Fabulous Finds

As I promised, I am sharing all my fabulous finds from last week's visit with Cecilia of My Thrift Store Addiction. 

She took me to all her favorite spots. From the first store we went in,  I found some really wonderful treasures! First was this plastic pumpkin - 25 cents.  I know it doesn't look like much but I'm inspired by Cecilia's pumpkin redo's and have plans for this one.

I'll share it's makeover next week!

I also found this stool! It will get a makeover soon. It was only $8.

  It's going to be great in the art studio while I paint. See? It's perfect at the easel.

This cute little dog salt & pepper shaker was a find for 50 cents. I gave it to my friend who's looking for dog shakers.

The great finds continued at the next stop. I've been wanting more silver containers to use for decorating. This bowl, though tarnished, was a steal for $2.

I can see it filled with shiny ornaments at Christmas. Or pinecones.

I think I found a treasure in almost every store we went into.

These books came from different places but they were both inexpensive. The Flea Market decorating one is full of ideas and Beatrix Potter is a favorite author of mine.

Aren't the illustrations in the Tom Kitten book the best? So cute!

"The Tale of Tom Kitten" illustrations

I can see it paired with my sweet kitty figurine.

I finally succumbed to the tiered tray craze...after all, who could resist this metal scroll one? $11.

 I will use this either in the bathroom or kitchen.

A bag of shiny old ornaments caught my eye - couldn't find any mark on them so I don't think they are Shiny Brites but I love their colors and crackled finish.

The two Pyrex bowls were from different stores - the large one was only $2 and the smaller one was $6 (it was at an antiques store - probably why it cost more). I love this pattern. It matches the butter dish I got earlier in the year at Canton.

I also found this plate for $2. Love transferware and this wintery scene will be fun to display all winter.

This suitcase had me at red and was a find at $12! The previous shop had a similar one priced at $45. You can bet I grabbed this one up when I saw it. The lining needs work but I will use this for storage at the farm along with a couple of other old suitcases I have.

Last of all, I bought a couple of things at Smitten. These concrete mushrooms will be fantastic in the fairy garden I'm working on.

And this wreath was just too pretty to pass up. I love its soft look.

I think it will look so pretty on my chalkboard wall.

Although not a find, I love this handmade stamped stone from Cecilia. She personalized it with the farm in mind. I can't wait to put it in a special spot!

(If you'd like your own stamped stone, you can go to Cecilia's shop here ).

And that my friends, is all my fabulous finds. Be sure to pop over to Cecilia's and read about her finds, here.


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Friendship + Thrifting = Fun

I always thought of blogging as just a way to share life, projects, etc. I never dreamed I'd actually make great friends through it but that is exactly what I've found! This past Tuesday, I got to visit my sweet friend Cecilia of My Thrift Store Addiction. The drive was beautiful and scenic as I wound through the hill country to her house.

Once there, I enjoyed seeing all her cute decor in person - her made-over thrift store pumpkins,

the BOO sign, her sweet teacup chandelier,  and her farmhouse light fixtures to name a few.

I am in love with this sweet vignette:

I love how she paired the books with her squirrel!

I'm so going to use your idea, Cecilia! I have a few animal books and figurines that will work! :o)

And how cute is this little chair she hung on her wall:

Everywhere I looked, there was wonderful things to see. Her house is so warm and cozy!

We spent the rest of the day laughing and catching up.

The next day, we were up and ready to hit the thrift stores. First up was St. Vincent's. Right away we found some treasures! Score! From there, we went to a couple of more stores where more treasures awaited us.

Hungry, we headed to Pint and Plow for lunch.

They had the big doors opened so it was like sitting outside. It was very pleasant! Cecilia and I split a salad and pizza...yum!

After lunch, we hit more thrift stores. Kerrville has a lot of them and they all seem to have really good prices. What a fun day - we both found lots of great treasures!

We ended our day by visiting another blogging friend, Audrey of Timeless Treasures, who has been under the weather. I know she would really appreciate your prayers. Her home is delightful and inviting. I love her carved horse!

The next morning, we headed to Fredericksburg where we stopped at a cute little shop named "Smitten".

This quilt-covered bench made the porch look oh, so inviting:

Love this cute wintery display:

And this little pig caught my eye - I can guarantee you, my flying pig will be dressed similarly at Christmas!

 Just a few minutes away was Peach Tree where we headed for lunch:

Lovely Fall Aster filled the flowerbeds with lots of statues. The horse head drew my eye as I have a similar one...hm, maybe mine will find a home in my flowerbed!

Such a charming building!

These stone owls lined the edge of their porch. I wish I could have taken them all home. Aren't they cute?

The food was so good! Cecilia got a sandwich and I chose the special of the day, a chicken salad. Yes, it tasted as good as it looks!

We left full and happy, each with the Mud Dabber chocolate cookie to eat later.

We then went to a couple of antique stores before I had to head back home. We hugged and said our goodbyes, promising to meet for our next adventure. Be sure to check out Cecilia's post here where she shares about our adventure then check back on Friday on both our blogs where we will share our finds.
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Kitchen Project - DIY Industrial Coffee Cart

One project I wanted to do for the kitchen during this redo was to make a coffee cart so that I could move the coffee pot and Keurig off the counter.

 I thought about using a sofa table along the chalkboard wall. See the length of the wall? It's definitely long enough.

I had the one I found in the dumpster (read about it here) by my front door - it was perfect with the shelf underneath, the width of it, the length...

so I moved it into the kitchen to try it out...

Oh no! It blocked the area going into the laundry room. You can see from the old photo below how the door sits between the end of the cabinets and the chalkboard wall.

With the sofa table there, I had to squeeze past it to get into the laundry room. I guess the length wasn't perfect. Now what do I do? I searched stores for a table the correct width and length. I didn't find much and what I did find was too flimsy. 

Then I saw this on Pinterest:

source

Of course, it sparked an idea - I would just make my own! I measured how long it needed to be making sure the passage to the laundry door wasn't blocked, then figured out how tall I wanted it.

Armed with that info, I headed to my local Lowe's and Home Depot to get supplies. A pine board ( I had them cut into 3rds for me), four 18" pipes, four 8"pipes, 16 floor flanges, four 3" metal casters, and screws.

I sanded then stained my boards. Love the rustic look of them! And Bruce added a plug to the wall.

We wiped down the pipes with Mineral Spirits to get the grease and grime off. After the boards dried, Bruce assembled the cart. I love those wheels! 

Once in the kitchen, I put the Keurig, coffee pot, coffee filters and my red rooster creamer on the top shelf: 

On the middle shelf, I used an old wooden soda crate and put the K-cups on one side and  the coffee and teas on the other side. I even have enough room for some coffee cups...

Coffee cups added:

The bottom shelf holds my magazine rack turned cookie sheet holder. I really love how my industrial cart turned out - it's the perfect size for the spot!

As you can see, it doesn't block my way into the laundry room:

I now have a clear counter top next to the sink - I put my bottle drying rack there and loaded it up with my coffee cups (added bonus - more room in the cabinet!):

The blue bowl in the center belonged to my mother. I can put my tea bag squeezer in there or add ice and a creamer. My mission has been accomplished! Hurray!

One more big project for the kitchen and I'm calling it done. Since painting my lower cabinets, I've decided the doors and drawers are ok for now so that redo is getting shelved until later. But the ceiling - I still want my bead board ceiling - so we're tackling that next.  I'm super thrilled with how the kitchen has turned out. I can't wait to share it all with you!

I'm sharing here:
Make It Pretty Monday
Vintage Charm
Thoughts Of Home On Thursday