Junkin' Finds

Hi, everyone!  My friend Suzanne and I went 'junkin' a couple of weeks ago, and I found a few goodies that I wanted to share.  In my last post I told you that I'm into tarnished silver right now, so I was happy to find this little silver cup.

Another piece of silver that came home with me is this tea/coffee pot.  I like its pretty lines and detailed edges.  I added some greenery, and displayed it in the dining room.

I hope you're not getting tired of seeing this little shelf in my living room, but I just keep switching it up!  I was excited to find these 3 little pharmacy canisters-I thought they were cute, and I knew they'd fit right in here.

 Another item that I found and added to my shelf is this little architectural finial.  It's pretty rough, but that's what I love about it! (I guess I should probably pound that nail in, though!)

This wicker tray caught my eye, and when I saw that it was 75% off, I couldn't resist!  I have another one similar to it, but this one is bigger and a darker color of wicker.
I stacked some grainsacks on it and added some antlers that my dad has collected for me, from his hikes.

You gotta love the crown motif on these jars!   We don't see too many of them around here, so I usually scoop them up when I find them.   Not sure yet if I'm keeping or selling these (I've sold some on Etsy before.)  I also got this 1923 dictionary, and it was only a buck!

I'm not sure what I'm gonna do with this heavy white urn, but I thought it was fun.

This next thing I got may have many people scratching their heads, but I know that you, my fellow junk-lovin' peeps, will get it!  If you've been following me for awhile, you know that I LOVE anything with numbers (or words) on it.  Well here's a big ol' number tag on a rusty chain!  You can't really tell from the picture how huge this thing is-like 5 inches or so!  I think it was a cow tag or something.  An extra bonus is that the number '85' was the year that I graduated high school!  I just draped it over a chippy corbel for now.  Who knows where it will end up?  (Suzanne said that I should wear it around my neck gansta style, and I said that I'd be rockin' it 'farm style'...we were cracking ourselves up!)

That's just a few of the treasures that I found on our trip.  A lot of the other things that I got will be for sale in my shop.  Boy, I sure do love 'junkin'!!
Well, stay tuned, because I'm having my first giveaway soon! Hope you have a wonderful day :)

Mantel Makeover

Hello, everyone!  Since I keep tweaking my bookshelves that I promised to show you in the office, I decided to first show you my mantel makeover and get back to the bookshelves another time.  After I took down my Christmas mantel, I wanted to go with a totally different look than I've had before.  I'm really loving tarnished silver right now, so I used that as a starting point.

I already had one of these larger urns, and recently bought the other one, not realizing that it's an exact match to the one I had!  Happy accident :)  I figured that these little 'trees' that I had out for Christmas could pass for 'winter' decor, so I placed them in the urns and put one on each end of the mantel.  I've had the little zinc pots for a few years and thought they'd go well, so I added them to the mix and I hung the little wreath to 'unite' all of the greenery.  So far so good...I'm pretty happy with how the silver and greenery is looking.

Ok, so now for my 'dilemma', if you can call it that.  I've tried many different things on this wall, but I haven't quite gotten the look that I want.  I've had empty frames, a huge chalkboard (that was up at Christmas,) an old window... and while I like all of those, I just want something different.  While struggling with what else to try, I remembered this large picture that I've had stored in my basement for years, and it fits the space well, however...

 ...I'm not sure if I even like this picture!  It's one of those things where I like the idea of it-the size is right, the colors are good, the frame works- but I'm not really digging the actual picture itself.
Even Keith, who usually compliments everything that I decorate with said..."Hmm, that's kinda ugly!"...which is a little stronger than I feel, but not too far off!

I mean, it's not hideous or anything (at least I don't think so) but it's not ideal, either.  Well, are you ready for it?  Here it is in all its glory...

It's definitely got a vintage vibe to it, and it actually has grown on me a little since I put it up, but I'm keeping my eye out for something better.  The wall is a pretty good size, and the things that I've seen and like that are big enough are REALLY expensive.  So I also want a good deal...I don't think that's too much to ask for, is it?  :)  How 'bout you, do you ever 'settle' for something until you find just the right thing?

Well, there you have it-my new mantel makeover.  What do you think?  (If you hate it, please be gentle! :)  Thanks so much for stopping by, and until next time, have a fantastic day!

New Office Look on Wall 2

Hi, everyone!  In my last post here, I showed you how we recently painted our office a softer color, and gave it a new look. You can see the before pics here-it's quite a drastic change, I think!  These next pictures are of the other side of the room, across from the table and chair that I showed you last time.  I'm adding a disclaimer, because I've changed this wall around so many times, I'm not sure if it's going to stay this way or not.  I moved in the shoe rack that used to be in the hallway, and I think I like it (for now!).  I've also changed the items on the shelves around a million times, so you might notice a few differences in the 'styling', but you'll get the basic idea!

You can read about the story behind this rustic shelving unit here. (It's a good one-at least I think so :)  I recently got this trophy cup at a shop in Cleveland, and it's extra special because it has 1967 engraved on it, which is my birth year!

Here's a closer look at all the 'goodies' on these shelves.  I got this wire basket at a Chicago flea market, and you won't believe where the balls came from...JC Penney!! I bought them a few years ago (they're one of the few 'new' things in my home.)

My dad made this tealite candle holder out of an old log (one for me and one for my mom.) I love it!

I grouped some pretty brushes into a G. Wolff & Co. pot, and added an old license plate and my 2 Dundee jars.

I was gonna sell these old bottles, then thought they'd be cute gathered on this little tray.  I still love a touch of industrial, so I brought in these metal stamps and wooden molds.  I love their rustic charm!

