorry, I forgot to upload new pictures yesterday. But, today you get to see a lot of progress from the weekend! Here is the typewriter table that I showed you before. It is now finished and detailed!
Once I finished the second coat of white spray paint I arranged cardboard scrap-booking stencils in the placement I liked. I traced and filled the stencils with a paint pen. These little guys work great! I have used it on a couple of projects now and it always does the trick. I think it is super cute and ready to be used!
Thrifted and Rearranged
We have been busy busy. It all started with a quick stop at the D.A.V. (Disabled American Veteran’s) thrift store. I happened upon a cute little vintage typewriter table for $3.95! I love the metal industrial look, so I couldn’t resist. It was just a bit dirty and scratched, so we painted her white. With one more coat and a small black swirl on top (this weekend) this beauty will sit next to the door to the backyard in the dining room. It is on wheels and easily movable, so it will serve as an outdoor drink table as well. We have been searching for something to go outdoors while enjoying grilling or the bonfire, and nothing seems pretty but built for the outdoors. This way we can just bring the little table in when we aren’t out there. Here she is:
While I was there I also spotted an antique, claw foot, drop leaf table. Hmmm… We got to thinking. We have been wanting a bigger table for the dining room and decided to try moving the red table to the kitchen. After giving the rooms some rearranging we fell in love. Here’s the kitchen:
It feels so nice and cozy in there now. We even sat here yesterday morning and had coffee together. So, after giving the new arrangement a night we decided it was a keeper. I headed back to the D.A.V. and snatched up the dining table. We got a great deal, but it does need some work. I removed some scuffs, but there are scratches. We are probably going to cover it with a table cloth until we get some other projects finished and then start stripping and refinishing it. We are thinking of staining it either a lighter brown to match the maple bar or black like the desk that is still in progress. I am still hung up on my mis-matched chairs, and am in the process of adding a few different styled ones, so although it doesn’t match perfectly right now it will when we get done! Bonus: I found out that the table expands for adding leaves! Although it didn’t have the originals with it we can make some for it to have big family meals here! 🙂 Here’s the dining room:
Well, what do you think? Any suggestions or ideas? Its always a work in progress, but it’s getting there! Oh, and Romeo the camera hog says hi, too.
Wabi Sabi
Wikipedia defines wabi sabi as the Japanese world view centered on the acceptance of transience. Sometimes it is also described as beauty that is imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete. I think a good description of this is finding the prefect ion in imperfection. I love the concept of wabi sabi and try to incorporate it into my home all the time. I truly do believe that things can grow more beautiful over time. Maybe its the fact that a well worn item looks well loved. I love how these items have a past, a history. New furnishings from some big box store are often not very well made and are also mass-produced. Meaning that too many of these items in your home and things might look exactly like some one else’s home. This to me is boring. Age and imperfections add interest. So, although we do mix modern items in with our antiques and used finds, we do have some wabi sabi pieces in our home. I thought I would show you a few of our currently well-loved pieces.
This is our little dining table. It is very old and imperfect, but, it has so much character and personality. Even the chairs are worn-in, and mismatched!
A close-up of our perfectly imperfect table.
This is an old table with an antique frame used for the top. We use it as our living room coffee table. It has its dings and scratches, but I think that's what makes it so unique.
The mirror top of our coffee table.
Here are a few more imperfect yet gorgeous items currently in our house:
A vanity bench in our guest room.
One of two old plant stands used as bedside tables in our guest room.
A worn coke crate is hung up in our bedroom.
Make Mine Eclectic 
