One positive thing about rain at an antique market is that you can get great deals.  I bought this scale a Lucketts for 1/3 off the original price, simply because I bought it when it was pouring rain.  Oh, sweet rusty goodness.  I love scales, but I may put this up for sale on Etsy.  We’ll see. I also bought this wooden caddy that had a beautiful patina and wear on the wood for $8.00… A wire bread rack for $10.00 (right as a vendor was packing up)… A pair of oval ironstone plates for $5.00… Some deer antlers for $8.00…  I think they provide really interesting texture in a display. …a blue and white striped bowl for $6.00… …some ironstone at bargain prices… …and a pair of doors (originally $90 and I paid $40.) I love the hardware and wavy glass on these.  I am going to hang them

I get asked, “How can you stand to part with things?” a lot.  There are different answers for different pieces.  Sometimes, it doesn’t work with my decor.  Other times, the piece is worth more to me to sell than to keep.  The main reason is space and I just can’t keep it all.  I made a very tough decision this morning and loaded my beloved slipcovered French Settee into the back of my dad’s truck to take the Lucketts to sell.  This piece fits perfectly in my space and it’s just my style.  This is a hard one to let go.  Here’s the problem.  It’s very impractical for my family.  It looks great when it’s all fluffed, but it gets the biggest butt impressions in the long down cushion and then looks sloppy.  It also has wooden arms, so it’s not comfy to stretch out on with a book.  As

I went out to some yard sales on Saturday to hunt for some additional things to take with me to Lucketts next weekend.  I was all excited about going to this 1000+ home community yard sale only to find out it’s not happening until next weekend.  After a late start and no yard sales, it looked like the day was going to be a bust.  Then, I found this great tole chandelier at my local thrift store. Well, it didn’t look great at first.  It was spray painted a tacky gold and the previous owner stuck some crystal cups and swags on the candles.  It was very strange, but I could see the potential. I first removed the crystals, which are glass, not plastic, so I’ll use them for something else.  I generally love crystals on a chandelier, but it was not working in this case.  Look how the crystal candle cup is

I found a yard sale this past weekend that was right up my alley.  It’s the kind of sale where I walk around picking up things as fast as I see them and I make a huge pile at the “counter.”  This yard sale was held behind an antique shop, so vendors put rock bottom price tags on things they just wanted to unload.  I was happy to take stuff off their hands. I bought this old metal scoop for $1.00.  This falls under my love for things that are humble and utilitarian.  I’ve wanted a grain scoop for a long time, but they are ridiculously priced.  Although I’ve always wanted one, I think I’m going to sell this at Lucketts.  It’s such a cool piece. The second thing I found was this petite trophy from the 1950’s.  It was $2.00 and so tarnished you couldn’t even read the inscription.  I don’t mind

This is the last day to vote for your favorites on So You Think You Can Decorate’s white week, so make sure you pop over before the polls close at midnight EST.  I have really loved being a seller on Etsy and joining an amazing artistic community.  I wanted to introduce my readers to two new friends I’ve made through this site.  The first talented lady I’d like to introduce you to is Erin Flett.  She makes these graphic and retro inspired pillows that are fun and sophisticated.  I love the bright colors she uses to give these designs some punch.  This gray pillow is my very favorite one.  Eventhough the design is modern, it would fit in with my French Country style nicely and add something a little unexpected and unconventional. I also recently fell in love with the sketches by Michelle Palmer.  Most of her subjects are birds, feathers, and

I can’t help but hunt everywhere I go and this trip is no different.  My mom and I have ventured out when my boys are asleep and hit Ikea, Home Fabrics, TJ Maxx, and Ross.  I came up empty at Ross, but I found some great things everywhere else.  Well, I did find a really pretty glass cloche with a bird on top, but it was chipped.  Bummer.  Anyway, here’s what I did buy… Some artificial blue speckled eggs at TJ Maxx for $6.99 Some ceramic, lettered spheres from TJ Maxx for $10.  The set was opened and incomplete, so it was reduced. A pair of plate shelves for $4.00/piece.  They are a little chipped, but nothing that paint can’t fix!  I thought they were a great find. I purchased two monogrammed pillows from Ikea for $10.49/piece.  I love how they look like old tea towels and I also love

I purchased a commercial baker’s four loaf pan at a yard sale for $2.50 last summer.  It sat in my basement stash for a long time…forgotten.  I was digging through the pile a few weeks ago and found this piece again.  It was like Christmas!  So, what do you do with a rusty loaf pan?  I’m not going to bake with it.  It also would take two people to get it out of the oven!  This sucker is heavy.  Knowing it would never hold hot loaves again, I thought of a few new uses for it.  New Use # 1: A unique buffet server.  This is the perfect shape and size to hold napkins, flatware, and condiments.  I can never resist an opportunity to showcase my Bakelite set and linen napkins.  I love the soft, crisp look of the linen against the rust and metal.  I did spray the loaf

It was time to pack away the pinecones and berries, so I moved some things around in my dining room and came up with this new buffet arrangement.  I went a little cloche happy, here, but I think it works.  I purchased these little cloches on silver pedestals at Salvation Army for $2.50 (for all three) or something crazy like that.  I found the cloches first and wasn’t too impressed, but at another location in the store I saw the pedestals.  “I think these go together…”  Sure enough.  Perfect fit.  I put a piece of my grandmother’s stone fruit on each pedestal. I matched up a large glass cloche from an antique store with a glass cake pedestal.  They were purchased years apart and look like they were made for each other.  I filled it with my mom’s china, a silver spoon rest, and one of my little silver bowl