Introducing...Carolina Vintage Market!

I have some exciting news!  I've hinted around in the past few weeks about having a sale and I'm happy to announce the launch of the very first Carolina Vintage Market (mini)!  On June 22nd and 23rd, Amy from Atta Girl Says, Barb from Farmhouse Decor, and I will be filling "The Hen House" at SuzAnna's Antiques for a "mini" vintage market!

Dresser Makeover with Fabric

I've had a little project brewing in my mind for a long time... It's one of those projects when I just needed to find the right piece of furniture and the time to tackle it.  Over the years, I've seen some beautiful furniture makeovers by applying fabric directly to drawer fronts, etc and after seeing another dresser with linen applied to the drawer fronts on my trip to High Point Market, I knew I just had to try out the technique...

Farmhouse Style Front Porch with Pops of Red

Remember my mom and step-dad's house that I shared a few months back?  They've been slowly adding their personal style to the place through careful shopping and as many DIY projects as they can to save money on furnishings.  They like to curate their home by picking up furniture projects, sewing custom draperies, and finding bargains that they can make over.  While many rooms are partially done, there are still many things that they are on the look-out for and some weekend projects still to go.

Beach-Inspired Bling With Martha Stewart Jewelry

Martha Stewart is at it again...  With many amazing craft products already on the shelves at Michael's Craft Stores, she's adding a new line of Martha Stewart Jewelry to the list as well.  I love getting a hold of new jewelry-making materials so when a big box of Martha's new products came to my door, I knew I was going to have some fun...

Little Honeybee Dresser, Updated Booth Pictures, and House News

As I mentioned a few weeks ago, I scored quite a bit of furniture at a local auction that I'm slowly getting through, including this little petite dresser.  I think it was an old washstand and after staring at it a bit, I decided to remove the top wooden piece.  It just wasn't working for me...

Two-toned Dresser and Kitchen Scale Dining Table

After losing a good week of productive time due to giving my back a rest and having a wonderful birthday and Mother's Day weekend...it felt good to get back to work in the garage today.  I can't wait to work on some of the pieces of furniture that I have lined up and I've got lots of ideas to make them look "new" again!

32 Random Things About Me...

Since today is my 32nd birthday, I thought I'd share 32 random facts about me...  I've mentioned before that I don't share too many personal things on my blog, so this is certainly a change of pace for me!  I've read many similar posts on other blogs and I've always enjoyed learning new things about others, so here I go...

1.)  I grew up on a second-generation dairy farm in a small community in Northeast Washington State. I'll always be a farm girl at heart.  For my entire adult life, I've been trying to get back to living on a farm...never thought it would be so hard to do.

2.)  I love to read, but wish I had more time to.  I love books about history, biographies, etc.  My favorite books are the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon.

3.)  Because I was around animals constantly growing up, I was determined to become a veterinarian my entire childhood until I had a part-time job at a veterinary clinic in high school and realized that I'm way too sensitive after having to help put animals to sleep.  I still know how to milk cows, care for livestock, ear-tag, de-horn, and even castrate cattle though!  Not sure where these skills will ever come in handy again unless the execs at Manolo Blahnik want to hire me at their dairy farm :)  I'd work there in a second!

My first time showing a calf at the local fair at 5 yrs old

Tips for Shopping Antique Shows and Fairs

The Farm Chicks Show (in the earlier days) - via Country Living

Temperatures are warming up and antique shows/fairs are found almost every weekend around the country right now...it's my favorite time of year!  Spring is normally a crazy, busy time for me and for the first time in 7 years, I'm not working night-and-day on a gazillion projects for back-to-back antique shows that I'm normally a vendor at in April/May/June.  I have to admit that it feels strange not to be stressed out with piles of inventory in the garage and around the house and weirdly enough, I miss it!  I sort of crave the pressure, but with the house being for sale and not knowing what the future held, I didn't sign up for the Luckett's Spring Market this year.  I had been down that road before...back in the summer of 2010...house was for sale, 6 big shows, packing, moving, a baby that never slept...not fun, never again!  I had learned my lesson...

Luckett's 2012 - Part One

So instead of being a vendor, I'm a shopper at the shows this year and long before I started selling my own wares, I was a die-hard shopper at some of the biggest shows like The Farm Chicks Show, etc. for years.  By being both a vendor and a shopper, I've definitely learned a few things along the way, so I thought I'd share a few tips for navigating these shows/fairs that have worked for me over the years...

A Few Furniture Projects and a Little Setback

After having a blast visiting High Point, I had a busy weekend of shopping a large antiques festival, attending an auction, and re-stocking my booth.  With the house being for sale and all the extra time and cleaning required for maintaining a house that's on the market, finding and working on paint projects was taking a backseat. It's not a great combination...a furniture hobby filling the garage while the house is for sale.  At first, I almost completely emptied the garage, but my second-nature took over at last weekend's auction and I scored tons of great stuff.

20 Kids' Spaces on a Budget

I've always had a soft-spot for designing/decorating kids' rooms!  They are, by far, my favorite rooms to decorate because of the opportunity to use colors, patterns, and creative elements that I won't normally use in other areas of the home.  It's just plain fun to help inject some of the unique personality of a child into their space!  I recently asked to curate a clipboard over on Hometalk of 20 Kids' Rooms on a Budget that is full of ideas to help you transform your children's rooms without breaking the bank.

High Point Market Part 2 and My Loot

Gypsy Marketplace

I hope you enjoyed the little tour of some of the High Point showrooms that I shared the other day.  I promised to post my favorite part of High Point as well as some goodies I brought home!  As much as I loved looking at the new furniture lines, there's a part of me that loves digging through warehouses, barns, etc for the old stuff...

High Point Market Highlights...Part One

I had the incredible opportunity to visit High Point, NC for a few days this past week to preview and shop the High Point Market.  High Point is a furniture mecca and is where many furniture and home decor lines have permanent showrooms, but many more descend upon the area during Market Week to set up temporary showrooms for the thousands in the industry that come shop for new looks and products.  

Noir Showroom