I learned one thing yesterday.  People are very opinionated about painting wood or not painting it.  People on both sides of the argument claimed to be angels.  People from both the “paint them” and “don’t touch them” camps claimed their solution ties or would tie the room together.  I must say, I really enjoyed reading all of the comments and the opinions given are valued.  Despite the conflicting advice, it was helpful and made me realize what I really want to do.  I should clarify a few things, though.  These cabinets are not family heirlooms..well, they are, but they were my uncle’s mother’s and she was not related to me at all.  They were hand-me-down freebies through my generous aunt.  Really, really nice hand-me-down freebies, but she didn’t even blink when I asked if I could paint them.  Second, they are not old.  I would not be painting over the

I gave you a sneak peek yesterday of the shutters I found.  These weren’t the cheapest shutters I’ve bought, but they are the very best (which is saying a lot.)  They are chippy, chalky and this lovely gray color. The hardware is to die for!  I snapped the pictures while they were still in my van, but I’ll haul one up tomorrow to give you a proper picture of them.  You will die.  Well, if you’re like me.  These are the benches I bought for the wedding.  I thought they were a pretty good bargain at $35/piece.  Sorry for the picture of them on my cracked sidewalk and brown grass.  They shed paint if you look at them, so there was no way I was going to bring them into my house.  I’m going to hose them down, sand them a bit and then apply a clear coat of poly

My post yesterday not only inspired those who left comments and told me so, but it inspired me as well.  I’ve been working on the pair of chandeliers in my living room for months, now, and it was finally time to finish them.  This is how they started out.  They weren’t bad at all, but when I hung the curtains, they seemed too busy and the finish wasn’t working with the newly installed rods.  I removed all of the beading and crystals, which were splattered with a burgundy paint.  (Why, oh why?)  With the chandelier stripped of its bling, I painted it a warm antique gold with an asphaltum glaze over top.  Now, they matched the gold curtain rods.  I then went through the laborious task of soaking each crystal in nail polish remover, scrubbing it with steel wool and then stringing it on jewelry wire and back on the

 After much work, two truckloads of trash, and a van load of stuff for the thrift store, the basement workshop is clean. We still have some organizing to do and a few projects to finish, but it will be so nice to have a clean and organized place to work.  I would’ve taken before pictures, but it was terrible.  Embarrassing, really. So, instead of showing pictures of my basement, I’ll share a few other things.  First of all, I bought this really cool postal scale a few weeks ago off of one of my fellow Wild Rose vendors.  I have a soft spot for scales and I really loved the petite size of this one.  We had a little photo shoot together. Couldn’t help myself.   Next, I have to share another act of kindness from one of my readers.  I am constantly overwhelmed at how generous people have been with me (and other bloggers for that matter.) 

I wrote a post in September of 2009 about my favorite things.  I spotted Donna’s Favorite Things SNS Link Party, so I thought it was time for an update.  Here we go… French provincial style and slipcovers Old doors and architectural pieces Antique baby dresses Blue and white and a little bling German glass glitter Ironstone Black and white family photos antique grain sacks Scales and balances Linens, silver, china and other hospitality pieces Bakelite flatware These are a few of my favorite things.  How about you? 

This morning we bundled the kids in coats and hats and set out for the Raleigh Flea Market.  I came home with a lot of great things, but I did do my fair share of complaining.  “Why don’t people put prices on their stuff?!”  “Are people seriously trying to sell THAT for $50?”  “That is waaaay over priced.”  I must confess, I even got a little snippy with one lady over some silver plated spoons.  Yes, I did.  She told me they started at fifty cents, but none of them were priced, so I carried all of the spoons up to her to find out which ones were fifty cents each.  Well, as it turns out, none of them were.  They were all at least $1.00 and I was irritated and fed up with that booth, so I moved on.  Don’t mess with me when I’m hunting for bargains!  Despite my griping, I did have a great time.  I fell

I am staying with my in-laws in Raleigh, NC and I can hardly resist the opportunity to hit some antique stores while in a new area, so I didn’t.  I dragged my mother-in-law and mom across Raleigh to hit some spots I was told about.  I didn’t come home with any super crazy amazing exciting pieces, but I had a great time and did find some good pieces for myself and to sell.  We started out the morning at Suzanna’s Antiques, which is in a little collection of antique store cottages.  Brittany from Pretty Handy Girl was there to meet us and act as a tour guide.  We also hit the Thieves Market Mall, Gresham’s Antique Mall, Pier One, and Panera bread for lunch.  There were cool pieces everywhere we stopped.  I loved this dresser, but it just needed more work that I wanted to take on at this point

I am not waking up at 4 AM to hit the local department stores to buy electronics and slippers and small appliances.  I am not going to elbow people for the last door buster on the shelf and I am not going to wait in a line that wraps around the store.  Now that I have that out of the way, let me tell you what I am going to do.  I am going to wake up whenever my boys wake me up.  I’m going to shower, get dressed, feed the kiddos, and wait until my husband gets back from breakfast with the guys.  At that point, I am a free bird.  I have declared that tomorrow is my day to hit as may thrift and antique stores that I can handle.  Some local readers and bloggers have shared their favorite places with me and I’m planning to hit the highlights.  I’m