Johnny's Trading Post

My Saturday began with a little trip to the junk yard, just like I promised. I am so glad I went! I couldn't wait to take some pics of the good crap they had. Crap, as in, little treasures just waiting to find someone to love them and give them a new life.

My first and favorite item is this HUGE, very sturdy trunk. If I had a place for it, it would have come home with me, but I have no where to put it. It would be a perfect place to store blankets, pillows, books, magazines, toys, anything you can imagine. It just needs a little TLC and a creative owner to give it a good home! Any takers? Let me know and I'll snatch it up for you. $55 but I am sure I can get it for cheaper.

Here are a few more trunks that were stacked outside.

What can I say, I love me some trunks!

This little primitive box just gets me absolutely giddy! It needs a little cleaning and probably a swipe or two of some gel stain and BAM! Good stuff.

Lastly, this really pretty chippy paint "thingy" is a cypress bannister from a house in New Orleans. I have tried for a couple of years to buy just pieces of it since I obviously do not need an entire bannister. Some of the pieces are architectural and the green and white paint just make it interesting. This thing is huge and somebody with a good imagination and creativity could do something with it. I'll keep working on Dianne to sell the pieces separately.

In the end, I bought an old frame, a crocheted tabletopper for my friend, Cathy, and a couple of old hardback books. I took ALOT more pictures of things I liked but do not want to bore you with them. They really have just about anything you can imagine. Linens, albums, clothes, dishes, doors, windows, literally ANYTHING! I encourage you to take a trip down there if you have the time.

If any of these things interest you or you are looking for something in particular and you can't make it to Johnny's, let me know and I'll look for it the next trip!

Have a happy Monday!

Hmm, That Looks Familiar....

Oh my goodness! I just got my sweaty little hands on the new Ballard Designs catalog and got super excited about something they have. Isn't this the cutest little bench?

Guess how much it is in Ballard's? $839.

CLEARLY, the bench above is not the exact same but I love it all the same. It is my favorite DIY project to date. I bought the little jewel at an estate sale last summer for $75 and gave it a makeover with stuff that I had on hand (mostly).

It looked like this....

The fabric that I used was given to me by my sister and the paint was left over from a previous painting project. The only real thing that I had to buy was the jute that I used to trim around the cushion edges. It was $1.50 a yard at WalMart and I think I used about 5 yards, maybe a little more. Either way, it came out to alot less than $839! AND, to top it all off, my gorgeous niece, Caroline, used it in her bridal portraits last year and they were AMAZING. It helps that she is pretty amazing to begin with.

So that's my "Pat Myself on the Back Award" for the day. I'm going to the Junk Yard later today and hope to find some more good junk that I can utilize somewhere! Happy Weekend!

My BLOG Addiction

I have a very serious blog addiction. It started out innocent enough. Emails, then shopping, then my niece introduced me to the amazing blog-o-sphere and WOW! I have never been the same. A lot of the magazines that used to buy, I can now read online. If I see a picture that inspires me or an article that I want to reread, I can save it and stare at it all I want. And it did not cost me a dime!

Did I mention that I am cheap? Well, I am. Also, since I am confessing, I ...am...a...junker. I hate that word! But I am. I love a good trash find. My favorite blogs are all about the hunt for neat stuff that others would overlook or the makeover of a garage sale find. I LOVE a good conversation piece, even if the conversation starts out, "What exactly IS that?". I have one of those in my living room right now. But not for long. I have a plan to replace it. Just need the time.

Anyway, the following are some of my most FAVORITIST blogs ever!

Pure Style Home

purestylehome.blogspot.com

Lauren is a designer that has 2 little boys and a great house! It was in this months issue of Better Homes and Gardens. She's really pretty, too!

Velvet and Linen
brookegiannetti.typepad.com

This blog is just......ahhhhh! I read Brooke's entire archive in one night when I found it. IT'S THAT BEAUTIFUL!

A Country Farmhouse

acountryfarmhouse.blogspot.com

The before/after of this house is CRAZY. Trina and her hubby make me so jealous with this house and what they have transformed it into. IT IS A MUST SEE!!! The kitchen is jaw-dropping. (to me, anyway)

I have other blogs that I read daily but these are the TOP 3 on my Favorites. I read them every morning while I drink my coffee and get kids ready for school.

I Found the Antidote!

Antidote-n. something that relieves, prevents or counteracts something.

My status on Facebook today is, "Needs an antidote for DRAMA".

Look at that face! Drama? What drama?!

As much as I adore my family, it gets a little wonky sometimes. We all have our own issues and our own opinions about how we feel we should be treated in certain circumstances. Needless to say, they NEVER measure up to the expectations of the offended individual.

What to do? Well, here's my plan. Love. Love unconditionally. Forgive. Forgive everyday, everything. Try. Try harder next time. No family is perfect. If you think you are, please contact me and I will find something somewhere in your family history that will make you cringe! Then I will tell you one of my family secrets and you will feel much better about yours. I'm cool like that.

p.s. That's my awesome-niece, Camille. She's really my "great-niece" but "great" doesn't do her justice so she's my awesome-niece!