On the bottom of the shelves I placed 2 market baskets that I've had.  I got the old store price tags on Etsy-I thought they were fun!

To the left of the shelves I put my old ladder with a canvas bucket filled with hydrangeas hanging from it (I have to admit that I 'borrowed' this idea from Faded Charm, and I have the picture pinned here.)  I also added 2 big wicker baskets which are filled with books.

I topped the pair of baskets with a silver tray and some old bank bags.

So this is now the view of the wall to the left when you walk into our office from the hallway...you can just barely see the very edge of our desk that's to the right of the shelves (see that white thing?)  That's where our computer is and where I blog from, but it's just too messy to show right now!  Sorry, that's for another time. :)

And here's the view straight ahead when you walk in from the other doorway on the opposite corner (confusing I know, but this little room has a weird configuration...2 ends are built in bookshelves but there's also a doorway at each end.)

Once again, the new look on the opposite wall...

And here you can see a little bit out into the hallway, where my huge coat rack and stack of suitcases are...

Well, I was also gonna show you my bookshelves on the other side of the office, but this post got a little longer than I intended!  So I'll save that for next time. Until then, have a fantastic day!  I'm linking to these wonderful blogs:
                                                  Common Ground
                                                  i should be mopping the floor
                                                  Boogieboard Cottage
                                                  Debbiedoos 
                                                  The Farmhouse Porch 
                                                  Knick of Time 
                                                  Elizabeth & Co.

New Office Look for 2013!

(I want to thank Angie from Knick of Time for featuring this post!)
Hi, everyone!  Have you ever lived with something in your home forever, and it never bothered you, then suddenly one day you woke up and it bugged you so much that you couldn't live with it anymore? It had to be changed...Right. Now.  Well, that's what recently happened to me with our office walls.  We've lived here for 7 1/2 years, and when we moved in, the walls in our office were red.  Which was perfectly fine.  I liked them.  Occasionally I toyed with the idea of painting them a different color, but I was never motivated enough to actually do it.  Until now.
Here's what our office looked like a couple of weeks ago...

 Because of the red, I felt inspired to go with a more industrial vibe in here, and I did really like it. (You can see a lot more of the office 'before' pics here-in fact this is one of my most popular posts, with a cool pic of this room from the 50's- and also here.)

 But I suddenly wanted a lighter, more neutral color on the walls. And with that change, of course I had to totally re-do the whole room.  Darn, I hate when that happens-ha! (You can see how I'd already begun re-styling the shelves even before we painted, I was so excited! :)

Keith was off last week, so I recruited him to help me paint. Like the good sport that he always is, he went along with my decision with no fuss. (Well, maybe just a little head shaking at my moving furniture around...he says nothing stays the same long around here!)  Luckily this room is small, and only 2 walls were red, since the other 2 walls are all built-in bookshelves.  I decided to use Martha Stewart's Cityscape, which is a gray/green/beige. My mom and I used it in our shop when we remodeled last year, and we love it!  It kind of changes color depending on what it's paired with.  So here's the same wall as above, sporting the new color and decor...

I'm really happy with how it turned out!  I think it feels brighter and fresher in here now.  This table and chair were together out in our sunroom, and since I like the combo I just brought them in from their usual spot.  We don't use that room this time of year, so that works out fine.  (Hmm, guess that means I'll have to re-do the sunroom now when it gets nicer and we start using it again :)

I wanted to accessorize in a more 'farmhouse' style, and I just used things gathered from around the house.

This is my new spot to drink my morning coffee or curl up with a book!

We always joke that my mom is my personal 'picker'-she always finds the greatest stuff at great bargains, and she recently found this gorgeous vintage Singer base.  She actually got it for the shop, but guess who 'stole' it for themselves?  I do that quite a bit-that's why she's my (unintentional) personal picker! I topped it with an old mirror and placed it on the other side of the chair.

I added a 'tray' of some apothecary bottles, a tall topiary in a shabby bucket, and a little galvanized bucket filled with old rulers on the bottom 'shelf'.  Voila!  My newly decorated wall is complete. Well, this side of the room, at least!

Thank you so much for stopping by- I hope you enjoy the new look! I'll be showing you the other side of the office and the bookshelves soon.  Have a wonderful day!
I'm linking to these fun parties:   i should be mopping the floor

                                               Debbiedoos
                                               My 1929 Charmer
                                               Boogieboard Cottage
                                               The Dedicated House
                                               Coastal Charm
                                               Knick of Time
                                               The Farmhouse Porch
                                               Elizabeth & Co. 

Happy 2013!

Happy New Year, everyone!  It feels like it's been forever since I've posted, but it's been a crazy week and a half!  Between having an altercation with our neighbors (on Christmas Eve, no less-not a holiday tradition that I would recommend! Do any of you have crazy neighbors?), both my parents being deathly sick with a nasty flu bug (poor things! I'm praying that we don't get it), and the weather being so bad that I could barely stay on the roads on my way to the shop over the weekend (I HATE driving in the snow and ice!), I've been a little stressed out the last week of 2012!  But Keith was off, and we still managed to have some fun, and even get a project or two done (which I'll be sharing soon.)

This is my mantra for 2013- "Think good thoughts" :)
For the most part, 2012 was an exciting year for me, especially the last half, as I began my blogging journey.  I'm so happy to have become part of this great 'network' where peeps get me and my decor, and where I've made so many wonderful blogging friends!  I'm officially wishing you a healthy, happy, and prosperous New Year!  May this be our best year ever!