You know those things that you see in magazines and spot in antique stores and pine after and always keep in the back of your mind?  Well, one of those things for me has been an antique rocking horse.  I’ve seen a few in magazine homes, perched on an elegant buffet or the top of a French armoire.   A child’s toy turned art.  I’ve had my eye on one in an antique store for months.  I always dismissed it, thinking it was just too expensive.  Yesterday, while shopping for things for the open house, my gaze landed on the familiar horse that I have loved and dismissed at least a dozen times.  It was the same price and the tag read “firm”, so I doubted it would be reduced any time soon.   Or ever.  Today, though, it didn’t seem that expensive.  On a whim, I asked one of the women behind the counter

I admit.  I have a thing for fans.    Maybe you’ve noticed. 

I’m in a tight spot again.  It’s that time of year.  Last year at this time, I thought, “I need to remember this and gear up early next year.”  But that’s easier said than done and here I am.  Mini Mustard Seed and I are glittering and gluing just about every spare minute.  Today we turned our attention to shopping.  I need stuff to fill my entire room at Lucketts to the brim, so we set out today to hit an antique mall I’ve never been to.  Success.  We found four shopping carts full of stuff and a great old farm table.  We found some of my favorites…a fan, scales, ironstone… …and wire baskets, galvanized bins and cool architectural pieces.  (I have really cool plans for that wagon.) …and I also found a lot of one specific thing I was looking for…  …silver.  I want my entire room to sparkle

One thing I have thoroughly enjoyed about blogging is meeting amazing, resourceful and creative women who have started their own businesses.  I have met some all-around awesome entrepreneurs.  One that I had the pleasure of meeting last week was Yasmin (and her sister, Nadia) of Wuslu.  We met for dinner in Frederick, MD and I was fascinated to learn their story.  I’m going to share it with you one day, because it’s so inspiring.  At dinner, we kicked around a bunch of ideas and one thing we came up with was Miss Mustard Seed’s pick of the month.  If you’re not familiar with Wuslu, it’s an online home decor shop that offers only one item each day.  Because the item is bought in a high volume, it’s less expensive and the savings are passed on to you.  Brilliant, right?  So, each day they have a hand picked item up for sale

There are times when I see something that is fabulous and I really want it. Now that I have a blog and antiques business, I have a reason to buy some of those “must haves.”  Perpetual calendars have been on my radar for a while, but I never felt a burning desire for one until I spotted one on The Savoy Flea.  It was all over after that.  One must be mine.  I needed one.  You know, for photo shoots.  For my business.  Finding one is a part of my job.  OK, that is a bit of an excuse, but it is partly true.  You are going to see this in a lot of pictures.  I purchased it from the Etsy shop AM Radio.    Sigh.  Love.  Are there any “must haves” you’ve been drooling over lately? 

I set out Friday afternoon to hit one of my favorite antique shops and I was not disappointed.  I found… A small storage caddy that was handmade out of vintage cheese boxes.  How resourceful is that?  And I love the grass green color.   …a tool caddy.  Again, I love the color of the chippy, worn paint.   …an antique sheet music book. …and some antique primers, readers and other books.    I love ones with names or inscriptions inside.  I can’t resist the history they hold.   All of these things are headed to Lucketts next week!  

I tell you…things could not have worked out more perfectly.  I posted about my bamboo mat last night and received an e-mail this morning from one of my sponsors, Wuslu, notifying me that MY bamboo mat is the deal of the day TODAY!! (July 27)  I swear this wasn’t planned. You can buy it today only, while supplies last, for the great price of $134 plus $5 shipping.  It gets even better, though.  Wuslu and I thought it was the perfect time to offer one up for a giveaway!  To enter, visit Wuslu and browse through their history, then come back here and leave a comment letting me know which past product was your favorite.  That’s it!  If you are the lucky winner of this giveaway and have already purchased this rug from Wuslu today, a full refund will be issued back to you.  So grab one now while supplies last!    You