I’ve been eyeing industrial carts for years now.  They have so many things going for them!  Really cool hardware, wheels, warm patina on the wood and sometimes even great stenciled graphics and typography, if you’re lucky.  While I’ve always petted them in antique stores and opened the listings on Criag’s List, I’ve never felt compelled to actually buy one.  When my kids were younger, I was worried about little fingers being caught in the wheels and stuck with splinters.  They’re also really heavy and usually pretty large, so they are tough to even get home!  I’ve turned over the tags, given them second glances and even called Jeff for a second opinion once or twice, but I never bought one…until Friday.

Kriste and I went to a local antique mall that has several buildings and a wide variety of antiques…everything from kitschy-not-really-antique things to high end museum quality pieces, so you never really know what you’re going to find.  We were in one of the buildings that sways towards the higher price range, so I wasn’t expecting to find very much.  I picked up a couple pieces of blue & white transferware and a few other things…about what I expected.  As I was getting ready to check out, I noticed the corner of an industrial cart sticking out from under some quilts, baskets, etc.  Out of curiosity, I nudged a quilt out of the way to look at the price tag.  $135.  Hm.  That’s really a good price.  I pulled back a bit more stuff and saw it was blue & white with really cool wheels and a stenciled logo.  It also looked much more petite than other “lineberry carts”  I’ve seen.  I thought about it for another 10 seconds and then declared I was going to buy it.  As another bonus, it was on sale, so I ended up getting it for $108!

I was moving it out of the way today and it ended up in front of the French daybed, where it looks perfect as a coffee table.  I’ve seen them used as coffee tables before, but I thought this one might be too low.  It looks really good, though.  I may have to steal it for my house some day!

(The floors in the studio are very crooked, so one wheel is airborne…)

Come on…that stenciled logo and the chippy blue & white paint…was this thing made for me or what?!

It’s going to be a great photo prop and even a surface to shoot on…

I was picking up these antique ice cream scoops all day and playing with them like a little kid, so I finally gave in and bought one.  I love the gears and the combination of the brass, steel and copper, with the wooden handle.  If you’re going to scoop ice cream, why not do it with a really great scoop that makes you smile?

It was a great day in the studio and I finally had a lot of energy to get things done.  I finished an empire dresser, we started painting another one and I got the victorian settee about 90% finished.  It felt good to get so much done.  There’s still plenty to do, but I feel better about making some great progress.

I also had an awesome mail day.  My parents always joke that I’m in the right business, because I love getting packages.  I order a lot of things online and I sometimes lose track, so some days are like Christmas!  Today was one of those days.  I got some glass milk bottles I ordered for a crate we found on Friday, some decorative paint rollers from England and a few other goodies.  This was the best surprise of all, though…

If you remember, I mentioned a few weeks ago that one of my sweet readers found a 78 record I’ve been looking for, Bei Mir Bist Du Schon by The Andrews Sisters, and sent it to me as a gift.  It was so thoughtful and generous of her.  I pulled it out of the package and the record was snapped in half.  I was bummed, of course, but I was mostly bummed for her.  She did this incredibly thoughtful thing and the record broke in transit.  I taped it together and played it one time and my boys and I danced to the scratchy record.

I’ve been hunting for the record since, but haven’t even been able to buy it on eBay.  Well, in the mail today, Bernandette sent me another copy of the record.  This girl is a magnet for these to find two in such a short time and again, she was so generous and sent it to me.

Bernadette didn’t ask me for anything in return, but of course I wanted to share it on the blog and repay her in some small way by showcasing how talented she is with furniture.  Check out this weathered, dry brushed hutch…

…and this vanity is stunning!

If you’d like to see more, you can follow Bernadette on her blog, Old House Chic.

Now, I’m off to listen to my new/old record…